One career path many writers have traversed in the last 30 years or so that really wasn't a thing before the internet boom, is blogging. Yes, blogs. You know, that thing your mom or aunt probably used to do in the early 2000's? Well now it has transformed many a writer's careers all by typing out personal life stories, lessons, and all sorts of information you won't see anywhere else.
What started in the early 90's as a form of self expression and jotting down your most inner thoughts in a private diary has turned into a new form of communication online. But for the experienced writers out there, they're looking for some of the best laptops for blogging to help them grow and nurture this niche into a successful, stable career.
Why Blog?
We're going to be taking a look at some of the best laptops for blogging, video editing, travel blogging, and other aspects in blogging. But before all that, let's take a step back to learn more about the history and new opportunities that emerged as a result of the popularity of blogs. As I mentioned earlier, blogs were very popular in the early 90's all through the early 2000's. Many people who were getting accustomed to the internet started blogging their silly ideas, personal stories and anecdotes among other topics.
As bloggers started becoming more popular with a growing audience hanging on their every word, things really took off. Blogs started venturing out from the usual diary experience to blogs on cars, games, movies, finance, celebrity fan sites, and a whole host of now experienced professionals speaking on a myriad of topics and industries. Blogging also paved the way for social media. Even Twitter started out as a 'micro-blogging' website, similar to Tumblr and the infamous Facebook.
Opportunities
The appeal of blogging back then was the idea writing whatever you wanted and having like minded individuals relate to the content. From there, it has evolved into a forum to captivate and build an audience and later on venturing out into different areas. Some examples are bloggers who after creating an audience, then furthered it by building up a YouTube channel, a large Twitter and Instagram following and followers on their blog. Then they would start getting brand advertisements and sponsored deals, which created an even larger audience and income. Ever heard the term 'vlogging'? Guess who you can thank for that; the OG blogs.
Blogging is also an avenue for writers to start publishing their own work. This could lead to job offers based on your knowledge and skill from just writing a blog. It certainly helps pad the portfolio, especially if you amass an audience and following.
So yes, blogging has evolved to a point we don't call it 'blogging' but deep down, that's what it really is. That being said, now that we've understood some of the history to blogs and the new career paths it created, let's start our search for the best laptop for bloggers. Firstly, we have to take a look at what operating system (OS) the best laptop for blogging should be running on.
The Right OS
Operating systems are always a tricky topic to try and decipher as the 'best'. Mainly because the 'best' for you isn't necessarily the 'best' for somebody else. That being said, for your OS you're going to be seeing these three pop up most often: Windows, MacOS, and Chrome OS. For the most part, we're going to be checking out mainly Windows 10 laptops as that's the standard most laptop manufacturers pack in on-board. But that doesn't mean the other two operating systems are utter rubbish. Let's take a look at some facts and features that comes with each OS.
Windows 10
Microsoft's Windows OS is probably the most popular operating system in the world. Many of us grew up using Windows Vista or Windows XP, moved on to Windows 7 / 8 and now on to Windows 10. Last time I checked, Windows 10 accounts for 40% of the global market of operating systems on desktop and laptop computers. Which means Windows 10 is probably your best bet when you're looking for the best blogging laptop.
Windows 10 is one of the most secure and user friendly of Windows to date with a variety of features to safeguard your data and ensure a smooth user experience. Not to mention how widely used and compatible Windows 10 is with a variety of software and hardware. Almost any application, program, and hardware you could ever see will always support Windows. So yeah, that's just some of the reasons Windows 10 is so popular right now.
MacOS
Apple's MacOS, like the Windows OS has been around for quite a while. As one of the pioneers of being 'different', MacOS is a little more complicated to talk about. Mainly because Apple veterans who are used to the OS and overall experience will not have a problem navigating a laptop with MacOS. But for someone who has used Windows their whole life, they may not be able to adopt to the subtle nuances of MacOS and Apple's hardware. This barrier to entry really does make consumers who aren't used to Apple's ecosystem avoid it all together.
