Half of podcasting success is dependent upon the right choice in choosing the best laptop which meets all podcasting requirements. The podcasting trend has been increasing as people more tend to listen and consume the content during driving and especially women working in the kitchen. Platforms like Spotify have been paying millions to big celebrities for podcasting and millions of its subscribers love listening to them. Even the non-celebrities started their podcasting on Spotify and now worth millions in dollars.
No doubt, Podcasting is the next big thing and many people as comedians and motivational speakers joining these platforms and starting their own podcast channel.
Best Laptops for Podcasting
Here is a list of the best laptops for podcasting in 2021.
Apple MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro is one of the top choices for mostly Podcasters on YouTube. It is a powerful device to run all heavy voice editing software and support quality podcasting. One can select own choice of MacBook Pro available between 13’’ and 16’’ model, its prices vary accordingly.
If you spend more time traveling and want to be productive during the journey, should go for 13’’model as suits you most. It has impressive specifications and features such as having a quad-core 8th Gen Intel i5 processor supported by 8GB RAM, 128GB storage in SSD.
However, if you are doing it on a professional level and expecting world-class podcasting sessions, the latest 16’’ MacBook Pro with Touchbar is highly recommended to you. Though it is quite expensive, its superior features worth every penny. It has a 16-inch highly impressive Retina Display which offers an amazing experience and good for video editing purposes.
It offers 16GB RAM which can be expanded up to 64GB RAM. Its powerful processor makes this device distinguish and popular, it comes up with a 6-core 9th-Gen Intel i7 processor.
This laptop comes with a 512GB SSD and having a dedicated 4GB video RAM to enjoy a smooth live podcasting experience. As mentioned earlier about the significance of battery for the podcaster, It has a strong battery that may last up to 14 hours and allows the podcaster to record and edit the content for 14 hours without any need of recharging. It can last up to 10 hours for lighter use such as Internet surfing.
As far as its drawbacks are concerned, It does not offer all types of USB ports. It only has one type of Port which is a Type-C port. A user has to be arranging the external adapter to get connected with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 devices which is inconvenient.
The second drawback is, Processor and RAM cannot be upgraded after the purchase because both are soldered to the motherboard. The same patterns also lack the option of upgrading the internal storage. The third limitation is the unavailability of an extra SD card slot, which most people find a useful feature.
Dell Inspiron 17 3793
Dell has also launched a laptop whose specifications exactly meet the needs of the podcaster. Its 1080p resolution is going to help you out in video editing, you would edit the videos in accordance with 1080p settings because mostly people watches and streams on the same resolution. Its 17.3-inches Full HD screen is also going to help you in getting the right view from all angles and notice all details.
It comes with a 10th generation Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor and 8GB RAM, these two hardware can run all podcasting software available on Windows OS. These are easily meeting the system requirements of Podcasting software and can enjoy access at all once having Dell Inspiron 17 3793.
It means user can enjoy the features and apply the podcasting skills on all software available for podcasting. There are no hardware limitations on this laptop and now you just have to show your podcasting skills.
You can save as much data as you want on its 512GB SSD, it should be more than enough for work and personal usage. Users can expand the space through external sources; it provides an SD card reader and USB 3.1 Type-C. One can have own flash drive and SD card to enjoy data portability.
This laptop has three main drawbacks or Cons which also need to be shared. The first drawback is having uninspiring plastic construction made of cheap plastic. This is not a cheap laptop and manufacturers must also ensure high-quality body buildup.
The second drawback, it does not offer a USB-C port which helps in faster data transferring and most users want a C port on a laptop. Its third and last drawback lacks a backlit Keyboard which turns on its lights in the dark and the user can see the keys while typing.
The only drawback which hurts the podcaster is the unavailability of a USB-C port, the rest two drawbacks can hurt in other personal capacity and not podcasting.
Acer Aspire 5
It would be safe to say that the best laptops for podcasting available for under $500. This laptop is recommended for beginners who want to be a podcaster and buy a budget laptop. It belongs to 8th generation laptop technology and its powerful Intel Core i5 processor can process the data using its maximum processing speed of up to 3.9GHz.
It is also installed with 8GB DDR4 RAM which provides support in data processing and share the workload from the processor, its 256GB SSD storage should be enough for a normal user and its SSD technology is more efficient in seeking the data from hard drives on the user requires.
It also offers a modern display technology, its narrow bezel does not cause eyes straining and rather allows the user to work for long hours. The laptop has a 15.6 inch Full HD IPS display which gives a high-resolution image.
