If you’re a small business owner and looking for the best business laptops for yourself or your team, you’ve come to the right place. We have meticulously tested and rated the top 10 business laptops, taking into consideration feedback from both our team and hundreds of other business owners.
We conducted research to determine the laptops that small businesses often use, the preferred operating systems, and the specifications they prioritize. This effort has led us to compile a list of the best small business laptops currently available.
Continue reading for in-depth write-ups and recommendations to help you make an informed decision for your next business laptop purchase.
As for the laptops listed below, they are compatible with demanding business applications such as Salesforce, Microsoft Office 365, and AWS Elastic Beanstalk. These laptops come equipped with features essential for various office tasks.
Take the guesswork out of your search and choose one of these top-rated laptops for your small business needs.
If you don’t want to ‘drill down,’ here is the perfect machine for small business owners.
Top Pick
2023 MacBook Pro with M2 Chip
Has the world’s most powerful and power-efficient chip!
Here is why the 2023 Apple Macbook M2 Max/Pro is the best laptop for small business owners; This laptop perfectly combines incredible performance, portability, and aesthetic appeal.
Unlike many other Apple laptops, the 2023 Macbook Pro M2 chip has all the features required in a business machine.
With 16 inches of screen real estate, up to 96GB of unified memory, and up to 1TB of fast storage, this laptop can handle even the most demanding tasks. That’s way more than what an average business machine has.
Its world’s most powerful chip makes it a life-long deal for small business owners and creative professionals.
With no drawback, it secures 10/10.
According to our research, many small businesses prefer non-Apple computers. Here are some details:
So, if you also want to buy a non-Apple business laptop, check out these three top business laptops from leading brands among the ten we’ve reviewed.
These two laptops are powerful and widely used by small businesses. If you need a powerful and compact machine for your small business, we highly recommend these laptops due to their amazing features and durability.
(Latest) Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (a true monster)
- 14″ FHD IPS display
- 16GB DDR5 memory
- 512 GB SSD storage
ASUS Expertbook B9
- 4.7 GHz core_i7 processor
- 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage
- 24-hour battery life
Before moving forward to the list of the ten best small business laptops, let’s answer the most common question people have when buying a small business laptop. These answers will also help you understand the minimum specifications required for a business laptop.
We have extensively researched every aspect of office work and demanding tasks. We believe that these minimum computer specifications can handle every single business task. If you are confused about which laptop to buy or what specifications you need, the information mentioned in the image provides the answer.
Now, let’s understand why these specifications are crucial for running your business operations smoothly and how they impact your business.
- What is the best screen size for a small business laptop? The screen size significantly influences productivity, especially when dealing with graphics. While a 14-inch display is acceptable, to begin with, I’ve personally found that over 17 inches of screen real estate has greatly enhanced my experience for my small business.
- Which processor is best for small business laptops? The processor is the key component of any computer and you should not compromise on it. As mentioned earlier, an Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor is good to start, but you should choose an Intel i7 or Ryzen 7 or a higher one to optimize your workflow.
- What is the best RAM for a small business laptop? In business, time is money. You can’t open tasks one by one, but you have to keep many things in flow. That’s called multitasking. And RAM (also named Memory) deals with multitasking. So 16GB DDR4 or higher is great for all demanding tasks.
- How much storage is enough for a small business laptop? 512GB of SSD storage is required to run the OS (operating system) and apps fast and save some data. Using SSD makes the booting and overall machine fast. Choose a higher capacity if you have tons of videos or data to store on the machine.
Now, let’s move forward to the best laptops for small business owners. With high-speed processors and ample RAM, these laptops ensure seamless multitasking for enhanced productivity. You can also check out these business desktop computers.
These laptops are tailored to meet the unique demands of your business, providing the performance, security, and support essential for success.
On this page
2023 MacBook Pro M2 chip (best business laptop among all)
Salient Features:
12 CPU cores
Up to 38 GPU cores
Up to 96GB of unified memory
1TB SSD Storage
Reasons to buy:
+ Smart & Slim shape
+ 1080p FaceTime HD camera
+ 98GB of unified memory
+ six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio
Reasons to avoid:
– No cons relevant to business
Review
If you are wondering about what the best laptop is for a small business owner, the 2023 MacBook Pro with the M2 Max chip is the ideal choice for SMBs, startups, and all small business owners. Thanks to its incredible specifications, it is powerful, fast, compatible with all demanding tasks, boasts an impressive design, and offers numerous other compelling reasons to make the purchase.
