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.

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.

While all of the advice in our guide to choosing the right processor still applies, there are a few elements coders should focus on. Core counts and multi-thread processing, along with power ratings, are good places to start.

Multi-core CPUs with multiple processing threads are a must, as they let you manage multiple tasks at once. These CPUs also handle complex tools, like virtual machines and compilers, in addition to simple tasks, such as an integrated development environment (IDE).

Power ratings are another decent indicator of overall performance. While the devil (or at least some nuance) is in the details, a good rule of thumb is that the higher the wattage—presented as thermal design power (TDP) or "base power" for the latest Intel processors—the better the relative performance. Lower-wattage CPUs may not offer the same muscle, but they have the benefit of being more battery-efficient. Knowing which you prioritize more between power and efficiency will help you find a good match.

The other question is the manufacturer. Intel is the biggest name in processors, but AMD chips offer fast, affordable alternatives, and MacBook buyers will be getting Apple Silicon by default.