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 X260 Review: Balanced for Business Travelers

Jamison Cush - September 27, 2016

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

Charles P Jefferies - September 12, 2016

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

John Ratsey - August 8, 2016

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

Jerry Jackson - July 27, 2016

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

VAIO Review

VAIO S Review: A Classic Business Laptop

Jamison Cush - July 8, 2016

Call the VAIO S the VAIO Classic. It’s a thin-and-light Windows 10 notebook targeted at business users. There are few flourishes here, just utility and plenty of ports. Read full article

Lenovo Review

Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 260 Review: Business-class Flexibility

Jerry Jackson - February 29, 2016

This 2-in-1 manages to deliver the durability and ports that businesses need while also keeping the travel weight as light as possible for employees. Keep reading to find out if[...] Read full article

VAIO Review

VAIO Z Canvas Review

Vince Font - January 15, 2016

Sony may have called it quits on its computer division, but that didn’t spell the end of VAIO. It only resulted in a metamorphosis – one that has manifested in[...] Read full article

Dell Review

Dell Latitude 14 7000 (E7450) Review

John Ratsey - September 22, 2015

Businesses don't always upgrade employee laptops every year, but if you're looking for better battery life, a beautiful display and impressive durability then it might be time to get a[...] Read full article

Asus Review

ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501JW Review: Forget About the MacBook Pro

Jerry Jackson - August 29, 2015

If you need a 15-inch laptop with the power to edit 4K video then walk right past the Apple Store and look at the ZenBook Pro from ASUS. Read on[...] Read full article

HP Review

HP OMEN Pro Review: Sex Appeal Meets Mobile Workstation

Jerry Jackson - August 26, 2015

The words "attractive" and "mobile workstation" don't usually go together, but HP hopes to change that with its OMEN Pro. Keep reading to see if good looks and high performance[...] Read full article