But its specialty is its M2 chip. It’s the world’s most powerful and power-efficient chip for a pro laptop.
Its powerful specs make it a great choice for all small businesses even for tough jobs like business analytics, data science, etc.
Outstanding performance due to the M2 chip
Apple 2023 MacBook Pro comes with M2 pro chip and an M2 max chip at different prices. You can choose your best one depending on your business demands on Amazon.
M2 Pro has 12 CPU cores, 19 GPU cores, and 32GB of unified memory. M2 Max has 12 CPU cores, 38 GPU cores, and 96GB of unified memory.
Whether you buy with M2 pro chip or to M2 max chip, both are equally great for small business tasks. But for creative professionals, M2 max chip can get incredible performance
This smart notebook is built according to the demands of professionals and small business owners.
The M2 chip has 12 cores and 16 processing units, which means it can handle anything you throw at it. It also makes it the best business laptop for AutoCAD.
If you’re a business owner working on ERPs like SAP, Sage 300, iScala, Oracle Netsuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, iScala, etc., you’ll appreciate how flexible this MacBook Pro is.
This MacBook Pro will never disappoint you, from online data incorporation to generating crystal reports.
Up to 96GB of unified memory
This laptop comes with a variety of memory ranges, you can either choose a 16GB memory that’s enough for routine office work, or up to 96GB of unified memory to process literally anything on it.
So you don’t have to worry about running out of memory when working on large projects or multiple applications.
Up to 1Tb SSD storage
The other best part of the laptop is its vast storage. Usually, you don’t get much storage on Apple machines, or it will be expensive.
But this isn’t the case here.
1TB storage is more than enough for general business use. But creative professionals should prefer higher memory.
Long battery life
The battery life on this laptop is excellent too! It’s lasted me all day (around 17-18 hours) without needing a recharge which is fantastic considering how much time I spend using my laptop daily at work.
Regarding recharging the battery, you can recharge it for an hour. It means it won’t take much to charge the laptop, but it will last a long.
Extra ports
This MacBook is excellent for many Pro who need ports like SDXC, HDMI, and thunderbolt 4. So you can use extra monitors, put in your camera cards, and much more.
Our final verdict
The 2023 Macbook M2 is the best laptop for all small business owners. It has the fastest 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU, along with the most powerful and power-efficient chip – M2.
This is highly recommended for small businesses because you can use it for any demanding task. No matter if you are a business analyst, data scientist, programmer, or any other creative professional, in any case, the 2023 Macbook Pro M2 is best for you.
And with best practices, you can make your laptop last longer, so it’s almost a one-time investment.
In a nutshell, with the best specs required to run any small business operations smoothly, the 2023 Macbook Pro M2 Chip is the best laptop for small business owner.
HP Pavilion 15 laptop – Powerful yet budget-friendly business machine
Salient Features:
15.6 Inches display
3.6 GHz core_i5 processor
16 GB DDR4 RAM
512 GB SSD storage
Reasons to buy:
+ Slim and portable design
+ Low operating temperatures
+ Speakers (relatively loud)
+ Low operating temperatures
Reasons to avoid:
– Display lacks brightness
Review
As mentioned earlier, we discussed the best specifications required for any small business. Now, considering that the HP Pavilion 15 offers the perfect features you might need at your workplace, we can confidently say it is indeed one of the best laptops for small business owners.
In fact, its specs aren’t the only reason to choose this; we have tested it under a substantial workload and identified it as the best budget laptop for small businesses. This is not a coincidence; many other business owners have also expressed their appreciation for it.
It meets the requirements that make any laptop perfect for routine office work, especially for IT professionals. If you are a small business owner and don’t have a high budget, then you should buy the HP Pavilion 15 Business Laptop. Here is why:
Overall performance
It has all the features you need in a business computer: a long battery life, a sturdy build quality, and an easy-to-use interface.
This laptop is fantastic! And it’s one of the best laptops for small business owners. It’s fast, it looks great, and it has enough memory to do heavy multitasking. I love the touchscreen feature. The screen is super responsive and makes navigating different programs and files easy.
