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Developers can develop websites and apps on any laptop or desktop computer, but that is not always the case. Laptops for developers should have a portable design and powerful specifications that can carry the load of any programming or development software. Every year, there are a lot of new laptops releasing that have newer processors and graphics cards that consume less power and are more powerful than their predecessors. We have selected 10 best laptops for developers and programmers for coding and compiling in 2019.

1. Best Mac For App Development 2017
2. Best Mac For Developers 2017 Calendar
3. Mac Operating System 2017
4. Best Macbook For Developers
5. Best Mac For Developers

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If you are a programmer or developer, then having a laptop with enough hardware specification is necessary for your coding and compiling work. Having the great combination of hardware and excellent keyboard are most important aspects when you select the best laptop or notebook for programming.​

Homebrew, iTerm2, and Sublime Text are probably your best bets out of the 26 options considered. 'Quick access to a large repository of open source software' is the primary reason people pick Homebrew over the competition. It’s extremely expensive, but if you’re looking for unbridled power to get through professional workloads, the iMac Pro is the best Mac for you. Read the full review: iMac Pro 5.

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• Expensive
• Only two USB Type-C ports

• Fans can get loud under load
• Pre-installed bloatware

• Expensive
• Speaker is very weak

CPU and RAM

Make sure you are getting the latest processor in the market under your budget. That will allow you to keep your laptop for next 5 years and run any latest programming or developing tools in future. Processing power may needed in some cases when you compile your codes. Getting an i5 or i7 processor with latest 8th generation and higher speed would be ideal in this case.

RAM is another major hardware component that should be selected while selecting the laptop. Try to get the higher capacity RAM with higher frequency. Since DDR4 is available in the market right now, try to get the DDR4 RAM if it is under your budget. Get 8+ GB RAM when you get the laptop. Make sure to check your main programming or developing software recommended hardware requirements and buy accordingly. Keeping a free memory slot will allow you to upgrade the RAM in future.

Graphics Card/Display/HDD/Battery Life

Though we are not buying the laptop for gaming, but it depends on your program or app you are developing to find out the graphics card requirement. Some programs and tools may need GPU (Display memory and processor), in this case get the best laptop for developers with dedicated latest display card. Screen size could be larger, that will allow you to do the coding and development work in multiple windows on same screen.

It is better to go with SSD laptop. You really need higher disk I/O laptop that could respond to your queries and commands quickly. You could go for hybrid hard disk setup or cloud storage to store more data. But it is highly recommended to have main Operating System and your development/programming application on SSD hard drive.

As a developer you might be moving around frequently, get the laptop which has good battery life.

Selection of Top 10 Best Laptops for Developers in 2019

Lenovo ThinkPad laptops have the most sturdy build quality and this one, the Lenovo ThinkPad E580 has very durable build quality, and it is also a very budget friendly laptop for developers. With the price around 1000 dollars, it comes with the excellent hardware configuration any programmer can expect. Inside is a latest 8^th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and whopping 16GB of RAM which are enough for web developers or mobile app developers.

You can easily upgrade the disk and memory if you feel that they are not up to your needs. The laptop is available in many variables of specifications while purchasing it. The hard disk type is faster SSD which is an added advantage for the price. The 256GB SSD should be enough to store many of the programs and codings. The Lenovo ThinkPad E580 is powerful enough for developers and has the good build quality that doesn’t break the bank.

The Lenovo ThinkPad E580 is a budget-friendly laptop for developers with the good hardware configuration to compile programs.

The Lenovo ThinkPad E580 comes with these hardware specifications:

• 8th Gen Intel Core i7
• 16GB RAM
• 256GB SSD
• 15.6-inch Full HD 1920x1080 display

• Impressive build quality
• Budget-Friendly
• Storage and RAM is easy to upgrade

• Come installed with a lot of bloatware
• No Dedicated Display Card

The Acer Aspire E 15 is a good cheap laptop for developers in 2019 with a thin and light design. Indeed there are other thin and light laptops like this one, but the Acer Aspire E15 has its own pros. It has a plastic chassis which feels good to touch, and it has a thin design which keeps it lightweight and portable so that you can carry it around with you everywhere. For developers, this is a very good laptop since it has an 8^th Gen Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB RAM that provides power to this laptop. Its portability is also another advantage for developers in 2019.

