Deutsch
Español
Français
Italiano
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Русский
Türkçe
Svenska
Chinese
MagyarThe Best Business Notebooks
With prices mostly significantly above $1,000 business notebooks tend to offer a lot. However, business customers also tend to ask for quite a lot in return. Long-lasting and robust cases, a wide variety of safety features, top-of-the-line communication modules, and last but not least a high level of performance paired with a low level of emissions. And to make matters worse, professional users have the habit of frequently asking for extended warranties and service options.
Given the often significantly longer life cycles of business notebooks, particularly in regard to the long-term availability of spare parts, we have extended the time frame for this category to at least 12 months or more. Please consider the following top lists when making a decision as well:
- The Best Budget Office Notebooks (affordable office notebooks)
- The Best Mobile Workstations (powerful workstations for professionals)
- The Best Subnotebooks (compact and portable notebooks)
- The Best Laptop 2-in-1/Convertibles (notebooks that can also be used as tablets)
The Best Premium Business Laptops
The table above contains an overview over the best business laptops reviewed by Notebookcheck over the course of the past 12 months as well as still relevant and available older products. In cases of identical score the more recent device is listed first. All prices in above table and price comparisons are updated daily and can thus differ.
Link: all devices in this class reviewed
Editors' Comments
1st – Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga Gen 2
To everyone’s surprise the ThinkPad X13 Yoga Gen 2 managed to secure a top spot on our top 10 list despite the fact that it is distinctly not a member of Lenovo’s high-end ThinkPad X1 series. Nevertheless, it performed very well in our review and achieved a very good rating as a result. We particularly liked its comfortable keyboard, good connectivity, its lightweight yet robust carbon-magnesium case, and most important its 13.3-inch 16:10 display, which offered good brightness, color gamut, and a resolution of 2560 x 1600.
To our bewilderment this particular WQXGA resolution is not available for the X1 Carbon and X1 Yoga, which is unfortunate given that it offers an almost ideal compromise between resolution and energy efficiency. This display is one of the main reasons why the ThinkPad X13 Yoga Gen 2 performed as well as it did and secured its spot high up on our top 10 list.
16:10 is the new trend. Besides the X1 Yoga Gen 6 the ThinkPad X13 Yoga Gen 2 is yet another Lenovo ThinkPad convertible that achieved a very good rating in our review.
Prices start at $1,300, and all SKUs are available for next business day shipping according to Lenovo. The device can be purchased among others through Lenovo’s own webstore.
Pricecompare
2nd – HP Elite Dragonfly Max
Last year’s HP Elite Dragonfly surprised us with its unusual dark blue case, not necessarily with its color but mostly its low weight. The HP Elite Dragonfly Max is successor to the Elite Dragonfly in a “maximum” SKU thereof. It includes all Elite Dragonfly G2 features and adds a better webcam, HP SureView, and a new black case.
In addition to features such as 5G, a very quiet fan, a good keyboard, and a great webcam the HP Elite Dragonfly Max achieved a very good rating in our review. Its largest downside is the SureView display that impedes tablet mode usability due to its narrow viewing angles.
The recipe is very simple. Take the Spectre x360 13, put it in a nice professional suite and tie, and voila: the HP Elite Dragonfly Max. The device offers SureView and low noise emissions at the cost of crisp image quality and performance when compared to many other 13.3-inch notebooks with Intel’s 11 gen. processors.
Considering that it is a direct competitor to Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Yoga its high price is not surprising at all. Prices start at $2,300, and the device is currently only available through HP’s own website.
Pricecompare
3rd – Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 2
With its most recent upgrade to AMD silicon the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G2 successfully managed to rise through the ranks of our premium business laptops top list. Among its competitors, the ThinkPad X13 G2 AMD is notable for its excellent performance, its 16:10 display, and its comparatively low price. All other business laptops that managed to score as high as the X13 G2, such as for example the ThinkPad X1 Yoga or the HP EliteBook Dragonfly Max, are significantly more expensive. Its most prominent downsides are the soldered RAM as well as the keyboard, which isn’t as good as its predecessor’s.
North of 90 thanks to AMD. The faster Ryzen processor managed to improve upon the already good ThinkPad X13 G2.
The device is available among others through Lenovo’s own webstore with prices starting at just $900.
Pricecompare
4th – Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 2
Lenovo’s ThinkPad T14s Gen 2 is positioned below the X1 Carbon and considered a premium T-series ThinkPad. In the past, some of the thinner T-series models even managed to outshine the X1. Starting with the 2021 model year this is no longer the case. Like the X1 Carbon the ThinkPad T14s G2 was redesigned but unlike the X1 it still features the “old” 16:9 display format.
Nevertheless, the ThinkPad T14s G2 performed very well overall. It features a good keyboard, a matte low-power display, plentiful connectivity, and a premium case and is exactly what many business customers are looking for. Unlike the X1 the T14s G2 come with an AMD option, and the ThinkPad T14s G2 AMD offers a much higher CPU performance than its Intel-powered counterparts.