Design
The design of this laptop is sleek and stylish, which makes it stand out from other business laptops. The keyboard is comfortable to type on, and the buttons are easy to press. The trackpad is large enough for me to use comfortably when working on Excel spreadsheets or browsing the internet.
Storage
The laptop has much storage space (512 GB -1 TB), so you won’t run out anytime soon. It also comes with an SD card slot if you want to add more memory cards or use them as external hard drives with this laptop!
Speakers
The speakers are loud enough to fill a room with sound without distortion; however, they can sometimes sound tinny depending on what kind of music you’re listening to.
System software
It comes pre-installed with Windows 10 Pro, which has some nice features like Cortana (the voice assistant), Security Center (which allows you to see if there are any viruses or malware installed), and an app store where you can download new apps like Evernote or Google Chrome (which both work well on this machine). The laptop is lightweight and portable, weighing just over 5 pounds.
Overall this is a great laptop for anyone who needs something portable but powerful enough for most business-related tasks at a reasonable price.
Final words
This laptop is compatible with all business tasks. You can use it for any of your small businesses. But if you work from home and are curious about which laptop is best for home office use, HP Pavilion 15 Business Laptop is the most suitable machine for you.
Overall, HP Pavillion 15 is the other best laptop for small business owner. Because it’s suitable for all small business office work and technical jobs. However, it’s not great for data scientists and business analysts, that’s why we score it 8.5 out of 10.
HP Elitebook 840 G9 – best budget friendly business laptop
Salient Features:
14″ WUXGA IPS display
12th Intel i7-1255U
10-Core Iris Xe Graphics
16GB DDR5 memory
512GB SSD storage
Backlit KB FP Reader Thunderbolt 4 WiFi 6E
Windows 11 Pro w/ RATZK 32GB USB
Reasons to buy:
+ A great webcam
+ Powerful display
+ Long battery life
+ Contains all ports essentially required at work
Reasons to avoid:
– The screen size is not good for some jobs
Review
The latest HP EliteBook 840 G9 is one of the best laptops for small businesses; it’s excellent for business and office use due to the following reasons.
HP Elitebook design has evolved over time, HP Elitebook 840 G9 that’s the latest model that arrived in late 2022, has a sleek, professional design that will look great in your office or on your desk at home. It’s even more appealing than HP Elitebook G7 that we had previously listed here.
It has a full HD display that offers plenty of space to work on multiple documents, spreadsheets, and presentations without having to scroll around or zoom in and out.
The laptop has an Intel Core 12th Intel i7-1255U 10-Core processor and 16GB DDR5 memory. This will allow you to run multiple programs at once without any lag time or freezing issues.
You’ll also be able to efficiently multitask between different applications, thanks to this device’s reasonable storage space (512GB SSD storage).
What sets this laptop apart is how long it lasts between charges—even when using heavy applications like Photoshop or Autodesk Inventor!
You won’t have to worry about being tied down by cords when using this laptop because it’s wireless compatible, so there won’t be any wires running across your desk or down your leg (which can often get tangled up in office chairs).
This laptop also comes with Windows 11 Pro pre-installed, so you’ll be able to connect to wireless networks in your office easily or while on the go (though there’s no mobile data option).
The keyboard is comfortable to type on even when you have to write long documents such as an essay or dissertation due to its wide keys, which make it easy to type without making any mistakes when typing quickly.
In a nutshell, the HP EliteBook 840 G9 is a very good laptop for small business owners. No matter it’s a home office, mobile office, or your in-house team, or you need an eye-catching machine for managers, the HP EliteBook 840 G9 is the most suitable laptop for your small business.
(Latest) Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 10 – A true monster
Salient Features:
14″ FHD IPS display
16GB DDR5 memory
512 GB SSD storage
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
USB 4 Type-C with Thunderbolt 4;
Camera: 1080P FHD RGB with ThinkShutter and Integrated Microphone
Rapid Charge
Weighs 2.48 lbs
Reasons to buy:
+ Compact, lightweight, and durable
+ Plenty of configuration options
+ Best for multitasking
+ Easily handle technical jobs
+ 1080p webcam with privacy shutter
Reasons to avoid:
– No SD/MicroSD card slot
Review
Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 10 is one of the best laptops for small businesses. It is an excellent machine for people looking for a lightweight device to handle business tasks and more complex projects. It’s a top-class laptop among the fastest business laptops.
