Whether you’re a busy producer, songwriter, DJ or performer on the road, or a musician lacking space in the studio, a powerful laptop computer could be what you need for music making. We have the best laptops for music production rounded-up in this guide, with models for all setups and budgets, and they come in all shapes and sizes. We have light and thin Apples, smaller notebook PCs and screens that can max out at a whopping 17″ – plenty of real estate for your music production needs.
If you are an Apple fan then you’ll want to pick from the company’s latest M3 processors, which are now in all Apple MacBooks bar just one model that still features the older M2 (and is still a great budget choice). We have more detail on the latest Mac ‘M’ ranges in our buying advice section below.
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But don’t worry if you’ve not been pulled into the macOS world, because we’ve tested plenty of Windows machines too, with the latest models from Acer, Samsung, Dell and many more included. Indeed, there are quite a few PC laptops in our round-up that give Apple machines a run for their (quite considerable) money.
We go more into the dreaded Mac v PC debate in our buying advice section too, where you’ll also find information on tech specs, connectivity, and other common laptop terms, along with other buying advice and further detail on exactly how we test laptops to ensure they’re fighting fit for music production.
If you just want to know what our top laptop buys are in 2024, then read on as we have a summary round-up before we go into more detail on each model.
The quick list
Best overall
If you really want to know what the best laptop is for music making in the world right now, you can probably guess it’s packed with power, has the Apple logo emblazoned on the top and costs the earth. We’ll not get into the Mac v PC battle for laptop music production supremacy here – there are plenty that will argue both sides of the coin for you, and we have more in our buying advice at the end of this guide – but there is no doubting Apple’s creative genius in music production. And this is the mobile machine on which to enjoy it to its fullest.
In truth, though, the fully Maxed out MacBook Pro, in this case with the all-new M3 Max processor, is probably – okay certainly – too much for many music tasks. We’ve rarely pushed our 24GB RAM Air, yet the Max brute starts at 48GB RAM! Similarly you shouldn’t really pay the extortionate extra cash for an 8TB storage option when a decent separate fast hard drive will bolster the 1TB bass model for much less outlay.
You can get a cheaper 16″ MacBook Pro option with the M3 Pro processor, which with a (approx) 20% price drop over the full-fat M3 Max is also a more sensible offering.
Both 16″ Pro models offer a great music production experience with their large 16.2″ displays – the biggest screens bar just one model in this round-up – but, really, you are looking at a big price difference, even compared to other Macs here, all for headroom you might not need.
Still, the 16″ MacBook Pro boasts the best battery life here, and is a Mac that will last years before you think you need an upgrade – not common in Apple circles – so if anyone is wondering what to buy us for Christmas, we could easily fill that 8TB and 128GB of RAM if you pushed us… So, go on then.
Best all-rounder
We’ve included the 16″ MacBook Pro as our pick for the most powerful performance laptop in this guide as it is truly the best mobile computer for music production, with the bigger screen size and power you might want (but not necessarily need). But the 14″ MacBook Pro represents the cheaper way of getting that mobile power, although you can also spec it up to a price that gets close to the 16″, as it too can have the top-end M3 Max processor.
However, if you dig deep into the McBook Pro 14″ range – and there is a spec for everyone (and we could have filled this guide with various configurations) – you should be able to find a model that balances both price and power.
At the lowest end of the range you can get a 14″ MacBook Pro for well under $/£2,000 with a stanrdard M3 processor, but our tests have shown that the M3 Air has just as much power and a bigger screen – hence it also having a high position in this guide. So really, if the smaller 14″ screen is something you are after, you might want to take advantage of the faster M3 Pro or Max processors in this machine, but either way you’ll quickly add to the asking price.
The 14″ MacBook Pro is a fantastic machine – or indeed many good machines – but you will have to work out which one you need with some care. There’s a machine for everyone here, but you might have to do some digging (and maths) to find it.
Best Windows laptop
Sometimes you can feel restricted using a laptop screen for music production, and that’s when you need to call in a machine like the Dell XPS 17. With a huge 17″ screen in all configurations, it is easily the biggest laptop here, although that obviously makes it one of the least portable.
Otherwise the XPS 17 (and we looked at the mid range 9730 model, too) is a fantastic laptop. It has an elegant design and enough power to make you consider using it over any desktop machine.
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As with many PC laptops, you can greatly configure the specs, but as you can see from the wide price range, this quickly adds up and you can easily find yourself paying around $4,000/£3,500 for those tempting extras.
Whichever option you choose, you get a gorgeous screen, especially with the UHD+ upgrade, and while we have found 13″ laptops restrictive for music making, you won’t find yourself lacking space on any of the 17″ configurations.
The Dell XPS 17 has some serious power. For music, gaming, even a bit of work if you must, this laptop is a match for it all. Bulky compared to some, yes, but you might just not worry about the extra weight when you are immersed in that lovely screen.
Best portable laptop
Apple has now updated all of its laptops to the latest M3 range of chips. Only the Air is also still available with the older M2 processor (see below). The Air M3 on test here is available in two sizes: 13-inch (actually 13.6-inch) and 15-inch (15.3-inch). We much prefer the larger screen size for music making and have found 13″ laptops restrictive in the past.