But if you're comfortable with Apple's UI and experience or at the very least eager to learn, then their MacBook lineup is going to be the best laptop for blogging and video editing there is. Apple's Macs and MacBook laptops are renowned to be the tool of choice for many YouTubers, bloggers, and graphic designers. It's capable, user friendly (when you get used to it) and very powerful. Unlike Windows 10 laptops which might degrade the user experience on lower powered laptops, the MacBook laptop lineup don't face the same issues. Mainly because they're so streamlined and are built to have enough power.
These laptops do come at a higher price tag, so if you're comfortable with that and are eager to try out Apple hardware, that's your best bet.
Chrome OS
Chrome OS is another enigma of an OS that I can't quite recommend whole heartedly. Nothing against the Google owned operating system, it's just that for the most part Chrome OS and Chromebooks aren't all that powerful. As the name suggests, Chrome OS actually uses a type of Google Chrome web browser as the user interface on the laptop. What we usually see with these Chrome OS laptops is that it's typically harboring very low specs on their processor, RAM, storage, etc. That also means you're pretty much confined to Google's armada of software and programs.
The one redeeming quality of Chrome OS that I actually appreciate is just how simple it is to use. I can see the appeal of the OS to parents wanting a low-cost Chromebook laptop for their kids, or for general browsing use. If you were planning on using the laptop just to answer some emails, watch a video or two, and browse your socials, you could get away with it. Even for novice writers and bloggers I'd recommend getting a Chromebook for the bare necessities just to get started writing. Since you don't need inherently powerful hardware to do it, you should be good typing out a blog post or two.
Now that we've gone through what the right OS the best laptop for blogging should have, let's get into how to find the right laptop for you.
Features To Look Out For
Display
A very integral part of any laptop is the display. A gorgeous looking display adds so much to the overall user experience. It can elevate basically any content you're consuming or any program you're using on the laptop just by having a higher resolution. The biggest differentiator for laptop displays is the resolution. For the best laptops for bloggers, we're going to try and keep a base resolution of Full HD (1920 x 1080). This is because Full HD displays are the most accessible right now, with most laptop manufacturers putting in a FHD panel as their base variant. From there, you can upgrade to a 4K display but that'll be a bigger commitment for a screen upgrade.
While the ideal situation would be to have a Full HD display, as we're going to be going over various budgets and lower specced laptops, we might see a HD display or two. While you will be sacrificing the display resolution these laptops will make up for it with a lower price tag.
Screen Size
Another consideration when you're talking about the display is how big it is. For the most part, this isn't very vital to your laptop's functions, but we'll try and keep a range between 13"-15.6" laptops. The size of your screen is mostly up to your own preferences of having either a bigger or smaller laptop. For the best laptop for bloggers though, a smaller, lighter laptop might be the way to go. But more on that later.
Processor, RAM & Storage
Processor
For a blogging laptop, we don't have to look too into the specs under the hood as much as we would for a gaming, or graphic designer laptop. For starters, most laptops should get the job done with a slightly dated 8th Generation Intel Core i5 or Intel Core i7 processor. Any laptop housing an 8th Generation or 9th Gen Intel Core i7 processor should be considered a very high spec for the best blogging laptop. We can also opt for other lower-specced, more recent 10th Generation Intel Core i3 or Intel Core i5 processor which will still pack a punch at a lower price point.
But for the most part, almost any processor will get you through the day for all your blogging needs. Considering blogging sites and software like WordPress, Wix or even Tumblr don't have minimum requirements to get started, you'll be alright. As a base, all Windows laptops on the list will feature at least an Intel Core i5 so we shouldn't be too starved for power.
RAM
One thing to note before we get through the list, since we don't need as much power for our graphics card we can almost ignore this spec all together. Even the lower powered Integrated Intel HD graphics or Intel UHD Graphics cards will be sufficient power for your needs.
