The best business laptops offer durability, power, security and ease of use, whether you are in the office or working from home.
Business laptops are reviewed each year and the models that make our best business laptops offer a combination of comfort, performance, and battery life. Don’t forget about security and durability — business laptops typically come with fingerprint sensors, IR cameras, and security chips, and many have military-grade durability. Some even feature webcam sliders and displays with built-in privacy filters for the extremely security conscious.
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon is our favorite business laptop for five years running thanks to its lightweight design, fast performance, and strong display options. Apple has strong options in the MacBook Air M2 or any of the MacBook Pro models, while Dell, Microsoft, and HP all offer compelling options at varying price points.
Read on for a look at our top picks and we’ll find the perfect fit for you.
1. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 9)
Best Business Laptop Overall
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: 11th Gen Intel Core i5/Core i7
GPU: Iris Xe
RAM: 8GB/16GB/32GB
Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB SSD
Display: 14-inch, 1920 x 1200-pixel 16:10
Size: 12.4 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches
Weight: 2.5 pounds
TODAY’S BEST DEALS
REASONS TO BUY
+
Slim, lightweight design+
Good 14-inch, 16:10 FHD+ display+
Class-leading keyboard+
Great quad speakers+
Epic battery life
REASONS TO AVOID
–
Poor 720p webcam-
No card slot
Lenovo’s 9th Gen edition of its flagship business laptop delivers fast performance from 11th Gen Intel CPUs, you get longer battery life (15 hours!), powerful quad speakers, a new 14-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, and plenty of ports, all in an impossibly lightweight chassis (2.5 pounds).
But it’s still those classic ThinkPad features — a durable design (with MIL-STD-810G strength), best-in-class keyboard and stealthy black/red aesthetics — that carry the X1 Carbon to greatness.
Yes, we wish the ThinkPad X1 Carbon had a better webcam and hadn’t ditched the SD card reader in the previous. Also, top configurations can get very expensive; still, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better business laptop.
2. Lenovo ThinkBook 14s Yoga
Best Budget Business Laptop
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Intel Core i5-1135G7
GPU: Intel Iris Xe
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB
Display: 14-inch, 1080p
Size: 12.6 x 8 x 0.7 inches
Weight: 3.3 pounds
TODAY’S BEST DEALS
REASONS TO BUY
+
Robust build quality+
Smart Pen included+
Fingerprint reader in power button+
Reasonably priced
REASONS TO AVOID
–
Quiet speakers-
Fingerprint-attracting chassis
The ThinkBook 14s Yoga delivers amazing value at under $1,000 for a durable 2-in-1 that includes a built-in Smart Pen, solid performance and battery life.
While it could never quite grab that first place spot on our benchmarks, it consistently earned itself a silver, which makes for a balanced laptop that won’t let you down in any regard.
Overall, if you want to spend less — and you want an impressive 14-inch business-oriented convertible with an included Smart Pen — you can’t go wrong with the ThinkBook 14s Yoga.
3. HP Elite Dragonfly G3
Best Long-Lasting Business Laptop
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Intel Core i7-1265U vPRo
GPU: Intel Iris Xe graphics
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB SSD
Display: 13.5-inch, 1920 x 1280-pixel display
Size: 11.7 x 8.6 x 0.64 inches
Weight: 2.2 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+
Impressive battery life+
Great webcam+
Spacious touchpad+
Lightweight and portable
REASONS TO AVOID
–
Middling performance
The HP Elite Dragonfly G3 is a power-efficient gem with a lightweight, portable form factor, a great webcam, and a battery runtime that climbs above 14 hours!
While the performance won’t have the Dragonfly G3 doubling as your gaming laptop in your downtime, it’s more than enough to handle productivity and web browsing tasks and that efficiency over raw power is a worthwhile tradeoff for business users.
Factoring in the productivity-enhancing 3:2 aspect ratio, the comfortable clicky keyboard, the spacious touchpad, solid webcam and 2.2-pound weight and you have a fantastic option for business users that travel or are frequently moving around the office or working remotely.
