6
15 Comments

Good web development laptop for under $1000, what would you recommend?

Currently working on a 2009 iMac which honestly gets the job done just fine when I’m at home. I’ll need to be able to support my projects remotely when I start traveling again. Looking for recommendations on laptops, preferably under $1000

posted to Icon for group Developers
Developers
on February 9, 2021
  1. 8

    The new mac air M1 is just under $1000 I think - I have the mac mini and would definitely recommend

    1. 2

      Second this. I have the M1 macbook air.
      Pros:

      • battery lasts forever. I was developing for about 1.5 hours last night from full charge, and it still had 90% battery left.
      • USB-C charging - which means you can use power bricks to recharge while on extended trips without charge points.
      • Processor is really good, esp. considering the price point. I have a 2018 Mac mini, and my iOS app compile time has improved by about 45%

      Cons:
      The M1 chip (ARM processor) is still new, so make sure whatever you use is working there first. The good news is that for the most part, the Rosetta 2 x86 emulation is pretty good at supporting existing apps.

  2. 3

    I have the Lenovo Flex 14 (no longer being sold). I would recommend the Lenovo IdeaPad and Yoga series. There are some good ones about 700 or 800 dollars.

    1. 1

      I want to ditch my 2016 MacBook for the Yoga series so bad, but it still runs well and can't justify it (yet). Maybe a cup of coffee needs to get spilled...

    2. 1

      Awesome! Thank you I’ll check those out. I’ve heard Lenovo is solid - never had one though

  3. 2

    If your okay with trying something new, the macbook air with M1 chip would be great bang for your buck. It might be just over 1k though.

    A used Dell XPS might be good. And you also can't go wrong with ThinkPads.

  4. 2

    You can get Lenovo Thinkpad t440p pretty cheap.

    The best keyboard on the market.

    You can replace any part in it with help of 3 min YouTube tutorial.

    I have it along my Dell XPS and couldn't be happier.

  5. 2

    No brand recommendations here but some specs. I have built PCs (not laptops) for under £300 that are still going strong after 10 years following these specs:

    • to last longer go for a business model rather than a consumer model, the chassis on consumer models tend to be flimsy and don't last long

    • you don't need a powerful CPU for web development, almost any CPU is fine from Pentium quad core up. Avoid the Celeron though, it doesn't cut it

    • the cheapest ways to improve speed will be RAM, an SSD and good internet

    • RAM: 16GB is plenty but 8GB should be OK

    • an SSD is much faster than a hard disk

    • make sure there is an ethernet slot so you can run cabled internet, it's almost always faster than WIFI

    • for productivity you'll want to plug in extra monitors and keyboard/mouse. Make sure it has the slots

    • make sure the screen can show accurate colours if you are planning on doing any design work. 1080p is fine for resolution, no need for 4K in my opinion, but check the RGB balance of the screen is accurate

  6. 2

    Anything at this price range will work. I had 800 euro Asus something something, worked well, gave it to family because I am PC master race.

  7. 2

    I am using Acer Aspire 7 , cheap and fast .

  8. 1

    It's around your price range but look at ryzen 7 Asus G14. Just otdered one because I need it to be powerfull enough for development and portable.

    1. 1

      My turn is coming soooo soon... I can't wait! I've never had physical shakes when thinking about dropping that kind of cash until now, and it's not anxiety, its f****** excitement

  9. 1

    Asus Zenbooks have never disappointed me.

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