Notebookcheck's Top 10 Premium Office/Business Laptops

While it previously came 2nd, the Core i5 version of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon took the lead now. Lenovo has also revised the compact ThinkPad X1 Carbon this year. The new case has an even smaller footprint and still houses a 14-inch display. Currently, the decent Full HD display is the only option. The high-resolution WQHD variant will probably be available from mid-year.

In contrast to the Core i7 model (90%), the X1 Carbon with Core i5 processor convinces with a significantly quieter fan. The supposedly slower Core i5 performs only slightly worse under load. If 8 GB of RAM are enough for you, there are few reasons justifying the extra costs of the Core i7.

Both models have the decent Full HD IPS display, good connectivity, and excellent input devices in common.

With renewed case, modern connectivity, and long battery runtimes, the Lenovo ThinkPad T470 can secure a top place in our ranking. The keyboard is still excellent and the touchpad has been improved. In view of being a modern notebook, the 14-inch ThinkPad T470 delivers decent maintainability and two batteries. Even larger modules are optionally available as an external battery. Hence, it is possible to double the battery runtime if required. The fan noise is very quiet during operation.

Their Full HD displays are often a weakness of Lenovo laptops. While they are based on IPS technology, especially the brightness could be higher in many cases. Our test model performs better in this aspect. According to our measurements, the average brightness is just under 290 cd/m². However, the panel is not suitable for professional image editing due to modest color precision and limited gamut. But all this has its price. At above 1600 Euros (~$1743), the ThinkPad T470 is not a bargain.

Overall, the performance of the ThinkPad T470 is still more than convincing, and it does not have big weaknesses. Therefore, we assigned it our Editor's Choice Award in February 2017.

The old TravelMate P648 has remained in a top place of our Top 10 for a long time. Acer also offers its business laptop with up-to-date Kaby Lake processors from Intel now. All things considered, Acer offers a very solid device without real weaknesses again. Thanks to the good connectivity including Thunderbolt 3, long battery runtimes, and good input devices, the Acer is a good alternative to the familiar models from Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

The EliteBook 840 G4 from HP belongs to those devices that "only" got new processors this year. This is not a bad thing for the case, since the aluminum build still performs well in comparison to the competition. The interfaces still include older standards such as VGA-out, which might be important in productive environments. However, you have to do without a modern Thunderbolt 3 port.

The Full HD panel based on TN technology might still be the biggest disadvantage. While the brightness of the 14-inch display is good with above 300 cd/m², the panel falls behind the competition in other aspects. In particular, the viewing angles are problematic, since you will already face image changes when slightly moving away from the ideal sitting position.

Since the review, we also had two other IPS models in our lab, which both achieved a better rating. In particular, the Full HD IPS panel combines stable viewing angles and long battery runtimes. With a rating of 89 percent, the EliteBook 840 G4 performs significantly better and comes fourth in our ranking.

For the time being, many modern business laptops have only come with frugal dual-core processors, which are sufficient for typical office tasks. Those who need higher CPU performance often have to fall back on powerful multimedia systems or mobile workstations. The Dell Latitude 14 E5470 is an exception, since a mobile quad-core chip from Intel can be found in the 14-inch case.

Therewith, the performance is higher than many competitors', but the maximum Turbo clock cannot be kept up for a long time under load (throttling does not occur). The Latitude 14 is also convincing in other aspects. Apart from its good Full HD IPS display, you will get many security features, a good keyboard and a high-quality case. The connectivity is also ok. Only a fast USB-C port is missing.

Toshiba proves, with the Tecra Z50 series, that other manufacturers apart from the "big three" (Lenovo, HP, and Dell) can produce convincing notebooks. In contrast to many competitors, the Z50 omits neither an integrated DVD drive nor an analog VGA-out. In addition, users will appreciate four USB-3.0 ports. Pros are low noise and temperature emissions, excellent input devices, many security features, and an excellent Full HD display in 15.6-inch format. Those who can accept smaller weaknesses such as modest speaker quality or difficult maintenance will get an interesting alternative to devices such as the EliteBook 850 G3 or ThinkPad T560 in the Tecra. However, prospective buyers should consider that the price only includes a one-year warranty - which is uncommon in this category.

The Toshiba Portégé X30 is especially interesting for those who travel a lot. Thanks to its light and compact case, the 13.3-inch laptop easily fits in a bag and can be used almost anywhere. Despite low weight, Toshiba has built a stable case. Only the quality of the lid is a bit lower. It comes with modern interfaces, security features, a good display and it is even easy to get to the innards (one free RAM slot). Moreover, the emissions of the small device are low.

Battery life and input devices could be improved. The competitors simply perform better in these respects. The Core i7 only pays off to some extent. It is safe to select the smaller Core i5.

Apart from the Latitude 14 from Dell, the Lenovo ThinkPad T470p belongs to the few business devices that combine a 14-inch display with a powerful quad-core processor from Intel. The case has not changed much when compared to the old ThinkPad T460p, which also applies to the interfaces. Thunderbolt 3 or at least USB-C are still not available.

However, the high performance generates significant heat and this is unfortunately slightly too much for the cooling system of the T470p. The performance of the Core i7-7700HQ falls a bit under permanent load and the surface temperature partly exceeds 50 °C (122 °F).

From the first to the last place in the ranking? While the ThinkPad T460s predecessor secured top place in the ranking, the ThinkPad T470s successor only performed well enough to enter in 10th place. Not much has changed at first glance, since Lenovo uses the same case and has even incorporated a modern USB-C/Thunderbolt-3 port, which is very unfavorably placed on the right side. Further problems exist in terms of performance, since the fast Core i7 processor is slightly too much for the cooling system. Hence, the potential performance gain compared to a Core i5 chip can only be utilized to some extent and the surface temperatures are high under load.

Another problem is the performance on battery since the processor cannot even keep up its base clock in this scenario. A BIOS upgrade might improve this. However, the way it is now, the new ThinkPad T470s is unable to reach a "very good" rating.

These problems are also present in our test model with the Core i5 processor, albeit not that severe. The second test model can better control the temperature development of the smaller Core i5. The Full HD IPS display performs worse, however. Overall, it performs well enough for a rating of 88 percent. Hence, the ThinkPad T470s moves up a place.

Dell's Latitude 14 Rugged 5414 is certainly not your common business notebook. While some modern 14-inch Ultrabooks are almost scratching the 1-kg mark, the 5414 tips the scale at 3 kilograms – and not without a reason: Being a so-called "ruggedized" notebook, the Latitude promises resistance against any kind of environmental influences. Besides the solid and flawlessly built chassis, however, Dell's outdoor specialist can convince with its display. It reaches more than 1000 nits and therefore easily surpasses all rivals. This means you can still see the content on the excellent high-contrast Full HD panel even in direct sunlight. Supported by a 97-Wh battery, the 14-inch system will last a full business day without a socket. Unfortunately, Dell does charge a steep price for the laptop: You should plan to spend at least 3,000 Euros (~$3267) – for a low-end SKU with a 128 GB SSD and i5 processor.