Very good rating with room for improvement. The 16:9 display makes the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s G2 less attractive than it otherwise would have been.
The device is sold among others through Lenovo’s own webstore. Prices start at around $1,400 and a configurator is once again available.
Pricecompare
5th – Dell Latitude 7420
Dell’s Latitude 7000-series is equivalent ot Lenovo’s T-series and HP’s EliteBook 800-series. Dell’s high-end enterprise laptops are available in two sizes with either a 13.3 or a 14-inch display. The larger Dell Latitude 7420 secured a very good rating of 90 % in our review.
Its strengths include a long battery life a robust metal case with carbon-fiber lid, as well as optional WWAN. In addition, the device remains very cool and comparatively quiet overall. In return, its CPU performance suffered and failed to meet our expectations. We also missed the track point device and were not particularly impressed by the soldered RAM.
Moderate and well-balanced performance but no long-term load. Dell’s Latitude is made for low to moderately demanding office tasks.
The device can be purchased either directly through Dell or through the usual retail channels, such as Amazon. Retail prices start at $1,300 for the Core i5 SKU.
Pricecompare
6th – HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8
Aero may be another word for Air but the HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 is anything but an Apple MacBook Air copycat. Instead, it is a lighter version of HP’s EliteBook 840 G8. Thanks to generous use of magnesium instead of aluminum HP was able to lower its weight from 1.32 kg (2.91 lbs) to 1.2 kg (2.65 lbs) without sacrificing rigidity or build quality noticeably. Its benefits include a long battery life, low noise emissions, comfortable input devices, and very good upgradability thanks to two RAM slots. There aren’t any major drawbacks, but we would have wished for a 16:10 display or at least 4K or OLED options. The notebook could have also benefitted from a higher CPU performance.
The EliteBook 840 Aero G8 is the best choice if you are looking for the quietest currently available Tiger Lake-U EVO-based notebook. If you are looking for the best performaning Tiger Lake-U notebook, however, you will have to look elsewhere.
At the time of writing, the HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 was only available through HP’s own online shop with prices starting at just under $1,700.
Pricecompare
7th – Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga G7 is the Alder Lake successor of the predecessor X1 Yoga Gen 6. The design remains almost the same, including very good ThinkPad input devices and aluminum case, but inside there is a switch to the much more powerful Alder Lake P series. The performance increases significantly as a result, but the battery life suffers from the higher consumption.
Another point of criticism for the X1 Yoga Gen 7: The panel is not quite as bright as in the predecessor, and the consumer rivals are also ahead here. At least there is a better webcam, and the X1 Yoga G7 is still a very good business convertible with great features - even if it is not quite as good as the predecessor.
All in all, the 7th generation ThinkPad X1 Yoga is still a very good business convertible, but it becomes more difficult to justify the high price in view of the competition.
You have to spend a lot of money for the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga G7, which starts at around €2,450 (~$2,570).
Pricecompare
8th – Asus ExpertBook B7 Flip
Asus may not be known for its business laptops but the Asus ExpertBook B7 Flip nevertheless managed to make our top 10 list. Priced at 2,500 Euros it is one of the more expensive devices and attempts to take the likes of other business convertibles, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga G6, head-on.
However, it failed to achieve the latter’s score by some margin. Asus’s business laptops offers quite a few perks, such as a good keyboard, long battery life, an optional stylus, 5G, good connectivity, and a 16:10 display. Of particular note is its expandable RAM, a feature seldom to be found these days among its immediate competitors. On the flip side it only supports single-channel RAM, and its fan was a bit louder than we would have expected.
The Asus ExpertBook B7 Flip is a well-rounded 2-in-1 premium business convertible.
The Asus ExpertBook B7 Flip is currently not available in North America.
Pricecompare
9th – Dell Latitude 9520 2-in-1
Dell’s Latitude 9000-series is not limited to smaller 14-inch high-end business laptops but also contains a 15-inch device. The Dell Latitude 9520 is the second incarnation thereof, following the Latitude 9510. This updated model maintains many of its predecessor’s positive aspects, such as for example the compact case for a 15-inch device or its extremely long battery life of 14 hours in our Wi-Fi test. As is expected of a business laptop connectivity is pretty good and even includes an optional 5G modem. Unfortunately, the newer model’s CPU performance is lower than it used to be.
The Latitude 9520 2-in-1’s most striking features are its unusually long battery life, its Wi-Fi modem with support for 5G connectivity, its metal case, and the fact that for a 15-inch convertible it turns out to be quite handy and portable.
In addition to Dell’s own webstore select SKUs are also available on Amazon, such as for example the Core i7-1185G7 model with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD storage for $2,000.
Pricecompare
10th – Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is the third X-series ThinkPad Yoga convertible. And while the other two contenders had a clear focus on the laptop and less the tablet part of a convertible the Titanium Yoga is exactly the other way around. This most expensive X-series ThinkPad Yoga convertible is optimized for tablet use. Accordingly, its case is much thinner and more squared off than on other Yoga ThinkPads, and it comes in a wider 3:2 format instead.
