The 7 Best Digital Marketing Laptops 2024 | My Personal Picks | Luke Kelly (2024)

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What are the best digital marketing laptops?

I can tell you from personal experience that using a powerful laptop that lets me run multiple apps like Slack, Google Chrome, Clickup, Toggl, Asana, Google Ads, Google Sheets, Facebook Ads, DaVinci Resolve, and Zoom without any hiccups is an absolute must.

For me, a new digital marketing laptop really needs to meet the following criteria:

To make your life easier, I’ve hand-picked a number of laptops that I either own, want to own, or would highly recommend because I know they’ll help you fly through your workday. (I’m a huge tech nerd so I’m always researching all this stuff lol)

I’ve hand-picked a number of laptop makes and models for all budgets and operation systems.

One thing you should also note is I use an external monitor for a dual monitor setup. This means, I connect the laptop to the monitor via a single USBC cable. The beauty of USBC is that one cable charges the laptop and also does audio/video and it keeps my desk nice neat and free of clutter.

I also use a sit/stand desk because I get a sore back from sitting all day. I’ve made a few recommendations around the best desks for digital marketing too if you want to check those out below.

Hope you find this guide helpful!

Digital marketers…ASSEMBLE!

My 1# Digital Marketing Laptop Recommendation

The new 14/16″ MBP’s are absolute MONSTERS! And, after years of only two ports, it finally has all the ports again! I have no idea why Apple decided to take away the SD card slot and HDMI port from their devices, but it’s finally back on the 14″ and 16″ MBP.

Apple MacBook Pro 14″/16″

🥇OUR #1 PICK

Best Digital Marketing Laptop in 2024

5.0

If it’s within your budget, I’d strongly recommend you grab the top-tier laptop from Apple because it does everything so incredibly well. All-day battery life, insanely powerful chip, heaps of ports, silky smooth 120 mini led screen, room-filling speakers, crystal clear 1080p webcam, and the best keyboard on the market.

Pros:

• Incredibly powerful M1 Processor that makes multitasking a breeze
• All the ports are back (finally!)
• Long All-day battery life
• Class leading 1080p camera

Cons:

• Heavier than M2 Macbook Air

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Apple M2 Macbook Air 2023 13″/15″

I think the M2 MacBook is basically the perfect laptop for most marketers. It does everything so well and it comes in at an affordable price. There are three awesome colors to choose from and both the 13″ and 15″ models come with excellent 18-hour battery life.

One thing I would personally recommend is opting for 16gb of RAM rather than additional SSD storage. Although the standard 8 GB or ram is enough, every now and then I wish I upgrade to more RAM.Those days when I have a million tabs open in either Google Chrome or ARC, I’m editing video and I’m working in FB Ads Manager – the extra 8gb of RAM would go a long way.

Unfortunately, most modern laptops (minus a few exceptions) don’t allow for RAM upgrades because it’s always soldered to the PCB board. If you’re doing a lot of data crunching, heavy video editing, or work in Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop go for the 16gb model.. It’s worth the extra $200-$300.

The other thing I love about the MBA over any other laptop is how thin and light it is. I carry mine in a backpack and I often forget it’s even there. Overall, I think the M2 MacBook Air is ideal for seasoned Digital Marketers and new recruits alike.

Highly Recommended

The Perfect Laptop for Most People

5.0

I think the M2 MacBook is basically the perfect laptop. It does everything so well and it comes in at an affordable price. There are three awesome colors to choose from and both the 13″ and 15″ models come with excellent 18-hour battery life.

Pros:

• Outstanding performance from M2 Chip
• Excellent True Color Display
• New Keyboard is exceptional
• Lightweight and small form factor
• Class-leading battery life

Cons:

• Only two USB-C Ports
• Doesn’t run Windows without third-party software

Check Price on Amazon

See Also

10 Best Laptops for Digital Marketing in 2022 [Comparison]The Best Laptops for Digital Marketers: Your Ultimate Guide - TopTenReviewed10 Best Laptops for Digital Marketing Professionals in 2024 > Webdavo10 Best Laptops for Digital Marketing in 2024 | ComputerCareers

Dell XPS 13/15″

Best Windows Option

Windows Powerhouse

4.5

If I weren’t primarily a Mac user, I’d be using the Dell XPS lineup. Not only do they look incredible, but they’re also really powerful and stupidly thin. The current XPS has an industry-leading display, useful port selections, touchscreen functionality, and a really neat hidden trackpad. It also comes in both the 13 & 15″ variations and you can spec it up to 1tb of storage.

