Best Laptops for Kali Linux

As a Linux user, you can be sure that there are hundreds of ways to customize your Linux experience. But if you want to have the best experience on Kali Linux, you need the best laptop for Kali Linux.

If you’re looking for a great laptop that will do more than just fit your hand then this list is perfect for you. Here are the best laptops for Kali Linux.

Have a look at the list:

6 Best Laptops for Kali Linux

Dell G5 15 – Best Kali Linux Laptop

If you are looking for my favorite Kali Linux Laptop, it has to be the Dell G5.

Dell G5 15 comes with a gorgeous LED 15.6-inch FHD IPS display with narrow bezels and a Resolution of 1920 x 1080p. The display is boosted with Anti-Glare Technology only to reduce any stress on your eyes that you may face in the long run.

The laptop flaunts a 9th Gen Intel Core i7 processor. With this processor, you are not going to face any difficulty in working with such an intensive operating system, several testing tasks, security checks, and so on.

Next, the laptop sports a 16GB RAM along with 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD Storage. Together they provide ample space for Kali Linux OS.

I do not like the 4-hour battery life because it is too short for running Kali Linux at a stretch. This is the only factor that probably is lacking in this laptop.

But this battery life is acceptable, if you look at what this laptop offers. Its hard to see systems with such performance having a good battery life along with other features.

Not to mention, the dedicated 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics, which itself needs a lot of power. The GPU however does enhance the functioning of the laptop.

The Dual-fan Cooling System restricts the heating of the laptop due to the intensive going on.

Coming to the ports, we have a Gigabit Ethernet, SD, SDHC, SDXC Memory card reader port, a USB Type-C along with a Thunderbolt 3 port, 3x USB-A 3.1 port, HDMI 2.0, and a DisplayPort.

Another thing that a few users might not like is the weight of this laptop. The computer weighs between 8 to 9 pounds, which is quite a heavier option.

However, If you ignore its weight, and battery life, it is undoubtedly the best laptop for Kali Linux you can find currently.

Pros:

• 15.6-inch FHD resolution IPS display
• 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H processor,
• Ample amounts of Space and RAM
• Dedicated 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics
• Dual fan cooling system
• Multiple connectivity options

Cons:

• The battery life could be improved
• Somewhat heavy and not portable

Acer Predator Helios 300

Multiple professional types of equipment maker Acer’s Predator Helios 300 is the best option for Kali Linux. First of all, you get a 15.6-inch FHD IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080p. Next, the laptop comes with a 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-10750H processor.

You are certainly going to work on pen testing, stress testing, vulnerability testing, and sniffing. These are common terms for the exploitation of digital tools and all these tools required heavy processing. The Intel Core i7-10750H processor is a great choice.

Thirdly, 16GB RAM along with 512GB SSD Storage provide ample space and speedy work with Kali Linux. With a battery life of 6 hours, Acer Predator Helios 300 meets the general requirement for working with the software.

A 6GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU can share the pressure of the CPU for some loaded and complex testing. Additionally, the laptop benefits us with a turbo boost technology which is best used by single-threaded penetration tests.

The new-gen hexacore SoC can even take advantage of this to reach a 5 GHz clock speed. It has a 4-zone backlit keyboard, soft and responsive trackpad, HD webcam, stereo speakers, and microphone input.

The AeroBlade Fan reduces the heating of the laptop due to the massive processing going on. Type-C, Type-A, HDMI 2.0, Wi-Fi 6, and Ethernet port are the connectivity choices that you get. The system ways around 5 pounds.

Pros :

• 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-10750H processor
• new-gen hexa-core SoC 
• 4-zone backlit keyboard
• Powerful RTX 20-series GPU
• AeroBlade Fan
• 6 hours battery life
• Powerful RAM
• Enough storage space

Cons:

• Lacks TB3 port.

Asus VivoBook Pro

Key features:

17.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) display, 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8565U processor, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD Storage, 8 hrs battery, 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics

Asus vivobook is a beautiful laptop that flaunts a 17.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080p. A larger display does not necessarily mean a bulky laptop this laptop is very sleek and lightweight instead. The laptop has a powerful processor which is a 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8565U processor.