This latest model which arrived in mid-2022, comes with Windows 11 Pro pre-installed, so you don’t have to worry about setting up your operating system or downloading software updates—it’s all included right out of the box!
The display has an anti-glare coating that helps ensure you can see your screen even when there’s plenty of light around, which is excellent for outdoor and indoor use after dark.
The keyboard uses island keys for easy typing—even if you’re wearing gloves—and each key provides tactile feedback so that you always know what you are pressing.
Performance-wise? This laptop is a monster!
It handles everything I throw at it with ease. And since it’s an i7 chip with 32GB of RAM (and 512GB SSD), there’s plenty of space left over for other programs if you need them too!
Battery life is good enough, too— so it’s a great choice for business owners who often travel for business meetings. It’s compact and lightweight so it doesn’t create any trouble.
The best ports and Intel Iris Xe graphics also make it a perfect choice for small businesses.
In short, it’s an all-in-one solution for all your small business needs.
The only downside is there isn’t much room for expansion inside this laptop (meaning you can’t easily upgrade it).
Overall, Lenovo’s Latest Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 10 is the 3rd best laptop for small business owner, it has as powerful features as HP Elitebook G9 but I like HP Elitebook 840 G9’s design and comfort that’s why I have rated it number 3rd.
Otherwise, this latest monster deserves to be the 2nd best small business laptop.
I recommend this laptop to anyone who wants something powerful but portable business laptop. It’s perfect for business travelers who need something that won’t weigh them down when they’re on the go!
Newest Dell Inspiron 7415 2-in-1 Touchscreen Business Laptop in 2024
Salient Features:
14″ full HD touch display
AMD Ryzen 5 5500U (6-core) processor
16 GB SDRAM
1 TB SSD storage
Review
May small business owners often look for budget laptops to run their business efficiently. There is nothing wrong with that, there are many budget business laptops out there in the market, and the 2023 Newest Dell Inspiron 7415 2-in-1 is one of the best budget laptops among all those options.
It has great features and is affordable for all small businesses. You don’t pay thousands of dollars for your machine; instead, it’s a reasonable investment. The fantastic thing about this machine is that it’s worth the investment.
If you have gone through our business laptop buying guide, which is provided at the end or briefly explained at the beginning, you can easily conclude that this laptop has everything you need to stay productive and organized while still looking good.
This laptop is powerful enough to run all your applications simultaneously without slowing down or crashing. Additionally, as it’s lightweight, so with the Dell Inspiron 7415 2-in-1 Touchscreen Laptop, you can take your work wherever you go.
This laptop has a 14″ full HD touchscreen display, so you can use it as a tablet or flip it around as a regular laptop.
There’s also an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U (6-core) processor and 16GB RAM, which means this device will have no problem handling your office workload. And with 1TB PCIe SSD storage space, you’ll have plenty of room for all your data—and for them to load quickly when you need them!
With all this power under the hood and a sleek design that’s sure to turn heads, this laptop will be a great addition to any office or home office.
And when it comes time to travel with your laptop—which is often the business demand—it’s lightweight enough that you won’t feel a burden!
This laptop also features an integrated webcam. You can do online business meetings and chat with office colleagues, friends, and family over Skype or Facetime without using an external webcam or microphone attachment like some older laptops require.
The built-in fingerprint reader allows you to log in using just your fingerprint instead of typing in passwords every time and also provides security for your confidential and personal data. It also comes with a built-in registered MS Windows 11 64-bit.
To summarize, Dell Inspiron 7415 2-in-1 is the best budget 2 in 1 laptop for small business owners who need a beautiful yet powerful machine for professional and personal use. Give it a try and you will be happy!
ASUS ExpertBook B9 (best laptop for digital marketing business)
Salient Features:
14″ Full HD Anti-Glare Display
4.7 GHz core_i7 processor
6GB DDR4 RAM
1TB SSD storage
24-hour battery life
Lightweight
Review
Businesses are looking for new ways to keep their employees productive and happy. At the same time, they’re also looking for new ways to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
The ASUS ExpertBook B9 Thin and Light Business Laptop is a notebook that can help you do both. It’s thin, lightweight, and durable—so you can easily take it with you on business trips or meetings without worrying about damage from bumps or drops.
