Best Laptops For Transcription

Are you looking for the best laptop for transcription?

Well, we are here to help.

With tons of options, finding that one laptop for you might get more challenging over time. That’s why we’ve done all the research and picked a handful of laptops that are great for transcribing.

We’ve also categorized them based on the user’s needs. Without further delays, let’s look at the best notebooks for transcribing.

IMAGE	PRODUCT	SPECIFICATIONS	PRICE
EDITOR’S CHOICE	ASUS ZenBook 13	13.3″ FHD Intel Core i5 8GB DDR4 256GB SSD	View On AmazonRead Reviews
RUNNER UP	Apple MacBook Air	13.3″ Retina Apple Silicon M1 8GB DDR4 256GB SSD	View on AmazonRead Reviews
BUDGET PICK	Acer Aspire 5	15.6″ FHD Intel Core i5 8GB DDR4 256GB SSD	View on AmazonRead Reviews

Best Laptops For Transcriptions

1. ASUS ZenBook 13 – Editor’s Choice

The ASUS ZenBook 13 is an outstanding laptop and is also our Editor’s Choice for the best laptop for transcriptions.

With a 13.3″ form factor, you will find the ASUS ZenBook 13 compact laptop that packs a punch. There is no lack of processing power in this machine, but it also presents it with such finesse.

The keyboard on the ASUS ZenBook 13 is a godsend. It comes with a good layout and perfectly spaced keys. This is not a chiclet keyboard but has a smooth typing feel.

The keyboard comes with backlighting, making it easy to use the laptop in dark areas. The trackpad we have here is a Windows Precision trackpad and gives you a solid user experience.

The ASUS ZenBook 13 is powered by an Intel Core i7 processor. This is a quad-core processor from Intel, and there is no lack of processing power here. Our only concern here is the heat production and its effect on the battery life of this laptop.

Fortunately, the ASUS ZenBook 13 handles the heat produced effectively with the help of the fans inside. They are not very loud, but they should also not kick in often, especially when working on transcriptions.

There are 16 gigs of RAM in the memory department. In our opinion, this DDR4 Type RAM is plenty and should give you the platform to multitask to your heart’s content.

The display on this laptop is nothing short of excellent, and you’ll have a great visual experience. Couple it with the speakers on the computer, and you have your own mini home theater.

The ASUS ZenBook 13 gives you excellent battery life. Light use can last for about 8 hours, which is very good. When you’re transcribing, you should be able to get pretty much the same battery life which is neat.

Overall, the ASUS ZenBook 13 is an excellent laptop, and it does very well in transcribing, making it the best Windows laptop for transcriptions.

2. MacBook Air – Best Mac For Transcriptions

The MacBook Air is our choice for the best Mac for transcription. Yes, we have a much more powerful MacBook Pro, but from a cost point of view, the MacBook Air gives you a better bang for the buck.

Even though the MacBook Air is the cheapest Mac laptop, it still gives you excellent performance all day long. It only comes with an Intel Core i3 processor at its helm and is perfect for tasks like transcribing.

You’ll not need many fans with a processor like the Intel Core i3. This means that you’ll have a quiet laptop most of the time, and that’s great for transcribing. The processor does well when it comes to handling your everyday applications and other tasks.

Let’s talk about the display for a second. We have a 13.3″ display with Retina resolution and more than 4 million pixels on display. This is one of the best displays you’ll find on an ultrabook which is neat.

Retina resolution is much better than full HD and is almost as good as QHD. The picture quality is excellent, and you can see super-sharp text on display. The True Tone technology comes in handy in maintaining the true-to-life visual performance of the display. Thanks to the IPS panel, you get amazing viewing angles as well.

The keyboard on the MacBook Air comes with a scissor mechanism and is a great improvement over the previous generation’s keyboards. The keys are soft to the touch and will not make much noise while typing. This makes this laptop a good choice for working in cafes and libraries.

The keyboard doesn’t give much feedback when typing, but it is not a dealbreaker. The backlighting on this laptop is divine and looks simply stunning when on. The force touch trackpad on the MacBook Air is nothing short of excellent and gives you a neat overall performance.

One of the best things about this MacBook Air is its portability. The Mac weighs just about 2.7lbs and is one of the lightest laptops. You can easily slide this laptop into your bag and take it wherever you go.

Another very impressive feature of this MacBook Air is its battery life. The MacBook Air should last about 10 to 12 hours with light use. You should also be getting a similar performance for transcribing, which is excellent.

The MacBook Air might be Apple’s cheapest laptop, but it gives you excellent all-round performance. It is affordable, powerful, and perfect for transcriptions, making it the best apple laptop.

3. Acer Aspire 5 – Budget Choice

If you are on a budget and you need a laptop for transcriptions, then the Acer Aspire 5 would be a good choice.