Its battery is also enough to serve the purpose of podcasting even during traveling. Its battery may last up to 5 hours and also offers many types of connectivity ports. It has a USB 3.1 Gen-1 Port, a Type-C Gen-1 port, and one USB 2.0 port. As far as its drawback is concerned, it does not come up with an SD card slot.
Acer Aspire 5 also has its other limitations, it comes with a cheap-feeling touchpad which makes you use the mouse instead. The second weak feature is, the screen is not the most vibrant as the user could wish to have the best experience. Being a podcaster, one cannot ignore these drawbacks neither take them very seriously.
ASUS VivoBook 15 F512DA
It is one of the most-selling ASUS laptops and offering tempting features in this price range. First of all, it’s quite thin and light which means easy to carry during traveling. It enables the podcaster to go outside and make the podcast somewhere with beautiful scenery in the background.
This laptop is again recommended for beginners, Its AMD Quad-Core R5-3500U CPU is powerful enough to run smoothly, all popular audio editing software available on Windows.
Its 8GB DDR4 RAM enables the podcaster to be engaged in multi-tasking which is a common phenomenon for that podcaster having big traffic. Its 8GB RAM process the maximum data and holds it to deliver the Podcaster on an instant basis, it allows the user to entertain its big traffic without any interruption.
Its NanoEdge bezel display offers a better viewing experience, using this device outside prevents annoying reflections, which means a podcaster can take this laptop outside without worrying about reflection. It’s a stunning design that covers an 88% screen-to-body ratio which makes it attractive.
This laptop can be connected through its multiple USB ports including USB 3.2 Type-C, USB 3.2, USB 2.0, also having HDMI.
This laptop only has one major drawback, its battery cannot last more than 5 hours which makes the user recharge it every four hours.
Acer Swift 3
This is one of the premium-looking laptops, thin and light. It would make the user look like a popular podcaster sitting outside and podcasting for the audience. It has all features and specifications essential for podcasting purposes.
It comes up with 8GB DDR4 RAM enough for supporting the multi-tasking without any delay; mostly Podcasters have used multiple software for editing, recording, and performing, this multi-tasking definitely requires 8GB or higher RAM.
It’s AMD Ryzen 7 4700 Octa-Core up to 4.1 GHz enables the user to run heavy-ended video & audio editing software. These specifications meet the system requirements of all popular podcasting software, which makes it one of the best laptops for Podcasting.
You also do not have to be worried about where to store ample data, it offers 256GB storage in SSD and one cannot easily full this much space. Its SSD technology is definitely more efficient in loading the Windows and other software, it also seeks the data in less time on the processor request.
Its other useful features include a fingerprint reader which enhances data security and prevents unauthorized access on the laptop. The second point in the Pros list offers Wi-Fi 6 technology which ensures faster internet connection speed, more security, and an overall better internet usage experience.
Moreover, it also offers a backlit keyboard which is essential for productivity in the night time, when you have to switch off the lights for your roommate.
As far as its Cons side is concerned, the user requires a Pin to have access to microSD slot which is inconvenient and ruins the user experience. Its keyboard design and positioning of keys do not support fast typing and decline productivity.
Lenovo IdeaPad 3
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is an entry-level laptop and its price is only $359.99 on Amazon. It is recommended to the beginning level podcasters who do not require to access that podcasting software requires 8GB RAM and powerful processors. This laptop can easily meet the system requirements of all decent-sized podcasting software.
This machine comes with 4GB DDR4 RAM and AMD Ryzen 3 3250U processor, both hardware can process the data like audio and video editing, adding sound effects, adding visual effects, and others. It can easily run software like audacity, Logic Pro X, Studio One, FL Studio, and similar level software.
Its 15.6 inches screen size will give the podcaster an advantage of working on bigger screen and enjoy the more screen area which gives more clarity. Its 128GB SSD must be more than enough for any podcaster to save thousands of podcasting audios & videos in a laptop. Otherwise, 128GB is very small amount of storage for personal and work usage both.
SD card slot is also available and user can expand memory through external sources like inserting the SD card and use it for data storage.
Its other features includes 3 USB ports, HDMI, webcam with physical shutter, narrow bezels, crystal clear sound and others.
Every laptop has its own drawbacks and so Lenovo Idea Pad 3 has, the first drawback is, this laptop offers poor build quality and body made of cheap plastic. The second drawback is unavailability of USB Type-C port which offers faster data transfer speed and mostly users finds Type-C more convenient in use among all.
The third drawback is not exactly a drawback but it could be better, its battery life is 6 hours which could be better.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
Before discussing about its technical specifications, its color specifications are also worth informing as this device is available in Platinum, Cobalt Blue, New Sandstone and plus Matte Black. It is embedded with the latest processor technology which improving its speed and processing time.
