7 BEST Laptops For Digital Nomads Who Work Remotely
What are the best laptops for digital nomads?
After I spent a year as a digital nomad, I found that the laptop I chose to travel with was crucial to my experience. That’s why I’ve decided to break down the best laptops for digital nomads.
If you’re a digital nomad looking for the best laptop to take with you on your travels, there’s many different variables you should take into consideration, such as price, reliability, battery life, and processing power. There’s so many different laptops on the market today that picking one to use while traveling can be a challenge.
But lucky for you I spent countless hours researching hundreds of laptops and down below I’ve curated a list of the seven best laptops for digital nomads. So sit back, relax, and read on to find the best laptop that’s right for you.
The 7 best laptops for digital nomads
Apple MacBook Pro
Dell XPS
New Microsoft Surface Pro
Lenovo Ideapad
MacBook Air
Asus Zenbook Ultra Slim
HP Envy
The 7 best laptops for digital nomads: Reviewed
New Apple MacBook Pro
I’ve been using a Mac for about 10 years now. I started with the Macbook Air but a few years ago I updated to Macbook Pro because I needed a faster laptop.
Apple products have been a staple in the laptop game for many, many years now. So, including them in our best laptops for digital nomads was a no brainer.
The new Apple MacBook Pro is extremely user-friendly, which makes it an excellent pick for a digital nomad. It is perfectly portable, being a 13-inch model, and has a decent 8GB of ram, which ensures you won't end up with any slow processing or lagging when you are trying to work.
The Quad-Core Intel Core i5 Processor is top of the market - ensuring you do get the best bang for your buck. The MacBook's battery can last up to ten hours without needing to be plugged in, adding to its already fantastic portability.
There’s a reason Macbooks cost a lot - because I personally believe they’re worth every penny. The quality is unmatched, and if you don’t give your laptop hell, then it will last for many years. So it’s definitely worth the price, in my opinion.
2. Dell XPS
Even though I think a Macbook is the best choice, I know it’s not the best option for everyone. That’s why I’ve included six more options below.
Another incredibly well-known brand on this list of best laptops for digital nomads is Dell. It's a computer brand that has been around for many years and is quite known for producing reliable products. The Dell XPS 15-inch laptop is an outstanding choice for the remote worker in search of a powerful machine.
With a 4K UHD display, combined with an Nvidia GeForce GTX graphic card, whether you're watching YouTube, reading PowerPoint presentations, looking at photographs, there won't be any lapse in quality.
The 16GB of memory and 1TB of storage ensure that this is a laptop you really can do everything on, no need to worry about slow processing or running out of storage space. There truly is space for everything.
Although at 15 inches, it is a little bit larger than some other best laptops for digital nomads, it weighs less than 2 kgs, making it extremely easy to take around with you when you need it on the go.
Best laptops for digital nomads: work from anywhere with these powerful computers!
3. New Microsoft Surface Pro
Sometimes, a typical laptop can be a little too clunky for your nomadic lifestyle, especially if you find yourself always on the road or traveling. Introducing the new Microsoft Surface, with all the features of a laptop, but the compact structure of a tablet.
The screen is fully touchable, allowing you to swap from keyboard to fingertip as often as you need to. It is excellent for building diagrams or labeling essential documents.
The battery can last for ten hours without needing to be plugged in, but with fast charging capabilities, you will be back up to an 80% charge in just over an hour. Do you need to attend business meetings on the go? The microphone capabilities on the Microsoft Surface are amazing, providing clear and crisp sound.
It has a tremendous amount of horsepower for such a little laptop, the Ice Lake processor can handle over ten applications running at a time.
4. Lenovo Ideapad
Sometimes, you don't need to go for a more expensive laptop model to get everything that you need as a digital nomad. The Lenovo Ideapad retails for just under $300, making it one of the most affordable laptops on this list of best laptops for digital nomads.
Although the battery life is smaller than others on this list, as you only get about three hours of full-throttle use on a full charge, the charger is tiny and portable that you can take it with you if you need to use the laptop on the go.
It isn't the fastest on the list of best laptops for digital nomads. Still, it is capable of running all the applications you would need as a remote worker, and works exceptionally well for a computer of its price.
5. MacBook Air
The other apple product on this list has also been a household name for many, many years. The Apple Macbook Air has probably been the staple for portable laptops for as long as it has been on the market.
At 13 inches in size, and barely 1.35 kgs in weight, it will easily fit in any backpack or bag, and can be brought with you wherever your nomadic lifestyle may lead you. It includes two USB ports, and two thunderbolt ports, making it easy to connect any external hard drives or other pieces of technology that you may need.
The Intel Core i5 Processor and Intel Graphics card provide an overall outstanding laptop experience, ensuring you can run multiple applications at once, and that you aren't left viewing things in 240p. You should be able to get up to 12 hours of battery life from this system.
One of the best laptops for digital nomads looking for the right balance between portability and power. I recommend using the Air for light work, such as email, browsing, etc. When I started using CMS platforms like Wordpress and editing tools like Photoshop more heavily, I had to switch to a Macbook Pro.
Best laptops for digital nomads: which one to buy?
6. Asus Zenbook Ultra Slim
Are you looking for a laptop that gives you full viewing capability? Where you don't have to worry about annoying bezels on the screen, that just become a shiny, metal eyesore when you're trying to browse?
The Asus Zenbook may be the answer to your problems. This laptop is as widescreen as it can get, which a 14 inch wide, full HD nano-edge bezel display, meaning that the screen extends all the way to the edges. The screen to body ratio is an impressive 98%.
A cool included feature for business-focused digital nomads is that the touchpad can transform into an extra accessible number pad, at the mere press of a button. With a whopping 14 hours of battery life, you can leave that charger cord at home, and focus on the more important things, like how much candy crush you can get away with playing during that boring meeting.
7. HP Envy
Sometimes, you need a little bit of extra security when it comes to your laptop choices. These machines can hold some of our most valuable, precious data - why would we not want to protect them from potential hackers?
The HP Envy has stepped up their security game, with an included webcam 'kill switch' that ensures there won't be anyone tapping into your webcam when it's not in use, as well as an integrated fingerprint reader.
The 4K, 13-inch touch screen is coated in gorilla glass, ensuring there won't be any cracks or scratches if you do happen to drop your laptop when you're traveling. You can get between 5 and 12 hours of battery life from a single charge, depending on what you're applications or software you are using.
What are the best laptops for digital nomads?
So, what’s the best laptop for a digital nomads?
As we've mentioned in our best laptops for digital nomads list above, there are so many different computers currently available on the market to consider as the best laptops for digital nomads, which have entirely different features and prices.
It can be hard to choose which one is right for you if you haven't been able to test them all. The best approach is to make yourself a list of features you need and narrow it down from there.
Hopefully, our list of best laptops for digital nomads has helped you with your decision-making process, so you can spend your time developing your business instead of being bogged down product hunting.
PS, if you’re a photographer, check out our list of best travel laptops for photographers as well. And if you are planning an RV trip, check out our Harvest Host Review.