Pros:

• Sleek design
• Excellent trackpad
• Touch screen option available
• 1TB storage

Cons:

• Some might not like the hidden trackpad design

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LG Gram14/16″

Ultra Portable

Sleek & Powerful

4.0

When you think of laptops, my guess is LG doesn’t usually spring to mind. But the LG Gram lineup is really worth your time. These laptops are insanely light (hence the name), powerful, and excellent for digital marketers. They also come in a large form factor – up to 17″ which is great for anyone doing graphic design work or video editing. LG has a winning formula with the LG gram serious, and I’m really impressed with the value for money these laptops offer.

Pros:

• Incredibly lightweight
• Up to 17″ option available
• Extremely powerful
• Excellent keyboard/typing experience

See Also

9 Best Laptops for Digital Marketing in 2024: The Must-Haves

Cons:

• Doesn’t feel as premium as others

Check Price on Amazon

Microsoft Surface Book and Surface Pro

Microsoft option

2-in-1 Excellence

5.0

I’m a big fan of the Microsoft Surface range. I haven’t personally used one, but the option to use in either laptop or tablet mode is really impressive. But they have excellent battery life, an SD card slot, and the ability to write on the display with MS stylus.

Pros:

• Awesome 2-1 design makes it ideal for design experts
• Beautiful hinge design
• Stylus is excellent
• Powerful GPU built-in

Cons:

• Expensive for base model

Check Price on Amazon

Samsung Galaxy Book

Samsung Design

Stunning Design

3.9

Samsung has a reputation for giving it’s laptops the best of the best and the Galaxy Book is no exception! It has all the ports, a stunning 3k super AMOLED display, and thunderbolt 4 technology.

Pros:

• Beautiful 3k Display
• Excellent AKG Speakers
• SDcard reader built-in
• Class-leading security

Cons:

• FHD webcam is low quality

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A Few Considerations for Choosing a Laptop for Digital Marketing

Alright, now that we’ve covered which laptops to buy, here are a few important tidbits to consider:

Processor Performance

The processor is essentially the heart of your laptop, and for digital marketing, a robust one is super important. The better the processor, the smoother it is tomultitask and get things done – meaning lots of intensive tasks like 10-20 Chrome tabs, video editing, Canva designs and Google Sheets (and Supermetrics data running) will run buttery smooth with zero lag.

It’s easy to get confused with processor mumbo jumbo. But, basically, in 2023 anything above an Intel i7 (so, i7 or i9) will do you fine. I’d avoid an Intel Core i5 processor in 2023 because they’re old technology now.

Apple’s lineup is a bit easier to understand.

Anything from 2020 onwards is still a great option. All of Apple’s machines now come with their own chips called the M1/M2.

If you get a new laptop with an i7, i9 or an M1 or M2 chip from Apple, you’re going to have an easy time running all the apps a digital marketer would use each day.

Note to Digital Marketers doing lots of video editing: I’d recommend the M2 chip if you’re going to be doing a heap of video content edit in DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro. The M2 can easily work on multiple 4k files and then export in record times.

The new M2 chip is a total powerhouse!

Luke

Screen Size and Type

For most digital marketers, I think the ideal screen size typically sits between13 to 15 inches, which is a nice balance between portability with a comfortable viewable area. I personally prefer a smaller device (13″) because I often put my MacBook in a backpack – but a large device isn’t that much heavier nowadays.

Especially if you opt for something like the new M2 15″ MacBook Air. (Seriously, how do they make laptops so lightweight?)

Screen technology has advanced a lot in the last few years and it’s easy to confused by all the terminology. Here’s a simple breakdown of the terms you need to know when it comes to screen tech:

Full HD: A standard 1080p screen. Looks crispy, and this is pretty much stable on any laptop.

