The Best Work Laptops for 2025

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To choose the best laptop for your business, you need something reliable, secure, robust, lightweight, and capable of lasting through a long workday—and you have countless options. PCMag is a trusted authority in the field, and we have been testing work laptops since our founding more than 40 years ago. (We review well more than 100 laptops every year of all kinds.) Our team applies collective decades of experience and expertise to judge each laptop that comes across our test benches on its CPU and graphics performance, screen quality, battery life, connectivity, and price. Our current pick for the best work laptop overall is Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition for its ultralight carbon-fiber design, sharp OLED screen, and best-in-class keyboard. We've also got nine other top picks for more specific needs, so read on for our recommendations, followed by a detailed buying guide and a helpful spec comparison.

Every laptop benefits from a speedy CPU, a bright screen, a comfortable keyboard, and a long battery life, but let's look at what separates business-grade laptops from consumer models.

What Is a Business-Grade Laptop?

But the makers of business models add features to meet specific office needs, such as secure logins (via biometric fingerprint readers, facial recognition, or SmartCard IDs) and sturdy designs that have passed MIL-STD 810G or the even more severe 810H tests against road hazards like shock and vibration. (First responders and field workers may require even tougher rugged laptops.)

IT departments appreciate fleet deployment and remote manageability functions like those provided by laptops with Intel vPro processors and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) support for secure access. Enterprises also prefer Windows 11 Pro over the consumer-oriented Windows 11 Home (or sometimes a business-focused Linux distribution) and look for laptops with less bloatware or fewer extraneous bundled programs. Business machines look similar, with so many thin black and silver notebooks on the market. Still, the differences that matter most to office users are below the surface, inside the chassis.

The line between tablets and laptops is also blurring in the business-machine world. Once, the two were separated by operating systems, but now, several tablets aimed at businesses run authentic versions of Windows. Some of these tablets even have physical, detachable keyboards.

But make no mistake, conventional clamshell-style laptops still rule in the business sphere, and choosing the right one can determine whether you run a successful company or one that suffers from too much downtime. Let's walk through essential business laptop features, the components you'll need, and—also important—how to distinguish between a business laptop and a consumer one.

Which Laptop Processor Is Best for Office Work?

Choosing the suitable processor for your business machines can be a little complicated, but we have a few rules of thumb to bear in mind whether you're shopping for a personal work machine or upgrading the IT fleet for your whole company.

We recommend choosing the latest processor generation whenever possible. The latest chips will feature newer capabilities and current and ongoing support. We push the unavoidable future upgrade back further than if you started with last year's hardware.

Next, it helps to know what class of processor you need. Our guide to choosing a laptop CPU provides our most detailed advice, but for business users, we have some rules of thumb you should know.

The lowest-end processors, like Intel's classic Pentium CPUs (the newest are now just dubbed "Intel Processors," minus the "Pentium"), aren't meant for daily work but would be a decent fit for powering a sales kiosk or running signage. Next-step-up basic processors, like Intel's Core i3, are suited to simple work like writing up documents and browsing the web. If the most demanding program you run is PowerPoint, then a basic processor will suit you just fine.

For more demanding work, you'll look to more productivity-focused options. On Intel, these are Core i5 and i7 chips (with upper-end business machines gravitating toward Intel Core Ultra 5 and 7 CPUs). Apple's M4 processors fill out the same category on MacBooks. In contrast, AMD's Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7 processors are suitable for office users who do light video editing or need to power through large spreadsheets and datasets.

If you need more even horsepower for number crunching, heavier media creation, or even workstation-grade processing, look to Intel's Core i9 (which lives alongside the company's Core Ultra chips for now), Apple's M4 Max, and AMD's Ryzen 9 CPUs. These will almost always be paired with powerful discrete graphics and plenty of RAM. Check out our guide to mobile workstations to find out what specifics you should consider if you're shopping in this zone.

Finally, consider the form factor. As a rule, Intel's H- and HX-series chips will deliver the highest power for the most demanding uses and will be found in mobile workstations and creator laptops, while U-series CPUs are made for midrange thin-and-light laptops. Ultraportable laptops generally use lower-wattage chips, typically around 15 watts from U-series chips, with wattage driving up to 45W or higher in workstations. But, even with the U-series models, the basic tiers provide good, better, and best in processing power.