If you work in a dimly lit room, the Acer Aspire E 15 has a backlit keyboard so that you can type easily. Acer Aspire E15 has great battery life with Windows 10, that is more suitable for portability and long working hours from your desk. The slimness, good battery usage, and full HD screen will suit for most of the programmers and developers who look for the cheap and best laptop for programming.

The Acer Aspire E15 comes with:

• 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250 (Up to 3.4 GHz) processor
• 256GB SSD
• 8GB DDR3 RAM
• 1080p Full HD display with 15.6-inch screen

Best Mac For App Development 2017

• Bright and clear IPS display
• Thin, light and portability
• Up to 15 hours battery life

• Touchpad is not up to the mark
• Pre-installed bloatware

Dell Inspiron 7572 is a great option for programmers. This laptop comes with amazing features. It comes with good quality construction. The base of the laptop is made from metal shells. The lid is made from light-weight aluminum. This laptop comes with a brushed metal finish.

It is available in two colors which are jingled gold and theoretical grey. Dell Inspiron 7572 comes with a modern look. The narrow screen borders make it look quite unique and stylish. This is an 8th generation laptop which is suitable for programming and developing software.

It comes with various specifications which serve your purpose right if you are looking for a laptop to build websites and create applications. This laptop is powered by Core i5-8250U Quad Core Processor. The keyboard of the laptop is made from plastic and comes with a rubber finish. You might be a little surprised to see that there is no numeric keypad.

The keys are quite springy which makes typing easier for you. It comes with a backlit keyboard and HD Webcam. All in all, this is the best laptop for programmers and comes with an ergonomic design. It is suitable for programmers, students, and home users.

This configuration of the Dell Inspiron 7572 comes with:

• 8th Gen Intel Core i5 (1.6GHz, turbo up to 3.4GHz)
• 8GB DDR4 RAM
• 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD
• 15.6-inch FHD

• Ergonomic design
• Good specifications for its price range
• HDD + SSD

• Comes pre-installed with bloatware
• Chassis flexes at some points

The ASUS VivoBook is another thin and lightweight laptop for programmers who are looking for a budget laptop with the nice build quality and simple design. ASUS VivoBook is a very simple mid-ranged laptop with a thin design, NanoEdge Technology and an 8^th Gen Intel Core i7 1.6 GHz (Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz) processor and 8GB RAM that is great for developers on a budget. 128GB SSD+1TB hybrid hard disk inside to manage the disk writing and reading well with the larger space. You can easily run your web developing applications or simulation applications easily without breaking a sweat. ASUS offers the “Best-in-class connectivity” with USB Type-C for fast transfer speeds to USB Type-C devices and both HDMI and VGA for connecting to external displays.

The ASUS VivoBook is a great laptop for developers under $700. It is lightweight, slim and its glossy plastic build with champagne color makes it look very beautiful.

This configuration of the ASUS VivoBook comes with:

• Latest 8th Gen Intel Core i5 Processor
• 8GB DDR4 RAM
• 128Gb SSD + 1TB HDD
• 15.6- inch 1080p display

• i7 Processor under budget
• Excellent Display
• Light and sleek build

• Keyboard is not backlit
• Unwanted Pre-installed Apps that can slow down

The HP Envy laptops are known for their slim designs and premium looks. The HP X360 is a slim and sleek touchscreen laptop that has small features here and there which makes it a very good laptop for coding. It has the latest 8th Gen Quad Core i7 processor to run any programming applications and languages and run the compiling quickly with the powerful processor. First, it has a nice slim aluminum body that makes it very light and portable, which is desired by many developers. Second, it is a touchscreen laptop that can be converted to tablet easily. The 360 rotation help any programmers to use this laptop as a tablet for coding. Third, the backlit keyboard along with the lid hinge is best when you are working in a dimly lit room.

It has a dedicated 2GB display card, so if you are a gaming developer or programmer, you can utilize this dedicated display card for gaming purpose as well. Developing your applications and simulations will be no problem, and with its long battery life, you can take your work portable without any worry. The full HD screen can make sure that you see the every pixel of your app/program that you are developing.