With a long battery life of up to 17 hours per charge, you don’t have to worry about running out of juice when you need it most.
It has a 14″ Full HD display with an anti-glare coating that provides clear visuals even in bright conditions.
With an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU and a 1TB SSD hard drive, the ASUS ExpertBook B9 Thin and Light Business Laptop are ready for anything your business throws at it. The Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU and 1TB SSD work together to simplify multitasking, while the 16GB of LPDDR2 memory ensures speedy performance.
The laptop comes with 16GB DDR4 RAM, so you or your employees can run multiple applications simultaneously without slowing down their workflow or productivity levels.
And you can run even the most prominent applications without a hitch—plus, it’s expandable if you ever need more space!
These features are great enough to run any of your online businesses, for instance, a marketing business. You can deal with clients, manage teams and store tons of data on your machine.
Additionally, a 24-hour battery life along with all business features and incredible specs make it the best business travel laptop.
Plus, this device comes with Windows 10 Pro pre-installed, so you don’t have to worry about compatibility issues between applications or switching operating systems down the road if something goes wrong during installation on your end!
To conclude, this laptop is the perfect combination of power and portability. All this makes it the best budget laptop for small business owners.
HP ZBook Studio G8 Mobile Workstation (Powerhouse for creators)
Salient Features:
15.6 Inches display
2.5 GHz core_i7_family processor
1 TB Flash Memory Solid State
NVIDIA Intel RTX A2000 UHD graphics
3.95 pounds weight
Reasons to avoid:
– Can get hot
Review
This is an incredible computer for any professional needing a reliable, powerful machine to complete their work.
It’s easy to use and comes with all the bells and whistles you want in a workstation: an impressive 32 gigabytes of RAM, one terabyte of storage space, and a speedy processor.
But what makes this computer stand out is its design: it’s got a sleek chassis made from aluminium and carbon fiber, so it looks like a luxury car but performs like one too!
The Intel Core i7 processor combined with 32 GB of RAM ensures fast multitasking performance even when working on multiple tasks simultaneously. At the same time, the large 1 TB SSD provides enough storage space for all your files and documents.
Adding an external hard drive via a USB Type-C port or SD card reader can also expand its storage capacity.
The HP ZBook Studio G8 is a powerful, versatile laptop designed for professionals who need a high-performance mobile workstation. Secondly, this laptop is among the most affordable business workstation laptops.
The 15.6″ Full HD 1920 x 1080 display gives you crisp images and videos while being able to multitask like a pro.
With its 15-hour battery life, you can stay productive all day long without worrying about plugging in during lunch or breaks! It is also great for travel because it weighs only 4 pounds.
So overall, it’s a laptop that deals with all or nearly all elements that a small business laptop requires.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8-13″ Touchscreen (budget business laptop)
Salient Features:
4.2 GHz core_i5 processor
8 GB LPDDR4 RAM
512 SSD storage
1.96 pounds weight
Reasons to buy:
+ Large, vibrant display
+ Excellent webcam
+ Extremely lightweight
Reasons to avoid:
– The signature keyboard and Slim Pen are sold separately
Review
The Surface Pro 8-13″ Touchscreen is the latest version of Microsoft’s flagship tablet. This tablet was introduced on December 5, 2017, and includes many new features that set it apart from its predecessors.
An updated processor is the most notable addition to this latest version of the Surface Pro.
This business laptop (Latest Model) comes with an Intel® Core™ i5 8th Gen processor, which significantly improves performance over previous models that used a 7th Gen processor. This increased performance means you can expect faster boot times and more responsive applications.
It also has better graphics performance than previous versions of the device, so you’ll be able to run more demanding applications without sacrificing battery life.
Another new feature that distinguishes this tablet from its predecessors is compatibility with the Surface Dial accessory.
This device allows users to control various functions within their software by simply touching it with their hands while working on their computers.
This tablet also has 512 GB of storage space, so you’ll never have to worry about running out of room on your device again—even if you use it as much as possible every day.
It has a sleek design that is lightweight and easy to carry around while still packing plenty of power to ensure you’re never stuck waiting for it to load.
