Which company is best in notebook?

Looking for the best business laptop to help hit your goals in 2024? There are great deals available right now on last year's models, and if you are willing to wait, the laptops we saw at CES 2024 will start shipping over the next couple of months. Whatever your situation, consider us your outsourced team of dedicated laptop experts who review dozens of laptops annually to help you find the very best business laptops.

The best business laptops from every major manufacturer are put through our rigorous lab and real-world testing so we can judge their blend of portability, performance, battery life, and more. When it comes to business laptops you can't shortchange security and durability — the best business laptops typically come with fingerprint sensors, IR cameras, security chips, and many have military-grade durability. These are key components that differentiate business laptops from typical consumer laptops.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 is our current pick for the best business laptop, ticking all of the boxes above and offering a gorgeous display, solid performance, and almost 14 hours of battery life! However, if you prefer Acer, Apple, Dell, or HP there are compelling options at varying price points from them all.

Read on for a look at our top picks and we'll find the perfect fit for you.

The Quick List

Best Business Laptop Overall

(Image credit: Future)

Lenovo’s X1 Carbon reclaims its spot atop the best business laptops after a one-year hiatus. The disappointing battery life of 2022 is gone, and it's back to the top serving up plenty of endurance and power in its lightweight frame. Weighing in at just 2.6 pounds with a thickness of only 0.6 inches, the X1 Carbon isn't going to overload your laptop bag when commuting or traveling. Plus, it’s MIL-SPEC tested so it'll hold up to any bumps or drops along the way.

Realizing that security is a top priority for many business users, the X1 Carbon Gen 11 has a fingerprint reader and a TPM 2.0 chip to encrypt sensitive data. Want to max out security and convenience? The Windows Hello-compatible IR camera is an affordable upgrade. 

The X1 Carbon Gen 11 also has ports aplenty, so you shouldn't need to worry about a USB-C hub in your bag. The 14-inch panel is plenty bright and more vivid than the typical business laptop to keep those spreadsheets looking as colorful as possible. The world-renowned keyboard is just as comfortable as we’ve come to expect. 

The X1 Carbon's 13 hours and 45 minutes on our battery test should keep it cruising through a full workday and beyond. We have only a few knocks against the X1 Carbon Gen 11 with its disappointing webcam and less than mind-blowing performance, but as far as specs business users care about, it is the best. 

See our full Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 review.

Best Budget Business Laptop

Lenovo ThinkBook 14s Yoga

(Image credit: Future)

A great budget business laptop has to mean great value, not just cheap, and the ThinkBook 14s Yoga knocks it out of the park in that regard. Starting below $1,000 for a durable 2-in-1 with a built-in Smart Pen, solid performance, and all-day battery life.

The Lenovo ThinkBook 14s Yoga won't have you crushing any AAA video games, but it will crush when it comes to churning out reports, spreadsheets, or any other productivity task that you toss its way. Coming up just minutes shy of 10 hours of battery life it should also power you through any reasonable business day.

The included Smart Pen won't get lost thank to the built-in silo that houses it in your ThinkBook. Whether you use it to sketch, take handwritten notes, or even just sign the occasional document, it's sure to come in handy. Built-in bonuses don't stop there, the solid webcam should prevent you from having to pack an external webcam with it in your laptop bag.

While you can find a laptop for under $500, most business users will be better served by stretching that budget to reach the ThinkBook 14S Yoga. 

See our full Lenovo ThinkBook 14S Yoga review 

Best Long-Lasting Business Laptop

(Image credit: Future)

The HP Elite Dragonfly G3 will earn you envious looks from coworkers, particularly as they search for a charging port while you cruise along with over 14 hours on a single charge. You'll also look your best thank to one of the best built-in webcams we've used.

The Dragonfly G3 has plenty of power to handle productivity and web browsing tasks and its efficiency over raw power is a worthwhile tradeoff for business users. 

The productivity-enhancing 3:2 aspect ratio lets you get more done whether at the office or on the go. The comfortable clicky keyboard, spacious touchpad, and solid webcam should save you from packing accessories to stay productive on the road. Speaking of travel-friendly, I haven't mentioned its 2.2-pound weight, which is the last piece of the puzzle snapping into place.

