Whether you are starting your own business, joining an SMB, or doing freelance work for one, a laptop is probably the ideal work device for many people. It is important that, when looking for a laptop for work, you choose a business laptop, rather than a consumer laptop. You can tell the difference in a few ways; for example, consumer laptops generally have a more aesthetically pleasing design, whereas business laptops tend to have a somewhat bland appearance, but are also built to be a lot sturdier.
Business laptops are also built to last much longer. They may have fewer nice-to-have features when compared with a consumer laptop; however, they are designed to handle the heavy usage associated with a 40-hour work week. We spoke to TechQuarters, a business that provides London IT services to SMBs; they know a lot about the best laptop brands for businesses. Below is a rundown of some of the top brands that provide laptops for business.
Lenovo
The Chinese-American tech company Lenovo has been providing a wide range of technology since 1984. While they produce highly popular consumer-level, their business line of technology is where they shine. They are best known for their two lines of business-oriented PCs; ThinkCenter & ThinkPad.
ThinkCentre is Lenovo’s line of desktop computers, while ThinkPad is their line of laptops. TechQuarters highly recommends Lenovo products, as they have provided many customers with Lenovo ThinkPads are part of their Managed IT Support Services.
Dell
Founded the same year as Lenovo, Dell is an American company that is well-known for its approach to supply chain management – for example, they offer lots of options for build-to-order and configure-to-order manufacturing; this means businesses can order individual PCs (as well in-bulk) for their users.
One of the benefits of opting for Dell business laptops is that you can also utilize Dell SupportAssist – this is a subscription service that provides end-users with a range of tools that enable them to diagnose and fix some common IT issues. Many IT support providers like TechQuarters recommend these types of tools – because it can help users minimize downtime themselves.
Microsoft
Perhaps the most recognizable tech brand in the world, Microsoft is well-known for providing technology – both hardware and software – designed for business. Their flagship product, Microsoft 365, equips businesses with all the apps and services they need to conduct all their daily business processes.
In recent years, Microsoft have developed their own line of laptops – the Microsoft Surface – primarily for business users. They are built to compliment the Microsoft ecosystem of software.
HP
HP is a brand that is over 80-years-old. The Hewlett-Packard Company is widely considered to be the company that launched the Silicon Valley. In 2015, the company was split into Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE) and HP Inc., the latter of which is the company that focuses on producing PCs.
After Lenovo, HP is the second largest PC vendor in the world. Their 3 main lines of business laptop include (from affordable up to premium): ProDesk, EliteBook, and ZBook. They also offer a range of business ultrabooks, tablets and 2-in-1 devices.
Apple
This is probably the most well known tech brand in the entire world. Apple’s combination of sleek design language and commitment to using only the highest standard of hardware has earned their products a superb reputation – there is no affordable line of Apple products, and purchasing an Apple device is definitely an investment.