If you want to make the most of your outdoor time, then you’ll need the right tool to get the job done, namely, one of the best laptops for direct sunlight in 2022. We have all been so busy with our work that we stop enjoying the outdoors, not even having time to sit on our balcony and have an outside view.
Thus, if you are someone who wants to spend more time outside but doesn’t want to put off your work, you will need a suitable outdoor device. But what’s the best laptop for outdoor use? And how do you know if your laptop has what it takes to make it through an intense hike or camping trip without breaking down?
Most laptops do not work well outside due to display panels as they tend to appear dark in the direct sunlight. Thus, if you want the best laptops for outdoor use, you will need one which features a display that works well under harsh sunlight.
This guide has all the answers and more, with reviews of the ten best laptops from well-known brands like Apple, Dell, HP, Asus, and Lenovo.
10 Best Laptops for Outdoor Use in 2022
Acer Predator Helios 300
The Acer Predator Helios 300 offers excellent performance in a small package and weighs only 4.8 pounds, making it an ideal portable computer for outdoor use. It is not the most lightweight device, but it is still manageable.
Moreover, it is exceptionally bright at 402 nits, which makes it easy to work outside, even on sunny days under direct sunlight. It also has a 15-inch Full HD display with solid color reproduction at 85 percent of sRGB and a respectable 1,440 x 900 resolution.
This means that the device will still provide you with reasonably bright and vibrant display quality, even in harsh lighting. Furthermore, for such a budget gaming laptop, we’re impressed by its audio quality.
Its integrated speakers offer Dolby Audio Premium support, which makes movies and music sound much better than most other laptops out there. But the battery life that you will get is just average providing you with a battery life of around 5 hours.
Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501VS
The Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501VS is not only one of our favorite gaming laptops, but it’s also one of the best laptops in the market, period. It packs a ton of power into a portable package, making it easy to slip inside your backpack or messenger bag, and it looks pretty sharp to boot.
This means you can travel with it efficiently without it feeling like a burden. Moreover, this gaming laptop features an Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and 256GB SSD, as well as a 2TB hard drive. This laptop packs a punch allowing you to work efficiently no matter if you are outdoors or indoors.
Plus, it has a 15.6-inch 1080p display with G-Sync support and comes with Windows 10 Pro preinstalled. The display is pretty bright and works well in harsh lighting conditions, making it one of the best laptops for direct sunlight.
MSI GE73 Raider 8RF-097AU
The 17.3-inch MSI GE73 Raider is a high-end gaming best 17-inch laptop that’s both powerful and portable. With an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB hard drive, it can handle any game you throw at it, even if you’re playing while disconnected from Wi-Fi or streaming video to multiple devices.
Moreover, this device makes an excellent laptop for emulators and programming as well, thanks to its reliable configurations. It has a bright 1,920 x 1,080 display and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card with 6GB of memory, enough power to run most games, programs, and software smoothly on medium settings.
Furthermore, for connectivity, there are three USB 3.0 ports; an HDMI port, Ethernet; a microphone jack; and even a VGA port if you need it for presentations. Nevertheless, keep one thing in mind since it is a 17-inch laptop, it will not be the most portable option.
Thus, if you want to have a working session in your garden or rooftop, this might be the device for you. But if you are looking for a device that you can travel with, it’s better to avoid any 17-inch laptop as they all tend to be heavier than standard laptops.
Gigabyte Aero 15X v8-BK4
If you’re looking for a 15-inch laptop that can stand up to some serious work and play, check out Gigabyte’s Aero 15X v8-BK4. It is ultra-light and weighs only 4.5 pounds making it a fantastic option to travel with.
The battery life lasts for about 6 hours; however, if you purchase an extra battery, then it will last approximately 11 hours, but for that, you will have to invest some extra money. As without it, the battery life itself is pretty mediocre.
Furthermore, this laptop features a 2nd generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card with 6GB of GDDR5 VRAM, and PCIe SSD storage up to 512GB! You can store your videos, music, or photos on its big 512GB SSD hard drive with tons of room leftover.
Additionally, the 15-inch display gives you enough space to work efficiently and features reliably thin bezels and clear and vibrant graphics. Suitable for using in outdoors whether you are camping or sitting on your balcony having some you time with your laptop.
HP Omen X 15
This laptop is about as long and wide as a 12 ruler, but it weighs around 5 pounds. Don’t let its bulk fool you, though: with an Intel Core i7-6820HK processor, 32GB of RAM, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 GPU, and 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD combo storage drive setup, you won’t be wanting for power with your next gaming laptop.
You can not take this device for camping, that is for sure, but it is a pretty powerful device to be used in your garden or balcony. Or you can even take it to your nearest café, but thanks, pretty much it goes any further, and you will start handling it as a burden.
Additionally, this powerful laptop can easily handle anything from GIS software, embroidery software, and 3D rendering packages to video editing software like Adobe Premiere or After Effects.
However, don’t expect it to handle any demanding AAA gaming titles at max settings, not that you’d ever want to play those on your laptop anyway. But thanks to the dedicated graphic card and a bright enough display, the laptop will work fine in direct sunlight, no matter whether you are sitting on your rooftop or in your garden.
Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Yoga
There’s no brand I trust more than Lenovo when it comes to laptops. The ThinkPad P1 Yoga is one of their best laptops and is easily one of the most reliable options for every task. Weighting only around 3 pounds, it is pretty travel-friendly and portable as well.
Moreover, it features a high-end Intel i7 quad-core processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD hard drive so you can get work done quickly and efficiently. You can even remove the screen from its frame, giving you four different modes to choose from depending on your specific needs.
