Music production requires a decently powerful PC, and we’ve rounded up the best laptops to help you find the right one for your needs.
Buying a new laptop that caters to your specific needs can often be challenging. We have a running list of the best laptops you can buy right now, but there’s never going to be a one-size-fits-all solution. Music production, like other kinds of content creation, has some requirements if you want to do it efficiently. We’ve already rounded up the best creator laptops if you’re into other kinds of content, but for this list, we’ve rounded up the best laptops for music production.
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Now, while some kinds of content can demand a lot of power, music production is relatively less resource-heavy compared to video editing or even streaming. You’re still going to want a powerful CPU, a decent amount of RAM, and a relatively large display, though. Like many content creation tools, music production software tends to have complex UI elements, so a large screen is important so you can keep everything in view with less scrolling.
Without further ado, these are the best laptops you can buy for music production right now.
- Apple MacBook Pro (2023) Best overall $1999 at Best Buy (14 inches)
- Lenovo Slim Pro 9i Premium Windows alternative $1899 at B&H
- Dell XPS 17 (2023) Best 17-inch laptop $1699 at Dell
- HP Spectre x360 16 (2023) Best convertible $1200 at HP
- Razer Blade 16 Best for gamers $2700 at B&H
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- MacBook Air (M2) Best value $1087 at Amazon (13 inches)
- Asus Zenbook Pro Duo 14 OLED Best dual-screen laptop $2299 at B&H
- Surface Pro 9 (Wi-Fi) Best tablet $953 at Amazon
Our top picks for music production laptops in 2023
Apple MacBook Pro (2023) Best overall
Great for any creative work
$2249 $2499 Save $250
The 2023 MacBook Pro comes with spectacular performance and efficiency, courtesy of the Apple M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, in addition to having a premium design and a fantastic display.
Pros
- Apple M2 Pro and M2 Max processors are super fast and efficient
- Incredibly sharp display with mini-LED technology
- Premium build quality
Cons
- Somewhat expensive
- A bit heavy
- The SSD is slower on the base model
$2299 at Amazon (14 inches) $2249 at Amazon (16 inches) $1999 at Best Buy (14 inches) $2299 at Best Buy (16 inches)
Macs are extremely popular for music production, and it’s in great part thanks to the popular Logic Pro software, which is exclusive to macOS. That, coupled with the terrific performance of Apple silicon, makes the MacBook Pro (2023) the easiest recommendation for any kind of creative professional, including musicians. The 2023 MacBook Pro comes with either an Apple M2 Pro or M2 Max with up to a 38-core GPU delivering fantastic performance for just about any task. You can also get up to 96GB of RAM and an 8TB SSD.
The display on the MacBook Pro is also phenomenal. You can choose between a 14.2-inch or 16.2-inch model, both of which come with extremely sharp displays (the resolution is 3456×2234 for the larger model) and up to a whopping 1,600 nits of brightness thanks to mini-LED technology and local dimming. You also get a super powerful speaker system with six drivers. For calls, you get a 1080p webcam with an advanced ISP for better image quality.
The MacBook Pro looks exactly how you’d expect, with a clean look in either Silver or Space Grey. The 14-inch model measures just 15.5mm in thickness and weighs 3.7 pounds, while the larger version is 16.8mm thick and starts at 4.7 pounds, so it’s a bit heavy. For ports, the 2023 MacBook Pro includes three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, a headphone jack with support for high-impedance headphones, a full-size SD card reader, and MagSafe 3 for charging.
It’s undeniable that the MacBook Pro is simply one of the best laptops on the market right now, and if you’re looking to get into music production, you can’t get much better than this.
Lenovo Slim Pro 9i Premium Windows alternative
Powerful performance and a great display
$1899 $2149 Save $250
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is a sleek-looking laptop, but it packs powerful performance under the hood. It comes with up to an Intel Core i9 processor and Nvidia graphics, plus it has a super sharp and bright display that makes it great for demanding workloads on the go.
Pros
- Up to a 14-core Intel Core i9 delivering top-tier performance
- Super-sharp mini-LED display makes it great for complex workloads
- Solid supply of ports
Cons
- Somewhat expensive
- Heavy
- It’s frequently out of stock at many retailers
$2150 at Best Buy (16-inch) $1899 at B&H $2000 at Newegg
The MacBook Pro may be our top pick, but not everyone wants to use a Mac, and if you’d rather stick with Windows, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is one of the best creator laptops money can buy, so it’s great for making music, too. We’re focusing on the 16-inch model here since it’s easier to find, but the 14-inch version is also great.
Starting things off, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is powered by an Intel Core i9-13905H processor with 14 cores and 20 threads, so you’ll have all the performance you need for music production. You also get up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 if you ever need GPU acceleration. You also get 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.