It comes up with Intel Core i5 and 8GB RAM which meets the system requirements of editing software like Audacity and Adobe Audition.
It also offers a touch-screen feature which looks amazing for podcaster while live streaming. Its battery backup may last up to 11.5 hours, a positive feature for any podcaster to consider before buying any laptop. It can be connected with USB-C and USB-A ports, both are commonly used.
The only drawback in this device is its low storage capacity; it just offers 128GB storage in an SSD drive.
Asus X512DA-BTS2020RL
ASUS manufactured this laptop for powerful performance and so it is recommendable to the podcaster. It’s AMD Ryzen 5 processor and 8GB RAM are going to boost up the data processing performance at the next level. You name it and this machine can meet the system requirements of any podcasting software.
A podcaster can easily manage audio & video editing, adding effects into the track, and to try other features, this laptop will process all the data.
This laptop have 15.6-inches screen size which enables podcaster to work for longer hours without stressful eyes. Small size screens are not recommendable for the long working hours usage.
Its Pros side needs to be discussed now. This laptop offers sleek design which looks attractive to others and you would also wanna carry it around. It also offers decent upgradability as you can upgrade RAM and Storage both.
Its Cons side is also not short and requires details. Its body is made of cheap plastic, the design is sleek but the body is made of poor stuff. Second, it has limited IPS options which means have made some compromised on best colors and viewing angles.
What Makes the Laptop Best for Podcasting?
Many people have been switching listening to Podcasts during work, eat, or before sleep. The podcast makes people listening and enjoying their favorite content while finishing ordinary daily tasks. People realize that podcast is a better option than reading and watching because both needs dedication of time and they cannot ignore the all To-Do list for a day.
All content creators are trying to create interesting and unique content to keep the listeners engaged; even big celebrities are being hired for podcasting by platforms like Spotify.
Podcasting is the need of time as people find it easier to consume than watching or reading. The best thing about Podcasting is its low production cost comparing to video production and publishing cost for books. In this article, we will also be going to discuss best laptops for Podcasting on the list.
A typical podcaster must have a microphone, voice filter, a mic stand, and laptop which will be discussed about in detail later, to be a video producer must be having quality camera, ideal shoot location also depends upon the type of content. The statistics are also showing that Podcast is in trend and its popularity is growing definitely.
Let’s start discussion about best laptops for podcasting, it is important to discuss about do you even need a laptop for Podcasting?
Why Do You Need a Laptop for Podcasting?
The thing is buying a new laptop is not mandatory to start podcasting. One may start by just having a decent quality mic, headphones, and a mixer. However, you have to buy a new laptop for starting a Podcast at a professional level and it requires you to build a proper setup.
A podcaster needs audio editing software that can also add music and other effects to make the tracks engaging and interesting. This audio editing software is mostly heavily coded and requires higher processors and RAM to run on any laptop.
The desktop also works fine and it can also be a good choice for any professional podcaster, the portability of a laptop makes it a better choice as nature of podcasting requires lots of travelling. Furthermore, buying a new laptop is not essential to start a podcast and you may upgrade the existing laptop by increasing the RAM.
However, investing in a new laptop is a better option when you want to start podcasting as a long-term strategy and serious about the idea.
It is true that having a large variety of laptops available in the market is more confusing. It requires certain features and specifications to consider before buying a laptop for podcasting. It is critical to get to know about all information which helps in choosing the best laptop as a podcaster which can impact most on the success.
A good laptop with all essential features can be a big factor in the growth of your podcast.
How Can Podcasters Select the Best Laptop?
It is critical because involving big money and the rest success probability to become successful podcaster is also on this decision. As a beginner, you may not be able to afford expensive laptops as podcast income has not started yet.
All you can do is make maximum research and then decide which laptop is the best investment to serve the purpose. It is also wise to spend on quality product and use it for the long-term.
These specifications and features must see and take into account:
RAM
RAM as Random Access Memory is the ability of any computer to hold a specific amount of memory for processing at once. The data which is not stored in RAM will be stored in internal storage which also needs to be retrieved for processing if any such input is commanded which takes time.
It means low RAM will take more time to process the same amount of data compared to higher RAM. A podcaster cannot afford that as it hurts his creativity and momentum, both mean a lot to any professional podcaster.
This is why higher RAM is crucial to keep the workflow in momentum, Podcaster has to handle multiple tasks such as audio editing, mix multiple tracks, and voice over. An amateur podcaster must go for a laptop having 8GB RAM and it is recommended for a professional podcaster to buy a laptop powered by 16GB RAM. This investment will definitely benefit the one working on their own podcast.