4K: This means a 4k resolution, which is sharper than a standard 1080p resolution. Text is sharper and things typically look richer.

Retina display: This is Apple’s terminology for a really crispy high-resolution screen.

Refresh rate: A normal display refreshes at 60hz (or 60 times per second). If you get a device with a 120hz or 144hz refresh rate, this will look smoother when you’re scrolling around and moving between apps. The MacBook Pro 14/16″ both have a 120hz refresh rate, meaning everything is buttery smooth. 60hz still looks totally fine and you’ll only notice a minor improvement by going to 120hz.

LED/LCD/OLED/Mini LED: This is basically the technology the display is made with. Don’t get caught up in the weeds here.

If you opt for any of the suggested laptops on my list, either Mac or PC, they all have excellent displays. The M2 MacBook Air, LG Gram, XPS, and 13″ MacBook Pro don’t have high refresh rates, but they have excellent displays nonetheless.

Honestly, most people don’t need a high refresh rate for Digital marketing work, but it’s a nice thing to have for sure.

Operating System

The OS you choose will essentially be a personal preference.

The operating system is the backbone of your laptop, managing both software and hardware resources so it’s an important decision to make.

I personally use MacOS 90% of my workday, because I love the integration with my iPhone and iMessage. That being said, I still own and use a powerful Windows PC which I do some light gaming and video editing for my Amazon Influencer project.

TheApple MacBook Air and MBP all run on MacOS, which is renowned for its smooth performance and excellent security features. It’s also an excellent choice if you use an iPad or iPhone as your daily driver.

On the other hand, the Dell XPS 13/15, Surface Book/Surface Pro, and LG Gramall use Windows OS – which is also very user-friendly, speedy, and excellent for marketers.

What’s interesting is how similar MacOS and Windows have become over the years. Things like trackpad gestures, two-finger scrolling, and split-screen multitasking are almost identical on both devices now.This means moving between Windows and MacOS is actually really easy to get used to nowadays.

If you’re thinking about jumping ship from Windows to Mac, or vice versa, I think the transition is now easier than ever before. I’m personally not biased toward one OS over the other because they both have unique functions that I enjoy using.

Storage Capacity

I save a heap of junk important client work to my laptop during a normal workday. Large video and image files, and massive brand zip files. That’s why having ample storage is super important.

Most of the laptops on this list come with either 256gb or 512gb of storage built in. This is enough for most digital marketers, however, if you have a little bit of extra budget I would recommend splurging for a 1TB hard drive. You can thank me later ?

If you don’t want to spend the extra, pick yourself up a really high-quality external SSD drive. External SSD drives are so good nowadays – and they can transfer massive files within seconds. This is the one I personally use and I’m able to edit 4k video files off this drive with absolutely zero lag. It’s truly impressive. I’m yet to fill it up and I’ve had it for over 18 months now.

It’s also worth noting that all modern laptops (all the ones I’ve listed here) come with an internal SSD drive built in. I strongly recommend you don’t even consider a laptop with the older spinning internal hard drives. Those hard drives are slow and they eventually break down and stop working. SSD drives don’t have any moving parts, which means they won’t fail and stop working after a few years. Again, all the options I’ve selected here have modern specs and SSD’s included.

Portability and Weight

What’s the best choice when it comes to portability?

Personally, I like a smaller 13″ device. I find that to be the most comfortable size for my work day, but I can see a use case for a larger 15″ device – depending on your job role.

When it comes to weight, the only time you’re going to notice the difference is when/if you travel. If you’re on and off planes or visiting clients most of the week, a lighter device is going to be a better option in my opinion. Something like the 16″ MacBook Pro is just too big and heavy to carry around.

If portability is your 1# priority go for the 13″ M1 or M2 MacBook Air or LG Gram. Both are incredibly light and you won’t even notice them in your satchel bag. The good news is you won’t lose any power or speed by going for the smaller device because all the 13/14 inch laptops come with the same processor and performance which is awesome.

