Digital nomads are location-independent people who rely heavily on technology to help them perform their job. This lifestyle was made possible through several technological innovations, including cheap internet access, smartphones, and lightweight laptops. So what are the best laptops for digital nomads these days?
Those who lead a digital nomad’s life are typically travelers, often moving between cities and countries while working remotely.
A digital nomad without a laptop is something unthinkable. While much can be done with a smartphone, you’ll need a decent laptop in the long run. For a digital nomad, a lightweight laptop is a necessity.
Due to technological advancements in mobile technology, carrying a bulky and heavy laptop is no longer necessary.
Table of Contents
5 Key Features To Look For Laptops For Digital Nomads
- Long battery life – digital nomads often travel, doing some of their work while traveling. It’s recommended that your laptop has at least 8 hours of battery life.
- Size – while working on a big screen might be easier, carrying a big screen might be difficult. So you want a laptop that is as light and as small as possible. Ultrabooks are great since they are small and light but deliver excellent performance. Anything less than 3.5 lbs, with a screen size of 13-15 inches, is the right choice.
- Storage – Small laptops don’t come with lots of storage. Keep that in mind, and bring an external hard drive with you. Cloud storage is the most common option, offering an excellent backup strategy if something happens to your device.
- Processing power – This depends on what you do. You don’t need a super-strong processor if you’re a content writer using text processing programs like MS Word. A good CPU would be an Intel Core i5. You’ll also be perfectly fine with an integrated graphics chip. But if you use more demanding programs, Intel Core i7 and a separate graphics chip are recommended.
- Price – Your device is your number one working tool. And while a $2000 laptop sounds great, buy only what you need. If you only do basic work, there’s no need to pay for the best product on the market.
Best Laptops For Digital Nomads Reviewed In 2023:
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ASUS Chromebook Ruggedized Laptop 11.6 Inch
- Great keyboard
- Good battery life
- Durable and easy to repair
- A little heavy
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Dell XPS9360-4841SLV 13.3″ Laptop
- The battery lasts up to 14 hours
- Great performance
- Lightweight
- It looks identical to the previous XPS.
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Apple MacBook Pro
- Outstanding performance
- Attractive design
- Up to 10 hours of battery life
- Pricey which is understanding given the features.
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ASUS ZenBook UX330UA-AH54 13.3-Inch Laptop
- Great performance
- Good screen
- Relatively affordable
- Stiff touchpad.
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Microsoft Surface Pro 6 (8GB RAM, 128GB)
- Good battery life
- Solid performance
- Light and portable
- Keyboard sold separately
- It can be sensitive if dropped, so get a case for it.
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Lenovo Yoga 910 Business 14 Inch 2 in 1 Laptop
- Beautiful, nearly bezel-free display
- Snappy keyboard
- Up to 10 hours of battery life
- Awkward webcam location
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Acer Chromebook 14-inch
- Sturdy, beautiful body
- Crisp display
- Good battery life
- Slower on performance.
ASUS Chromebook is designed to take any punch and stand up to any drop that might happen during travel.
The plastic lid and bottom are encased in a rubberized protective ring that serves as armor. The keyboard is spill-resistant, so you don't need to worry about spilling accidents. However, due to its rugged exterior, C202 is heavier and thicker, weighing 2.6 pounds. If some damage occurs, this model is designed to be easily repaired.
The keyboard requires 60 grams of force to press, offering an extremely comfortable typing experience. Unfortunately, its touchpad is too sensitive by default, but this setting can be changed.
The screen is 11.6 inches, offering a 1366x768 resolution. It isn't sharp, but it's very crisp. Intel Celeron N3060 and 4GB of RAM are just enough for basic writing and manipulating spreadsheets. However, it cannot handle too much multitasking.
10 hours of battery life is relatively enough for a nomadic out-of-office workday.
Dell XPS 13" is a Windows-based laptop that matches the MacBook Pro's aesthetics and performance. However, it offers several specs for the XPS, so you can choose what suits you the best.
It's equipped with an Intel Core i7 CPU, Intel HD Graphics 620, and 8GB of RAM. These specs are perfect for people in all fields of work, from word processing to light video editing and graphic design.