4. Dell Latitude 9430
Best 2-in-1 Business Laptop
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: 12th-Gen Intel Core i7-1265U
GPU: Iris Xe
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
Display: 14-inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel 16:10
Size: 12.2 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
Weight: 3.2 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+
Gorgeous InfinityEdge touchscreen+
Comfy keyboard with good travel+
Wide, responsive touchpad+
Outstanding battery life+
Includes HDMI port
REASONS TO AVOID
–
Limited port selection-
Kind of clunky in tablet mode
With a blend of flexibility and battery life, the Dell Latitude 9430 is the best 2-in-1 business laptop. It cruised to 12 hours and 39 minutes in our Laptop Mag Battery test. But that’s hardly the only reason to choose it; the bright InfinityEdge display lets Dell squeeze a 14-inch display into a super slim 0.54-inch chassis.
Performance is more than enough to juggle all the browser tabs you forgot to close during the day along with every productivity app in your arsenal. The sleek, but durable build, and the flexible 2-in-1 convertible form factor make all help to extend its utility.
Add in excellent enterprise-grade security from its vPro processor, secure and convenient login via its FHD IR camera or fingerprint reader and you have a business laptop that justifies its admittedly high price.
BEST ACER BUSINESS LAPTOP
5. Acer Swift 5 (2022)
Best Acer Business Laptop
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Intel Core i7-1260P
GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB SSD
Display: 14-inch, 2560 x 1600
Size: 12.2 x 8.4 x 0.59 inches
Weight: 2.65 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+
Rival-beating performance+
Zippy video transcoding+
Fast file transfer rates+
Ultra-fast SSD
REASONS TO AVOID
–
Speakers could be louder
Acer consistently delivers laptops that deliver a great combination of performance and value. Case in point, the Acer Swift 5. It’s easy on the eyes with our reviewer proclaiming the Mist Green aerospace-grade aluminum system as “the most attractive notebook I’ve seen this year.” But the Swift 5 is about more than good looks.
Powered by a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor with integrated Intel graphics, the Swift 5 held its own against its competitors during our overall performance and file transfer tests. And it easily sailed past our category average. The Swift 5 had its best showing on the Geekbench 5.4 test where it scored an impressive 9,859. We were also surprised at how well the notebook’s integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics performed, notching 26 frames per second on the Sid Meier’s Civilization VI benchmark. While it didn’t make our longest lasting laptop page, the Swift 5 still offers more than 11 hours of battery life. Other reasons to buy include a healthy smattering of ports and a bright, vivid 14-inch display.
But it’s not a perfect system, however, as the laptop has an inordinate amount of bloatware. The speakers also could have been better. However, these are minor issues for an otherwise outstanding Windows 11 laptop.
BEST APPLE BUSINESS LAPTOP
6. Apple MacBook Air M2
Best Apple Business Laptop
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Apple M1 Pro
GPU: Apple M1 (integrated)
RAM: 16GB/32GB/64GB
Storage: 512GB/1TB/2TB/4TB/8TB
Display: 14.1-inch, 3024 x 1964-pixel
Size: 12.3 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches
Weight: 3.5 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+
Elegant redesign+
Good performance+
Bright, colorful screen+
Comfortable keyboard+
Excellent battery life
REASONS TO AVOID
–
SSD somewhat slower than M1 Air
The MacBook Air M2 is a nearly perfect laptop with the same outstanding performance and battery life that we’ve come to expect from Apple Silicon, but it also introduces the new design from the MacBook Pro 14 and 16 along with a gorgeous new 13.6-inch display.
This is a blend of performance and portability that few Windows laptops can challenge, so for those that can live in the macOS ecosystem, this belongs at the top of your list. Our lone complaint with the Air M2 is that the SSD has a slightly slower write speed than its predecessor, but it is still well above average and not something that should sway you against it.
