Best Laptop for Digital Nomads [Personal Experience]

If you have been on a quest to look for the best laptop for digital nomads, you have come to the right place!

Laptops are probably the most important of all the digital nomad gadgets out there and quite likely the most frequently used digital nomad gear.

As such, it is worth it to spend the time to carry out thorough research into the laptop that you are planning to purchase to ensure that you get the most value for your money.

At a glance, some of the best laptops for digital nomads are:

Here, we take a detailed look at:

The core features to look out for when purchasing a digital nomad laptop
A breakdown of some of the best laptops for digital nomads
A good laptop for writers
The best laptops for $2,000
Technical features that a digital nomad laptop should have

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What Is A Digital Nomad?

A digital nomad is essentially one who works on the go.

This means that they either work remotely for a company or as they work as a freelancer as they travel the world and go from one place to another while earning a living.

A good laptop is an absolute necessity for a digital nomad.

As much as mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets have come a long way, they, unfortunately, cannot carry out the various multi-tasking activities that are required of digital nomads.

What Features Do They Need For A Laptop?

Among other things, a digital nomad laptop must at the very least be:

Reliable
Sturdy
Capable of being used for long hours without needing to be charged or connected to a power outlet
Lightweight and easy to pack up and move around

Best Digital Nomad Laptops

More laptop manufacturers and companies are recognizing the global increase of digital nomads. As such, more effort is being put into making laptops that are suitable for the digital nomad who is consistently on the go.

Here is a list of some of the best laptops for digital nomads:

1.Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon

Most notable features:

Durable
Lightweight
Long battery life

The Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon is quite likely the best laptop for digital nomads which is why it makes it to No.1 on this list!

The durability factor for this particular laptop is mind-blowing, to say the least. It is this durability that makes it stand out from its competitors.

Quite simply, Lenovo has built this laptop to survive the extremes.

Its durability has been tested by leaving the laptop in the icy Arctic wilderness, placing it in the middle of desert dust storms, testing it out in zero gravity conditions, and dropping it from incredible heights.

Now that’s some commitment to durability tests!

So if you are a digital nomad that takes things like white water rafting or scaling mountains seriously, this is the laptop for you! You can rest assured that your laptop will still be in working condition after all that!

From a practical perspective, this laptop weighs only 2.4 pounds and can operate for up to 19.5 hours on a single charge, making it one of the best laptops for digital nomads.

2.Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip

Most notable features:

Lightweight
Excellent for typing
Long battery life

One of the things that stands out about Apple products is their ability to seamlessly integrate with each other. This means if you need to airdrop photos and files from your photo to your laptop on the go- it’s entirely possible.

It is one of the main reasons why I use them and is also why they are very much a digital nomad’s favorite tech brand.

The MacBook Air is called that for a reason!

It is one of the lightest laptops that is available on the market, coming in at 2.8 pounds. This makes it easy to travel and move around with.

The MacBook Air is also probably the best laptop for writers.

Other than the fact that it can go without charging for up to 18 hours, the keyboard on the Macbook Air is a writer’s dream!

The scissors switch mechanism of the keyboard truly makes typing a pleasure.

The way in which the keys are spaced out also allows for a smooth and seamless typing experience. This minimizes the risk of input errors, thus making it the best laptop for typing.

3.ASUS ZenBook S Ultra Slim Laptop

Most notable features:

Extremely thin and lightweight
Touchscreen feature
Fast charging capabilities

This ultra-sleek laptop is a digital nomad’s dream. This is primarily because of how ultra-portable it is.

It measures only 15.7mm in thickness and weighs 2.76 pounds.

While it is not the lightest laptop out there, the fact that it is extremely sleek makes it easy to pack up and carry around.

It also has a touchscreen feature that allows you to navigate your screen without endlessly scrolling through it. This is likely to reduce any wrist injuries, especially if your digital nomad work requires you to spend long hours reading from your screen.

One particular feature that makes the ASUS Zenbook S Ultra Slim unique is that it has fast charging capabilities.

This is perfect if you forget to charge your laptop the night before and quickly need to revive it before you step out for the day.

4.Dell XPS 13

Most notable features:

Lightweight
Long battery life
Touchscreen feature

The Dell XPS 13 is another favorite among the digital nomad community.

Weighing in at 2.7 pounds, with a battery life of up to 16 hours, this small laptop certainly packs a big punch!

The one thing that appears to immediately stand out about this laptop is how large the keys are. This makes the Dell XPS a strong contender for the best laptop for typing.

This laptop also has a very sleek and attractive design which is a plus point when you are constantly traveling and need to quickly pack up your things and get moving.

