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The 7 Best Business Laptops - Winter 2024 Reviews

Updated
Best Business Laptop

If you're looking for a laptop for work, your best bet is an ultraportable that's easy to carry around with a battery that lasts long enough to get you through the day. You'd also want to look at the display, keyboard, touchpad, and webcam quality, as they can significantly impact the overall user experience. A wide port selection will allow you to connect multiple peripherals or external displays without needing a separate dock. Of course, you'd want enough processing power to handle your tasks. We've compiled a list of recommendations to help you with your purchasing decision, including options for different operating systems and form factors, so you can find something that suits your needs.

We've tested over 105 laptops, and below, you'll find our recommendations for the best business laptops you can buy. See our recommendations for the best laptops, the best lightweight laptops, and the best laptops for graphic design.


  1. Best Business Laptop

    The best work laptop we've tested is the LG gram 14 (2023). It has a thin, compact design that's incredibly light at only 2.1 lbs, making it a great choice for those who travel a lot. You can configure it with an Intel 13th Gen Core i5-1340P or i7-1360P CPU; both are fast enough to handle general productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, spreadsheets, and presentations. Battery life sits around 10 hours of light use, and you can charge the laptop over USB-C, so you don't need to lug around a proprietary charger.

    The overall user experience is great. You get a sharp, colorful display, a spacious keyboard, and a reasonably large touchpad. Ports include two USB-As, two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s, and an HDMI, so you can transfer files quickly and connect multiple peripherals and external displays. The webcam is good even though the image looks slightly underexposed, and there's also a facial recognition IR camera for quick logins. The RAM isn't user-replaceable, so make sure you get enough for your needs upfront.

    If you want a laptop with better repairability and upgradeability, the Framework Laptop 13 (2023) might interest you. This 13-inch ultraportable has a design that allows you to replace any component in the laptop. It also has a modular port system, so you can swap out the ports on the fly to adapt to any situation. Its 13-inch display is sharper and brighter, but the keyboard and touchpad aren't quite as good. Depending on where you live, it may be harder to get because it's only available via Framework's website.

    See our review

  2. Best Mid-Range Business Laptop

    For a more modest mid-range model, check out the Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 (2023), a well-built 2-in-1 convertible. This laptop sports a large 16-inch display, so you get plenty of room for split-screen multitasking, and since it's a 2-in-1, you can flip the screen around and use it as a tablet. You can choose between an FHD+ or QHD+ panel; we recommend the latter, as it looks sharper and gets brighter to combat glare. There's pen input support, but depending on the model, you may need to buy the stylus separately.

    The keyboard feels comfortable to type on for extended periods. It also includes a numpad, which is handy for those working with lots of numbers. Battery life is excellent at around 12 hours of light use, so you can easily get through a typical workday with plenty of charge to spare. Biometrics include a fingerprint sensor and a facial recognition camera. Our main complaint is that the webcam image has an unnatural tint, and the microphone picks up some background noise. You can get this laptop directly from Lenovo if you have trouble finding it elsewhere.

    See our review

  3. Best Budget Business Laptop

    Our budget pick is the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2023). This 15-inch ultraportable is available with various Intel 13th Gen CPUs, from a Core i3 to i7, and up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The Intel CPUs are low-power processors, so while they can handle light productivity tasks like text processing and spreadsheets, don't expect to do anything super intensive. It has a comfortable full-size keyboard with a numpad, a small but responsive touchpad, and a surprisingly good 720p webcam. There's a fingerprint sensor built into the power button for quick logins.

    The biggest drawbacks compared to the models above are the quality of the available displays and battery life. The displays are noticeably dimmer and look washed out, and the battery lasts less than seven hours of light use, so you'll need to plug the laptop in to get through a typical workday. Ports include two USB-As, a USB-C, an HDMI, and an SD card reader. The USB-C supports video output and charging but not Thunderbolt 4, which is unfortunate but expected for a budget-friendly model.

    See our review

  4. Best Cheap Business Laptop

    If you want to spend as little as possible, get the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook 14 (2023). This simple 14-inch Chromebook is a great option for younger students or anyone needing a simple device to do light work like responding to emails, text processing, spreadsheets, and video playback. The Core i3 configuration (paired with a FHD touch-sensitive display, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage) is often on sale for around $400 directly from Lenovo. There are cheaper configurations; however, we don't recommend them unless you have an extremely light workload and don't mind compromising on the display quality.

    The touch-sensitive FHD display gets bright enough for well-lit settings and is reasonably color-accurate. Above the display sits an excellent 1080p webcam, so your colleagues and clients can see and hear you clearly on video calls. The keyboard feels spacious but a tad mushy, and the touchpad is small and not always responsive. For those new to Chrome OS, know that this operating system is limited in the type of applications you can install, so you must ensure you can do everything through a Chrome browser or Android app.

    See our review

  5. Best MacBook For Business

    Although Windows is the most used operating system in the corporate business world, some of you may prefer or have the option to use a MacBook, especially in this remote work era. If so, we recommend the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023), one of the best laptops for business and personal use we've tested. This ultraportable feels incredibly well-built with its full-aluminum chassis, and it's easy to carry around thanks to its thin and light design. Its 15-inch display gives you plenty of room for split-screen multitasking and gets bright enough to combat glare, even outdoors in broad daylight. The keyboard feels spacious and tactile, and the touchpad is large and responsive. You get an excellent 1080p webcam, so your colleagues can see and hear you clearly on video calls.