How Much RAM Do I Need in a Work Laptop?

The basic rule of thumb regarding laptop memory is this: Always ask for more within reason. RAM is the computer's short-term memory, and it's used for running apps and multitasking.

Just like you would benefit from better short-term memory, having more RAM allows you to do more and do it with less lag time, fewer hiccups, and larger files.

As a general rule, we recommend that the rank-and-file office worker have at least 8GB of RAM, which is the realistic floor for any decent Windows laptop these days. If you work with photos or other media files, 16GB is a better minimum. But if you're expecting to work with huge files, complex spreadsheets, or engineering-grade programs, 32GB or more is recommended.

How Much Storage Do I Need in a Work Laptop?

With businesses using video, multimedia PowerPoint slides, and multi-megapixel photos in staff meetings, virtual and in-person, opting for a spacious drive is a smart idea. Traditional platter drives, though, are essentially goners at this point, except in refurbished or used older models of business laptop. (At this point, you not only should shun them, but you will likely be starved of options.)

That said, we're huge fans of the solid-state boot drives that have replaced them, and all new business laptops have moved over to them at this point. While pricier per gigabyte in their storage capacities, solid-state drives (SSDs) don't have any spinning parts and are far better suited to take a licking on the road. SSD-equipped systems also boot and launch apps more quickly. Capacities of 256GB or 512GB will anchor most base models. We wouldn't go below 512GB in a new machine; 1TB is a good minimum target for power users.

Optical drives have disappeared on business laptops, barring a few specialized rugged models for niche applications. If you need to retrieve older files or records stored on CDs or DVDs, an external disc drive can help; that's a smarter move than buying an older, bulky laptop equipped with an optical drive if you know you're not quite done shuffling discs yet.

Integrated vs. Dedicated: What Graphics Should You Get in a Work Laptop?

Most business PCs come with integrated graphics chips, a lightweight graphics acceleration solution that's part of the main CPU. These integrated GPUs are usually OK for business laptops since you won't be playing 3D games on a computer meant for work. (Right?) Unless a laptop has a separate GPU, it will use integrated graphics, usually named "Intel UHD Graphics" or "Iris Xe Graphics" (or, in the latest Intel Core Ultra-based models, "Intel Arc Graphics"). AMD's chips use the name Radeon Graphics.

Most professionals who require discrete graphics will use them for specialized tasks such as GPU acceleration in Photoshop, high-definition video creation in Adobe Premiere Pro, or 3D graphics visualization in architectural drawings and CAD software. Mobile-workstation-class laptops usually come with discrete graphics for their 3D capabilities or to drive multiple monitors.

While a few professional laptops will get the Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics cards you'd typically find in a higher-end consumer laptop or gaming machine, most will get an extra boost with Nvidia's professional GPU lines. Older workstations use Nvidia's older Quadro GPUs, while the last few generations of newer models use Nvidia's RTX A or RTX Ada series or (rarely) AMD's Radeon Pro line.

The exception to this rule is Apple, which builds pro-level graphics processing right into its higher-end chips. While the basic M4-powered MacBook Pros may be limited to some light photo and video editing, the beefier M4 Pro and M4 Max processors in the latest MacBook Pro models contain the same level of graphics power as a Windows system with a dedicated GPU for work tasks.

As for the display panel, LCD screens with 1,366-by-768-pixel resolution are still available if you're trying to save some money on your laptop—but absolutely avoid them. Your eyes will thank you for upgrading to at least a 1,920-by-1,080-pixel display that uses in-plane switching (IPS) technology. This combination will ensure that you have plenty of space for displaying many columns of numbers in Excel or arranging many windows on the screen at once. This also ensures your co-workers can see them from any angle while clustering around your desk.

For graphics or scientific work, a 1600p or 4K display still provides more real estate, as well as sharper text and more detailed visuals. Though these are still fairly uncommon fixtures on business laptops, they're emerging at least as options in some isolated models and are worth the money if your job will use extra pixels. Just know that all else being equal, a high-resolution screen will drain battery life more rapidly than a lower-res one of the same base technology.