The HP X360 comes with:

• 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550 ( 1.8GHz, turbo up to 4.0GHz)
• 8GB DDR4 RAM
• 128GB SSD
• 2GB Dedicated Display Card
• 15.6-inch 1080p touch display

• Latest 8th Gen Processor
• Slim and lightweight design
• Responsive glass touch pad
• Radeon 2GB Dedicated Display

• Comes with pre-installed bloatware
• RAM is not user upgradeable
• Glossy screen is not ideal for using outdoors

Microsoft new surface book 2 is a massively powerful laptop which is perfect for programmers. This laptop comes with new and improved features if we compare it with the previous model. You’d love the versatility of the new surface book 2.

It is a 2-in-1 notebook. You can use it as a tablet to read the important news or surf the net. You can even use it as a laptop for watching a movie or playing a game in your leisure time.

This Surface Book 2 comes with the latest version of Windows. It allows you to enhance your productivity while creating a website for developing a program. This laptop provides you an ample amount of space to store your work. It comes with a RAM of 8GB and SSD hard drive storage space of 256GB. It comes with a powerful processor which goes up to 3.6 GHz.

The Microsoft new Surface Book 2 comes with good battery life. You’d be amazed to use it for longer periods of time, it can last up to 17 hours. In addition, it offers you faster internet connectivity. It also comes with a Bluetooth connectivity option. The major issue with the book is that it does not come with stereo speakers.

The Microsoft Surface Book comes with these hardware specifications:

• Intel Core i5 8th Gen
• 8GB DDR3 RAM ( 1866GHz)
• 256GB SSD
• Intel HD Graphics 620 with 2GB VRAM
• 13.5-inch 3000x2000 PixelSense touchscreen display

• Best touchscreen in any Windows tablet/laptop
• Great performance for the hardware installed inside
• Crystal clear and sharp screen
• 17 Hours Battery Life

• Long charging time
• Expensive

Nothing shows off the innovation and technological advancement in laptops better than, Dell XPS 9360. This laptop comes with outstanding features and specifications. It is perfect for programmers and gamers. It gives you an unbeatable display.

Dell XPS 13 9360 comes with a unique design. The build quality is sturdy and strong. Dell has rubberized the interior of this machine. The screen of the laptop is 13 inches; it gives you the edge to edge display. It gives you a screen resolution 3200X1800. There was a time when Dell was popular for producing heavy laptops; however, it has now shifted its focus on offering thin and sleek laptops. This laptop comes with a minimalistic design which is light-weight. The battery life of Dell XPS 13 9360 gives it a competitive edge. It gives you prolonged hours of usage.

Best Mac For Developers 2017 Calendar

The keyboard of the laptop is also quite satisfactory. The keywords are at a distance of 1.2mm. The smooth sliding finish gives you the pleasure of moving your fingers across. This is an 8th generation laptop which comes with a powerful Intel Core i7-8550U Processor.

This configuration of the Dell XPS 13 9360 comes with:

• 8th Gen Intel i7 (Up to 4.0GHz)
• 16GB DDR3 RAM
• 512GB solid state drive
• 13.3-inch 1080p InfinityEdge display

• Amazing build quality
• Thin and light design
• Excellent InfinityEdge display

• Less number of ports daily usage
• Expensive

We decided to list this laptop because of its portability, battery life, and power of the hardware. If you are a programmer or developer who is on the move most of the time, consider this laptop to buy. 19 hours of battery life for a Windows laptop is unbelievable. Specifically built for better portability without compromising the hardware specs. Even the students who are learning programming and app development in the colleges can treat this laptop as the best choice.

It equipped with the latest 8^th Gen i7 processor, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD to provide the faster disk. With these three main hardware combination, you should be able to run any programming applications. It has passed the several durability tests to remain the strongest candidate in our list. It comes with all ports you may require as a developer to connect your external hard disks, smartphones, and tablets.

Mac Operating System 2017

This configuration of the LG Gram comes with these hardware specifications:

• 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U
• 8GB DDR4
• 256GB SSD
• 15.6-inch

• 19 Hours of Battery Life
• Light weight
• Proven Durability

• Less RAM
• No LAN port, USB-C Network only 100Mbps

If you are looking for a laptop which gives you good value for money ASUS Strix Star is the best choice for you. Although this laptop is not very pricey, you don’t have to worry about its performance. This is the 8th generation laptop which comes with Core Intel i7-8750H. This laptop gives you high-resolution and smooth display without any hiccups.

