Working from home is becoming much more common these days. The best thing you can have at your disposal to make sure that you can effectively fulfill your work from home duties is a decent laptop.
Whether you’re looking to spend quite a bit of money on a very advanced laptop, or you need something affordable and efficient because you’re on a budget, there’s something for everyone in the modern laptop market.
It can be quite daunting when you see the sheer amount of laptops available from a huge variety of companies, which is why we’ve put together this nifty guide which will showcase the best laptops for working from home, and help you find the right device for you.
So without further ado, here are our 6 best laptops for working from home.
The 5 Best Laptops for Working From Home
1. Apple MacBook Pro
The new MacBook Pro is a fantastic choice for home-workers. Apple is well known for making high-quality laptops and the Macbook Pro is the best in their arsenal.
With a very comfortable keyboard and touchpad, second to none sound quality and powerful performance, the Apple MacBook Pro is the premium choice for those who are happy to spend a little extra for a reliable, highly functional laptop.
Pros
- Ergonomic keyboard
- Big, comfortable touchpad
- Fantastic sound quality
- Long battery life
Cons
- No touch screen control
- Expensive
- No USB Type-A ports
2. Apple Macbook Air
The Apple Macbook Air is another exceptionally high-quality laptop from the forefronters of tech, Apple.
If you plan to transport your laptop around frequently, a Macbook Air is a better choice than the Pro because of its thin and lightweight build.
It doesn’t scrimp on performance either, with a stunning display and lengthy battery life making this laptop a reliable powerhouse for home working.
Pros
- Cheaper than the Macbook Pro
- Great for transporting; thin and lightweight
- Sharp retina display
- Long battery life
Cons
- Limited hardware upgradability
- Still quite expensive
- No touch screen
3. Asus Vivobook
Another fantastic laptop for home workers is the Asus VivoBook 15, which combines a sleek design and fantastic performance with superb connectivity and a lower price tag than the previous laptops mentioned.
If you’re looking for an elegant laptop with a big 15 inch screen and top-tier performance for a fair price, the Asus VivoBook 15 is the one for you.
Pros
- Sleek design
- Compact in size
- Powerful performance
Cons
- Average screen display
- Does not support Thunderbolt 3
4. Dell XPS 13
The Dell XPS 13 laptop is ideal for working from home because of its professional build and fantastic HDR screen quality. Strong brightness and slick performance go hand in hand to create a stunning laptop experience.
It’s highly portable, too, with great webcam placement and powerful performance to boot. This reliable and good-looking laptop is a perfect addition to your home office.
Pros
- Gorgeous design and 4K screen
- Brilliant performance
- Slim and sleek
Cons
- Battery life isn’t the best
- No USB Type-A slots
5. HP Pavilion
HP Pavilion is an optimal choice as your new work from home laptop, because it boasts superior performance and a modern, sleek design and exceptional video quality for an affordable price.
If you don’t want to break the bank but need a high-quality laptop to work from, the HP Pavilion ranks as one of the best options.
Pros
- Cost-effective
- Well made design
- Excellent performance
- Ergonomic keyboard
Cons
- Brightness of the screen isn’t great
- Slow connectivity at times
6. LG Gram
The well-performing LG gram somehow makes a 17 inch laptop feel lightweight and compact.
It has an extremely long-lasting battery life, which is great for home-workers who don’t like to plug in frequently, or like to take trips to their local cafe to work without lots of messy cables.
It shows excellent portability, and offers a reliable and solid performance.
Pros
- Big screen but lightweight
- Very long battery life
- No noise performance
Cons
- Not the best keyboard
- Sound quality is average
- Design isn’t as attractive as others
7. Asus ZenBook
The Asus ZenBook laptop is one of the best choices for home workers due to its affordability, fantastic portability and superior battery life.
With a sleek, stylish design, slim screen and comfy keyboard, you’ll fall in love with the Asus ZenBook if you choose it as your work from home laptop.
Pros
- Compact and lightweight for portability
- Long battery life
- Excellent sound quality
Cons
- Not much VRAM
- Doesn’t support Thunderbolt 3
8. HP Envy 15t Touch
The HP Envy 15t Touch is a great choice of laptop for those who enjoy touch screen capabilities, good performance and a stylish and elegant design. It’s affordable and can multitask very well – which is great for home working.
It can run heavy games and movies well, so it’s a nice option for those of you who take lots of gaming breaks.
Pros
- Touch screen capability
- Excellent performance
- Sleek design
- Affordable price
Cons
- Battery life is not very long
- Not the best display
Buyer’s Guide
It can be a tough decision when it comes to purchasing the best laptop for working from home. You should consider your own individual needs and budget before committing to buying a laptop.
Our handy buyers guide will take you through some of the factors you should consider before choosing your new laptop.
1. Different Operating Systems
Which operating system do you prefer? Different laptops have different systems, so it’s worth thinking about whether you would prefer to stick to an operating system that you are familiar with or whether you don’t mind changing to another one.
You might be used to Windows, or you might be used to MacOS. If you’ve decided you don’t mind changing over because you really like the look of a specific laptop, then make sure you take the time to learn the new operating system to get the best out of your new laptop.
2. Size Matters
The size of your laptop is important because if you want your laptop to be portable – you’ll want to opt for a smaller size (such as 11-12 inches or 13-14 inches).
However, bear in mind that processing power goes up with size, so if you plan to leave your laptop in one place all the time, and you need lots of power, it might be worth opting for a 15 to 16 or 17 to 18 inch laptop.
3. Watch Out For Battery Life
Battery life can be the difference between a laptop that works for you, and one that really doesn’t.
Long work days might require lots of battery, so think about whether you mind if your laptop needs to spend a large amount of time plugged in to charge, or if you’d rather something that will last all day.
4. How Will You Use Your Laptop?
Will your laptop be needed for light use or heavy use? If you’re running lots of different apps and using your laptop all day every day for heavy workloads, you might want to look at getting a high-powered device.
Your local tech store can help with this, and there is lots of information online.
5. Type Of Laptop
Would you like a normal laptop, a chromebook, a 2-in-1 or a high performance gaming laptop? Check out the different types of laptops available on the market so you can find the perfect fit for your own usability.
Remember, you can use your laptop for other things outside of home working too, so think about the sorts of things you enjoy doing on your devices. Do you play games, or simply browse the web? Make sure that your laptop can adequately support the way you use it.
6. Memory
It’s very important that you select a laptop with enough storage space to fulfill your requirements. If you need to save a lot of files, you’ll need something with a lot of space.
For example – a graphic designer or avid gamer would need lots of storage space and would probably opt for a laptop with a memory of 16GB or above.
Browsing the web or checking social media would only require memory as little as 4GB, while essays, presentations and general office work requires around 6GB. If you plan to use your laptop to access streaming services, opt for 8GB and over of memory.
Laptops with higher memory capacities tend to be higher in price, so consider if you really need a 16 GB laptop, or if you can make do with 8GB.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I Buy A Laptop Or A Desktop Computer?
Whether you buy a laptop or a desktop computer all comes down to whether you prefer portability or maximum performance more.
Laptops are far more portable, whereas desktops offer more power. In terms of screen size, if you opt to buy a laptop you can always purchase a large monitor to plug it into.
How Do I Make My Laptop Last Longer?
Keep your laptop clean and dust-free, transport it carefully and make sure it is safe from water damage. Perform routine maintenance and virus scans on your laptop, download important updates and make sure antivirus software is installed and not out of date.
Make sure you don’t multitask too much and close down tabs and apps which may be running in the background.
