Best Business Laptop

Do you have a lot of work to do? And do you want to do your business in a comfortable manner? Laptops designed for business are thinner and more powerful than ever before. Our buying advice and product suggestions can help you discover the ideal mobile work colleague. We are quite sure that once you’re done with reading you will know what, and where to buy the best business laptops on the market right now.

Ben Grindlow

Ben Grindlow is the founder of ProXPN, a company that provides reviews about VPN products and services. Ben's interest in cybersecurity and privacy led him to start ProXPN, which has become one of the most well-respected VPN providers in the world. Ben is passionate about his work, and he is constantly exploring new ways to improve ProXPN's in-depth guides.

Last updated: 16:16PM 8/26/2024

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Table of Contents

There is an enormous and spiking increase in the demand for the best business laptops to meet specific needs ranging in complexity from hybrid laptops to makeshift devices. They are all geared at ensuring the best user experience for any choice of business laptops.

I'm here to provide premium advice on the best business laptop available to choose from in the business laptop world, emphasizing the business laptop's specifications and prices to provide you with a well-informed choice.

Here are the top 5 best business laptops:

Lenovo IdeaPad 3

  • Screen size: 17.3 inches
  • Screen resolution: 1600 x 900 pixels
  • Panel type: TN
  • Touch screen: No
  • Processor Type: Intel Core i5
  • Clock speed: 2.1 GHz (max. 4 GHz)
  • Internal memory: 8 GB
  • Total storage capacity: 256 GB
  • Storage type: SSD
  • Video card: AMD Radeon Graphics
  • Operating system: Windows 11 Pro
  • Total number of USB ports: 3
  • HDMI: 1

Lenovo ThinkPad T550

  • Screen size: 15.6 inches
  • Screen resolution: 2880 x 1620 pixels
  • Panel type: IPS
  • Touch screen: Yes
  • Processor Type: Intel Core I5
  • Clock speed: 2.3 GHz (max. 2.9 GHz)
  • Internal memory: 8 GB
  • Total storage capacity: 256 GB
  • Storage type: SSD
  • Video card: Intel HD Graphics 5500
  • Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
  • Total number of USB ports: 3
  • HDMI: None

HP EliteBook 840 G1 Notebook

  • Screen size: 14 inches
  • Screen resolution: 1366 x 768 pixels
  • Panel type: IPS
  • Touchscreen: No
  • Processor Type: Intel Core i5
  • Clock speed: 1.9GHz (max. 2.9GHz)
  • Internal memory: 8GB
  • Total storage capacity: 256GB
  • Storage type: SSD
  • Video card: Intel HD Graphics 4400
  • Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
  • Total number of USB ports: 4
  • HDMI: None

The Best Business Laptop Buying Guide: How to Make the Best Buy?

Many criteria have to be considered in your search for a suitable and functional business laptop among the widely available business laptops, all bothering your choice of use and functionality.

The best business laptops suitable for specific business users often fall short when diverted to serve other non-business users' purposes.

With its in-depth reviews, this buying guide is designed to assist business users in making the necessary and well-informed choice on the best business laptops available that meet your specific business requirements.

The Operating System

Your choice of the best business laptops available often borders down to the best operating system.

Most software program installations depend heavily on the type of operating system available; you must prioritize the intended use before deciding on the best business laptop to get.

Here is the top four computer operating system to look out for:

Windows 10

Windows 10 remains one of the best and most widely used operating systems for business laptops. Choosing Windows 10 opens you to various business laptop choices as it's the most preferred choice for most business users.

Windows offers the best laptop options for business computers at a reduced price.

Windows 10, the latest in a long line of operating systems, comes with an entirely new set of features to increase productivity. A notable example is Cortana, one of the best virtual assistants effective for appointment scheduling.

The windows operating system is your go-to operating system if you are already familiar with Microsoft and the various programs it offers. Its ease of use and familiarity with other programs give it the much-needed edge among other operating systems.

macOS

If you are searching for a low-budget laptop, any laptop with a Mac operating system should not cross your mind.

Generally, most laptops with a MacOS have often attached an extravagant price tag; quite notable are the Apple laptops such as the MacBook Air are notable. Its price is not over-bloated as it offers a well-designed interface with the distinct high display quality.

Apple laptops remain the seemingly favorite among many creative professionals, especially the Macbook Pro series. Despite this fact, the latest Macbook Pro series comes with less RAM.