For the display, you’re getting a 16-inch panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a very sharp 3200×2000 resolution, making this a great screen for multi-track audio and video editing. What’s more, it uses mini-LED technology to reach up to 1,200 nits of brightness in HDR mode, so it’s easily visible outdoors. Above the display ios a 1080p webcam that’s not very good, but it does support Windows Hello facial recognition.
Coming to the design, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i comes in a sleek Storm Grey chassis that’s 18.16mm thick and weighs 4.92 pounds, making it decently portable for the specs, but somewhat heavy overall. It does give you a lot of ports, though, including Thunderbolt 4, two USB Type-A ports, HDMI, a headphone jack, and a full-size SD card reader.
It’s not on the same level as Apple’s laptop, but the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is still an excellent choice if you’re a Windows user.
Dell XPS 17 (2023) Best 17-inch laptop
For those who need big screens
$1699 $2199 Save $500
The 2023 Dell XPS 17 is a powerful laptop for all kinds of creative workloads, with a 14-core processor and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 GPU. Plus, it has a large screen with up to 4K resolution, giving you a lot of space to work with.
Pros
- Powerful 13th-gen Intel processors and Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 series graphics
- Large 17-inch display with up to 4K resolution
- Mote compact than you might expect
Cons
- 720p webcam
- Expensive
- More power than you’ll probably need
$1699 at Dell $3200 at Best Buy $1999 at B&H
If you want a larger screen so you can fit as much content as possible, the Dell XPS 17 is almost unmatched when it comes to content creation.
Starting with performance, the Dell XPS 17 comes with up to an Intel Core i9-13900HK processor with 14 cores and 20 threads. It also comes with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, though that’s more power than you’ll really need for music production. Up to 64GB of RAM and a massive 8TB SSD round out the top-tier specs.
The display is a 17-inch IPS panel in the 16:10 aspect ratio, with options up for either a Full HD+ or an Ultra HD+ panel that looks fantastic, covering nearly 100% of all major color gamuts. Unfortunately, the laptop still comes with a poor 720p webcam so it’s not a great choice if you want to make video calls frequently. However, it does support Windows Hello facial recognition.
Like the rest of the XPS lineup, the Dell XPS 17 comes in a very compact design considering the display size and its specs, though it still comes in at 19.5mm thick, and it weighs 5.10 pounds. The design has a dual-tone look, with the interior featuring a black carbon fiber pattern, while the exterior comes in Platinum, a dark shade of silver.
A downside of the XPS 17 is the ports, which include four Thunderbolt 4 ports. Aside from that, you only get a built-in headphone jack and SD card slot. There’s a USB Type-C to Type-A and HDMI adapter in the box if you need it, but it might not be ideal for everyone.
Aside from the lackluster ports, the Dell XPS 17 remains one of the best laptops on the market, and it’s an easy recommendation for all kinds of creators.
HP Spectre x360 16 (2023) Best convertible
Powerful, yet versatile
$1200 $1700 Save $500
The HP Spectre x360 16 is a powerful convertible laptop with high-end Intel processors and optional Intel Arc graphics. It has up to 32GB of RAM and a super-sharp display including an OLED option if you want a better visual experience. It also has a powerful speaker system.
Pros
- Powerful Intel processors with up to 14 cores
- Sharp 16-inch display, including OLED option
- Solid quad-speaker setup
Cons
- Somewhat heavy
- OLED model is only available with discrete graphics
$1200 at HP $1650 at Best Buy
The versatility of a convertible is hard to match, and while there aren’t a lot of powerful convertibles out there, the HP Spectre x360 16 is a great exception.
Performance-wise, the base model includes an Intel Core i7-13700H with 14 cores and 20 threads, which is probably the best route to go for. You can opt for the Intel Core i7-1360P paired with Intel Arc 370M graphics if you want a bit more GPU performance, though. You can also get up to 32GB of RAM if you get that discrete GPU, which is potentially a bigger reason to upgrade. You can also get up to 2TB of SSD storage.
The 16-inch display comes in a tall 16:10 aspect ratio, and you can choose between a 3072×1920 IPS panel or a stunning 3840×2400 OLED panel. Both are more than sharp enough to be great for multitasking, though and since it supports touch and pen input, you get that much more versatility. You also get a powerful quad-speaker system for audio, and above the display is a 5MP webcam, one of the best you can get on any laptop.
In terms of looks, the HP Spectre x360 shines with its dual-tone color scheme, mixing Nightfall Black with gold accents. Its premium build quality does make it somewhat heavy, though, coming in at 4.74 pounds and it’s also 19.8mm thick. In return, you get a solid amount of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4 ports, USB Type-A, HDMI, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader.