We carried out several benchmark tests between the Air M2 and this all new M3, and found that in Ableton Live we got a 25% uplift in performance for the M3, rising to 30% in Logic, more than even Apple claims! Our sister site TechRadar even suggests that the Air M3’s multicore stats are right up there with the entry-level M3 MacBook Pro.
To our mind, the M3 Air is a better buy than that base-model MacBook Pro as it boasts the bigger screen and equal power, but costs less. We also discovered in our tests that the bigger 15″ model has a significantly better sound from its own speakers over the 13″ Air.
Combine the performance with the quiet Air operation, the sleek design and larger screen, and we think the 15-inch Air M3 is currently one of just two Apple laptops to beat for mobile music production.
Read our full Apple MacBook Air M3 review
Best budget Mac
Apple’s latest MacBook Pros and Airs all feature the company’s latest M3 chips, with only this model retaining the M2. But that doesn’t mean it is found lacking in the music production department.
At just 1.24kg and just 11.3mm deep, the Air M2 is still a fabulously portable option, and its lack of a fan gives it an advantage in the noise stakes when it comes to music making as well.
The battery life of the Air is good, quoted at 18 hours, and more than a match for most PC laptops, and the speaker sound is very good with Spatial Audio support.
The Air M2 is still a beautiful and compact MacBook choice, and the cheapest portable way to get into Mac music making. It still packs a punch for most music tasks, but you might consider the Air M3 if you have the extra cash for a 20-25% uplift in power.
Read our full Apple MacBook Air M2 review
Best 2-in-1 laptop
For Windows fans, their range of crossover tablet-slash laptops is a powerful option when considering your next music production laptop. The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is an absolute beast of a machine, coming with a 12th Gen i7 processor, 16GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD drive, making it more than a match for vast music projects on the go or in the studio.
In our tests it performed admirably with a huge ProTools project, running well over 200+ tracks at an ASIO buffer size of 64 before we began to notice any pops and clicks. Compatibility is excellent as well, as at the time of writing there are no known issues with plugins and Windows 11, unlike a certain popular OS.
The screen is stunning thanks to its 120Hz refresh rate, meaning that everything looks incredibly detailed and runs smoothly. It’s got ten-point multi-touch capability too, offering some neat features for producers that allow you to quickly make adjustments without having to reach for the mouse. The ability to split it quickly and turn it into a tablet is a great feature in general, whether you’re using it for music production or not.
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Read the full Microsoft Surface Pro 9 review
Best MacBook-alike
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro gets you a similar look and feel to an Apple MacBook but within the Windows world. Performance wise, it sits around or just above the same benchmarks as the MacBook Air 13″ M2.
The Galaxy Book4 Pro is available in both 14″ and 16″ models and its OLED screen is a huge highlight with a lovely image quality and 120Hz refresh. It also scores over Apple machines with touch input.
However, compared to the Apple machines its speakers do disappoint – not that we’d recommend using any laptop speakers for detailed mixing – but for general music listening, Apple scores well.
We got 14 hours battery life out of the Samsung which is decent, and overall this is one of the best MacBook alternatives out there.
Best slimline laptop
With the Swift X14, Acer has squeezed both a powerful CPU and GPU into a slim Ultrabook form and topped it off with a gorgeous OLED screen. And while it’s not quite up there with a MacBook Pro 14″ it is among the best Ultrabooks you can get.
It’s not the cheapest machine and the battery life of around eight hours when running at full power is nothing to write home about, but the pros outweigh the cons, especially if you don’t want to lug a heavy laptop around.
The OLED screen is a real star of the show too, and performance wise there’s little the Acer Swift X14 can’t do – it’s a small machine that will handle many music tasks, not something you can say about all Ultrabooks.
The Acer Swift X14 is not a cheap machine but that price does make sense if you factor in the power and screen, and we think it is one of the best compact choices for music out there.
Best for gamers
Think of a gaming laptop, and you probably imagine garish colours, RGB lights all over the shop, and enough power under the hood to light up a continent. With the Razer Blade 15 Studio, however, we have a monstrously powerful laptop with its origins in the gaming world, but with its sights very much set on creative pursuits.
Gaming laptops are often powerful enough for music creation as they require beefy CPUs and plenty of RAM to perform. We found the Razer Blade to be more than powerful enough to handle CPU-intensive tasks with multiple plugins, and we absolutely love the clarity of the screen.
There are some nice visual touches, from the customisable RGB backlighting on the keys, but otherwise, this is a strong, slick studio beast that demands attention. It looks professional, so you won’t feel out of place when you rock up to the studio with it.
Best for upgrading
At the higher end of the gaming PC spectrum – not a bad place for music producers to look when sheer power is required – there are some serious studio contenders. The Asus Rog Strix Scar is evidence of this; with an Intel i9 processor and a base spec of 16 GB of RAM, you know this machine can chew through any audio production task you throw at it.
Hudson Mohawke, the Scottish electronic producer, is a known fan of the Strix range, and with good reason. Once you get past the garish colour scheme and ‘edgy’ gamer branding, you have an immensely capable, lightweight computer that would rival many traditional desktop arrangements.
Read our full Asus Strix Scar 16 review
Buying advice
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Category: laptop
