Because they are portable and powerful enough to run a wide variety of software, laptops remain at the core of people’s digital lives. However, even if you are a technology expert, purchasing a laptop remains a challenging task.

Especially, if you need to use the laptop for work-related tasks. Since there are a few major differences between a work laptop and personal laptop, this article will help you identify how to choose the right business laptop for yourself.

How to Choose the Right Business Laptop for Work

What Kind of Work Will You Be Doing?

One of the first things to look at when choosing the right business laptop for work is the type of work you will be doing. If your work consists of just using web applications and answering emails, you may do just fine with a simpler laptop. However, if your workload is a little heavier and you will be doing things like downloading files, invoicing, using spreadsheets, uploading videos, etc, a more powerful laptop is a better choice. For most of us, a faster and more responsive laptop saves us a lot of time and frustration during the day. Even though a lot of work is web-based, having a laptop that can handle multiple tabs, browsers, and applications without slowing down is a life-saver.

When choosing the right laptop to run your business, another thing to consider is whether or not you will be traveling. If you intend to be moving traveling with your laptop, then you may opt to choose a lighter laptop with a longer battery life. You will also need to know if you will be frequently video conferencing with team members and clients. If so, you may opt for a laptop with a premium camera and audio.

Set your budget

It’s important to set a budget before purchasing any gadget. People frequently spend more than they need to or less than they should. Investing in advanced technologies that provide specifications you have no use for is a waste of money. Underspending, on the other hand, may force you to get another new laptop before you plan to have it.

This chart will help you understand how to strike a balance between price and quality as well as what to look for in the following laptop price ranges.

The price range you have chosen allows you to focus on additional specifications and narrow your search. Although there are several great business laptops under $1,000, you may find that the laptops over that have features that will make your work-life easier. 

Pick an operating system

Because Windows is the industry norm, we advise those without any experience to go with it. Compared to other Operating systems, Windows laptops are more widely available. If you need MS Office, Access, or Outlook, Windows is the clear choice among business laptops.

On the other hand, there is the Mac Operating system with its lavish look. If you do not own an iPhone or an iPad, it will not be your first pick. However, if you use the apple watch in addition, it will be simple to operate both of these gadgets because they are compatible with one another and provide the finest user experience. Because of the tools it provides, such as Avid and Dreamweaver, Apple has been a favorite among creative workers.

Laptop Displays

The display sizes range from 17 to 11 inches. If you want to play high-processing games and work at a productivity station where your laptop is mostly on the desk, you might consider getting a business laptop with 17-inch monitor.

On the other hand, you can get a laptop with an 11 to 12-inch display if you want something lightweight and portable. However, the 13-inch and 15-inch display sizes are the most popular.

Higher resolution displays produce clearer images. At the very least, we advise you to purchase a 1920×1080 resolution. The ideal resolution for Apple, however, is 2560×1600.

Because laptops with touchscreen monitors can be pricier and consume batteries fast, consider buying one only if your work demands a touch screen. Sometimes people regret investing in one because they rarely use the touchscreen feature.

Storage Options

Solid state drives, or SSDs, are well known for being superior to other spinning drives. Although SSDs are more expensive, we recommend that you invest in a laptop that comes with SSD built in.  However, if you want to save money, you can purchase a laptop with sufficient local storage and add storage subscriptions like iCloud, Dropbox, etc. later.

Processor and RAM

We advise you to at least get an Intel Core i5 processor of the 8th generation if you regularly use Microsoft Office, video editors, and the web. Upgrading to a core i7 will significantly improve performance if you want your laptop to be faster. Finally, gamers will require a core i7 or core i9 processor.

The more RAM you have, the better off you’ll be. All of your info is stored in your RAM. If you run out, your laptop will freeze. In most cases, 8 GB is plenty, although upgrading to 16 GB or 32 GB will be desirable (especially if you like to play high-processing games).

Check for the ports + webcam

While keeping an eye out for the ports you need is not a very important task, it is wise to make sure you have everything you need. A headphone and microphone jack, one USB A and USB C port, plus an SD card reader are essential. Additionally, if you want to connect a monitor, you’ll need an HDMI port.

A webcam is essential, especially now that we live in the zoom era. Unfortunately, laptop webcams still come with a 780p resolution. For better quality, we advise you to look for 1080p cameras.

Keyboard and Other Features

Since workdays can extend beyond the regular 8 hour working hours, it is also important that you have a keyboard that has all of the functionalities you need. Besides being comfortable, it good keyboard should be able to handle your workload.

• Will you need to have a work laptop with a 10-keypad for faster computing?
• Will you be working later in the day and require a backlit keyboard for working in the dark?
• Will you need a fingerprint reader for faster login and better security?

Some Popular Business Laptops for Work

Now that you know what you need, you’ll want to go through the various laptop options available on the internet. To reduce your decision fatigue, we have listed various laptops that are commonly used for work below with their features.

1. LENOVO THINKPAD X1 CARBON (GEN 8)

Latest Gen 8 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

Display: 14-inch, 1920 by 1200 pixel, 16:10 

Processor: Up to 11th generation Intel Core i5/i7 

Memory: 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB

16 hours of battery life (approx.)

Storage: Gen 4 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB SSD Performance

Size and Weight: 12.4 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches, 2.5 pounds  

Camera: Full-HD 720p webcam (with a privacy shutter)

2. APPLE MACBOOK PRO

2022 Apple MacBook Pro Laptop with M2 chip

Display: 14.2-inch (diagonal) Liquid Retina XDR display;1 3024-by-1964 native
resolution at 254 pixels per inch

Memory:16GB,  32GB (M1 Pro or M1 Max) or 64GB (M1 Max)

Processor: Apple M1 pro

Storage: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB

Battery: Up to 17 hours for watching movies on the Apple TV app and 11 hours for wireless web

Height 0.61 inches (1.55 cm)

Width: 12.31 inches (31.26 cm)

Depth: 8.71 inches (22.12 cm)

Weight: 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg)

Camera: 1080p FaceTime HD camera

3. MICROSOFT SURFACE PR0 8

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 – 13″ Touchscreen

Processor: Intel Core i5/i7 11th gen

RAM: up to 32 GB.

Pen: Connects with the Surface Slim Pen 2

Storage: 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB

Display: 13″ PixelSense Flow Display with 2880 x 1920 resolution (267 PPI)

Size and weight: 11.3 × 8.2 x 0.37 inches 1.96 pounds

Battery: Up to 16 hours of typical device use on a single charge

We have a list of the best business laptops if none of these seem to interest you.

Make your choice

Once you’ve decided based on the specifications you require and what fits within your budget, you may go ahead to make the purchase. We advise you to check reviews on many websites, like this one at Startup Mindset. You can look at the comments under a product and even consult with friends and family on how the product feels, how the keyboard performs, whether the bottom of the laptop becomes warm, and a bunch of other stuff.

Pirbhat Haddad

Staff Writer: Pirbhat is a digital content creator and a writer. She began her small venture at the age of 16. Although she had to quit it, she ended up learning a lot about the entrepreneurial lifestyle. Her educational background in Business administration has provided her with an adequate amount of knowledge on a vast variety of subjects. She now likes to talk about developing productive habits, succeeding with people by studying people skills as well as applying marketing strategies.