No matter what type of content you want to visualize, ASUS VivoBook gives you optimal visualization. It shows you every frame and pixel quite clearly. It offers you greater accuracy and sharpness. No matter what your source is, it gives you closer to real images.

If you are looking for a sleek and compact laptop design, ASUS VivoBook is the best choice for you. You can easily sling it in your carrying bag and take it wherever you want. This is an UltraBook which comes with the power of a magnificent laptop.

It is ideal for gamers and programmers. Moreover, it offers you efficient connectivity. It comes with USB 3.1 connector which simplifies it for you to connect with different projectors and displays. All in all, this is a powerful and budget-friendly laptop for programmers and gamers.

The ASUS ROG STRIX Scar II comes with these hardware specifications:

• 8th Gen Hexa-Core Intel Core i7
• 16GB DDR4 RAM
• 512GB
• NVIDIA GTX 2070 with 8GB GDDR6 VRAM
• 15.6-inch 1080p display

• Latest hardware gives an impressive performance
• 8GB Dedicated Display for PC games development
• Has plenty ports for connecting different devices

• The Price
• Comes installed with a lot of bloatware

This Apple MacBook Pro 13 is the latest Apple MacBook Pro and this one specifically is the best laptop for app developers and programmers if you really do not need Windows Operating System. Though you could find few MacBook cheaper than this model, but this model is worth investment as a programmer. MacBook Pro laptops have always been praised for their build quality, display quality and for developers and programmers, the stability of MacOS. This UNIX based operating system is why developers and programmers prefer MacBook Pro laptops because it is very stable and works very well with the hardware that comes with them.

This MacBook Pro comes with an latest 8th Gen 6-Core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM (not user upgradeable) and a very fast 256GB of flash storage. Even though the processor is only i5 but with its 6-Cores and 8th Gen technology, MacBook Pro 13 still performs very well as the best laptop for iOS and macOS developers. Since there are several ways available to install Windows OS on Mac laptops, you can use this laptop for multi purpose programming in cross platform.

This configuration of the Apple MacBook Pro 13 comes with:

• 8th Gen 6-Core Intel Core i5 (Turbo up to 3.8GHz)
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB SSD (512GB Option available)
• Intel Iris Graphics 655
• 13.3-inch 2560x1600 resolution Retina display

• Excellent build quality and light design
• Impressive Retina display
• Stable OS for iOS and macOS App programming
• Long battery life

• Expensive
• Only two USB Type-C ports
• Different adapters will be required to connect USB, HDMI etc. devices

These were the top 10 best laptops for developers and programmers in 2019 under your budget. This year is the great year for developers because there are a lot of new laptops coming up with amazing hardware like the new NVIDIA graphics cards and Intel i9 processors that consume less power and deliver better performance.

Developing iOS apps no longer requires access to a Mac, thanks to a new program introduced by Microsoft called Xamarin Live Player.

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Microsoft unveiled the new tool today at its Build 2017 developer conference. With Xamarin Live Player, developers can deploy iOS apps directly to an iPhone using Visual Studio on a PC, removing altogether the need for a Mac to code.

Before Microsoft’s update to Xamarin today, developers still needed a Mac running Xcode on their local network. Visual Studio would then remotely control the Mac to debug and test code. Microsoft’s elimination of that requirement should open up iOS development to even more devs who prefer to code in Visual Studio.

“Simply pair your device with Visual Studio by scanning a QR code, and hit debug like you normally would,” Microsoft’s Nat Friedman explained during today’s demo. “The application is deployed in seconds to the Live Player app, enabling you to quickly develop and test your changes without having to recompile and redeploy your application. And you can set breakpoints and debug your application, on device, and over the air.”

Unfortunately, submitting the app to the App Store and creating the final build still require a Mac. However, you can now code on a PC laptop from anywhere you want without worrying about needing a Mac nearby.

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One of the other drawbacks of using Live Player to code iOS apps is that it uses an interpreter for .NET code, which means apps that run through it are slower than if you coded them on a Mac. Xamarin Live Player supports Android apps as well, but developers have been able to code on Windows PCs for ages now, so it’s not that big of a feature.