Stay Connected: Wired and Wireless Options

An effective and fast wireless connectivity loadout is essential in any business machine these days. Offices, airports, and client sites demand wireless connectivity to access real-time email, messaging clients, and cloud services. Few businesspeople work fully locally anymore.

Every laptop these days has some flavor of Wi-Fi built in. It should get you satisfactory throughput, but you must find a hotspot or an unprotected network to surf the web. Look for dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi for the best flexibility for your IT organization. The most common kind nowadays, 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), runs primarily on 5GHz networks but will work with 2.4GHz networks as a fallback. The premium alternative at the moment is Wi-Fi 6E, but the newest standard, Wi-Fi 7, should quickly gain traction in 2025.

Offices in high-density buildings may wish to use the less-populated 5GHz bands, as the 2.4GHz channels tend to get more crowded. Some budget business laptops still come with older 802.11ac Wi-Fi 5. These are still adequate for most small and medium businesses, but they indicate an older laptop you might want to avoid for other reasons.

Don't discount good old Ethernet entirely: You'll still need it for crowded conferences with saturated Wi-Fi. So, if your laptop is too thin to house an Ethernet jack, a USB-to-Ethernet adapter is a worthwhile investment. (One might come in the box.)

These difficulties are partly why some business laptops have built-in mobile-broadband wireless modems as options. They work in tandem with available cellular networks to bring broadband speeds to your laptop wherever you find a cellular signal available. You can configure many business laptops with one of these modems integrated for a nominal fee; this option is one of the key distinguishing features of business laptops.

Constant connectivity is a standard option for business laptops, but it doesn't come cheap. A 5G wireless connection can run up a hefty monthly fee. Still, with widely available coverage and service plans from top cellular providers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, it's an excellent way to stay connected for work on the road. Mobile hotspots and smartphone tethering are also available if you don't want to buy internal modems for all your employees; they're a quick fix if you only need mobile internet part-time.

Keep Running: How to Get the Best Laptop Battery Life

A big battery can be your best friend on a lengthy flight or a long commute. Business laptops usually come with multiple battery options. Some enterprise-class laptops have two or three different kinds of batteries (four-, six-, and nine-cell options). More cells mean longer battery life, all else being equal. The "equal" is the tricky part; this isn't always the case with laptops that use 4K displays or other power-hungry components. A big battery adds some heft, but being able to run it unplugged from dawn 'til dusk is worth the weight gain.

Ultraportable laptops generally have non-removable, sealed-in batteries. Laptops with removable batteries still exist, but they are quite uncommon, limited mostly to rugged tablets and laptops designed for extreme conditions.

2-in-1 Laptops: Are They Good for Work?

Price and portability are arguably the biggest reasons why a business might consider a Windows-based tablet for work. Some tablets sell for less than $500 and can quickly adapt to a corporate environment. While specialized (i.e., expensive) tablets have been in vertical markets, such as health care, for years, the ubiquity of the Apple iPad means that people are used to carrying a computer that doesn't have a physical keyboard or that uses a detachable, basic one.

You might look for a Windows tablet if you need to run critical in-house or third-party apps created initially for PCs but emphasize touch or pen input. True enterprise-class Windows tablets are still evolving, but most business users expect their work computers to behave like their personal tablets. Apple fans will have to be content with using the iPad or iPad Pro for business, as a tablet-optimized version of macOS doesn't exist.

Most Windows tablets are built to surf the web, run Office apps, and perform other super-light computing tasks. Still, they are also compatible with the gamut of security applications, VPN and email clients, and countless hardware peripherals such as printers, scanners, and network-attached storage (NAS) devices. We wouldn't run an entire business on a tablet, but one can be a helpful take-along unit for an offsite meeting or as a portable alternative to your six-pound big-screen bruiser of a workstation. Microsoft (with its Surface line) and Lenovo (with its ThinkPad variants) are the key players for business Windows tablets in this market.