The processor is certainly going to be very helpful in accelerating the overall performance of your laptop with Kali Linux. Coming to the RAM and the storage of the laptop then you are fortunately not going to be disappointed because this laptop comes with 16GB RAM along with 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD Storage.

The 16GB RAM is even expandable up to 32 GB which is more than enough to work with Kali Linux smoothly. With a battery life of 8 hours, this laptop convinces us to purchase it instantly. 8 hours of battery life meets the hour crucial requirement of a laptop which is compatible with Kali Linux.

It is great to see the laptop Sporting 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics which further boosts the performance of the laptop by taking some Complex loads of the CPU while testing and hacking.

The laptop also includes a dual coil, a backlit keyboard, and a responsive numeric keypad. USB 3.0, USB 2.0, HDMI, LAN, and SD are easy connectivity options that you get.

The cooling fan makes sure that the day system does not gets heated up during the entire work. It is a bit noisy but better than not having anything for the purpose.

Pros:

• 15.6-inch FHD IPS
• (1920 x 1080)p resolution
• 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8565U processor,
• 16GB RAM,
• 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD Storage,
• 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics
• Backlit keyboard
• Multiple connectivity options

Cons:

• Lacks of fingerprint reader

Apple MacBook Pro

Key features:

13.3-inch FHD Retina (2560 x 1600) display, 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 (8th Gen) processor, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage, 10 hrs battery, Integrated Intel Iris Plus 645

The moment we are to introduce Apple MacBook Pro in a list, it naturally adds an idea that it’s going to be a great introduction of a product. This laptop comes with a 13.3-inch FHD Retina (2560 x 1600) display.

The 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 (8th Gen) processor is sure to keep your work at a good speed without any lags or hiccups. Further speaking about the RAM and the storage of the laptop, you are just going to be overwhelmed because first of all, you get 16GB RAM along with 256GB SSD.

The 16GB RAM is even expandable up to 32 GB and the storage can be upgraded to 2TB which is far beyond our imagination and it is so good for operating Kali Linux as that requires a lot of space.

We awaited a battery life of 10 hours which is so good for running Kali Linux. Kali Linux is an intensive operating system and it consumes a lot of power. 10 hours of battery life makes an ideal match for the operating system.

The laptop comes within an Integrated Intel Iris Plus 645 which is certainly not the best but anyway we are not going to deal much with the graphics over here.

The connectivity options are a 4x Thunderbolt 3 (Type c) port, USB 3.1 (Gen 2) port for charging, and a display port. Additionally, you get an Apple T2 chip for security, a fingerprint reader, and an encrypted storage capacity.

Pros:

• 13.3-inch FHD Retina display
• (2560 x 1600) resolution
• 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 (8th Gen) processor,
• 256GB SSD and 16GB RAM (Upgradable)
• Integrated Intel Iris Plus 645
• Multiple connectivity ports

Cons:

• Very expensive

Dell Inspiron 15 7000

Key features:

15.6-inch 4K UHD Touch (3840 x 2160) display, 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8550U processor, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage, 6 hrs battery, 2GB NVIDIA GeForce MX130

We are again having a beautiful Dell laptop on the list and this laptop comes with a 15.6-inch 4K UHD Touch (3840 x 2160) display. It’s a beautiful touchscreen display that is bright, vibrant, and feels life-like.

The 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8550U processor works well with our Kali Linux. Coming to the RAM and the storage of the laptop, you get 16GB RAM along with a 256GB SSD. More or less that’s a standard choice that you get for your laptop.

So now disclosing the battery life, it is 6 hours. This is an average battery life that is neither too short nor too long, just an average match for Kali Linux.

The laptop comes with graphic support which is 2GB NVIDIA GeForce MX130. The connectivity options are Type-C Port, HDMI, USB type-A 3.1 Gen 1, 802.11ac Wi-Fi.

This laptop is a convertible laptop with 360-degree rotation. It lets you convert it into a tablet the moment you rotate the hinge. It is a sleek and lightweight laptop which is very portable and it weighs around 5 pounds.

Pros:

• 15.6-inch 4K UHD Touch display
• (3840 x 2160) p resolution
• 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8550U processor,
• 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD Storage
• 6 hours of battery
• 2 GB NVIDIA GeForce MX130

Cons:

• Costly

ASUS VivoBook M580VD

Key features:

15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)p display, 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD Storage, 5 hrs battery life, 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics

Asus vivobook is a beautifully slim and sleek designed laptop that looks so attractive. In case you are living for lightweight and portable laptops that are very sleek then you should reach out for this one.

