Best Laptops for Trading in 2024

The best laptops for trading are strong enough to run resource-intensive day trading and stock trading software while remaining portable enough to allow you to engage with the markets from anywhere in the world. The world’s largest investment banks, like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, have their own computers installed on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

These computers provide the quickest access to market data; even a split second might offer them an advantage over competitors when it comes to managing orders and executing trades. Today, with the finest laptops for trading, practically everyone may interact with the markets in real time. After all, when your shares skyrocket in value and you only have seconds to cash in, you need a device that can keep up.

Today, practically everyone may interact with the markets in real-time with the finest laptops for trading. After all, when your shares skyrocket in value, and you only have seconds to cash in, you need a device to keep up. We tested the top laptops for trading stocks. As part of our comprehensive assessment process, we examined internal specifications, design and durability and benchmarked performance. Whether you require in-depth colour-coded technical analysis charts in real-time or simply want to crunch the numbers, there is a laptop for every scenario and budget.

7 Best Laptops for Trading in 2024

Dell XPS 15

SPECIFICATIONS

• CPU: 12th Gen Intel Core i5 – i9
• Graphics: Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti
• RAM: 8GB – 64GB
• Screen: 15.6-inch UHD+ (3,840 x 2,400p) touchscreen, 500-nit, non-OLED display
• Storage: 512GB – 4TB SSD
• Dimensions: 13.56 x 9.06 x 0.73 ins

REASONS TO BUY

• Gorgeous design
• Powerful performance across the board
• Outstanding battery life

REASONS TO AVOID

• Not powerful enough for gaming on the side
• It starts expensive, and the price soars with better specs

“The 2022 Dell XPS 15 delivers laptop perfection,” was our conclusion after testing this notebook. Dell has built one of the greatest trading laptops and one of the best overall.

Inside, you’ll discover a speedier Intel AlderLake processor and RAM than the previous generation. Our benchmarking tests revealed that the XPS 15 excels at what other laptops accomplish effectively. The machine’s single-core performance in GeekBench 5 Core i7 was nearly identical to the i9-12900H featured in the Asus ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition.

It also performed better in the CineBench R23 multi-core test. The 15-inch laptop is a highly portable gadget with a remarkable battery life of approximately 10-12 hours in our tests. 13- and 17-inch variants are also available. You might be tempted by the 2023 version of the XPS 15, but when we tested it, we thought it paled compared to the 2022 variant.

Acer Nitro 5 (2022)

SPECIFICATIONS

• CPU: Up to 12th Gen Intel i7 / AMD Ryzen 6000
• Graphics: Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
• RAM: Up to 32GB DDR5
• Screen: 15.6in / 17in
• Storage: Up to 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe
• Dimensions: 14.19 x 10.67 x 1.06 ins

REASONS TO BUY

• Excellent performance all around.
• Excellent keyboard design and price.

REASONS TO AVOID

• Terrible battery life.
• Its design is quite plain.
• Slow recharging time.

After testing the Acer Nitro 5, we described it as “a competent budget gaming laptop”. However, this laptop is capable of much more than just playing the latest games.

With its low pricing and excellent specifications, the Nitro 5 is ideal for stock market trading. When you combine a 12th Generation Intel or AMD Ryzen CPU with a substantial quantity of fully upgradeable RAM and a large SSD, you can understand why this is ideal for running many trading programmes. True, full HD displays cannot compete with the 4K accuracy quality of machines such as the Asus ZenBook.

However, if you don’t want that degree of information and clarity to read stock charts and execute trades, it’s more than adequate. The battery life isn’t great, and at 7.43 pounds (3.37 kg), it’s not the most portable laptop for trading on the go. It’s considerably better suited to setting up in one area for the day.
The laptop comes in a variety of configurations. For added piece of mind, we recommend using onboard RAM of at least 16GB so that the laptop can manage several apps.

Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch

SPECIFICATIONS

• CPU: Apple M2 Pro (12-core) – Apple M2 Max (12-core)
• Graphics: Integrated 19-core GPU – Integrated 38-core GPU
• RAM: Up to 32GB
• Screen: 16-inch, 3456 x 2234 Liquid Retina XDR display (mini-LED, 1,000 nits sustained brightness, wide color P3 gamut, ProMotion technology)
• Storage: Up to 1TB
• Dimensions: 14.01 x 9.77 x 0.66 ins

REASONS TO BUY

• New M2 Pro and M2 Max chips.
• Battery life is over 20 hours
• Screen is still the greatest on a laptop.

REASONS TO AVOID

• Expensive and bulky.

As we stated in our review, the Apple Pro 16 in is “a productivity beast that’s not for everyone.” It’s huge and elegant, with a sleek and attractive design typical of Apple. However, its bigger size makes it more difficult to transport than the lighter Apple MacBook Air or Apple MacBook Pro 13.

The M2 chip provides good performance. During our extensive testing, we discovered that it could handle graphically heavy apps, so you should have no trouble running suitable trading software. The laptop’s best feature is its 16-inch, 3456 x 2234 Liquid Retina XDR display. We called it “the best screen on a laptop” in our review.

It is available in three versions, with the base model including a 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16GB memory, and 512GB SSD storage. If you’re searching for a professional laptop for trading, the MacBook Pro is a powerful workstation with an industry-leading screen and an impressive battery life.

Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 UX582

SPECIFICATIONS

• CPU: 10th Gen i7 – i9
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070
• RAM: Up to 32GB
• Screen: Primary: 15.6-inch 4K OLED (3840 x2160p) Touchscreen, 0.2ms, 440 nits, Pantone-validated; (Secondary): 14-inch 3840 x 1100p, anti-glare IPS
• Storage: 1TB PCIe 3.0 SSD
• Dimensions: 14.17 x 9.81 x 0.85 ins

REASONS TO BUY

• It has a beautiful primary display and a helpful secondary screen.
• Excellent performance and beautiful design.
• Extremely responsive 0.2ms show.