CPU
Everyone knows it’s “Central Processing Unit” and functions as the brain of a computer. It processes the data from RAM and internal storage and presents it in a logical manner. Advanced and modern processors enable the user to be engaged in multiple tasking at the same time. Mostly, the podcaster performs multiple tasks on the run time and any interruption can cause a bad experience for listeners as well as the podcaster him-self / her-self.
It also has to check how many cores in your system. To run the multiple audio tracks in a go, it needs multiple core processors which enhance the processor capability and more data can be processed within a second. A single core would ruin the podcasting experience. Even, the beginner minimum requirements cannot be fulfilled by the single-core processor and must have at least a dual-core processor CPU.
Latency
Latency refers to the concept of the total lapse between the audio input and its output. It is the total time when Podcaster speaks using a microphone and his voice is produced to his listeners. The more time it takes, the less interested listeners will be in the podcasting.
Latency must not be above the 20 and else the whole podcasting experience will be ruined. High-speed processors and RAM will not let the latency go above 20 and this is why RAM and processors are critical in choosing the best laptop for Podcasters.
Internal Storage
Hard Disk Drives (HDD) have come inefficient as they have higher seek time in the response of any input. It can also cause higher latency during podcasting. Therefore, it is recommended to have a Solid State Device (SSD) instead of an HDD for internal storage. SSD stores the data digitally which results in faster seek times.
Moreover, SSD is efficient in another way as it creates less noise and allows noise-free recording for the Podcaster. Though, it is slightly expensive and also offers less storage capacity comparing to the HDD. You can also find out the laptop having both HDD and SSD, HDD can be used for storing the data internally, the SSD will only process the pre-load data faster and seek time will be improved for Podcaster.
Operating System
It is more about which operating system you are comfortable with, both OS offers suitable software for podcasting. One thing that can make difference in your decision is pricing; Mac devices are more expensive than Windows-based devices.
Your decision would also be affected by the personal choice of podcasting software; it may probably not be functioning on both OS. For Example, Logic Pro is only available for Apple devices. The most popular software “Audacity” can function on both OS.
DAW Requirements
DAW stands for “Digital Audio Workstation” is the software used for the purpose of audio recording, processing and edit the soundtracks. Every DAW has its own system requirements and the one with higher requirements will not be running on laptops having low specifications. The choice of DAW is directly associated with the choice of laptop you are going to buy.
It will make you consider all its specifications such as RAM, processor, and OS. Pro Tools is one of the popular software and it requires a quad-core processor.
To the beginner, it is recommended to begin with less resource-intensive software and the list includes Audacity and Adobe Audition. As per the official system requirements, Adobe Audition requires a multi-core processor and must be having 4GB RAM minimum; whereas Audacity just requires 2GB RAM, and processor speed must be up to 1GHz. It is important to take a look at both minima and recommended system requirements of the software.
A laptop that can run the DAW on its minimum system requirements is fine and will be a good choice. Though, it would not be able to have software upgrades on the system. On the contrary, laptop fulfilling recommended requirements may install and run all its upgrades to make the most benefit out of it.
Plugin Requirements
Plugins would also be essential in the podcasting journey; they have their own role in the process. Few special plugins are available which add unique music and sound effects to make the podcast special and listens also find it worth listening to.
These plugins are mostly resource-intensive and require a faster processor and RAM. Mostly podcasters test each plugin on several audio samples which again consumes more RAM and else it starts causing latency issues.
Thus, Plugin requirements also influence your decision about the selection process, it is a difficult job to find out one of the best laptops for Podcasting, takes to be research-oriented.
Upgrade or Replace
By the time, you might be sure about buying a new laptop having enough specifications to start the podcasting journey. However, you are also suggested to consider upgrading the existing laptop and make it better. You can do this by switching from HDD to SSD and upgrading the RAM.
You could save big money from upgrading instead of buying a new one; this saving could be spent on buying a better microphone for quality voice. In the case of upgrading, RAM, SSD, and processor are the most critical features to consider and evaluate in any laptop which also needs little technical skills.
You may take help from someone having adequate skills at the time of buying a laptop. Other factors are also essential to check such as screen size, weight, number, and type of USB ports into the laptop, podcaster needs to check these.
Final Words
Podcasting channels are trending everywhere and people earn decent money on platforms like Spotify and YouTube. A good laptop will be key to success who keeps you motivated to keep uploading new podcasts every day, otherwise, a choice of the laptop will make things frustrating for you.