The Best Chromebooks for Work: Simple and Affordable

With the cloud becoming omnipresent at work and home alike, Chromebooks are more viable options than ever for laptops devoted to work activity. These laptops are restricted to using Google's ChromeOS, which began as a souped-up version of the popular web browser. Android apps from the Google Play Store (such as the Microsoft Office suite or Adobe Photoshop Lightroom) extend Chromebooks' abilities, but they often lack features found on the Windows-based versions of the same programs. Businesses that run their core applications on the Google suite may find Chromebooks helpful under certain circumstances, though, as emailing and communications stations. The latest models even have Intel vPro IT manageability and security tech built in.

A Chromebook could be enough if web-based collaboration is critical to your workflow. Because Chromebooks don't need powerful hardware to run most web apps, they generally cost a lot less than other business laptops. Some Chromebooks designed for work do have beefier processors and more memory. Our general takeaway is that under most circumstances, they tend to work better as adjuncts than primary machines in most businesses.

What Are the Best Laptops for Home-Office Use?

By and large, work laptops are ideal whether in a cubicle in the office or the comfort of your home. But, if you want a fantastic work-from-home laptop, we have a few additional factors to consider, like portability if you're commuting to an office for part of the week or camera quality so you can look your best while working remotely.

One of the major concerns is portability, which includes a laptop's size, weight, and battery life. You might be able to tote a laptop under an arm or nestled inside a laptop bag, but you also want to use it without being tethered to an outlet. If you're going to a coffee shop, on an airplane, back and forth from an office to your home, or wherever your remote work happens, choosing a lightweight, long-lived laptop will pay off.

But stationary use is also a concern. If you work from home more often than you take your laptop on the road, you'll want to take advantage of dedicated desk space and the accessories and peripherals a desk allows. That means an external monitor, a proper keyboard and mouse, and any other peripherals you want for your workspace.

Finally, look for a laptop with a 1080p camera, which will help you look better on video calls than the 720p cameras many office models default to. Most of our favorite models listed above feature these higher-quality cameras for better virtual meetings.

Which Brands and Styles Are Better for Business Users?

The brand is one of the most significant decisions about a work laptop. Which is better for business, Dell or HP? Lenovo or Apple? IT department requirements, software needs, and other concerns further complicate these questions. By and large, major brands making work laptops do a decent job of staying competitive, providing similar options in terms of hardware and features, with an added layer of brand-specific software for power users or IT management.

If you want to shop by brand, check out some of our manufacturer-specific pages highlighting the best Dell laptops, the best Lenovo laptops, or the best Apple MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops. To an extent, which brand you choose may depend on the volume discounts you can work with the sales team at a Dell, an HP, or a Lenovo, and what the installed base of laptops at your office comprises. There's no single easy answer.

But what often matters before the brand is what you need your laptop to do. Check out the best ultraportable laptops if you want something light and easy to carry. Try the best mobile workstations if you need a beefy laptop for demanding professional work. Or read up on the best rugged laptops if you need something that can survive in the field or on a work site. Looking at the top models that fit your team's or teams' use cases can help you narrow down to specific models and, from that, brands if you're not wedded to just one.

Ready to Buy the Right Work Laptop?

Take some time to consider the nature of your particular job. Doing so should point you toward the ideal business laptop. Paying a little extra for more power or capabilities now will save you headaches down the road. The added value of a more extended warranty (some business laptops come with three years, or you may be able to negotiate terms on a bulk fleet buy), specialized tech support, and a more ruggedized frame (fortified by carbon fiber or magnesium alloy) are some of the extra benefits you may get with a business laptop.

If your work is graphics-intensive, you'll want to opt for a laptop with a discrete GPU. When choosing a processor, you'll have to find the right balance between power for your applications and energy efficiency, and in selecting a battery, you'll need to choose between its capacity and weight. When you determine the best features for your needs, you can focus on just those laptops that incorporate them. And that's where our deep-dive reviews come in.

Our current favorite business laptops are laid out in our spec list. We constantly refresh the list to include the newest products, and because of the large number of laptops we review every year, not every top-rated product makes the cut. For more, also see our overall top laptop picks and, if money is tight, our roundup of the best budget laptops. And if you're looking to fully outfit your work area, check out our takes on the best business monitors, plus our favorite ergonomic keyboards and printers.