Best business laptops 2023: Our top work picks from Apple, LG and more
Getting one of the best business laptops is going to be vital if you want to maximise productivity. Here are the top choices whether you’re still working from home or back in the office.
Knowing what to go for is likely to be fiddly, given the number of points to consider. This is where we’ve decided to step in. Our team of experts test countless laptops that’d be suitable for business every year, and from our extensive testing and reviews, we’ve compiled this list of the very best.
With all these candidates, we’ve focused on the features that matter the most when buying a laptop. These range from how well built a laptop is built to the vibrancy of the display, alongside other points such as whether the specs are up to scratch and how long the battery will last.
To get these real-world results, our team of experts uses each laptop as their main device for at least a week, utilising both real-world experience and a series of industry-standard benchmarks and specialist equipment such as colorimeters to gain accurate and comparable results.
There’s no need to agonize over any incremental point differences if you’re taking benchmark results into your buying decisions, but it could still be useful to see which CPUs and GPUs perform the best from each manufacturer, be it AMD, Intel, Qualcomm or otherwise
If you can’t find a business laptop you like at the moment, we’d recommend bookmarking this list as we’ll be updating it frequently as more of them pass through the Trusted Labs. It’s also worth checking out our Best Laptop, Best Ultrabook, Best Student Laptop and Best Budget Laptop pages for a more general look.
Best business laptop at a glance
- Best overall business laptop – Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) – check price
- Best value business laptop – Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro – check price
- Best 16 inch business laptop – LG Gram 16 (2022) – check price
- Best for creative work – Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023) – check price
- Best for security – Dell Latitude 7320 – check price
How we test
Every laptop we review goes through a series of uniform checks designed to gauge key things including build quality, performance, screen quality and battery life.
These include formal synthetic benchmarks and scripted tests, plus a series of real world checks, such as how well it runs the most frequently used apps.
We also make sure to use every laptop we review as our primary device for at least a week to ensure our review is as accurate as possible.
- Fantastic performance
- Sleek, updated design
- Excellent keyboard and trackpad
- Long battery life
- Expensive starting price and upgrades
- More colours would have been nice
- The M1 version remains an excellent buy for less
- High-res 16:10 aspect screen
- Good build quality, stylish design
- Glass touchpad
- Battery life doesn’t match that of AMD laptops
- Unbelievably light design
- Big, bold and beautiful display
- Excellent port selection
- Super speedy SSD
- Not as fast as other modern laptops
- Shorter battery life than predecessor
- Noticeable deck flex
- High-brightness matte screen
- Near-silent with general office-type work
- Low weight
- Long battery life
- Limited display contrast
- Touchpad should be better at this price
- Huge amount of internal options
- Stunning screen
- Stays quiet and cool
- Even more expensive than before (for those in the UK)
- Lack of Face ID makes the notch feel dated already
- Pricey to upgrade the memory
Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022)
Best overall business laptop
Pros
- Fantastic performance
- Sleek, updated design
- Excellent keyboard and trackpad
- Long battery life
Cons
- Expensive starting price and upgrades
- More colours would have been nice
- The M1 version remains an excellent buy for less
For the best overall business laptop we’ve tested, look no further than the brand new Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022)
Inside, it features Apple’s all-new M2 chip, which may only offer minimal improvements over the M1, but it’s worth remembering the original performance jump from Intel power to Apple Silicon. As a result, the numbers aren’t too different when compared to the M1 Air, but this new MacBook Air is still more than capable of handling professional tasks such as 4K video editing with ease. The 8GB of RAM on the standard model should be more than enough for most people, especially given the upgrade to 16GB will cost you an extra £200/$200. Like its predecessor, this is also a fanless MacBook, which means it’s silent all the time, but may fall down during sustained loads due to the lack of active cooling.
The screen with the 2022 MacBook Air M2, at 13.6 inches, is the largest available on Apple’s Air Series of laptops, and remains an excellent panel, even if it isn’t Mini LED, like the MacBook Pro 2021. In testing, we found the screen here to match Apple’s claimed 500 nits of brightness, meaning it’s ideal if you’re working a lot in brighter spots.