For the RAM, we should try and keep a minimum of 4GB of RAM while the best laptops will have at least 8GB of RAM. Either way, the laptop will be powerful enough to handle typing and blogging, but having a higher capacity RAM will help those who need to use graphic design software of video editing tools. A bigger RAM = how fast your laptop performs so depending on your needs you might be looking for a little extra power.
Storage
And lastly for storage, ideally we'd be showing you laptops with a 256GB SSD base option. But the lower priced the laptop is, the lower specced the storage, RAM and processor will be. For bloggers, you can get around any storage limitations with cloud storage on WordPress and other blogging platform around. But still, something to note. More storage is never a bad option really.
Keyboard
As I'm sure many writers can relate, the best laptops for bloggers will house a great keyboard to get all your typing needs met sufficiently. Trust me, typing out 2000 word blog posts and stories is not fun with a keyboard you're not compatible with. Most laptop brands will be equipping various styles of keyboards so knowing what you're accustomed to and what's most comfortable for you will help you get the best results.
Laptop keyboards have mainly stayed stagnant over the last couple of years. We've shifted away from the older traditional keyboards which are tightly packed together for a more aesthetically pleasing island style keyboard. These island style keyboards feature individual and spaced out keys rather than a whole board tightly packed together. I personally will always prefer this style of keyboard and since most manufacturers are on top of the trend, this shouldn't be too much of a problem to find.
Another major factor bloggers should look for in their blogging companion would be a backlit keyboard. This adds a lot of functionality and versatility to work in any working conditions. Typing in a dimly lit room is much easier to navigate when you have a backlit keyboard helping shed some light on what you're actually writing. Most often you'll see a white backlit keyboard, so that should suffice for many bloggers out there.
Battery Life & Portability
I put these two features together because they mostly relate with one another. For battery life there are two factors to consider: how long the battery lasts and how fast it can charge back up. Most laptops will have enough power to last you through at least 3-4 hours when it's new. But the best laptop for blogging will feature battery life lasting upwards of 10 hours on a single charge. For writers and bloggers especially this is an essential feature. Bringing your laptop around to cafes, for class, to a work meeting, or any other location where you prefer to work is easier when you can depend on your battery.
Just having that reassurance helps with how portable your laptop is. The longer the battery life lasts equates to a much more portable laptop.
Being Portable
Speaking of portability, what makes a laptop 'portable'? The few things that contribute to this are how big the laptop display is, how heavy the laptop is, and how long the battery lasts. Finding the right combination of these three will help narrow down the search for the best laptop for blogging. Again, I cannot overstate how integral this feature is for the blogger on the go. Any writer (including myself) will truly appreciate what it means to bring your laptop with you, or moving it around your house as you work. It will change the way your work and I'm sure many bloggers will see the appeal of a lightweight, no nonsense laptop.
Now that we've settled on what the best laptops for blogging should be equipped with, let's get straight into our search for one of the best laptops for bloggers!
The 5 Best Laptops For Blogging
1. Acer Aspire 5
The Acer Aspire 5 is a great affordable laptop for the budget conscious bloggers out there. On the display the Acer Aspire 5 is sporting a 15.6-inch Full HD display making for a capable screen at an affordable price. Backing up the display is an 8th Generation Intel Core i5 processor with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD. Pretty standard specs here but for recording personal anecdotes on your blog, it's more than powerful enough to handle it. Another setback that comes with this laptop is the graphics card where it only has an Intel UHD Graphics 620 GPU. Considering it is an Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 paired with a rather powerful Intel Core i5 processor, you should be able to do some light gaming. But I wouldn't expect you to run Cyberpunk 2077 on it, that's for sure.