Additionally, the laptop has a battery life that lasts up to 8 hours when using it with all components inside but reduces significantly when used just on battery power alone; most customers don’t mind, though, because they never have to use it without an outlet nearby anyway.
Thus, your nearest coffee shop or café is your best option for outdoor due to its battery life. But if you own a solar battery charger or any other power bank that can keep your laptop charged, then it is a fantastic option for the outdoors as well.
Aorus X9 DT v6
The Aorus X9 DT v6 is your best bet if you need a bright laptop to work outside. The screen has an excellent 170-degree viewing angle which makes it great for being outdoors.
Not only that, but its color accuracy is impeccable, and its brightness can go up to 600 nits. When working outside, you’re going to need all of these features! What’s more, it also has good audio quality with two 2W stereo speakers and Dolby Atmos sound processing.
It has a great 4K touch display with exceptional response times and very little ghosting or blurriness when watching videos or playing games.
Additionally, you’ll also be hard-pressed to find better gaming performance than what is offered by the GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card that comes with it. Nevertheless, the laptop is pretty heavy and not the best option to travel with, but it will perform appreciably in harsh lighting, making it one of the best laptops for direct sunlight.
Razer Blade Pro
The Razer Blade Pro is a powerful laptop that has excellent battery life and a built-in 4K display. However, it weights around pounds which makes it pretty bulky, but its configurations make up for it.
For mobile professionals who want to game while being outside without sacrificing power or a good display, it’s an excellent choice. You can have a gaming session on your rooftop or on your porch without compromising the display brightness.
The only real downside is that it’s not available with touch functionality; look elsewhere if you need a touchscreen laptop to work outside.
Moreover, it’s one of few laptops currently available with NVIDIA’s Max-Q technology which makes it easy to have desktop-like performance even when you’re not at your desk. And its 16GB of RAM allows you to run multiple programs without lag or delay. Plus, you can also use this laptop with a multiple monitor setup, thanks to its reliable performance.
Apple MacBook Pro with Touch Bar
The Apple MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is a great lightweight laptop that’s easy to carry outside, but it lacks a battery level indicator, and it can be expensive.
Our favorite part about using this laptop was its great touchpad, which has haptic feedback and is excellent for gaming. The Intel Core i7 processor was also pretty good, as well as its battery life which is around 17 hours.
This means you will not have to stick with your rooftop with this laptop if you want outdoors. This one of the best laptops for direct sunlight is a fantastic option to travel with as it will not feel like a burden.
We liked its display and design, as well as having two USB 3.0 ports and an SD card slot on its left side, but they’re hard to access because of how thin it is. One port is standard on most 13-inch laptops, so that we would have liked one more USB port at least.
But apart from that, the display is pretty vibrant, and the performance is satisfactory, as you get from almost all Apple products making it one of the best laptops for direct sunlight.
ASUS ZenBook Pro UX550GD
For outdoor use, nothing beats a laptop with a fully-laminated display. What is that, you ask? Essentially, it’s a screen with no gap between its glass and LCD panel.
The end result is a brighter display that doesn’t wash out as quickly when used outdoors. ASUS being the leading brand in laptops, has never disappointed anyone.
The Asus ZenBook Pro UX550GD features a fully-laminated display plus an upgraded Intel Core i7 processor. Its slim design also makes it one of our picks for best laptops under $1000, plus it weighs only approximately 4 pounds; thus, it is a great option to carry around if you travel a lot.
What Is The Best Laptop For Outdoor Use?
Nowadays, there are tons of choices when it comes to laptops. If you plan on using your laptop while working outside or otherwise under harsh lighting conditions, then you’ll need to consider additional features.
Luckily, a wide variety of laptops are designed with high brightness levels, long battery life, and shock resistance. Some are even waterproof! So, if you’re looking for a new laptop that can stand up to Mother Nature, check out our list of the 10 Best Laptops For direct sunlight given above.
What Is The Best Laptop Screen For Sunlight?
You’ll want a laptop that offers an anti-glare display on bright, sunny days so your eyes don’t strain and get tired. You can find laptops with glossy displays as well, but they may be harder to use outdoors because of reflections.
As a general rule, if you need to spend time outside on bright days working like running errands or catching up on work from your patio, you should look for a laptop with an anti-glare screen.
If you know, there are no sunny days ahead for your travels. It won’t matter much what kind of screen is on your computer. Just make sure it has a backlit keyboard and touchpad so you can see them even when light levels drop at night.
Many laptops now come with touchscreen displays which also make them easier to use when out in bright sunlight. They’re especially useful for mobile professionals who do their work on the go since touchscreens allow you to interact directly with your apps without having to take your hands off of other tasks.
Are 300 nits Bright Enough?
To be effective, your outdoor laptop needs to have an LED screen that produces at least 300 nits of brightness.
The higher your screen’s luminance, or light output, is rated in nits, with a target maximum of around 300, the better it will perform outdoors when you’re working under direct sunlight.
Another way to test if your screen is bright enough is by viewing it from 20 feet away while wearing sunglasses; if you can see content on it clearly, then your display should work just fine.
Conclusion
A bright display makes all of these laptops perfect for working outside and will make you productive during your time. Bright screens are easier to see when there’s a lot of light shining on them so that you can see what’s going on without having to squint at your screen.
With any of these best laptops for direct sunlight, you’ll be able to work outside efficiently and enjoy working from anywhere because they have great sound systems and work quickly.
They also have long-lasting batteries so that you don’t have to waste time looking for outlets or worrying about whether or not your battery is dying while you’re trying to get some work done. Check out our top ten best laptops review here!
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