Choosing MacOS as your choice operating system over other operating systems is personal preference and choice of budget. You should consider checking the compatibility of the software you require for your business with your intending operating system before purchasing a new laptop.

macOS comes with its assistant and guide named Siri, which is similar in operation to Cortana and aimed at providing a better user experience.

Chrome OS

The Chrome OS is one of Google's newest creations and one of the newbies in the operating system world.

An introduction into the operating system sphere, the Chrome OS targeted audience was primarily students as it offered the lowest price available for an operating system.

The Chrome OS has now diversified its target audience as it is now being used in business laptops. As it is often called, Chromebooks are designed to offer free upgrades while downloading and deploying new updates automatically. This alone helps save you valuable time.

If you live and dine in the cloud, the Chrome OS is a no-go for you. It does not allow users to download programs on a Chromebook, except you use it alongside MS Office for the web through your browser to create, edit and collaborate your files on Chromebook.

For Chromebook that utilizes the Chrome Web Store, consider installing the Office mobile apps from the Google Play Store and arrange the downloads through Google Assistant.

Laptop Design

In choosing the most suitable laptop design, you should consider how and where you intend to use the laptop and the most effective qualities you intend to get out of the laptop.

Choosing a laptop design should be less about aesthetics, but this does not mean it should not look presentable.

Hybrid or Traditional

In choosing a laptop, you are left with the choice of either a traditional or hybrid laptop. Traditional laptops open with a hinge instead of a hybrid laptop that can easily be converted into a tablet.

The majority of the screens of hybrid laptops being manufactured today use completely detached screens from the keyboard or hinges with a 360-degree range of movement, which allows you to fold the laptop inside out, thereby converting it to a tablet.

The hybrid laptop design is a good option as it offers a 2-in-1 option to ensure the best user experience available. Although this type of laptop comes costlier than regular laptops, if your business requires constant travel, this is a bargain you should consider as you are sure of getting a big return on your investment.

Portability

Portability is one of the key factors to consider when selecting a laptop, as you do not want your laptop to be an added burden due to its excess weight. You should be ready to make sacrifices on some specifications.

If you travel a lot, you should consider reducing the screen and keyboard size to give you a lighter laptop to go about your business. Laptop screens are quite similar to television screens and are measured diagonally, and you should aim for the 1.4kg mark for business travel.

Screen Size and Resolution

The choice of the appropriate laptop screen size comes with many dilemmas. The standard for a favorite business laptop is within the 15.6 inches range as it guarantees both portability and workability, as noted by a leading digital publisher.

New laptop models now offer super high resolution. A standard 4K resolution has at least 3840 x 2160 pixels. This high screen resolution is more than four times a traditional Full HD display. Your choice of screen resolution should solely depend on the laptop's intended use.

The most overlooked but important factor in choosing a screen size and resolution is excellent battery life. The larger the display resolution you seek, the more power your laptop will consume. Small screen resolution likely guarantees long battery life.

Screen Types

LCD screens are either TN, VA, or IPS panels, with TN being the most widely used among the three due to its great image performance at a very reasonable price.

VA panels offer great responsiveness and higher contrast and color performance than TN panels despite being relatively slow compared to other screen types.

IPS, PLS, and AHVA are the standout screen types regarding color, as they offer consistent performance with the best responsiveness and contrast.

Touchscreen or Stylus Support

Touchscreen and stylus support are nice features attached to a laptop but come with a price much higher than those without these features.

If you intend on getting a laptop with a touchscreen function, you should know that it consumes more battery power whether in use or not and comes with an extra weight burden than the regular screens.

So I strongly advise you consider acquiring a laptop with a touchscreen or stylus function only if the shoes fit.

Keyboard

Often, the outlook and design of the laptop tend to divert our attention away from the obvious. As important as the look of a laptop is, equally important is the comfortability of the keyboard.

An uncomfortable keyboard's effect on your productivity can be categorized alongside the effect of a bland or poor laptop design or a low Ppi.

You should consider the size and comfortability of the keyboard in your search for a laptop as you would require to type on the laptop at one point in time.

Ppi

Pixels per inch(Ppi) measures a display screen's pixel density or resolution. The Ppi is an effective indicator of the number of pixels available in a 1-inch line on a screen.

A comfortable keyboard is evident from its keyboard flex, travel, and the surface of the keyboard keys.

Robustness

The ruggedness of your laptop should largely be dependent on the ruggedness of the nature of your job or working environment.

This is because most rugged laptops come with special unique accessories not available to other laptops that tend to give them an edge in the most difficult circumstances.

