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Ask HN: Smallest laptop that is decent for coding?

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31–40 of 166 posts

Re: Ask HN: Smallest laptop that is decent for coding?

#31
iPad Pro 11"?

I mean there aren't that many "small" laptop, just reading between the line of your needs.

Today most laptop starts at 13". I am not sure if that fit your definition of Small. But the new MacBook Air is pretty decently priced for an Apple product.

Re: Ask HN: Smallest laptop that is decent for coding?

#32
post #12

I love my ASUS ZenBook 13! * The best laptop keyboard I've ever typed on! * Great screen * Weights 1 kg * Solid 8 hours of work on battery

>The best laptop keyboard I've ever typed on!

Will definitely check that out just to see the keyboard. Getting really fed up with all the new Apple's keyboard design / experiences.

Re: Ask HN: Smallest laptop that is decent for coding?

#34
post #27

Thinkpad X2xx - 12", very reliable, coreboot-able, excellent keyboard.

second that, though now they converted to 13" and last model became x390 (x270, x280, x390). pay attention to ram amount. it is soldered in the last model, and, not upgradable)

Re: Ask HN: Smallest laptop that is decent for coding?

#35
post #26

MacOS: check out the latest MacBook Air 13", the one just released - it has a new keyboard, better base disk configuration and it's cheaper than before. Windows: Dell XPS 13 has been the go-to laptop for years, they keep refreshing it, so make sure to get at least the 2019 model (which has a camera on the top of the screen, not the bottom), or ideally the 2020 model, which features a new keyboard and even smaller bez…

Oof! 16:10 display in a 13" chassis is tough to beat. Those extra vertical pixels make coding on it that much nicer. Way to go Dell! If only I could get 16:10 in a ThinkPad; I'm a sucker for their keyboards and trackpoint.

Re: Ask HN: Smallest laptop that is decent for coding?

#36
post #15

If you REALLY value compactness, the smallest nice computer you can get is probably the discontinued 12-inch macbook. It really is amazingly small. It is underpowered but "quickly write tiny JS/PHP/Html programs" is about the least demanding thing you can do, work wise, so I think it would be fine. It's a sacrifice for compactness though. It also has the "bad" keyboard, though some people don't mind. The just release…

I spent the last few years using one of these as my mobile development solution. I still use it for scala development - not too underpowered for this.

I feel I have been lucky with the keyboard, no real stuck keys and the keyboard doesn't feel cramped. And it slips into a small bag very easily.

I have replaced the screen once, when I dropped something on it and the battery, which is expensive. The bad thing about this form factor is how every small issue is back-to-workshop.

Re: Ask HN: Smallest laptop that is decent for coding?

#37
Dell Latitude 7390: it's basically a better XPS13.

Same size, same small bazel, weighs meaybe 100g more, but has all of the ports you could need and ram, disk and battery are easily replaceable. Probably has better thermals too, since less compromises were done in head dissipation.

I can't really understand why people are buying the XPS13 when the Latitude 7390 is available (probably for less money).

the size is 13", basically the size of an A4 sheet of paper. My 7390 from work is equipped with an 8th gen i7 (4c8t) and 16gb ram and an nvme add, more than enough to do most things. Lower end models exist too of course.

If youre looking for something on the cheap, probably an used thinkpad will do: X or T series, 40-50-60 series (X2[456]0, T4[456]0)

Re: Ask HN: Smallest laptop that is decent for coding?

#38
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can repave a lot of Chromebooks with Linux, and should, if you're using one as a dev machine.

The lack of one modifier key left of the keyboard is an issue to me. Equivalent Windows laptops cost about the same and have an extra key. And can run Linux just fine.

Caps Lock is useless. Map it to Control and the search key to Super, and you have all the modifiers you need, and in a more comfortable configuration besides.

Re: Ask HN: Smallest laptop that is decent for coding?

#40

if you are looking at Macs, mac book air. Chromebook is a fantastic option in terms of price, though everything may have to stay in the cloud.

I've not tried it, but I think you can install Ubuntu within a container on a Chromebook[1] without jailbreaking or removing ChromeOS. [1] https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/install-ubuntu-on-chromebook

No it’s even easier and better than that. There is a built in Linux container internally called crostini, you just turn it on and it’s a fully featured Linux install with admin privileges and a terminal.
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