5.Lenovo Yoga C940

Most notable features:

Can be used as a tablet
Foldable screen
Long battery life

This stylish device is a 2-in-1 laptop. This means that it can be used as a tablet as well as a fully functioning laptop.

While it is not the lightest digital nomad laptop that is available out there (it weighs 2.98 pounds), because it is so sleek, it is not difficult to carry around.

The battery life on this laptop can last up to 15 hours.

Even though it is slightly heavier when compared to other laptops with similar features, the Lenovo Yoga C940’s portability makes it a worthwhile consideration to add to your digital nomad kit.

What Is The Best Laptop For Traveling?

While the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon and the MacBook Air are the best full-sized laptops for traveling, if you are looking for a laptop that is compact yet fully functional, then the Microsoft Surface Go 2 should be on your digital nomad packing list!

This is essentially a tablet that can easily be converted into a laptop.

With a 10.5-inch touchscreen, the screen size on this is admittedly smaller than the laptops that have been explored above.

That being said, it weighs only 1.2 pounds.

As such, even if you were to purchase a wireless keyboard that can be attached to the tablet, it will still be lighter than some of the other digital nomad laptops out there.

The ease of portability and more importantly, the affordability of the Microsoft Surface Go 2 are what make it the best laptop for traveling, especially if you are consistently on the move and want to travel as light as possible.

What Is The Best Laptop for $2000 (or less!)?

In all honesty, $2000 can get you a pretty high-end laptop with some of the best technical specifications.

The best laptops for digital nomads that have been explored in detail above are all under $2000, with the most expensive being the Asus Zenbook S Ultra Slim Laptop and the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon which are currently priced at about $1700 on Amazon.

While it may not be necessary to spend $2000 on a laptop, if you are a digital nomad who specializes in photography or photo or video editing, then such a laptop will most certainly enhance your skills as a digital nomad.

The following are some of the best laptops that are available online for $2000 or less.

However, it must be noted that because of their high technical specs, they may be heavier and/or larger than traditional digital nomad laptops.

If you are a digital nomad that needs more out of your laptop or if you spend a substantial amount of time in one place without being constantly on the go, then these are some worthy considerations.

1.Acer Predator Triton 500

This laptop is widely marketed as one of the thinnest and lightest gaming laptops. If you are a digital nomad who is also a full-time gamer, then this laptop might very well be a dream come true!

2.Huawei Matebook X Pro Signature Edition

Huawei may not be as well-known for its laptops as the other tech giants in the industry but this particular one is truly a thing of beauty.

With an extremely thin bezel that leaves with a widescreen display, this laptop is bound to be a pleasure for digital nomads to work on.

3.LG Gram Laptop

This is a 17-inch laptop that weighs almost 3 pounds. Its unique widescreen makes it a great laptop for photo and video editing.

Its full keyboard with a separate numerical column makes it extremely easy to type on, especially for digital nomads who provide freelance bookkeeping or virtual assistant services.

Essential Technical Features that Digital Nomad Laptops Should Have

One of the best skills for digital nomads to have is the ability to work efficiently and in an organized manner so that they can provide the best quality of their services to their clients.

As such, aside from looking out for the ideal physical aspects of your digital nomad laptop, there are some essential tech features to keep in mind as well as you are choosing your laptop.

PC MAG gives an extremely informative and detailed breakdown of the essential technical features for ultraportable laptops. Some of them include the processing power and storage capacity of digital nomad laptops.

Processing power is important because the faster your computer works, the faster you can work to deliver the best results for your client. The last thing you want is for your laptop to keep freezing up when you are on the cusp of a deadline!

A high storage capacity is especially useful when you are a digital nomad who specializes in content creation or provides services that require you to deal with high-quality photographs or videos.

When your digital nomad laptop is capable of storing large files, you will automatically eliminate the need to carry multiple external storage drives with you, thus allowing you to travel light.

Whether you have been a digital nomad for a few years or are just thinking about starting your journey as a digital nomad, it is worthwhile to invest in a good laptop.

As a digital nomad, other than your essential digital nomad gear, your laptop is quite literally your lifeline.

With that in mind, don’t forget to also think about any possible features of a digital nomad laptop that may be useful to you in the future.

For example, just because you specialize in freelance writing now, does not mean that you won’t need to (or want to!) deal with editing photographs and videos as you grow along in your digital nomad career.

While it is understandable that budget may be a concern, especially if you are new to the digital nomad community, you are bound to find the best laptop for digital nomads that suits your present and future needs.

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