It comes in multiple colors, so there is one for everyone! With its 13-inch touchscreen display and pen support, you’ll be able to use this laptop for all kinds of tasks—from writing up documents to sketching out ideas in Photoshop.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6 2-in-1 Notebook
Salient Features:
2.8 GHz core_i7 processor
8 GB SDRAM
256 GB SSD storage
Windows 10 Pro OS
4.85 pounds weight
Reasons to buy:
+ Sleek metallic design
+ 12 hours of battery life
+ 360 degrees rotation
Reasons to avoid:
– A little bit on the pricey side
Review
This is a tailor-made laptop available for small business owners, professionals, managers, and anyone looking for a high-quality laptop at a reasonable price.
This laptop has a large 14″ touchscreen display that can be rotated 360 degrees and folded into a tablet.
It has an Intel Core i7 processor and 8 GB of RAM, making it perfect for multitasking and gaming.
The reasonably okay 256 GB solid-state hard drive provides fast performance and security so that you can store your files securely on this device.
Its touchscreen display offers an intuitive user experience with Windows 10 Home operating system and fast performance from the latest Intel Core i7 processor.
When it comes to performance, this notebook does not disappoint. It features an Intel Core i7 processor and 8 GB of RAM, allowing for smooth operation no matter how much you throw at it.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga comes in a sleek, metallic design with a microSD card reader, so you can store photos or videos directly on your device without having to connect via a USB cable whenever you want something stored on it.
You’ll also get up to 12 hours of battery life per charge, so you can use your device on full power all day long without worrying about running out of power.
Finally, if you’re looking for a laptop with a great design and awesome features and at the same time, it meets all your business requirements, then this could be the one for you.
HP EliteBook x360 (lightweight laptop for On-the-Go professionals)
Salient Features:
16 GB LPDDR4 RAM
512 GB SSD storage
Windows 10 Pro OS
0.141 ounces weight
Reasons to buy:
+ Robust processor
360 degrees rotation
Excellent display quality
Elegant chassis with USB-A and HDMI ports
Impressive touchpad
Reasons to avoid:
– A little bit on the pricey side
Review
The HP EliteBook x360 Touchscreen 2-in-1 Notebook is the perfect choice for small business professionals who want a powerful, versatile machine that can keep up with their busy lives.
With its sleek design, the EliteBook x360 looks excellent on your desk. Still, it’s more than just an aesthetic upgrade: The notebook’s powerful Intel Core i7 (10th Gen) i7-10810U Hexa-core (6 Core) 1.10 GHz processor and 16 GB RAM ensures that you’ll never have trouble running multiple applications at once.
Due to its robust processor, this notebook has plenty of power to run your applications smoothly.
The 14-inch touchscreen display makes this notebook feel like a tablet or phone because you can rotate the screen 360 degrees for easy use in any position. This feature also makes it easier to share your screen with others via video chat if they are not sitting next to you at a desk or table where they can see what’s happening on your screen while talking with someone else who might need assistance working through some issues related to their computer systems or hardware issues.
Some business owners prefer a business laptop with a backlit keyboard, and here is the solution. The keyboard is spill-resistant and has backlighting options, so you can work in low-light conditions without straining your eyes.
The trackpad supports gestures like pinch-zoom and two-finger scrolling, so it’s easy to navigate your documents quickly, no matter where you are or what type of surface you’re working on (tablet mode).
It also comes pre-loaded with Windows 10 Pro software, so there’s no need for additional installations or downloads! The battery life on this machine is excellent, too, with up to 10 hours of use per charge.
So, if you are looking for the best small business laptop, this notebook is the perfect hybrid for your business.
Laptop buying guide for small business owners
If you want to know how to choose a laptop for your business, here is the laptop buying guide for small business owners.
As the guide mainly focuses on business owners, we will share how laptop features affect your business tasks.
Let’s get started.
Brand:
If you are a small business owner and considering purchasing a business laptop, the first question that may come to mind is which brand to choose.
Specifically, you might wonder whether to buy an Apple laptop or a Windows PC.
To begin, let’s discuss the brand choice for your small business laptop. The straightforward answer is to opt for a top brand.
In our research, we found that Lenovo is the leading laptop brand for business purposes due to its business-grade quality.
However, it is worth noting that Apple laptops offer enhanced security features, making them a great option. Additionally, Apple is a prestigious brand, so if you are in a prominent role or purchasing laptops for high-ranking positions, MacBooks would be a suitable choice.