Port Selection

Okay, let’s talk about port selection. This is something that’s often overlooked by digital marketers for some reason. Right now, most modern laptops come with 1-2 included USBC ports for connecting and charging your devices, and not much else. Whilst I love being able to use one cable for everything it can also be a pain in the neck.

I now have to carry around a USBC dongle so I can connect to HDMI, Ethernet, SD Cards, and older USB type A peripherals. It’s not a deal breaker, but the one time you need to use an SD card to grab some photos/videos it’s very frustrating!

I use this dongle if you’re looking for a good one.

So what’s the workaround? Well, obviously you can pick up the dongle, but using an external monitor with built-in ports is a great option.

I personally really like either the DELL 24″ (what I’m currently using) or the new Samsung M8 display. Both have USB ports for multiple devices. I can plug in my Rode NTUSB microphone and Logitech Master 3S dongle into the monitor and leave them there permanently without having to unplug/plug in a dongle all the time. They connect the second I plug in my USB-C cable which is really neat.

This is also why I have the 14/16″ MacBook Pro as my number one choice for digital marketers because you don’t have to worry about carrying an annoying dongle – because Apple bought back all the ports again! ?

Security and Passwords

Picking a laptop with excellent security is really something you need to take into consideration. I’m often looking at sensitive client data so it’s important to do your due diligence online.

Both MacOS and Windows are excellent choices for firewall and security protection, but is it worth using a third-party security tool like Avast?

If you’re a digital marketer, I would very strongly recommend you use a password protection app like 1Password. Not only does it help you share passwords as a team, but it protections client data/passwords from accidentally falling into the wrong hands.

It’s also an easy way for clients to share their passwords with you without ever providing their actual logins to ads manager/google. Plus, it makes logging into multiple apps a breeze. Once you use a password storage app it’s hard to go back to the old way of manually entering passwords lol.

1Password is free to use for 14 days then you’ll need to select one of the pricing options below:

How I Use An External Monitor

One of the best aspects of having a powerful laptop is the flexibility it offers both at home and in the office. I personally work remotely so I invested in a high-quality external monitor.

Both Windows and MacOS let you move/setup the external monitor in any configuration you want – to spend some time playing with settings to things how you like them. I personally like my MacBook just below the monitor so I can drag windows up and down when I’m working between Ads Manager and Google Docs.

One thing I would recommend is a really high-quality USB-C cable to plug in from your monitor to your computer. The DELL monitor I picked up came with one in the box, but if your monitor doesn’t come with one, grab this one from U-Green. It’s top-notch.

Sit Stand Desks for Digital Marketers

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, I worked from home for almost 3 years straight, spending 6-9 hours a day sitting in the same spot. Although I had a great chair with sufficient back support, I started to get a sore back most days, so I eventually made the decision to get a sit/stand desk.

I’m SO glad I upgraded – I haven’t had a sore back once since I started standing more. The desk I opted for was the Magnus XL Pro which I can’t recommend enough. This desk is literally the coolest thing I own.

All the cables are hidden in a secret tray at the back of the desk, and the whole desk is magnetized – meaning all the monitor connections, headphone hooks, and cable management just snap into place. It’s such a well-thought-out desk, and it’s perfect if you love everything neatly organized.

It also has 3 sit-stand memory buttons so you can take your desk to the desired height with the touch of a button.

I personally think the M2 Apple MacBook Air is the best overall laptop for digital marketing due to its outstanding performance, excellent battery life, super slim profile and beautiful design. One thing I would personally recommend if opting for 16gb of ram rather than additional SSD storage. Although the standard 8gb or ram is enough, every now and then I wish I upgrade to more RAM.

Unfortunately, most modern laptops (minus a few exceptions) don’t allow for RAM upgrades because it’s soldered to the board. If you’re doing a lot of data crunching, heavy video editing or work in Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop go for the 16gb model.

Quick Recap of the Best Laptops for Digital Marketers:

Need more help?

So there we have it guys. That’s my top recommendation for marketing laptops for digital marketers. I’ll do my best to keep this list up to date because there are always new laptops hitting the market that offer excellent value for money. If you have any questions or you’d like to help setting up your office with new laptops/monitors drop me and line and I’d be happy to help you out.

FAQ’s