Most rugged laptops are waterproof and drop-resistant as they account for the most extreme of hazards.

The Hardware

The hardware is the key determining factor of what task you can perform with your laptop. Although quite expensive, you should consider the intended use of the laptop before purchasing hardware.

You require little or no hardware for low-end task users who only need a laptop for internet services.

Processor

The brain of any computing system is the processor and is responsible for most of the tasks being carried out. You should know that the processor performs any task that requires data to be accessed or exchanged.

Although a processor is more than its clock speed, a laptop with a good processor can process more data faster.

Clock Speed

The clock speed measures the number of cycles the video card performs per second and is measured in gigahertz(GHz). A processor clocked at 3.2 GHz implies that it goes through 3.2 billion cycles per second.

The latest in the Intel series is the Intel Core i5, i7, and i9 series in 11th gen intel. The generation can be determined by merely looking at the chip's part number, which can be found slightly after the dash.

The latest chip in the AMD series is the third-generation Ryzen 5000 series mobile processor. There is a general belief about choosing a laptop based on its processor and that newer is always the best option. Your first choice should be to acquire a laptop with the latest generation.

If you require your laptop to perform tasks as intense as video editing, you should consider buying an off-midrange chip. Most laptops come with 2 to 4 cores processors, which are adequately sufficient for your basic computing operations.

Video card

A Graphics card or video card is the chip responsible for generating all the external display images on the screen. Most traditional laptops have an integrated video card built into the main processor.

Most, if not all, Intel chips have integrated graphics. An example is the intel iris xe graphics. Laptops that do not use Intel chips possess additional graphics chips soldered to the motherboard.

As these additional graphics chips are called, discrete video cards are fixed to your laptop and cannot be removed. Nvidia and AMD are the most notable suppliers of these video cards.

Discrete Video Card

A discrete video card is entirely separate from the processor chip, requiring large power consumption and heat generation.

Discrete video cards are not necessary for many laptop users as it is mostly used by those in the acting or gaming industry.

You should consider watching the best tech tutorial videos on the best video and graphics cards that offer the best performance for your specific needs.

Sound

Not all laptops provide room for decent speakers to be installed. Even with limited ports available, there is always room for ports to connect to a headphone jack or external speaker for better and a much more improved sound.

Memory

Random-Access Memory(RAM) is the internal memory of your laptop that temporarily stores data and provides access to information. All tasks carried out on your laptop store data in your RAM.

The greater the storage space on your RAM, the more the information your laptop can process. It should be noted that RAM is a temporary storage mechanism, unlike memory; once power is interrupted, all data will be lost.

8 GB RAM is often sufficient for basic computing operations. Still, if you intend on running more sophisticated operations on your laptop, you should consider a much higher RAM, such as the 16 GB RAM.

Storage Space

A laptop's storage space is synonymous with the amount of data it can store. The storage space is the data hub of your laptop.

The best laptops now come with a solid-state drive(SSD) instead of the traditional hard disk drive(HDD) because it contains no physical moving parts and hence lasts longer.

For great performance, your sights should be set at an SSD, and the amount of GB of storage required on your SSD is solely dependent on the intended use of the laptop. The amount of storage on the SSD varies with different laptop models, from as low as 256 GB to as high as 1 TB.

Ports

The inclusion of physical connections in a laptop structure is slowly becoming extinct with the advent of other future brands. The need for many standard USB ports, such as the USB port, is becoming increasingly irrelevant.

Most new laptops now come with only a few USB-C ports, and only a select few still include HDMI, as wireless streaming is now a much better option.

If you need to include more ports on your laptop, consider using a docking station.

Battery Life

A great business laptop with a great laptop display, comfortable keyboard, and screen brightness is termed useless if it fails the battery test.

The latest laptops currently making the rounds, including the Lenovo ThinkPad x1 carbon, Lenovo ThinkPad x1 nano, or the Lenovo ThinkPad x1 yoga, all boast of up to 22 hours of incredible battery life on one charge.

The more hybrid laptops that can serve as tablets boast a good battery life of about 10-12 hours per charge. Intel is the best for conserving battery life as it has the special ability to disable the cores in its processor.

Excellent battery life for a laptop depends solely on its size and its display resolution. The larger and higher a laptop's resolution is, the more power the laptop will consume.

