Business Laptops Buyers Guide
When selecting a business notebook computer, most companies look beyond price and focus on features that are important to the mission-critical tasks of small-to-medium and even large companies. These include such things as the weight, physical size, communications capabilities and the power and speed of the system’s CPU. Durability is also important since many of these systems will be used by a mobile workforce and have to endure the bumps and bruises of business travel.
In terms of weight and the general form factor, it is best to find a system that balances the features and power you need with the overall heft of the system. Most business users will opt for a smaller LCD screen and a thinner form factor over a larger and more bulky multimedia system. Ideally, “road warriors” want the weight of their laptops to be about five pounds or less. Such safeguards as self-parking hard disks or SSDs are also desirable to protect business data an against minor bumps or drops that cause damage.
In general, the higher the storage drive capacity the better, especially since more business users are dealing with multimedia-rich files and large spreadsheets. A flash-based solid state drive is useful, since there are no moving mechanical parts, but a better and more flexible option might be a traditional or hybrid hard drive. Traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) are also much less expensive and can easily be swapped out, if necessary.
Many business notebooks have built-in security features, or even incorporate a GPS function to track stolen or misplaced laptops. By far one of the more important features, however, is the system’s communications capabilities, which should include a built-in Ethernet port for wired connectivity, and support for multiple wireless technologies, including 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, a cellular modem and Bluetooth short-range connectivity.
Recent Business Laptops Reviews
Lenovo Review
Lenovo ThinkPad T470 Review: All Business
The ThinkPad T470 is very much a ThinkPad: that means a durable design with proven reliability. There’s a lighting fast PCIe SSD under the hood, an industry-leading keyboard, and one[...] Read full article
Dell Review
Dell Latitude 14 7000 (7480) Review
Dell’s flagship 14-inch business notebook has a carbon fiber lid and Thunderbolt 3 support. Could it be one of our favorites? Read on to find out. Read full article
Lenovo Review
Lenovo Miix 510 Review
The Lenovo Miix 510 looks like a worthy successor to the Surface Pro 4. Read on to find out if the premium look and feel of the silver magnesium-alloy unibody[...] Read full article
Apple Review
Apple MacBook Pro Review (2016): Touch of Class and Not Much Else
The new Apple MacBook Pro adds the all new Touch Bar with Touch ID while also giving us an overall thinner and lighter design than the previous MacBook Pro. Unfortunately,[...] Read full article
Dell Review
Dell Latitude 13 3000 (3379) Review: A Better Business Class Notebook
This isn't just another boring work laptop. The Dell Latitude 13 3000 (3379) attempts to combine affordability with a sleek design that looks just as much at home in first[...] Read full article
Lenovo Review
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga OLED Review: Beauty and a Beast of a Price
The ThinkPad X1 Yoga just became even more attractive thanks to the inclusion of a 14-inch OLED screen. Is the OLED version of this laptop worth the nearly $1,700 asking[...] Read full article
Lenovo Review
Lenovo ThinkPad X260 Review: Balanced for Business Travelers
Lenovo looks to balance power, portability, and build quality with its ThinkPad X260. If they get it right, then it should appeal to frequent business travelers. If not, there are[...] Read full article
Lenovo Review
Lenovo Yoga 710 14 Review
Lenovo’s revamped Yoga 710 is a slick 14-inch convertible, with a magnesium-aluminum exterior and an edge-to-edge display. Read full article
Dell Review
Dell Precision 5510 Review: A Solid Travel Laptop
The Dell Precision 5510 is a mobile workstation but you might want to think of it as the business version of Dell’s popular XPS 15 9550 notebook. Is this the[...] Read full article
Lenovo Review
Lenovo ThinkPad P40 Yoga Review: 2-in-1 Workstation
If you're tired of that oversized mobile workstation at your office then Lenovo might have just what you need in the ThinkPad P40 Yoga. This 2-in-1 combines the flexibility of[...] Read full article
Lenovo ThinkPad T470 Review: All Business
The ThinkPad T470 is very much a ThinkPad: that means a durable design with proven reliability. There’s a lighting fast PCIe SSD under the hood, an industry-leading keyboard, and one[...] Read full article
Dell Latitude 14 7000 (7480) Review
Dell’s flagship 14-inch business notebook has a carbon fiber lid and Thunderbolt 3 support. Could it be one of our favorites? Read on to find out. Read full article
Lenovo Miix 510 Review
The Lenovo Miix 510 looks like a worthy successor to the Surface Pro 4. Read on to find out if the premium look and feel of the silver magnesium-alloy unibody[...] Read full article
Apple MacBook Pro Review (2016): Touch of Class and Not Much Else
The new Apple MacBook Pro adds the all new Touch Bar with Touch ID while also giving us an overall thinner and lighter design than the previous MacBook Pro. Unfortunately,[...] Read full article
Dell Latitude 13 3000 (3379) Review: A Better Business Class Notebook
This isn't just another boring work laptop. The Dell Latitude 13 3000 (3379) attempts to combine affordability with a sleek design that looks just as much at home in first[...] Read full article
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga OLED Review: Beauty and a Beast of a Price
The ThinkPad X1 Yoga just became even more attractive thanks to the inclusion of a 14-inch OLED screen. Is the OLED version of this laptop worth the nearly $1,700 asking[...] Read full article
Lenovo ThinkPad X260 Review: Balanced for Business Travelers
Lenovo looks to balance power, portability, and build quality with its ThinkPad X260. If they get it right, then it should appeal to frequent business travelers. If not, there are[...] Read full article
Lenovo Yoga 710 14 Review
Lenovo’s revamped Yoga 710 is a slick 14-inch convertible, with a magnesium-aluminum exterior and an edge-to-edge display. Read full article
Dell Precision 5510 Review: A Solid Travel Laptop
The Dell Precision 5510 is a mobile workstation but you might want to think of it as the business version of Dell’s popular XPS 15 9550 notebook. Is this the[...] Read full article
Lenovo ThinkPad P40 Yoga Review: 2-in-1 Workstation
If you're tired of that oversized mobile workstation at your office then Lenovo might have just what you need in the ThinkPad P40 Yoga. This 2-in-1 combines the flexibility of[...] Read full article