While you have a pair of USB-C ports and the new MagSafe charging port, if you are looking to escape carrying a USB-C hub with you then you will need to look to the MacBook Pro 14, which sports an HDMI port, an SD card slot, MagSafe and a trio of Thunderbolt 4 ports (sadly, still no USB-A). If battery life is your biggest concern then the MacBook Pro 13-inch M2 is your best choice with over 18 hours on a single charge in our test! It didn’t get the updated design of the Air this year, but its performance remains outstanding.
BEST DELL BUSINESS LAPTOP
7. Dell Precision 5470
Best Dell Business Laptop
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Intel Core i9-12900H CPU
GPU: Nvidia RTX A1000
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB
Display: 14-inch, 1920 x 1200-pixel IPS (16:10)
Size: 12.2 x 8.3 x 0.7 inches
Weight: 3.3 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+
Powerful performance +
Sleek chassis, premium design+
Beautiful InfinityEdge touchscreen+
Outstanding battery life+
Advanced thermals keep things cool
REASONS TO AVOID
–
Lacks USB-A or HDMI ports
With 5 out of 5 stars, how is the Dell Precision 5470 not higher on this list? It’s simple, not everyone needs this much power in a business laptop. This is a workstation laptop with the Nvidia RTX A1000 GPU and Intel Core i9-12900H CPU to prove it. It can’t go toe-to-toe with the best gaming laptops, but it will run circles around any typical business laptop.
If your productivity work ever dips into the realm of content creation, if you are like me and you just overload your laptop with a million seemingly small tasks, or you are frequently transferring large data files, the blazing performance of the 5470 will be worth its 3.3-pound weight in gold.
Lastly, I’ll touch on the display, which is a gorgeous 14-inch anti-glare InfintyEdge touchscreen with a 2560 x 1600-pixel resolution and the ability to overpower any brightly lit environment with its 499 nit max brightness.
8. HP Dragonfly Folio G3
Best HP Business Laptop
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: 12th-Gen Intel Core i7-1265U
GPU: Iris Xe
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
Display: 13.5-inch (1920 x 1280)
Size: 11.7 x 9.21 x 0.7 inches
Weight: 3.1 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+
Crisp, colorful display+
Accurate and useful stylus+
Strong performance+
Beautiful 2-in-1 design+
Stays cool
REASONS TO AVOID
—
Battery life could be better
While HP’s Elite Dragonfly G3 may grab the battery life crown, the Dragonfly Folio G3 deserves its moment in the sun too. HP’s incredibly luxurious 2-in-1 serves up a legitimately useful convertible design that also just oozes class and sophistication with its soft faux leather lid.
The included stylus lets you take notes or sketch up quick diagrams in any of the myriad positions that the Folio G3 can contort into. That flexibility also comes in handy when finding the right angle for a video meeting and the 8MP webcam is vastly superior to the typical built-in 720p or 1080p cams.
The Folio G3 isn’t a workstation by any means, but it offers better-than-average performance that will easily keep up with typical productivity work and it keeps its cool while doing it in our heat testing.
With a starting price of around $2,100, the HP Dragonfly Folio G3 isn’t cheap, but it at least does you the courtesy of looking every bit as
BEST LENOVO BUSINESS LAPTOP
9. Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 8)
Best Lenovo Business Laptop
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Intel Core i7-1360P
GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB SSD
Display: 14-inch, 2880 x 1880, OLED
Size : 12.5 x 9.1 x .6 inches
Weight: 3.1 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+
Breathtaking 2.8K OLED display+
Great productivity performance+
Blisteringly fast SSD
REASONS TO AVOID
–
Display could be brighter
The Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 is one of the most impressive turnarounds for a laptop in recent memory. The 8th Gen Yoga 9i fixes virtually every concern we had with its predecessor, with a 13th Gen Intel Core i7-1360P CPU and an incredibly speedy SSD that delivered a file transfer rate of 1,669 megabytes per second in our testing.