REASONS TO AVOID

• Crammed keyboard and touchpad
• Battery life is poor.

If you require a dual-screen trading laptop, the Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 UX582 is an excellent choice. Yes, one of the most appealing aspects of this laptop is the stunning 4K dual touchscreen layout. Consider dedicating one screen to displaying the candlestick chart for your preferred firm or a live stream of Bloomberg while the other screen is logged into your brokerage account, allowing you to execute trades immediately.

You can interact with the screens using either a keyboard or a stylus. During our tests, we discovered that performance was great. The cheapest model, with its i7 processor and 16GB RAM, will be more than capable of handling graphics-intensive trading applications such as Bloomberg Terminal or Ninja Trader. The huge 1TB SSD should also give adequate capacity and response time to preserve and recall years of stock data in an instant.
On the negative, we found the keyboard was a little tight – a trade-off for the second screen – and the battery life was not as good as other trading laptops. It should also be mentioned that when the fans are running at full speed, they can become quite noisy.

Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Mobile Workstation

SPECIFICATIONS

• CPU: 12th Gen Intel Core i7 – i9
• Graphics: Nvidia RTX A2000 – A4500
• RAM: 8GB – 32GB
• Screen: Up to 16″ WQUXGA (3840 x 2400), OLED, Anti-Reflection/Anti-Smudge, Dolby Vision™, Touch, 100% DCI-P3, 400 nits, 60Hz
• Storage: 256GB – 512GB
• Dimensions: 14.3 x 10.5 x 1.2 ins

REASONS TO BUY

• Extremely strong.
• Durable design and construction
• Full keyboard with numpad.
• Multi-touch, OLED display.

REASONS TO AVOID

• It’s a very huge size.
• It is expensive compared to some of the competitors.

The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Mobile Workstation is essential if you value performance over portability. In our tests, this proved to be a formidable beast in power and size, making it ideal for use in a single place.
It is a solid laptop covered in a durable casing. In our tests, the full-sized keyboard with numpad was quite comfortable to text on, and the 4K OLED display was bright and crisp regardless of the ambient.

Despite its powerful engine, the mobile workstation was not the fastest when benchmarked. However, it scored 7651 in our extended PCMark tests, comparable to other devices. In other words, your trading apps will run seamlessly.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 5G

SPECIFICATIONS

• CPU: 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13980HX
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU
• RAM: 32 GB DDR5
• Screen: 18-inch ROG Nebula Display QHD+ 16:10 (2560 x 1600, WQXGA), 240Hz, Dolby Vision HDR, Pantone Validation
• Storage: 1TB + 1TB PCIe® 4.0 NVMe™ M.2 Performance SSD (RAID 0)
• Dimensions: 15.71 x 11.57 x 1.21 ins

REASONS TO BUY

• Great design
• Large and responsive screen.
• Excellent battery life
• built-in 5G.

REASONS TO AVOID

• The ARM chip has compatibility and stability difficulties.
• Additional fee for keyboard and pen.

Microsoft’s Surface lineup can be hit and miss; for every subpar Surface Go, there’s a gorgeous Surface 4. The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 5G is a clear ‘hit’.
This is an excellent work companion, particularly for traders on the go, thanks to its 5G capability for lightning-fast mobile connections. It is lightweight, thin, and fast enough for daily use.

That doesn’t mean it’s the ideal trading laptop. The unique ARM chip causes several unfortunate system compatibility and stability problems. The keyboard and stylus are extra. Despite the lack of complete compatibility with some of the PC world’s most powerful software, this was a well-performing computer that never gave us the impression that we were using a tablet disguised as a PC. For an Intel-based option, check out our Microsoft Surface Pro 8 review, which we dubbed “the rebirth of the Surface Pro.” However, the Pro 9 is a good fit if you primarily trade on browser-based platforms.

Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022)

SPECIFICATIONS

• CPU: Apple M2 with 8-core CPU
• Graphics: Integrated 10-core GPU
• RAM: 8GB – 24GB
• Screen: 13.3-inch 2560 x 1600 display with P3 and True Tone technology
• Storage: 256GB – 2TB SSD
• Dimensions: 11.97 x 8.36 x 0.61 ins

REASONS TO BUY

• The M2 chip is a top performer.
• Excellent battery life and almost silent operation.
• You can even play games!

REASONS TO AVOID

• There are still only two Thunderbolt ports and a 720p webcam.

Since the M-series of chips debuted, Apple consumers have benefitted from a single processor capable of handling CPU and GPU-related activities with alarming efficiency.

The Macbook Pro M2 is the most recent series and provides a low-cost solution to capitalise on this raw capability. Our tests revealed that the battery life met Apple’s claim of up to 20 hours. The Retina Display also makes viewing whatever market data you load enjoyable. The base specs include a 256GB SSD, which sounds a little conservative, but you can increase to 512GB. The M2-powered MacBook 13in is substantially faster than the previous generation and other Intel-based laptops, so it should be able to run any trading software you want in principle.

We say “in theory” since Apple has discontinued their “Boot Camp” programme. Therefore, there is no native support for Windows-only software. This isn’t always an issue, as many trading programmes may be accessed via the internet or are accessible for macOS. It may also be possible to run Windows programmes from the macOS desktop using virtualization software such as Parallels, albeit the performance may be worse than when running natively on a Windows computer.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)