That being said, all six popular laptop brands mentioned are generally reliable for business purposes.
Display size, resolution, and GPU:
The display has a direct relation with performance. There are two cases where display plays its role:
- There are many technical jobs when screen resolution and image quality have great significance. In that case, you should prefer a high-resolution laptop.
- The size of the screen indirectly affects your performance. If you are uncomfortable with the display size, the discomfort will result in less productivity.
But the problem is that focusing on display size, resolution, and graphics will cost you much more than standard business laptops.
If you don’t have technical jobs, you can choose to integrate graphics; it will cost you less money. But choosing a laptop with a dedicated graphics card is way better if you have heavy business jobs.
Processor:
The processor processes the input and gives you the output.
Thus when it comes to business machines, it’s not a compromisable thing.
In business machines, you need secure and fast processors. So, you should check out clock speed, cache memory, and processors. The better the processor, the better the performance of your laptop will be.
If you want to explore more about how to choose business laptop processors, here are the factors to consider while buying business laptop processors.
RAM/ROM:
ROM has some information that doesn’t change. So it’s not as considerable as RAM. RAM plays a critical role in business tasks.
Let’s try to understand what RAM (random access memory) does and which ones should you prefer.
RAM helps computers multitask.
If you have 2GB RAM, you can run six tabs at a time, and if you have 32GB or 64GB RAM, you can run hundreds of tabs on different browsers, run your commercial software and make video calls, all at a time.
That’s why normally laptops for Zoom and conferencing and involving other business tasks have sound memory.
So it depends on how frequently you multitask and how many apps you want to run along with browsing, streaming, and zooming.
Now the next thing to understand is its types.
There are two types of RAMs: traditional (slow) RAM and advanced fast DDR3, DDR4…, and DDR8 RAM.
The more advanced technology you use, the fast your machine will be.
The last question is, which one should you prefer for your small business?
The average RAM for a small business owner is 16GB DDR4 RAM. But some business owners with extensive jobs use up to 64GB of RAM.
If you have some technical jobs, the best will be 32GB RAM for you.
Storage (HDD/SSD):
We use storage to run the operating systems and apps and save data.
If you have tons of data, you should at least use 1TB SSD storage.
HDD is a traditional storage type, and SSD is an advanced storage type. SSD storage helps computer access data even more quickly. Thus, you should prefer SSD for business machines.
Ports and adapters:
Ports play their role in business tasks.
It depends on what you want to do with your machine. If your business might require you to connect your laptop to external devices, you should prefer more ports, especially with ethernet, thunderbolt 3, and HDMI.
Security features:
To keep your data safe, a business laptop must be secure. Ideally, it should have the best features including biometric authentication and TPM.
Collaboration features:
Built-in webcams and microphones are critical for virtual meetings and remote collaborations.
Management and support:
Compatibility with enterprise management tools simplifies device management, and a comprehensive warranty with reliable customer support ensures quick issue resolution.
Keyboard and touchpad:
Apparently, the keyboard and touchpad don’t influence your work. But they may play their role if the keyboard spacing and touchpad size don’t suit your hands; at least in the early days, it can affect your efficiency.
Battery life:
Battery life is essential for those business owners who keep their laptops while traveling. The battery life should not be less than 12 hours if you travel a lot.
With over 12 hours of battery life, you can enjoy a full-day tour without plugging in your laptop for charging.
What are business laptops?
Business laptops have a light difference from personal laptops. Business laptops have some extra features essentially required to make the laptop compatible with all demanding tasks at workplaces.
For instance, business laptops are always fast, have a great camera, have ports like HDMI and VGA, and have fast wireless connections.
Additionally, business laptops are designed to last longer so the built is always great.
Are business laptops good for programming?
Not every business machine is designed for all business tasks. Programmers need high-end business laptops.
If you upgrade the RAM to 64 GB, then above-given top-rated business laptops can be used for any job like programming, designing, web development, and AutoCAD.
What laptop do most businesses use?
Businesses use a mix of Macbooks and Windows machines in their offices. Some corporates prefer Apple machines, otherwise, the thing that matters in business is the laptops’ specs.
As we have discussed in Mac vs. Windows, the brand and OS don’t matter in business.
If you have great specs on a Windows laptop, you can do any demanding task on your machine.