In the Laptop Mag battery test, the Yoga 9i lasted 10 hours and 10 minutes. While that’s not earning it a spot among our laptops with the best battery life, it’s enough to get you through a day off the charger, which is all the more impressive when considering its true highlight feature. Our reviewer was absolutely blown away by the beautiful 14-inch, 2.8K OLED display on the Yoga 9i, delivering a wider color gamut than any other laptops that we’ve tested within the last year at 142.1% on the DCI-P3 scale.
Our lone complaint, if you can call it that, is that the Yoga 9i’s brightness only hit 353 nits. It’s still good enough to handle anything outside of direct sunlight, but we would have loved to see a score of 400 nits or above. All told this was enough to earn the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 4.5 stars and our coveted Editor’s Choice award, making it the best Lenovo business laptop for those not won over by the X1 Carbon.
BEST CHROMEOS BUSINESS LAPTOP
10. HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook
Best ChromeOS Business Laptop
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3
RAM: 8GB LPDDR4X
Storage: 256GB NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
Display: 13.5-inch, 2256 x 1504-pixel touchscreen
Size: 11.6 x 8.7 x 0.65 inches
Weight: 2.8 pounds
REASONS TO BUY
+
Bright, sharp 2K display+
Versatile 360-hinge design+
Outstanding performance+
5G connectivity available+
Durable and attractive design
REASONS TO AVOID
–
Weak battery life-
Chromebooks…for business users? Yes, we mean it. The HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook Enterprise is the best option available today. Boasting Intel vPro security, a Titan C chip, and a fingerprint sensor the Dragonfly far surpasses the security of your average Chromebook. A free year of Parallels for Chromebooks gives you full access to any Windows apps you might still need.
The security and ease of management offered by the HP Elite Dragfonfly Chromebook are two strong selling points, but the rest of the hardware doesn’t let down from there. The 13.5K 2K display with up to 400 nits of brightness looks outstanding. The 2-in-1 form factor, light 2.8-pound chassis, and optional 5G support make it a dream for frequent travelers.
At just over 9 hours in our Laptop Mag battery test the battery life could be better and the price makes it a tough sell if work isn’t paying for it, but for businesses that will save considerable money on support, it is worth the investment.
HOW TO CHOOSE A BUSINESS LAPTOP
Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing the right model of business laptop for you or your company.
- Do you need Intel vPro or AMD Pro? Many business laptops are available with CPUs that have Intel vPro technology, which lets a support person log in remotely, even if the computer can’t boot. However, unless you have a large IT department and a huge fleet of laptops that you need the ability to service remotely, you probably won’t use this feature.
- How fast do you need it to be? Most business users will be happy with a laptop that has a quad-core, Core i5 CPU like the Core i5-1135G7 or Core i5-1145G7 (vPro) and the CPU’s integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics. However, if you require a high-end performance for 3D Modeling, professional video editing, or creating predictive models, then get a mobile workstation with Core i7 or Core i9 H-Series CPU (model numbers end in HQ) and Nvidia Quadro graphics.
- Long battery life: Nobody wants to run out of juice in the middle of a long workday or a cross-country flight. Unless you’re getting a giant workstation, look for a laptop that gets more than 9 hours on a charge. Some business systems come with a choice of regular or extended batteries; always get the high-capacity unit.
- SSDs for responsiveness: If you want a truly fast computer, get a solid state drive rather than a mechanical hard drive. SSDs boot up, open programs and multitask at least three times faster than old-fashioned hard drives.
- The right ports: Nobody likes to carry a bag full of dongles. Consider which kinds of connections you or your employees will need the most. If you connect to a wired network a lot, make sure the laptop has an Ethernet port. If photography is a key part of the job, choose a laptop with a memory card reader. No matter what your needs, a Thunderbolt 4 port is a huge plus, because it will allow you to connect to a new generation of high-speed peripherals, universal chargers and powerful docks.
- A great keyboard: It almost goes without saying that every laptop should have a good keyboard. But with business systems, a comfortable typing experience is even more important. Look for snappy feedback, deep travel and absolutely no flex.