Its body and lid are made of anodized aluminum and a carbon fiber keyboard deck. Its keyboard is pretty responsive and offers an excellent typing experience. On top of that, the touchpad is glass-coated and also easy to use.
The bezels around the display are so thin you can barely see them. Overall, the display is vibrant and color-rich in the FHD and 4K options.
The MacBook Pro has been a high watermark for laptop design thanks to its outstanding performance and great aesthetic design. In addition, it's slim and lightweight, offering excellent portability. And since it doesn't take up much space, it's great for traveling professionals.
It comes with a bright Retina display and a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels, ensuring that everything looks as detailed as possible for this screen size.
The keyboard has been updated and no longer suffers from the problems of previous models. It's effortless to type on, making it a joy to work with. Plus, its trackpad is still one of the best-performing and largest trackpads.
MacBook Pro is a professional-grade machine. The base configuration comes with an Intel Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD drive. You can, of course, upgrade individual components at the point of purchase.
It's great for all sorts of work, be it writing and word processing, all up to light video and image processing.
The chassis is made of lightweight aluminum alloy that weighs only 2.7 lbs. It's slim (0.7 inches) and lightweight, allowing you to carry it easily. The 13.3-inch screen has decent brightness and color, producing 105% of the sRGB spectrum.
The keyboard is smooth and allows for productive typing, but the touchpad is a bit stiff to be comfortable.
The beautifully designed body is a 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 with Intel HD Graphics 520 and 8GB of RAM. It provides enough processing power for multitasking. For example, it allows a dozen Google Chrome tabs, 1080p video, and word processing software to work simultaneously and without issues.
The battery life falls a little shorter, offering up to 8 hours of work time. However, UX330UA offers efficient performance, a solid screen, and an incredibly comfortable keyboard for increased productivity.
Surface Pro 6 is a 2-in-1 hybrid tablet laptop. It's aimed at people who work while traveling since it offers portability, enough processing power, and batteries that will last through the day.
Like all Microsoft's tablet-laptop hybrids, the Surface Pro 6 lets you attach a TypeCover keyboard sold separately. In addition, the kickstand is wide and stable, so you can't knock it over as quickly.
The Surface Pro 6 features an Intel Core i5 CPU with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of solid-state drive storage. Depending on your work, you can upgrade the CPU, RAM, and SSD at purchase.
The entry-level configuration is enough for more than just basic tasks. More demanding applications, like video and image processing, will work smoothly.
The battery life of an entry-level configuration of Surface Pro 6 is up to 13 hours. But upgrading to Intel Core i7 will significantly affect battery life.
If you like hybrid laptops, look at Lenovo's Yoga 910. It's one of the best 2-in-1 laptops on the market because it offers a perfect blend of power, adaptability, and style.
With Lenovo's signature watchband hinge, the sleek, brushed-aluminum unibody gives this device its premium look. And, with a thickness of only 0.56 inches and a weight of around 3 lbs, this device looks and feels classy and sophisticated.
Inside is a 13.9-inch touch display surrounded by ultra-thin bezels. The FHD panel has substantial color reproduction as well as color accuracy. It's big, colorful, and crisp. The keyboard is backlit and pretty well-balanced, offering a snappy typing experience.
Yoga 910 features an Intel Core i7 2.7GHz CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage. As a result, this laptop won't lag even on your busiest day when you have 15 tabs open in Google Chrome and HD streams in the background. It's a great piece because its efficiency will help boost your productivity.
Even though Chromebooks have the reputation of being cheaply made laptops aimed at the low-budget consumer, this might not be the case with Chromebook 14.
Performance-wise, it's all you can expect from a Chromebook. It's not a powerhouse device since Chrome OS is pretty light and not heavy on resources.
However, Intel Celeron N3160 and 4GB of RAM proved enough to run Android apps with a few open Chrome tabs. In addition, these low-powered components offer 12 hours of battery life, one of its most significant benefits.
The aluminum-alloy chassis feels sturdy and durable. The brushed metal finish on the lid gives this model its premium feel.
On top of that, the impressive build quality extends to the keyboard and touchpad. Its keyboard is comfortable to type on, but unfortunately, it isn't backlit. On the other hand, the FHD matte display is crisp, has plenty of detail, and has nice colors.
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