Laptops are becoming more appealing and essential as workplaces shift to incorporate remote jobs. This new way of working has become effective, but it can be strenuous if you don’t have the right tools. The best laptop for working from home lets you work efficiently from anywhere you wish.
However, picking the right laptop for remote work is not as easy as picking just any laptop you come across. To help you make a knowledgeable decision, we have curated a list of five of the best laptops in the market, their pros, and cons, as well as the different factors you need to consider while making a purchase.
Which Laptop Is Best for Remote Work?
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The best laptops for working from home lets you operate your business from anywhere in the world. Of course, they come with different features based on the type of job you do. But regardless, remote-work laptops need to be powerful enough to handle different tasks and portable enough to take with you.
The remote working laptops below are worth checking out if you’re looking for the best laptop to manage the most demanding tasks. All the laptops in our list have different features and specs, so you can select the one that best suits your needs.
1. Apple MacBook Air Laptop: Apple M1 Chip
One of my personal favorite remote-working laptops is the Apple MacBook Air. I find it a powerful machine that is super easy to use on my day-to-day office duties. With a 1.4 GHz quad-core Intel i5 processor, 8GB RAM, and SSD 256GB storage, I can run multiple apps simultaneously without my laptop lagging.
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What intrigues me the most is the 13.3 inches Retina display, which delivers sharp, clear, and vibrant images with amazing levels of realism. Plus, it provides superb performance and allows me to take on everything from professional-quality editing to gaming with much ease.
Amazingly, the laptop is super easy to use and set up. Since I have used an iPhone, this MacBook Air feels familiar from the moment I turn it on. Additionally, the laptop is compatible with all my existing iPhone apps, meaning I can use all my favorite iPhone and iPad apps directly on the macOS.
This MacBook Air is my go-to laptop for working remotely. It performs well, is beautiful and easy to use, and does everything I need. Its a well worth the investment.
Pros
- Great value for money
- Ideal opinion for video conferencing
- Offers fast performance
- It has sleek usability with a versatile touch bar
- It comes with a convenient keyboard and trackpad
- Beautiful high-resolution display
- Great battery life
- Unyielding aluminum enclosure
- It comes with a one-year limited warranty
Cons
- Quite Expensive
2. Acer Spin 3 Convertible Laptop, 14″ Full HD IPS Touch
Acer Spin3 Convertible Laptop is another great option we recommend if you want the best laptop for working from home. This 14-inch convertible 2-in-1 laptop combines an Intel 10th Generation Core i5 CPU with an adequate 8GB of memory and 256GB solid-state drive, providing a seamless working experience.
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Thanks to the inclusion of a Thunderbolt port, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, we were able to pair it with other devices. Performance-wise, our Acer Spin 3 performed adequately, but it lagged abit when we used it to play heavy games.
When it comes to the backlit keyboard, we got a strong, responsive deck with backlighting. The battery life was up to 12 hours, which kept us running for a long time while we worked on our projects, providing a smooth experience. Finally, our Spin 3 laptop came with great accessories that make using it even easier.
The only thing we didn’t like was our laptop’s screen dimmed, making it impossible for us to enjoy the Full HD graphics from the Intel UHD graphics card. Generally, it is a pretty decent machine for most office duties you need to be done remotely.
Pros
- Superb performance
- Wi-Fi 6 connectivity
- Impressive touch-screen display with accurate colors
- Stylus and carrying sleeve included
- Fantastic value
- Super lightweight
- Reliable battery life
- high-quality Infinity display
Cons
- The laptops’ screen is too dim for bright rooms
3. Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – 12.3″ Touch-Screen
This Microsoft Surface laptop is another perfect option you can go for, which is an upgrade from the Microsoft Surface Pro 6. The machine is identical to the Surface Pro 6 but has improved performance and unique features.
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Our Surface Pro 7 came with a graphical power that made it more appealing for us, especially since it’s a 2-in-1 device. With this laptop, we could run different office duties and still easily play less demanding games. In addition, our device had a 12.3-inch PixelSense display with 2736 by 824 resolution, which enabled us to switch between different enhancement and color modes.
What fascinated us the most was that our laptop came with three different 11th-generation ‘Tiger Lake’ Intel processors, allowing us to configure the device to have up to 32GB of RAM.
Additionally, our machine has the Windows Hello sign-in feature, which eliminates the need for a password. Even better, it has built-in LTE connectivity making it a convenient option if you are stuck trying to upload a project or stream content in a remote location without Wi-Fi. It also has a battery life of up to 10.5 hours and can charge from 0% to 80% in under an hour.
Pros
- Excellent processor performance
- Detachable screen
- Lightweight and ultra-portable
- It has USB Type-C
- Good value keyboard
- Well-implemented kickstand
- Robust battery life
- touch-screen with pen
Cons
- Stylus and keyboard come sold separately
4. Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 Laptop
If you want a budget laptop for working at home, then Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is a great option. This machine has a sturdy frame, a comfortable-to-use keyboard, and a great HD display, making it even more convenient for remote working.
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We enjoyed that our machine uses a Windows 10 Home OS with a screen resolution of 1080×1920 pixels. What’s more, it is powered by an Intel core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM, giving us a combination of speed and capacity while still providing enough storage space. With this processor, we could do almost all office duties, including the most demanding applications.
