Best laptop for seniors in 2024 – our top picks

Whether you’re looking to buy a laptop for someone or you’re looking for yourself, we’ve found what we think are the best laptops for seniors available on the market right now.

As we get older, sometimes tasks we used to find easy become a little more challenging, whether it to do with typing, lifting, seeing, or even just having the energy to problem solve…especially with the technology that seems to change from month to month.

We think the best laptops for seniors are essentially laptops that are lightweight, easy to use, have great webcams for video calls, and have excellent screens that reduce eye strain. It also goes without saying that leaning towards reputable brands, the latest models, and good quality, durable builds is an excellent call – as let’s face it, we’ve all got better things to do than lug these down to a repair shop, or spend hours on the phone sorting a replacement…

With that in mind, we’ve picked some standout laptops for seniors to kick-start your search in the best way possible. We’ve also selected a few options at different price ranges so you can tailor your pick to your own individual budget.

Products at a glance

How we picked

For this round-up, our experts picked some of the best laptops for seniors based on several important specs like display size, accessibility, weight, battery life, and more. We’ve picked a few laptops here that we think fit the bill, but if you’re looking to explore more budget options that will be great for everyday usage, we’d recommend checking out our picks for the best laptops under $300. And in case you’re interested in our review process, check out our guide.

In case you’re looking for a more advanced laptop with some AI capabilities, then we think that the MSI Prestige 14 AI Evo is a great choice. 

In our review, we found out that the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H processor NPU isn’t the best option out there. But we also saw that it might just be the perfect thing for light work and browsing. It comes with a Copilot button, which lets you quickly access the Microsoft assistant to get help with tasks.

The laptop sports a 14-inch IPS LED screen with a 1920×1200 resolution, which should deliver good-quality visuals. Plus, the display has a 144Hz refresh rate that makes everything on the screen work smoothly. 

Further, the laptop is lightweight and quite portable, as it weighs less than 2kg. Plus, it only needs a 100W power input, which is not surprising since the processor only demands 60W. This only adds to the portability factor of the laptop. 

Another thing to highlight here is that the laptop comes with the latest Windows Hello security features. This means you can access your laptop with facial recognition or fingerprints, which eliminates the need for you to remember multiple passwords. Plus, the laptop gives you subtle visual cues if anyone is behind you, so you can use this device safely in any environment.

02

MacBook Air 2022 (M2)

Specifications

• CPU: M2
• GPU: Integrated
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 256GB
• Refresh Rate: N/A
• Resolution: 2560 x 1440p
• Screen Size: 13.6-inch
• Panel Type: Liquid Retina Display

Reasons to Buy

• Powerful M2 processor
• 18-hour battery life
• Lightweight and compact

Reasons to Avoid

• May seem expensive

• Shop on Amazon

The Macbook is a powerful device that can be suitable for all age groups, including seniors. If you’re familiar with Apple’s OS, then you should consider getting this laptop. Plus, the M2 chip is “Apple Intelligence” ready, should you want to have AI features in future. 

To begin with, the Macbook has an M2 chip, which is quite powerful as well as efficient, so you can expect the device to perform. Plus, you get 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, offering plenty in terms of multitasking and storage, with options to upgrade.

In terms of battery life, you get around 18 hours of performance, which is quite impressive. With that kind of battery life, you don’t have to worry about finding charging ports frequently. To add to its portability, the MacBook weighs only 2.7 pounds, which is on the lighter side.

For those who need to keep in touch with family via Zoom or FaceTime, this Macbook comes with a 1080p camera. Apart from the almost non-existent noise from the laptop, users will also appreciate the color options, as Apple has this laptop in space gray, gold, midnight, and silver colors. Plus, as always, the Macbook has a premium aluminum finish.

With a price tag of under $800, this laptop falls into the mid-range laptop market. Considering the performance, long battery life, and compactness, this is indeed a good option.

What users say

On Amazon, the Apple MacBook M2 has a rating of 4.7 stars, and more than 2,800 people have rated this product. As per the user reviews, customers are happy with the laptop’s performance, battery life, and versatility. Further, reviewers also mentioned that the Macbook was light and portable.

03

Lenovo Ideapad 3 (2021)

Specifications

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5500U
• GPU: Integrated
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 256GB
• Resolution: FHD
• Screen Size: 14-inch

Reasons to Buy

• Powerful processor
• Fingerprint reader for easy access
• 9 hours battery life

Reasons to Avoid

• Keyboard may feel cramped

• Shop on Amazon

The Ideapad 3 (2021 version) comes with a 14-inch screen, which has an FHD resolution. While an FHD resolution may not sound like much, it delivers good picture quality on a 14-inch screen.