Read our full HP Elite Dragonfly G3 review.

Best 2-in-1 Business Laptop

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

4. Dell Latitude 9430

A versatile convertible with a gorgeous touchscreen

Our expert review:

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

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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.

See our full Dell Latitude 9430 2-in-1 review.

Best Apple Business Laptop

(Image credit: Future)

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 recently updated MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023), which sports an HDMI port, an SD card slot, MagSafe and a trio of Thunderbolt 4 ports (sadly, still no USB-A). 

See our full Apple MacBook M2 (13-inch) review.

Best Workstation Business Laptop

A premium workstation in a thin-and-light form factor

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

6. Dell Precision 5470

Witness the power of this fully operational workstation

Our expert review:

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

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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.

See our full Dell Precision 5470 review.

Best ChromeOS Business Laptop

HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

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.

See our full HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook review.

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? While the kind of blistering performance you need in a gaming laptop isn't necessary, business users don't want to be bogged down while multitasking. RAM is one concern here, opt for at least 16GB and 32GB isn't ridiculous if you are a power user that likes to keep numerous apps and browser tabs open. For your CPU most will be fine with a Core i-5 or higher Intel P-series or U-series options from Intel 13th Gen or Intel 14th Gen, or an Intel Core Ultra 5 or higher.
• 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 at least 10 hours on a charge. 
• 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.

(Image credit: Future)

How We Test Business Laptops

How we test business laptops

Why you can trust Laptop Mag Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

We put each laptop through extensive benchmark testing — both synthetic and real-world — before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers and heat management.

In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and DCI-P3 color gamut of the laptop's display. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including GeekBench 5 and 3DMark professional graphics tests. 

To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and to duplicate a 25GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test includes the Assasin's Creed Valhalla benchmark with medium settings at 1080p resolution. 

We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows 11 laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a good result whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered for longer than 5 hours deserve praise. 

These tests are complemented with extensive hands-on testing from our reviewers who critique everything from the laptop's materials to the feel of its touchpad. 

Why Trust Laptop Mag

Laptop Mag reviews over a hundred different laptops every year, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming. 

We are 100% independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades, and we continue to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on. 

Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it. 

Our editorial trustworthiness is enforced by one of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.

People’s Choice

Welcome to People’s Choice, where we find the best-reviewed products and single out the most convincing reviews. (You can learn more about our rating system and how we pick each item here.)

Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers

A good notebook is a daily necessity, and there’s nothing like putting pen to paper to cut out distractions and take time with your thoughts. But with so many options out there — from hard and soft covers to spiral-bound and sewn — it can be tough to pick the right one. At the Strategist, we’re writing around the clock, and many of us have journals we swear by for note-taking, list-making, and jotting down ideas. So, we’ve gone through the archives to find the best ones recommended by our staffers but also by authors and avid journalers. Our roundup includes Neil Gaiman’s favorite journal; notepads you can use in the shower; and books you can completely customize for endless musing, doodling, and organizing.

Best hardcover notebooks

Leuchtturm1917 Hardcover Notebook

$24

$24

Moleskine is a popular choice, but author Neil Gaiman says he made the switch to Leuchtturm after Moleskine’s paper got thinner. “It’s just a better notebook,” he says. The smooth, leatherlike, water-resistant cover is made from recycled materials, and the journal comes with stick-on tabs so you can label each book with what’s inside. Gaiman says he appreciates that the pages are numbered and there’s a space at the top for a date. “It feels really well designed.”

$24

at Amazon

Buy

$24

at Amazon

Buy

Baron Fig Confidant Notebook

$19

$19

Tayari Jones, the author of An American Marriage, recommends this Confidant notebook from Baron Fig for its construction and dot-grid layout. The journal is clothbound and hardcover, and Jones likes that it’s hand-sewn, which she says makes it feel artisanal despite being inexpensive. As for the paper, Jones says, “I feel like lines are too controlling and the blank page doesn’t give me enough structure, so a dot grid feels like that nice in-between space.” It comes in seven pastel colors and three sizes. There’s also ruled and blank-page options.