The 5 Best Business Laptops among Themselves

1. Lenovo IdeaPad 3

  • Screen size: 17.3-inch
  • Screen resolution: 1600 x 900 pixel
  • Panel type: TN
  • Touch Screen: No
  • Processor Type: Intel Core i5
  • Clock speed: 2.1 GHz (max. 4 GHz)
  • Internal memory: 8 GB
  • Total storage capacity: 256 GB
  • Storage type: SSD
  • Video card: AMD Radeon Graphics
  • Operating system: Windows 11 Pro
  • Total number of USB ports: 3
  • HDMI: 1

2. Lenovo ThinkPad T550

  • Screen size: 15.6 inch
  • Screen resolution: 2880 x 1620 pixel
  • Panel type: IPS
  • Touch screen: Yes
  • Processor Type: Intel Core i5
  • Clock speed: 2.3 GHz (max. 2.9 GHz)
  • Internal memory: 8 GB
  • Total storage capacity: 256 GB
  • Storage type: SSD
  • Video card: Intel HD Graphics 5500
  • Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
  • Total number of USB ports: 3
  • HDMI: None

3. HP EliteBook 840 G1 Notebook

  • Screen size: 14 inch
  • Screen resolution: 1366 x 768 pixel
  • Panel type: IPS
  • Touchscreen: No
  • Processor Type: Intel Core i5
  • Clock speed: 1.9GHz (max. 2.9GHz)
  • Internal memory: 8GB
  • Total storage capacity: 256GB
  • Storage type: SSD
  • Video card: Intel HD Graphics 4400
  • Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
  • Total number of USB ports: 4
  • HDMI: None

4. Lenovo ThinkPad T440 Notebook 35.6 cm (14″) HD Intel Core i5 8 GB DDR3L-SD RAM 256 GB SSD Windows 10 Pro Black

  • Screen size: 14 inch
  • Screen resolution: 1366 x 768 pixel
  • Panel type: IPS
  • Touchscreen: No
  • Processor Type: Intel Core i5
  • Clock speed: 1.9GHz (max. 2.9GHz)
  • Internal memory: 8GB
  • Total storage capacity: 256GB
  • Storage type: SSD
  • Video card: Intel HD Graphics 4400
  • Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
  • Total number of USB ports: 3
  • HDMI: None

5. HP 250 G7

  • Screen size: 15.6 inch
  • Screen resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixel
  • Panel type: TN
  • Touch screen: No
  • Processor Type: Intel Core i5
  • Clock speed: 1 GHz (max. 3.6 GHz)
  • Internal memory: 8 GB
  • Total storage capacity: 256 GB
  • Storage type: SSD
  • Video card: Intel UHD Graphics
  • Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
  • Total number of USB ports: 3
  • HDMI: 1
  • Approximate battery life: Max. 4 hours

Frequently Asked Questions About Business Laptops

What Types of Laptops Are There?

Laptops can either be the traditional laptop or the more modern and hybrid laptops. The difference between them is their ability or inability to rotate and be turned into tablets.

Is an SSD Essential for a Laptop?

A solid-state drive comes in handy for a fast and responsive laptop as it offers overall great performance. A laptop's storage drive is one of the crucial criteria of a great business laptop.

SSDs have the edge over HDDs, and this is because it contains no moving parts. They consume less power and offer stellar battery life.

How Much RAM Do I Need in a Laptop?

Most basic laptops offer RAM of up to 8 GB, which is quite efficient for basic computing operations. But if you desire to perform more sophisticated tasks such as light gaming and programming, you should consider a laptop of 16 GB RAM with great performance.

Can I Increase the RAM of My Laptop?

Many business laptops utilize two 4 GB RAM strips of separate slots summing up to 8 GB RAM. Compared to other business laptops, this singular factor leaves room for the removal and expansion of the initial RAM.

The easiest and most utilized method of increasing your laptop's initial RAM is replacing its initial set of 4 GB RAM strips with 8 GB strips. This then increases your laptop's RAM to 16 GB.

This does not apply to all laptops, notably the Apple laptop, such as the MacBook air, due to its specific irreplaceable structure.

Which Business Laptop Should I Buy?

Your most preferred choice of the business laptop is often dependent on your budget and the requirements you intend to perform on it. Below are the key and most common business laptop productivity specifications to help you choose among many business laptop options.

