The 5 Best Laptops for Writers to Buy in 2021

Best Overall: Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 Laptop

4.6

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The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 laptop is on the pricier side but it has a lot of great features that are particularly advantageous to writers. Perhaps the most standout is its screen, a 13.4-inch touch display with Dell’s InfinityEdge bezel-less design. It’s an especially versatile device because the screen can flip all the way around for tablet functionality. With very little visible edge, the display feels even larger than it is and makes for comfortable document viewing and multitasking across several windows. The anti-reflective surface also reduces eye strain and makes the screen easier to see when you’re outside. 

The XPS 13 2-in-1 features a good-sized keyboard and carbon fiber palm rests for comfortable typing, and its thin profile means the whole laptop weighs less than three pounds — perfect for taking on-the-go. It can be configured with an Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 processor, up to 32GB of memory, and a hard drive up to 1TB.

Best Splurge: HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 15.6" 4K Ultra HD TouchScreen Laptop

4.6

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If you have some extra money to spend on a laptop, we recommend investing in the powerhouse that is the HP Spectre x360. This 2-in-1 device has a 13.3-inch touch display that can be rotated all the way around and used like a tablet, or opened like a regular laptop to take advantage of the spacious full keyboard. Every configuration features a powerful Intel Core i7 processor for speedy performance and cutting-edge Gigabit Wi-Fi for fast connections and instantaneous app switching. It even supports optional 4G LTE so you can access the internet from anywhere that your cell phone has service. Another boon for writers is the HP Spectre x360’s incredible 22-hour battery life. With that kind of longevity, you won’t need to take your charger for even a full day of work.

Best 2-in-1: Microsoft Surface Book 3

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If your writing involves a lot of sketching or illustrations, and you can’t quite make up your mind between a laptop and a tablet, Microsoft’s Surface Book 2 is still the best device in its class. Other 2-in-1 devices, still primarily laptops at heart, force users to deal with awkwardly folding keyboards. Microsoft solves this by letting you remove the keyboard entirely, turning the device into a completely independent tablet. 

This means that you get the best of both worlds. It still runs Windows 10 in either configuration, so you're not hopping between various operating systems and apps. Inside, it not only packs in a 1.76GHz Intel Core i5 CPU but features a vibrant 13.5-inch 3000x2000 Pixel Sense display along with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of flash memory storage as well. 

Take away the keyboard and it becomes an unencumbered tablet device, where you can use Microsoft’s Surface Pen to make handwritten notes, draw sketches, or just doodle around. The Pen, of course, works with the keyboard attached as well, and the experience is the most seamless we've seen from a 2-in-1 device. 

Best On-the-Go: Apple MacBook Air 13

4.5

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Depending on how you like to work, portability can be a huge factor when you’re shopping for a laptop. A compact laptop — or at least one that’s lightweight — can make your life easier if you have to carry your device on your commute or if you like to work from different locations. The MacBook Air has a 13.3-inch display, weighs only 2.8 pounds, and is just 0.63 inches at its thickest point, making it a travel-friendly option for writers on the go. The keyboard has also recently undergone a redesign and now has Apple’s Magic Keyboard, which is quiet, responsive, and includes backlit keys that respond to ambient light so you can keep working in the dark. The crisp Retina display includes True Tone technology for accurate colors and Intel Iris Plus Graphics so all your media looks its best.

The MacBook Air can be configured with an Intel Core i3 or i5 processor, up to 2TB SSD, and up to 16GB of memory. If you already have some Apple devices, this laptop can seamlessly integrate with your iPhone or iPad, allowing you to answer messages from your computer and effortlessly sync your photo and music libraries.