    This laptop's main flaw is its limited port selection, as it only has two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports with support for a single external display. Its battery life is decent; you can get through a typical eight-hour workday on a full charge, but depending on your workload, you may need to plug it in for a quick charge. If you plan to use an external monitor with the laptop closed or prefer a more compact device for on-the-go use, you can get the 13-inch model. It's cheaper, but the speakers don't sound as good.

    See our review

  6. Best Workstation For Business

    For people needing to do a bit of everything, including graphic design, photo editing, and maybe even making short videos for their website, we recommend the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023), one of the best laptops for small business we've tested. This 14-inch workstation sports a gorgeous, color-accurate display, and you won't have to worry about performance, as Apple's M3 Pro and Max SoCs can easily handle such demanding tasks. You get the same niceties as the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) above, like the keyboard, touchpad, and webcam. You also get tons of ports for peripherals and external displays. With all these amazing features, the MacBook Pro 14 is easily one of the best laptops for small business owners.

    If you prefer Windows, get the Dell XPS 15 (2023) instead. It's also a premium laptop that provides an excellent user experience. It's available with various Intel 13th Gen H-series CPUs and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40-series GPUs, up to a Core i9 and an RTX 4070, respectively. One advantage it has over the MacBook Pro 14 is its user-replaceable RAM and storage drive, so you can add more or upgrade later on. Port selection is okay; you get three USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s and a full-size SD card reader. Unfortunately, its 720p webcam is disappointing for such a costly device, and its keyboard gets uncomfortably hot under load.

    See our review

  7. Best 2-In-1 Tablet For Business

    If you like the 2-in-1 tablet form factor, get the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (2021), one of the best laptops for business and personal use we've tested. You can detach the keyboard to save space when consuming media or make the device easier to hold, and the built-in kickstand lets you tilt the screen to an almost flat position to take notes or draw with a stylus. It works with Microsoft's Slim Pen 2, though any Microsoft Pen Protocol stylus will work. The Slim Pen 2 supports 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity and tilt, making it suitable for digital artists and creators, and it even has a haptic engine that simulates the feel of writing or drawing on paper. You have to buy the keyboard and stylus separately, though, increasing the overall cost of the device.

    The keyboard feels very comfortable, especially for a type cover keyboard, and there's a slot at the top to store and charge the Microsoft Slim Pen 2. Its 1080p webcam is excellent and among the best on the market, and there's even a back-facing camera to take photos for your project or to share. For ports, you get two USB-Cs, a proprietary Surface Connect charging port, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The USB-Cs support Thunderbolt 4, allowing you to transfer files quickly and connect two 4k @ 60Hz displays with a single cable. Battery life sits around seven hours of light use, which is on the shorter side but not bad for a tablet PC. By the way, there's a newer Microsoft Surface Pro 9 with faster Intel 12th Gen CPUs; however, they're usually more expensive, so it's up to you whether you need the extra processing power.

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • ASUS Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023): The ASUS Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) is a great alternative to the LG gram 14 (2023). It feels sturdier than the LG and has a nicer OLED display, but its battery life is shorter at around eight hours of light use. See our review
  • Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (2023): The Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 (2023) is a good alternative to the Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 (2023). It has a sturdier build and a better touchpad; however, the keyboard feels slightly mushy, and its battery doesn't last as long. It also lacks Thunderbolt 4 support. See our review
  • Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 (2023): The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 (2023) is also a good Windows alternative to the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023) if you find the Dell XPS 15 (2023) too expensive. However, you can only get this laptop with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU and 16GB of RAM. See our review
  • Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020): The Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) is a cheaper option if you find the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or its smaller 13-inch sibling, the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M2, 2022), too expensive. Its M1 SoC is slower but still adequate for light productivity tasks, and since it's an older model, you can often find it on sale for as low as $750 USD. It isn't worth getting at its regular price, as it's only $100 USD less than the newer, sleeker, and faster M2 model (13-inch). See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Mar 01, 2024: Minor text edits for clarity. No changes in product picks.

  2. Feb 08, 2024: Added the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) as the 'Best MacBook For Business.' Added a 'Best Workstation For Business' category for people needing to do more intensive work like video editing or graphic design. Replaced the Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) with the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2023) because it has a better keyboard, touchpad, and webcam, and it's a newer device with better availability.

  3. Jan 12, 2024: Added the Apple MacBook Air 13 M1, 2020) as a Notable Mention. No change in recommendations.

  4. Nov 29, 2023: Minor text changes to add information about the new M3 Apple MacBook Pros. No change in recommendations.

  5. Nov 01, 2023: Replaced the Lenovo Chromebook C340 15 (2020) with the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook (2023) because the C340 is near the end of its OS support.

All Reviews

Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best laptops for work you can get. We factor in the price (a cheaper laptop wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no laptops that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).

If you prefer to make your own decision, here’s the list of all of our laptop reviews. Keep in mind that most laptops are available in various configurations, and the table only shows the results of the model we tested, so it’s best to see the full review for information about other variants.