The design of the 2022 MacBook Air M2 may not have lived up to leaks that suggested a complete redesign a la iMac, but opts instead for a more boxy look like the current run of MacBook Pros. This isn’t such a bad thing, given how sleek it looks, and this is exhibited especially by the fact it’s thinner than the previous model. At 1.24kg, it’s also immensely portable, and a thickness of just 1.13cm also makes it thinner than an iPad with a Magic Keyboard attached. The port selection is alright, with USB-C ports and a MagSafe connection, although you don’t get an SD card reader and HDMI out, as you do on the MacBook Pro. The keyboard and trackpad are both excellent, which is a must if you spend much of the day working in docs and sheets.
The endurance on offer is also excellent, with the M2 MacBook Air lasting comfortably throughout a working day with around 20% to spare, while in running a video loop tested, it lasted for around 14 hours, which is a 2 hour boost compared to the original M1 powered MacBook Air.
Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022)
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro
Best value business laptop
Pros
- High-res 16:10 aspect screen
- Good build quality, stylish design
- Glass touchpad
Cons
- Battery life doesn’t match that of AMD laptops
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro is a marvellous choice for those wanting more of a value choice for a business laptop. Even with that more affordable price tag, it’s still going to be an amazing performer.
Its build quality proved to be exemplary with no real flex in its aluminium casing, while at 1.39kg, this is also a rather portable laptop, which will be handy if you’re moving from meeting to meeting and you want a device that’ll be super easy to carry.
We also found its glass touchpad to be especially pleasing to use, while the keyboard on offer here provided a satisfying deep keypress like the ThinkPads of old.
The display on offer here is also excellent, with rich colours and great vibrancy for both indoor and outdoor usage. With our trusty colorimeter, we measured the brightness here to be 388 nits, which smashes the usual 300 nit target we have for laptops, making this one of the better displays out there. A 14-inch screen size is also great, especially given the 16:10 aspect ratio to offer more vertical real estate.
During testing, the 11th gen Intel Core i7 processor provided some great performance, with benchmarks closing to ultrabooks a few hundred pounds more expensive, such as the Dell XPS 13. This beefy processor performance made both basic productivity tasks and more labour intensive workloads in using pro-grade apps such as Photoshop a doddle. As an Intel Evo-approved machine also, the chip manufacturer views the Yoga Slim 7i Pro as one of the best Intel-powered laptops out there.
We also found the battery life on offer here to be able to get you through a working day with a little bit of juice to spare, even if the 19-hour figure Lenovo quotes is optimistic. Around 9 hours seems a little more realistic.
Reviewer: Andrew Williams
Full review: Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro review
LG Gram 16 (2022)
Best 16-inch business laptop
Pros
- Unbelievably light design
- Big, bold and beautiful display
- Excellent port selection
- Super speedy SSD
Cons
- Not as fast as other modern laptops
- Shorter battery life than predecessor
- Noticeable deck flex
The LG Gram 16 (2022) is currently our top recommendation if you’re after a laptop for business that brings with it the benefit of a larger screen – 16 inches to be exact.
That larger screen size made working a joy during testing, with the ability to have loads of windows open and still have space to work. The 2560×1600 resolution is also excellent, with the images being detailed and vibrant, especially compared to a more standard FHD screen.
As well as offering a punchy display, this 2022 iteration of the LG Gram 16 also offers the same ludicrously light build, with the magnesium alloy construction on offer helping the Gram 16 to be especially featherweight compared to other large screen laptops. This does have the effect of introducing some flex into the chassis, but it should still be robust enough to last. The port selection is fantastic, with a vast array of USB-C, HDMI, Micro SD card reader and headphone jack on offer, while the HD webcam is good enough for video chats, and the keyboard offers a deeper travel than other laptops we’ve tested.