This Acer Aspire 5 laptop comes with all the essential features you need and will not cost you a lot of money. Yes, there are compromises, but it can be allowed as you are getting a lot more by paying a lot less.

The Acer Aspire 5 is a 15.6″ display with Full HD resolution. Though this is a budget laptop, it comes with an IPS panel and gives us excellent picture quality and viewing angles. The speakers are not that great but are pretty serviceable if you’re not an audiophile.

Let’s talk about the input devices on the Acer Aspire 5. We have a full-size keyboard on the Acer Aspire 5. The keys are good and come with good feedback. It makes a bit of a noise when typing, making it a not-so-good choice when working in libraries and similar places.

The keyboard does come with backlighting which is another excellent feature. A nice addition to this keyboard is the dedicated number pad. If you work with numbers a lot, this keyboard will surely help you improve your workflow.

The processor that powers this Acer Aspire 5 model is an Intel Core i5 processor that comes with two cores. Though this is a dual-core processor, it does well when handling your everyday applications. You can run your word processors, social media apps, browsers, streaming apps, and other apps without any issues.

There are 8 gigs of DDR4 RAM that allow you to perform multitasking without any restrictions. This RAM should be more than enough for all those who transcribe unless you do something resource-hungry alongside.

The Acer Aspire 5 comes with a lot of connectivity options as well. You get all the daily-use ports and also have wireless standards like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built-in.

The battery performance in the Acer Aspire 5 laptop is pretty good. With light use, you should be able to squeeze out at least 7 hours of battery life which is excellent.

Overall, the Acer Aspire 5 is an excellent laptop as it gives you all the essential features without costing you a lot of money. If you’re stuck on a budget, then this laptop is something you should consider seriously.

What To Look For In The Best Laptop For Transcriptions?

Here are some quick pointers to help you see what is most important on a laptop for transcription.

Processor

A fast processor is the first thing you need for an excellent transcribing experience. If you’re on a budget, you should be okay with a dual-core Intel processor from the recent generations.

If you can afford it, go for a quad-core Intel chip. But we would avoid going for i7 processors as they are overkill in most scenarios. You can proceed with an i7 chip if the laptop can handle it well (like the Dell XPS 13)

But do not go with Pentium or Celeron chips, as they are very entry-level and will make life quite hard for transcription.

Memory

If transcriptions are the only thing you’re going to work on, then 4GB RAM will be enough for most people.

But if you want to expand your horizons later, we recommend using at least 8GB of RAM. This memory allows you to run several applications together without giving up on performance.

Storage

Working on transcriptions is not going to take a lot of storage.

If you’re looking to save some money, you can even go with a 128GB solid-state drive, as it is the minimum you’ll get. If you feel you’ll need some space, get a 256GB SSD.

In any case, avoid hard disk drives. These are mechanical and old school, and nature. They give you prolonged performance and should not be considered if you’re looking for speed and efficiency in your workflow.

Input Devices

Having a good keyboard is paramount for transcription.

Make sure your laptop’s keyboard has a good layout and well-spaced keys. It is better to have a chiclet-type keyboard that gives you good feedback, as you will have a good time typing on it.

You don’t want to deal with wobbly keys that are plasticky, so make sure the quality of the keyboard is on point. Backlighting on the keyboard is a must, as it allows you to work in the dark.

The trackpad should be a Windows Precision trackpad. This way, you’ll be able to perform all the Windows gestures without any problems. If you’re going with a Mac, you don’t have to worry about the trackpad, as they come with excellent ones out of the box.

Display

While a good display is essential, it will not break or make your transcribing experience.

Even if you’re on a budget, we recommend going with at least 1400 x 900 pixels resolution. This resolution is not full HD but is a bit better than HD resolution and will give you more details on the screen.

If you can afford it, go for a full HD resolution or better display. If you go for good laptops like the MacBook Air or Dell XPS, you automatically get a nice, excellent display.

If you have the habit of working outdoors, ensure the display comes with decent maximum brightness. Anything upwards of 400 nits should be more than enough.

Battery Life

Battery life is one of the most critical components of a laptop for transcription.

Get a laptop that gives you all-day battery life. Both the Dell XPS 13 and the MacBook Air can provide you that. Even the Lenovo T480 gives you more than 7 hours with light use.

While working on transcriptions, you want the laptop to be with you all day without having to charge again. While charging again isn’t that big of a crime, you may not get a free charging port when you’re working during travel or simply in a park or a cafe.

Conclusion

That’s all we have for this post, and we hope you found it helpful.

Finding the best laptop for transcriptions yourself is a challenging task, and we wish you all success.

If you have any doubts or queries, get in touch with us, and we’d gladly help you.