So you're pretty much contained to either light writing and browsing as well some light video and image editing. However I will add that if that's a major part of your content I'd recommend getting a laptop with some extra power. The Acer Aspire 5 while lacking in power, makes up for it with the price and reasonable spec sheet. There are some other standout features that makes the Acer Aspire 5 that much more appealing like the simple, yet clean and minimalist design language.
I really appreciate the attention to making a good looking, capable laptop with just the bare minimum in terms of the design and aesthetic. Comparing it to some other budget laptops out there, with over the top looks or just too much going on, this is a welcome change. Another plus for bloggers is the backlit keyboard which emits a white light and a fingerprint reader on the trackpad itself for quick access to your desktop. The Acer Aspire 5 comes with up to 9.5 hours of battery life, making it a relatively long lasting blogger laptop. Adding this to the thin and lightweight design, weighing in at 3.9 lbs makes it portable enough for most bloggers. All in all, an attractive package with just enough power at a reasonable price. Not much more you could ask for, really.
2. ASUS Chromebook Laptop
If you were on the prowl for a really cheap, yet somewhat capable performing laptop then the ASUS Chromebook is the one for you. When I say somewhat capable, I mean, somewhat. You're truly only getting the bare minimum that you should expect from a Chromebook and nothing more. But as a Chromebook, this should be considered the best Chromebook for blogging for what you get for the money. To start off, we've got a 14-inch HD NanoEdge display which is actually quite impressive for how much it costs. The best part about the display has to be those NanoEdge bezels as it gives you way more screen for your buck. Admittedly, you are missing out of a Full HD screen, but like I said, the display is stellar for that price range.
Besides the display, the laptop does come with some decent power. On the internals the ASUS Chromebook comes with an Intel Core Celeron N3350 processor, 4GB RAM and a limited 32GB eMMC storage. Now the 32GB eMMC storage may look rather paltry, but it does stack up to the speed of an SSD. Well fairly similar anyway, just without as much storage as the eMMC storage is embedded directly on the motherboard. Considering with Chromebooks you're probably going to be relying on cloud storage you should be fine with the lacking storage capacity here. But that's not all, the ASUS Chromebook also comes with an Intel HD Graphics 500 video card which, well, let's say leaves a lot to be desired.
While all these specs don't make a great case as being the best blogger laptop, it does make up for it in their pricing. Because objectively, when you look at the price and what you're getting like: USB-C charging, up to 10 hours of battery life, decent performance and a great minimalist design. These are the things the ASUS Chromebook does and does it well. This is truly a steal for the money, and if you were just looking to get some writing done and go on YouTube every once in awhile, you can't go wrong with the ASUS Chromebook.
3. HP Envy 13
The HP Envy 13 might very well be one of the best deals for a laptop I've ever seen. For a very reasonable price, you're getting a gorgeous 13.3-inch 4K UHD touch-screen display with super thin bezels on the sides and top of the display frame. That display enough is impressive by itself, but it's bolstered with some pretty powerful specs internally. The HP Envy 13 comes with one of the latest 10th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM and a sizable 512GB SSD storage. You can opt for a 256GB SSD if you wanted to get a lower specced laptop for a better price, but I think this is already too good of a deal to pass up. You can downgrade to an Intel Core i5 variant with lower RAM and storage so if this is still too high for your budget, that's a great option.
It also features a Intel Iris Plus Graphics card which isn't the best but should be more than sufficient for bloggers. Impressively enough, the Intel Core i7 processor with the 8GB RAM and speedy storage, you should be good to handle graphic design and image/ video editing on it as well. It also comes with audio by Bang&Olufsen along with HP Audio Boost 2.0 ensuring crystal clear audio, heightening the entertainment value the laptop brings to the table.
And finally, for the writers out there the laptop does come with a backlit keyboard with white light and also features an elevated keyboard hinge design which makes it a more ergonomic typing experience. Speaking of design, the HP Envy 13 just does it so well with a clean, elegant looking laptop all around. Everything just matches up to the aesthetic and is further bolstered by the fact that you get all this power and features in a compact 2.6 lbs laptop. At this point, this might be the best laptop for travel blogging considering the feature-rich package and portability factors. Overall, a very strong contender for the title of best laptop for bloggers.
4. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga is for the more serious writers out there looking for a more industrial, professional looking laptop. This 2 in 1 laptop hits that mark and then some with some great power and a unique feature-set. Firstly, on the screen we've got a 14-inch WQHD (2560 x 1440) touch-screen display which makes for a really vibrant and great looking screen. Adding in the touch-screen and 2 in 1 capability is a nice extra touch from Lenovo's part. This itself already shapes itself up to be a great and versatile laptop which you can use in plenty of different situations. But more on that later.
Internally the ThinkPad X1 Yoga comes with an 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage. Similarly to the HP Envy 13, you can take it down a notch and opt for a Intel Core i5 with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage. Considering this laptop is one of the more costlier laptops on the list, the Intel Core i5 variant is still a capable performer for a more reasonable price tag. But for the bloggers out there who value the 2 in 1 functionality and potential for image editing and drawing, I'd stick with the Intel Core i7.
The laptop also features an Intel UHD Graphics 620 card which is standard for these types of business laptops. Don't expect great performance in gaming and other graphically intensive programs. However, this laptop does have a few tricks up its sleeve which I think are game changers for modern bloggers. Hidden within the ports on the side of the laptop is a built-in digital pen which you can use as a stylus for drawing, navigating and sketching among other uses. This paired with the 2 in 1 functionality makes this a really great deal for the more creative writers and bloggers out there. The laptop also features up to 15.5 hours of battery life.
Impressively enough, the laptop does all this in a rather compact form factor. For the features it brings to the table, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga is truly worth the money.
5. Apple MacBook Pro 13
Apple's laptop lineup, the MacBook series has long been regarded to be one of the best for creatives out there. While its core competency usually relates to their great display, and uniform powerful performance, it's somehow turned to be the default for many bloggers and YouTubers out there. For what reason, I'm not so sure, but most probably because they're dependable laptops that are now catered to graphic designers, video content creators and writers. But let's take a look at what the latest MacBook Pro 13 has to offer.
On the display we've got a 13.3-inch Retina LED-backlit IPS display which is always a looker. Apple's patented Retina display tech helps create more vibrant, realistic images. It also does help make text appear clearer and sharper than usual. Or that's what they say anyway, but regardless, a great looking display. Powering the laptop is Apple's latest M1 Chip processor, which features an 8-core CPU. Many tech reviewers and sites have been raving on about the very capable and powerful M1 Chip processor so bloggers should be more than comfortable with the performance. Accompanying the processor is 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD making for a well equipped laptop.
However, one missing 'feature' MacBooks have always had a problem with is the GPU. Since there's no on-board discrete graphics card, any gaming or GPU tasks with be powered by the same 8-core processor on the CPU. Essentially meaning, not great for gaming. But it was never one of Apple's core competencies anyway. Other great features the MacBook Pro 13 comes with includes up to a staggering 20 hours of battery life, backlit Magic Keyboard, Touch ID fingerprint reader, and the Apple-exclusive Touch Bar for quick access to apps and shortcuts. Overall, a very powerful, sleek, and capable performer at a premium cost.
Conclusion
Now that we've gone through some of the best laptops for blogging, we're going to have to pick just one as the undeniable blogger optimized laptop.
And today, our winner is none other than the HP Envy 13!
The HP Envy 13 is just too good of a deal to pass up. You get so much for a very reasonable price point making it such an enticing proposition for many writers. You get a 13.3-inch 4K display, speedy 512GB storage, sizable 8GB of RAM and one of the latest 10th Gen Intel Core i7 processors. All this power in a sexy, lightweight form factor makes for a stellar blogging laptop. Portability, power, and aesthetics all in one makes the HP Envy 13 our undisputed blogging champ.