Screen size, screen resolution, panel type, processor type, internal memory, storage type, video card, operating system:

  • Lenovo IdeaPad 3: 17.3 inch, 1600 x 900 pixels, TN, Intel Core i5, 8 GB, SSD, AMD Radeon Graphics, Windows 11 Pro.
  • Lenovo ThinkPad T550: 15.6 inches, 2880 x 1620 pixels, IPS, Intel Core i5, 8 GB, SSD, Intel HD Pro Graphics, Windows 10 Pro.
  • Lenovo ThinkPad T440 Notebook: 14 inches, 1366 x 768 pixels, IPS, Intel Core i5, 8 GB, SSD, Intel HD Graphics 4400, Windows 10 Pro.
  • HP 250 G7: 15. 6 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels, TN, Intel Core i5, 8 GB, SSD, Intel UHD Graphics, Windows 10 Pro.

Lenovo IdeaPad 3

  • Screen size: 17.3 inch
  • Screen resolution: 1600 x 900 pixels
  • Type of panel: TN
  • Processor Type: Intel Core i5
  • Internal memory: 8 GB
  • Storage type: SSD
  • Video Card: AMD Radeon Graphics
  • Operating System: Windows 11 Pro

Lenovo ThinkPad T550

  • Screen size: 15.6 inch
  • Screen resolution: 2880 x 1620 pixels
  • Type of panel: IPS
  • Processor Type: Intel Core i5
  • Internal memory: 8 GB
  • Storage type: SSD
  • Video card: Intel HD Graphics 5500
  • Operating System: Windows 10 Pro

HP EliteBook 840 G1 Notebook

  • Screen size: 14 inch
  • Screen resolution: 1366 x 768 pixels
  • Type of panel: IPS
  • Processor Type: Intel Core i5
  • Internal memory: 8 GB
  • Storage type: SSD
  • Video card: Intel HD Graphics 4400
  • Operating System: Windows 10 Pro

Lenovo ThinkPad T440 Notebook 35.6 cm (14″) HD Intel® Core™ i5 8 GB DDR3L-SD RAM 256 GB SSD Windows 10 Pro Black

  • Screen size: 14 inch
  • Screen resolution: 1366 x 768 pixels
  • Type of panel: IPS
  • Processor Type: Intel Core i5
  • Internal memory: 8 GB
  • Storage type: SSD
  • Video card: Intel HD Graphics 4400
  • Operating System: Windows 10 Pro

HP 250 G7

  • Screen size: 15.6 inch
  • Screen resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
  • Type of panel: TN
  • Processor Type: Intel Core i5
  • Internal memory: 8 GB
  • Storage type: SSD
  • Video Card: Intel UHD Graphics
  • Operating System: Windows 10 Pro

Conclusion

The final choice of laptop usually borders down to its product specifications, power efficiency, laptop display, external display, excellent performance, security features, epic battery life, and production system.

Choosing the best from the widely available laptops is a serious business and largely depends on the intending user's choice. Although these choices are price powered, the structure cannot be overlooked as the lightest laptop might be more favorable to the convertible laptop.

This article should have aided your discovery of the best laptop that fits your specific aim of ease when performing certain tasks. If you're still unsure of what exactly you want, I advise you to look at our top 5 rated best business laptops below to narrow your choice further.

  • Lenovo IdeaPad 3
  • Lenovo ThinkPad T550
  • HP EliteBook 840 G1 Notebook
  • Lenovo ThinkPad T440 Notebook 35.6 cm (14″) HD Intel® Core™ i5 8 GB DDR3L-SD RAM 256 GB SSD Windows 10 Pro Black
  • HP 250 G7

Frequently asked questions

The RAM amount should be at least 8GB or 16GB, as well as the SSD capacity ranging from 256GB to 1TB and a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080. Standard USB and HDMI ports, as well as USB 3.1 and USB-C, should be included.

Gaming laptops are simply upgraded versions of standard or corporate laptops, with added functions — but these extra capabilities make all the difference. A gaming laptop has greater speed, larger memory, superior visuals, and quicker processing power. That's it in a nutshell.

Laptops designed for business are built to endure the road. This is frequently accomplished by including more metal in the case than a consumer laptop would use of plastic. Business laptops are protected from shortfalls and tough usage thanks to shock-resistant features and semi-rugged designs.

Hardware vendors must continue to supply parts and services for years after corporations retain their laptops. As a result, business models generally stick on the market for at least a year, and components such as replacement batteries and AC Adapters are available for many years.

The X1E Gen 2 and P1 Gen 2 are two good examples of business laptops that have better graphics than prior versions. Nvidia 1650 and T2000 GPUs, for example, are now available in these laptops, which achieve Fire Strike scores of 7000 or higher.

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