$19

at Baron Fig

Buy

Best softcover notebooks

Muji Paper Bind Notebook A6 (Set of 5)

$13

$13

Unlike hardcover notebooks, softcovers can be bent back and around without truly damaging the journal’s construction. This Muji Paper Bind has a slim and flexible design with smooth pages, and at $12 for a pack of five, Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo says she’s a devoted user. The card-stock-paper cover means she can draw on it or label it easily, unlike cloth or leather-bound notebooks. She says she uses it on a regular basis for writing to-do lists, drawing on the subway, recording her feelings, and jotting down ideas. There are two drawbacks: One, the pages are slightly transparent when you use inkier pens, and two, the book doesn’t lie open on its own. “But with a little encouragement,” she says, “I can bend one to my will so it’ll stay flat.”

$13

at Amazon

Buy

$16 for 5

at Etsy

Buy

Best spiral-bound notebooks

Rollbahn Pocket Memo Notebook

$14

$23

now 39% off

$14

While the notebooks listed above are sewn, this Rollbahn pocket memo is spiral-bound, meaning it will lie completely flat. A few years ago, Strategist contributor Hannah Morril wrote an ode to the journal, saying it’s the best-designed notebook she’s ever used. She says the binding coil is large enough to hold thick pens, while the coated-cardboard front means the cover won’t crinkle or crease and can be cleaned easily. Writer Hunter Harris (a former New York colleague) also swears by this Rollbahn and says she carries one every single day and has “approximately two dozen tucked away on shelves and in drawers between my home and my desk.”

$14

at Amazon

Buy

$14

at Amazon

Buy

Appointed Dot Grid Workbook

$22

$22

Former Strategist writer Hilary Reid says she typically uses blank or lined notebooks with stitched bindings, but this dot-grid journal from Appointed made her “reconsider everything I ever thought I wanted in a notebook,” she says. Reid says she likes the way the cover flips back over the brass-colored spiral, and she notes the pages are just the right amount of smooth, thick, and bleed-resistant. “It’s simultaneously stately and accessible, and using it makes me feel productive.” Reid says the faint dotted rows are enjoyable to write on, although they’re a tiny bit too close together for her use. However, she says they’re faint enough that you can write outside them without it looking sloppy.

$22

at Appointed

Buy

Best notebooks for bullet journaling

Leuchtturm1917 Medium A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook

$24

$24

We couldn’t help but recommend this dotted version of Leuchtturm1917, which is beloved by both bullet journalers and regular note takers alike, Strategist writer Dominique Pariso says. The dots are small and light gray, so they serve as visual guides for writing and list-making, but Pariso says they’re not so pronounced as to interfere with drawing. “The level of quality is high without feeling too precious,” she notes. “And, oh, the dotted grid! I absolutely adore it. I’ll pretty much scribble in anything, but that page design is my ideal: It gives just the right amount of constraint and freedom.”

$24

at Amazon

Buy

$24

at Amazon

Buy

Best waterproof notebooks

AquaNotes Waterproof Notepad

$15

$15

Strategist contributor Karin Slaughter also wanted a waterproof notepad for jotting down ideas when they came to her (often in the shower). However, she wasn’t keen on the previous journal’s metal spiral binding, so she ordered an AquaNotes pad. Each pad has two big suction cups on the back to attach it to a wall and contains 40 perforated sheets. Slaughter says pencil works on the paper, and she uses the pad to jot down plot points or dialogue. Plus, she points out that they make great gifts. “No one realizes how much they need them until they have them,” she says.

$15

at Amazon

Buy

$15

at Amazon

Buy

Best small notebooks

Traveler’s Company Traveler’s Notebook Starter Kit - Regular Size - Blue Leather

$60

$60

Strategist writer Lauren Ro’s ideal journal is one that allows her to keep separate notebooks but packaged together between the same covers. She found this customizable one from the Traveler’s Company, which lets you create a single book with different inserts. Each insert comes with 64 pages of dotted, lined, blank, or gridded paper in your paper of choice (lightweight, sketch, watercolor), and there are also inserts for using the notebook as a planner (daily, weekly, and monthly inserts). Ro says it’s on the narrow side, and while it’s not an ideal everyday carry due to its size, she could see those who never go without a small journal in their pocket really digging it.

$60

at Amazon

Buy

$50

at JetPens

Buy

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