If you want a convertible laptop that can handle demanding tasks like music production, the HP Spectre x360 16 is absolutely one of the best options you can get.
Razer Blade 16 Best for gamers
A terrific laptop for work and play
The Razer Blade 16 is an incredibly powerful gaming laptop with a 24-core processor and high-end Nvidia graphics. It also includes a great display, a solid webcam, and a clean design, though it is pretty expensive and heavy.
Pros
- Fantastic performance with a 24-core CPU and Nvidia RTX 40 series graphics
- Sharp display with 100% coverage of DCI-P3
- Lots of ports and a sleek design
Cons
- Expensive
- Heavy
- Battery life will be terrible
$2954 at Amazon $3000 at Best Buy $2700 at B&H
If you want a laptop you can use for both work and gaming, the Razer Blade 16 is probably the best option. It’s one of the most powerful laptops on the market, starting with a 13th-generation Intel Core i9-13950HX processor with a whopping 24 cores and 32 threads and boost speeds up to 5.4GHz. You can also go up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, but you really shouldn’t need to if music is your focus. You also get up to 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD.
The Razer Blade 16 also makes strides with the display, finally switching to a taller 16:10 aspect ratio, which is great for music production. The base model comes with a Quad HD+ resolution panel and a 240Hz refresh rate, which is already very good for just about anyone. There is a fancier dual-mode mini-LED, but it’s very expensive and not worth the price for most people. The laptop also includes a 1080p webcam with Windows Hello support, which is rare for a gaming laptop.
With the increased power, the Razer Blade 16 is pretty big, however. It’s 21.99mm thick, making it the thickest laptop on this list, and it weighs 5.4 pounds. It’s not the easiest machine to carry around. It keeps the same clean black design of previous models, though, with a green Razer logo and RGB keyboard providing some visual flair. As for ports, you get two USB-C ports (one supporting Thunderbolt 4), three USB Type-A ports, HDMI, a headphone jack, and a full-size SD card reader, so all the peripherals you could want should be easy to connect to this laptop.
Starting at $2,699.99, the Razer Blade 16 is not a cheap laptop, but the power it offers helps justify that price tag.
MacBook Air (M2) Best value
A lightweight Mac that’s still very capable
$1099 $1299 Save $200
The MacBook Air is a thin and light premium laptop, but it delivers strong performance with the M2 chip, and it has a great display that’s bright, vibrant, and sharp. Plus, it runs macOS, which supports the exclusive Logic Pro software.
Pros
- Thin and light without sacrificing battery life
- Sharp display with a tall aspect ratio
- You can use Logic Pro on macOS
Cons
- Port selection is limited and only one external screen is supported natively
- SSD is slower in the base model
$1087 at Amazon (13 inches) $1099 at Amazon (15 inches) $1099 at Best Buy (13 inches) $1299 at Best Buy (15 inches)
MacBooks have a natural advantage just by running Logic Pro, and if you want a great laptop for music production while saving some money, the MacBook Air is a fantastic option.
The latest MacBook Air is powered by the Apple M2, which has an eight-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, delivering a big performance uplift compared to the previous model. It also retains the power efficiency Apple Silicon is known for. You can also configure the new MacBook Air with up to 24GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD storage.
There are two models of the MacBook Air, one with a 13.6-inch 2560×1664 screen and another with a 15.3-inch 2880×1864 panel, but both are equally sharp and bright, and they’ll do great for multitasking and working in brighter lighting conditions. For audio, the quad-speaker system is also one of the best you can in a laptop of this class. A notch above the display houses the 1080p webcam that makes use of the advanced ISP in the Apple M2 to deliver great video quality.
The latest iteration of the 13-inch MacBook Air is incredibly thin, at 11.3mm, and it weighs just 2.7 pounds, while the 15-inch model measures 11.5mm and weighs 3.3 pounds. And it looks great, too, coming in four colors — Silver, Space Grey, Midnight, and Starlight. For ports, the MacBook Air has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a headphone jack supporting high-impedance headphones, and a MagSafe 3 connector for charging. Only one external display is natively supported, however.
Regardless, if you want something lightweight and capable, the MacBook Air is still a great choice for music production and general day-to-day use. You can read our MacBook Air (2022) review to learn more about it.
Asus Zenbook Pro Duo 14 OLED Best dual-screen laptop
More screens, more productivity
$2299 $2400 Save $101
If you want more screen real estate for your music production needs, the second display on the Asus Zenbook Pro Duo 14 OLED makes it a fantastic choice. Plus, it packs powerful specs like Intel H-series processors that can handle demanding workloads just fine.