But performance is where this Ideapad 3 delivers. Lenovo hooked this laptop up with a hexacore AMD Ryzen 5 5500U, which has a maximum turbo speed of 4 GHz. This processor handles everyday tasks with ease, and with 8GB of DDR4 RAM and 256 GB of SSD storage, booting up should be a breeze. For graphics, the integrated Radeon 7 GPU is enough to run games like Minecraft and Solitaire.

The Ideapad comes with a fingerprint reader, which should help with easy accessibility for the elderly. You won’t have to bother with memorizing passwords and pins. For video calls, you get a 720p webcam, which may not be the best resolution out there but should certainly do the job. Further, connectivity won’t be an issue either since this laptop has six ports, including two fast-fading USB A ports and one USB C port.

As far as portability is concerned, this laptop weighs 4.4 pounds, which is not exactly lightweight, but you can carry it around. Plus, the battery should last you 9 hours, which might be sufficient for a day’s worth of use.

Considering that you get a powerful processor, decent battery life, and useful features (like a fingerprint reader and multiple ports), Lenovo Ideapad 3 can be a good option – especially with a reasonable price tag.

What users say

On Amazon, the Lenovo Ideapad 3 has a rating of 4.6 stars, and more than 1,600 people have rated this laptop. Judging by the customer reviews, users are satisfied with the quality and performance of the laptop. Many users mentioned that the laptop was portable, lightweight, and easy to carry around. However, a few users said that the audio quality wasn’t very good.

04

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14″ (2020)

Specifications

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 4300U
• GPU: Integrated
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 128GB
• Resolution: FHD
• Screen Size: 14-inch

Reasons to Buy

• 2-in-1 laptop
• Decent battery life & quick charging
• Lightweight

Reasons to Avoid

• Average webcam

• Shop on Amazon

If you’re looking for a versatile laptop with intuitive touch controls, you can check out Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5. The 2-in-1 laptop doubles up as a tablet, which might make it easy for seniors to use.

The laptop comes with a 14-inch FHD display, which can be easily converted to a 14-inch tablet. Plus, you also get the fingerprint lock feature, which should make it easily accessible without the hassle of entering a password. And for quick navigation, the laptop comes with a stylus pen.

On the inside, the laptop is powered by AMD’s Ryzen 5 4500U, which was designed for slim laptops. With six cores running at 2.3 GHz and a maximum speed of 4.0 GHz, the Flex 5 should handle basic tasks quickly. The computer is also equipped with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, which both translate to smooth multitasking and fast bootup speeds.

As far as portability is concerned, the laptop weighs 3.64, which should not be a bother to carry around. Plus, you get a battery life of around 10 hours, which might be sufficient for a full day of use. To add to that, the laptop has a quick charge feature which fills the battery up to 80% in an hour.

What users say

On Amazon, the Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5 has a rating of 4.2, and more than 160 people have rated it. Most customer reviews mention that they like the laptop for its portability, compactness, and travel-friendliness.

How to pick the best laptop for seniors

Considering the sheer variety of laptops available, it might be difficult to shortlist a few products. Ideally, for seniors, we want a laptop that is lightweight, has a long battery life, and is easy to use.

Here’s a quick overview of what to consider when getting a laptop for seniors:

Display Size

Laptops come in all sizes – right from 13-inch ones and all the way up to 17-inch ones. If you are looking to carry the laptop, then you should look at the 13-inch and 14-inch options. Some 15.6-inch laptops, too, are lightweight, and they’re a middle ground for display sizes. However, if you’d be reading or watching content on your laptop, you can consider getting 16-inch and 17-inch laptops. However, note that these laptops would be heavier and may not be portable.

Accessibility

Whether you are a first-time user or not, a laptop should be easily accessible. Many products out there have a fingerprint lock, which makes it easy to access the device and keep it secure at the same time. This also reduces the need to memorize passwords, making it more user-friendly for seniors.

Weight

Ideally, we’d want a laptop that strikes the right balance between screen size, battery life, and weight. However, if you’re looking to lug your laptop around, you should consider getting a lightweight laptop with a compact build. The 13-inch and 14-inch laptops usually weigh around 3 pounds, which are easy to carry. However, the weight would increase as you up the screen sizes.

Battery Life

On average, laptops have a battery life of 8 hours, which is sufficient to get a day’s worth of use. However, if you are planning to carry the laptop around, you should consider getting one that has a bigger battery. You can also look for complementary features like quick charging to make it easier for you.

In addition to this, you should consider getting a laptop that has a great webcam. While a 720p resolution webcam does the job, a 1080p one would deliver a better picture quality.