It is compatible with Kali Linux and it has a display of a standard size which is a 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)p display.

The laptop also comes with a decent processor to speed up your work. The processor is a 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor. You do get 16GB RAM along with a 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD Storage.

The battery life could be a disappointing factor because it is just 5 hours. On the other hand, It is so good to see the laptop supporting full-fledged graphics with 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 GPU.

The connectivity options that you get are USB 3.1 Type-C (Gen1), USB 3.1 Type-A, USB 2.0, and HDMI. If you have this laptop you should not worry much about the heating up of the system.

This laptop has an intelligent cooling effect so you can easily carry on with your work. More or less other than the battery everything about this laptop is good.

Pros:

• Gorgeous 15.6-inch FHD display
• 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor,
• 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD Storage,
• 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics
• Sleek and Beautiful Design

Cons:

• Poor battery life for the price

Kali Linux is a very powerful operating system that requires a high-end system to support it. The operating system is based on the Debian operating system. We have some extremely tight security arenas on the internet. This OS is used for advanced security pentesting.

We intentionally did not fill this list with 25 products because we do not want to confuse you want this if you could not find your match in the list we have a set of guidelines which we call the purchasing guide to guide you on purchasing a laptop that supports Kali Linux.

Machine Learning is also a widely discussed topic, and many students who enter into ethical hacking also learn ML to stay ahead of the crowd. You can check our picks of the best laptops for ML here.

For now, we suggest you go through this purchasing guide and get an idea about what are the minimum requirements for a laptop to support Kali Linux.

Minimum Requirements for a laptop to support Kali Linux

1. Processor: Minimum requirement for having a processor that supports Kali Linux is an i5 processor.
   Every processor is suitable for supporting Kali Linux but if you go for some extremely slow processing units for example i3 processors, you are going to face difficulty with Kali Linux. That’s why I do not suggest anything less than an i5 processor.
2. RAM: Minimum requirements for Kali Linux when it comes to Ram is 8GB because if you purchase anything with less than 8GB RAM, then you are going to put all other works in difficulty.
   Because Kali Linux will require only 2GB at max to work on a laptop, but you must have some other work that has to be dealt with. Hence, go for an 8GB laptop RAM at least.
3. Storage: The minimum requirement for storage is 512 GB and the maximum limit for storage to be honest could be as much as you desire. For supporting Kali Linux we need Colossal storage space for running massive processings smoothly. Storage is very crucial for your works that require space to run smoothly.
4. Battery Life: Kali Linux is an intensive operating system that consumes more battery than other operating systems. So a minimum of 7 to 8 hours of battery is a must for operating Kali Linux.
   You have to understand an important fact that if a laptop shows 6 hours of battery life upon one charging session, then while operating Kali Linux this battery life is going to decrease even more. If a laptop claims to have 6 hours of battery life you should take it as 4 hours only (generally speaking).
5. Apart from all these: If your laptop has a GPU support like Nvme graphic cards, and it is lightweight, portable, it has a good display of 13+ inch, with a good resolution like 1920×1080p then definitely you will have a better experience working with Kali Linux on your laptop.
   As I mentioned earlier, you can use these laptops for taking occasional breaks and enjoy your favorite games too.

FAQ on Kali Linux Laptop requirements

Conclusion

It still becomes difficult for normal consumers to understand and for selecting a machine or system that supports Kali Linux.

The laptops we discussed above have all the features which are best suited to support Kali Linux. So you can check them out if you are planning your career in ethical hacking.

Also, the game lovers are going to love the list because all the laptops have good graphics support and fast processing units. So you can take occasional breaks and play your favorite games whenever you feel like it.

Be it an ethical hacker on an unethical hacker all these hackers are after Kali Linux because they want to Pentest whether their systems have any security gap.

Kali Linux is not like normal operating systems like Windows operating system or Mac operating system and so on. It is a strictly expensive operating system that works on pentesting and hacking.

If you don’t know how to install kali Linux, you can check the official documentation.

These were our picks for the Best Laptops for Kali Linux. What are your thoughts? Feel free to share them with us.