Pros
- Two screens help you get more done
- Powerful specs with Intel processors and discrete Nvidia graphics
- Decently portable considering what it offers
Cons
- Somewhat expensive
- Unconventional trackpad placement
$2400 at Best Buy $2400 at Amazon $2299 at B&H
Music production requires a lot of screen space, so what if you had a second display? The Asus Zenbook Pro Duo 14 OLED is the one to go for if you’re looking to have more real estate without sacrificing portability.
In terms of performance, the Asus Zenbook Pro Duo 14 OLED comes with an Intel Core i9-13900H processor with 14 cores and 20 threads, and that’s paired with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU to deliver terrific performance for all kinds of creator workloads, whether that’s music, photo, or video. You also get up to 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD< so you have all you need for great performance.
The display is a big focus here, as the Asus Zenbook Pro Duo 14 has two of them. The main display is a 14.5-inch OLED panel with a 2880×1800 resolution and fantastic color reproduction. To give you more space to work with, you also get a 12.7-inch IPS display above the keyboard with half the height of the main display, which can house more UI elements or different apps to help you multitask. You also get powerful speakers with a smart amplifier for more immersive audio. Above the main display is a 1080p camera with Windows Hello support, which is always nice to see.
Coming around to the design, the Asus Zenbook Pro Duo 14 OLED is a bit unique since it has a whole screen above its keyboard. It has a touchpad on the right side instead of below the keyboard, which may take some getting used to. Coming in at 3.86 pounds and 19.6mm of thickness, it’s surprisingly portable for what it offers. As for ports, you get two Thunderbolt 4, one USB Type-A, HDMI, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader.
It’s not for everyone, but if you feel like you need two screens to get your work done, there’s nothing quite like it.
Surface Pro 9 (Wi-Fi) Best tablet
For maximum portability
$953 $1100 Save $147
The Surface Pro 9 is a thin and lightweight Windows tablet with great performance and a fantastic display. It’s not the most powerful laptop for music production, but if you need a device like this for extra portability, the Surface Pro 9 is easily the best among its class.
Pros
- Sharp display with 3:2 aspect ratio
- Very thin and portable
- Great cameras on the front and back
Cons
- Not as powerful as other laptops on this list
- No headphone jack and limited ports overall
- Keyboard and mouse sold separately
$953 at Amazon $1000 at Best Buy $1100 at Adorama
Laptops are great, but if you want something a little more portable, tablets are the way to go. The Surface Pro 9 is the best laptop replacement you can get right now. Of course, it’s not as fast as bigger laptops, but it still performs well.
The Surface Pro 9 comes with up to a 12th-generation Intel Core i7-1255U, which gets you 10 cores and 12 threads. For simpler tracks, that should be more than enough performance, and you can also configure the laptop with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Beefier laptops will be faster, but that’s to be expected.
One of the best things about the Surface Pro 9 is the display, which is a 13-inch panel with a 3:2 aspect ratio. It’s not the largest screen around, but the tall format and super-sharp 2880×1920 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate make for a great experience. It also has great cameras, including a 5MP front-facing webcam with Windows Hello and a 10MP rear camera with 4K video recording.
Portability is obviously a big focus for the Surface Pro 9, and it comes in at just 9.4mm of thickness. It weighs 1.94 pounds, excluding the optional keyboard, so it’s very portable. It comes in an array of colors to choose from, too, including Forest, Sapphire, Platinum, and Graphite models. Ports are one area where the Surface Pro 9 suffers. It comes with just two Thunderbolt 4 ports. There’s no headphone jack, but there’s a good chance you’re already using a mixer, so this may not make a huge difference on that front. Otherwise, you’ll need an adapter for your wired headphones.
All things considered, the Surface Pro 9 is a great Windows device if you want something capable and portable, even if it can’t stand toe-to with others on this list in terms of performance.
Best laptops for music production: The bottom line
Those are what we’d consider the best laptops you can get right now for music production, from the most powerful machines to some thin and light options, with other great options in between. The MacBook Pro (2023) takes the top spot for us because of its large and tall display, a very powerful chipset that’s also very efficient, and it has one of the most popular music production programs, Logic Pro.
Apple MacBook Pro (2023) Best overall$2249 $2499 Save $250
The 2023 MacBook Pro is a beastly laptop with incredible performance that still manages to last a long time on battery, outlasting any other laptop in its performance class. Plus, it has a great display and it supports Logic Pro, which is a very popular music software.
$2299 at Amazon (14 inches) $2249 at Amazon (16 inches) $1999 at Best Buy (14 inches) $2299 at Best Buy (16 inches)
If you want something a bit cheaper, you can still do great with the MacBook Air. It’s a much lighter and more affordable alternative, but it still runs Logic Pro and it has an amplified headphone jack if you want to use high-impedance headphones.
All the other options here are great, though, so look at them all closely before making your choice. And if music production isn’t what you’re after, maybe you’ll want to check out our list of the best laptops for video editing.
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