This 2022 iteration also comes with Intel’s new 12th gen processors, with the Intel Core i7-1260P chip inside our sample proving to be rather speedy for productivity tasks, and even faster than an M1 chip inside a MacBook Air. The integrated graphics here also proved to be capable enough for content creation and casual gaming, while the SSDs speeds are some of the fastest we’ve tested recently, and the actual capacity of either 512GB or 1TB depending on the model is also good.
The battery here lasted for nearly 11 hours during our benchmarks, which is above average compared to other large screen portables, although intriguingly constitutes a downgrade compared to last year’s model, which lasted for over 15 hours.
Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: LG Gram 16 (2022)
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023)
Best for creative work
Pros
- Huge amount of internal options
- Stunning screen
- Stays quiet and cool
Cons
- Even more expensive than before (for those in the UK)
- Lack of Face ID makes the notch feel dated already
- Pricey to upgrade the memory
If you’re looking for a business machine that is a true jack-all-of-all-trades, but particularly excels in creative work, the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023) is your best bet. The MacBook Pro has the style to suit any professional environment and the build quality to see you through your daily commutes.
The 2023 version of the MacBook Pro isn’t a huge upgrade on its predecessors, but the older model was so good that it’s really no bad thing. The main change is the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chip options, offering up blistering productivity and capable creativity in a compact device. What makes this an ideal machine for getting work done on the go is the sheer power it can offer when not plugged in. Unlike Windows laptops, this Mac can offer almost identical performance whether it’s plugged into a wall or not, it’s wondrous.
You’ll have plenty of time away from power to get your work done too, with stunning battery life that can go up to 14 hours for productivity workloads. The 16-inch model offers an even bigger battery for even longer life too.
All of your work will be presented on the absolutely glorious Mini LED display, offering up bright HDR content and an impressive 3456 x 2234 resolution. The contrast is remarkably deep and colours will catch your eye from across the room. There’s 120Hz ProMotion onboard as well for smooth scrolling. The high-quality panel combined with the immense creative power make this laptop a must-consider for professionals using editing and design tools.
Adaptability and functionality are essential for a good business laptop too, and the MacBook Pro offers this with its strong selection of ports. You’ll find three Thunderbolt 4, the MagSafe charging port, an SD card reader, an HDMI and a headphone jack.
Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023) review
Dell Latitude 7320
Best for security
Pros
- High-brightness matte screen
- Near-silent with general office-type work
- Low weight
- Long battery life
Cons
- Limited display contrast
- Touchpad should be better at this price
The Dell Latitude 7320 is a marvellous option for a business laptop if security is integral. It’s also one of the more functional-looking devices out there.
This is reflected in its plainer design than other more expensive laptops, although at 1.21kg, it’s one of the lightest on this list, which makes it especially portable. It’s also rather well built too, with little flexing in the casing. The light weight definitely didn’t lead to any compromises on build quality. With a deep travel and some rather chunky and large keys, we also found the keyboard on the 7320 to be one of the best compact laptop keyboards we’ve tested in a while.
We found the performance for such a small laptop to be solid, with great results in our benchmark tests, while the screen also proved to be decent good for mainstream work. It’s a 13.3-inch FHD matted panel, which makes this laptop much easier to use in bright environments. Colours here are relatively punchy, and gamut coverage is more than good enough for basic productivity tasks, even if it may not be up to standard for more intense workloads.
A total 63Wh capacity also allows the Latitude 7320 to offer some great battery life, with it reaching the heights of 12.5 hours during our testing. This is more than enough for a working day, and you may even be able to get a couple more hours out of it before grabbing the charging cable.
Reviewer: Andrew Williams
Full review: Dell Latitude 7320 Review
We also considered…
FAQs
For our money, the best overall laptop for business at the moment is Applre”s new M2-powered MacBook Air, although you may want to look at our other choices if you have specific requirements.
As the name suggests, business laptops are designed to be used for commercial and business use, while personal laptops are someone’s own device.
This depends on what kind of documents and apps you’re going to be storing on the drive. For smaller Word docs, spreadsheets and the like, 256GB is plenty, while if you’re in a line of work that involves larger file sizes and bigger applications, you may want to go for 512Gb or even a 1TB.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.