There are plenty of things one considers when buying a new laptop: performance, battery life, portability, graphics, whether it can handle 45 tabs without bursting into flames — you know the gist. The laptop's keyboard is not often at the top of a buyer's priority list, and part of this is because manufacturers are increasingly pursuing portability and slim designs. As a result, keyboard quality has generally taken a backseat and typing experience seems like an afterthought.

This often comes at the expense of comfort and key travel, and there's not much you can do about it — except maybe resort to lugging around an external keyboard like it's necessary life support. Don't get us wrong, there are plenty of fantastic Bluetooth keyboards out there. However, this pretty much defeats the entire point of having a sleek and portable machine in the first place. Which brings us to the question, what actually makes a good laptop keyboard?

It's usually a good proportion of adequate space, key travel, feedback, and even the noise levels of the keys. Some prefer silent, membrane keys while others are loyal to the older mechanical keys. This article breaks down the best laptop keyboards across different use cases — from writers and business professionals to students and gamers. Many of these laptops punch well above their weight across multiple categories, so there's many options for everyone and you'll find a good laptop keyboard that truly delivers regardless of what category it's placed in.