The typing experience we got from this laptop is excellent. It came with a full-sized keyboard with a number pad and a trackpad with great touch response.
Pros
- Great performance
- USB-C port included
- Sturdy build quality
- Comfortable keyboard and touchpad
- It has an integrated fingerprint scanner
- It allows you to upgrade the RAM
Cons
- It has a dull display
5. LG Gram 14Z90P Laptop 14″ Ultra-Lightweight
The LG Gram 14 is another amazing option that comes with a sophisticated and minimalist design. Besides its long battery life, we were fascinated by its low weight. While compared to most other laptops we tested, this machine offers better performance and endurance.
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Even better, our laptop had all the ports needed for everyday use. The ports are evenly distributed on both sides, with adequate space between the ports for more comfortable usage. The laptop’s keyboard was also comfortable to type on, and its keys have decent travel. Furthermore, the touchpad was smooth to the touch with a very responsive mouse cursor.
Pros
- Super lightweight
- High-quality Infinity display
- Powerful processor
- Satisfying keyboard
- Good mix of ports
- Excellent build quality
- Decent battery life for the price
Cons
- Poor active cooling abilities
Factors to Consider Before Purchasing the Best Laptop for Working From Home
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1. Usability and Interface
The first vital factor you need to consider while purchasing the best laptop for working from home is the usability and interface. Different laptops have different features meaning they are all designed for different uses. Some are specifically designed for gaming, while others are designed for heavy or light business duties.
Basically, you need to pick a laptop that suits your needs. In addition to that, you want to pick a machine that is easy to use with a user-friendly interface.
2. Operating System
What operating system do you need for a remote-working laptop? If you only use your laptop to conduct regular jobs like writing emails, data entry, browsing, managing multiple databases, networking, marketing, or running applications, you can opt for Windows, Mac OS, Ubuntu, or Solaris.
However, Windows 10 is the most popular choice for most business users, and Apple macOS is specially designed for creative professionals. Again if you are looking for an affordable option for checking emails or browsing, a Chromebook may be a better option.
3. CPU
Another factor you need to consider is the CPU and graphics of the laptop you intend to get. The quality of a CPU means faster load time, the ability to run different or multiple apps at once without glitches, and fewer slowdowns while processor-intensive tasks.
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If you are just using your laptop for basic tasks, you will not need a powerful processor or dedicated graphics card. However, if you are a power user or plan on using the laptop for gaming, you must pick a machine with a powerful CPU and graphics card since heavy duties can impact your laptop’s performance and speed.
Here are the three types of processors you can choose from;
- Low-intensity processor: These processors typically have two cores, Pentium, Celeron, and Intel Core i3.
- Average intensity processor: These processors come with two to four cores, usually Intel Core i3, AMD 8, AMD Ryzen 3, and AMD Ryzen 5.
- High-intensity processors: These are the fastest processors with six to eight cores.
4. RAM and Storage
It’s also vital to consider how much ram and storage you will need before making a purchase. If you are a power user like a video editor or graphic designer, you will require a machine with a lot of RAM, say, 32GB. This way, you can have multiple programs open simultaneously without lagging. However, for basic tasks, 4BG of RAM should be adequate.
Regarding storage, 128GB is considered efficient for most remote workers. However, if you are dealing with large files or intend to store quality videos or photos, it might be best to go for a machine with higher storage capacities.
5. Battery Life
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Battery life is another crucial consideration you must consider when purchasing any smart device. You want to purchase a machine that you can work with without worrying about power. On average, a good laptop battery lasts about 1,000 charge cycles with a battery life of 15 hours. Choosing a machine with excellent battery life is amazing, but you also need a good power backup, especially if you are a person who is always on the go.
6. Ports and Connectivity
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When purchasing the best laptop for remote work, you will need to check the connectivity options that it comes with. At the minimum, you need a machine that can connect to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. For the number of ports, the more they are, the better.
7. Portability
You will definitely need to get a portable laptop, particularly if you move around more often. Although you could sit at one location while working at home, you might sometimes need to multitask and move around, and with portable or lightweight machines, this will be possible.
8. Price
How much are you planning to spend on a laptop? You will need to work within a budget, and whichever machine you purchase will obviously affect the machine’s specs. The good thing is that you can get pretty decent laptops for as low as $200.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS) On Laptops for Working From Home
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1. How Much RAM Do I Require to Work From Home?
Regular office work or webcam use only requires a machine with between 4 to 8 GB of Ram, which is great because you can get many budget options. Nevertheless, those working in fields needing higher processes running simultaneously should consider 16 GB or 32GB RAM.
2. Is a Bigger Laptop Screen Better?
With a set office in your home, bigger screens are undoubtedly better since they allow you to view documents and attend online conferences efficiently. However, if you are a digital nomad or move around a lot, you might want to consider getting a machine with a smaller screen for enhanced portability.
3. Is a Webcam Necessary for Laptops for Working From Home?
Although audio communication is efficient, we highly recommend getting a laptop with a webcam, especially if you need face-to-face communication. With a high-quality webcam, it is easier than ever to present things visually to a client or even hold visual meetings with them.