Speedy performance may give you a boost in productivity, shaving off time when you're compiling code, but those minutes saved will only help you out over weeks and months. A great display, on the other hand, will impact your comfort and capability immediately.

A larger screen will let you see more information at once, while a brighter, more vivid panel will give you better readability as you parse lines and lines of code. Similarly, a taller screen with a 16:10 or 3:2 aspect ratio will be helpful because it will provide more vertical space to work with than the 16:9 panels of older notebooks.

Other features to watch for include anti-glare panels, blue-light mitigation, and touch screens. Touch capability may not be a must for every programmer, but if you're developing apps for touch-screen devices, you'll want to be able to test the touch input when needed.

The keyboard is another biggie. While no laptop keyboard will provide the comfort and durability of one of the best desktop mechanical keyboards, you'll still benefit greatly from a good set of keys. Reading reviews or trying a laptop in person are important for making this assessment.

The same goes for the touchpad. A pad may not beat navigation with a mouse, but you want to maximize both capability and comfort, so check out the relevant portions of our in-depth reviews.

If you commute daily or travel often, a lightweight, slim, and compact laptop in the 11- to 13-inch range will serve you best. If you're a huge movie buff, a gamer, or a creator who doesn't normally take their laptop on the road with them, think about bulking up to a 15- to 17-inch model with heft that affords it more power.

We've selected our top candidates among the more than 200 laptops we've tested and reviewed over the last couple of years. Have you already checked out our detailed summaries of each laptop review? Return to the spec comparison chart for many more specifics and to make an informed buying decision.