The bright high-resolution 3:2 display is one of the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga’s highlights. However, its 11.5 mm thin design also comes with a number of setbacks, for example a suboptimal cooling solution with limited capabilities or the fact that it comes with just two USB-C ports.
The ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is a workhorse with good convertible features for avid typists. If, however, you value performance, connectivity, and RAM we would strongly suggest looking at other models instead.
Prices start at around $1,200, and the device can be purchased among others through Lenovo’s own webstore where a configurator is also available.
Pricecompare
Pricecompare
Display Ratings
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga G6-20Y0S00200 | Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga G2 | HP Elite Dragonfly Max | Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G2 AMD 20XH001KGE | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G9-20XXS00100 | Lenovo ThinkPad T14s G2 20XGS01100 | Dell Latitude 7420 JW6MH | HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8 3E4Q6AA | Asus ExpertBook B7 Flip B7402FEA | Dell Latitude 15 9520 2-in-1 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QB0016GE Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1140G7, Lenovo UMIS RPJTJ256MEE1OWX | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | |||||||||||
| Display P3 Coverage | 69.8 | 68.3 | 70.1 | 76.1 | 69.7 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 69.9 | 66.8 | |
| sRGB Coverage | 97.1 | 99.1 | 99.4 | 99.9 | 91.8 | 99 | 97.6 | 98.9 | 98.7 | 98 | |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 72.2 | 70.3 | 71.3 | 77.7 | 67.2 | 70 | 69.3 | 69.3 | 70.4 | 68.6 | |
| Response Times | |||||||||||
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 49.2 ? | 52 ? | 44.8 ? | 34 ? | 62.4 ? | 84 ? | 55 ? | 48 ? | 50 ? | 39.2 ? | 64 ? |
| Response Time Black / White * | 22 ? | 32 ? | 32 ? | 22 ? | 34.8 ? | 56 ? | 26 ? | 28.8 ? | 28 ? | 27.2 ? | 44 ? |
| PWM Frequency | 2451000 ? | ||||||||||
| Screen | |||||||||||
| Brightness middle | 417 | 460 | 777.5 | 309 | 396 | 397 | 408 | 466.4 | 548 | 403.6 | 465 |
| Brightness | 404 | 423 | 727 | 297 | 397 | 386 | 378 | 426 | 515 | 368 | 451 |
| Brightness Distribution | 93 | 85 | 75 | 81 | 90 | 88 | 86 | 84 | 87 | 84 | 92 |
| Black Level * | 0.22 | 0.33 | 0.44 | 0.26 | 0.23 | 0.28 | 0.22 | 0.32 | 0.17 | 0.22 | 0.28 |
| Contrast | 1895 | 1394 | 1767 | 1188 | 1722 | 1418 | 1855 | 1458 | 3224 | 1835 | 1661 |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.8 | 1 | 1.62 | 1.6 | 3.7 | 5.8 | 1.54 | 2.84 | 3.67 | 3.34 | 2 |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 4.7 | 1.5 | 5.26 | 3 | 7.6 | 12.6 | 2.72 | 4.73 | 7.15 | 6.29 | 4.7 |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.6 | 0.8 | 1.32 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.08 | 2.27 | 0.99 | 0.7 | |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.7 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2 | 5.2 | 8.3 | 1.95 | 3.7 | 5.13 | 5.2 | 2.9 |
| Gamma | 2.08 106% | 2.26 97% | 2.2 100% | 2.24 98% | 2.11 104% | 2.07 106% | 2.33 94% | 2.13 103% | 2.46 89% | 2.09 105% | 2.09 105% |
| CCT | 6545 99% | 6652 98% | 6538 99% | 6315 103% | 6252 104% | 6867 95% | 6806 96% | 6886 94% | 7703 84% | 7629 85% | 6181 105% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 65.9 | 64.4 | 72.3 | 70.4 | |||||||
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 96.6 | 99.12 | 94.8 | 99.9 | |||||||
| Noise | |||||||||||
| off / environment * | 24.2 | 24 | 24.9 | 24.17 | 26.81 | 25.3 | 24.1 | 25 | 24 | 25.61 | |
| Idle Minimum * | 24.2 | 24 | 24.9 | 24.17 | 26.81 | 25.3 | 24.2 | 25 | 24.1 | 25.61 | |
| Idle Average * | 24.2 | 24 | 24.9 | 24.17 | 26.81 | 25.3 | 24.2 | 25 | 24.1 | 25.61 | |
| Idle Maximum * | 29.9 | 24 | 24.9 | 24.17 | 26.81 | 25.3 | 24.2 | 29 | 25.8 | 25.61 | |
| Load Average * | 33.7 | 32.72 | 29.7 | 29.92 | 30.16 | 44.9 | 26.9 | 39.6 | 34.2 | 40.14 | |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 33.7 | 31.3 | 27.9 | 39.6 | |||||||
| Load Maximum * | 36.7 | 33.88 | 31.3 | 31.52 | 33.98 | 44.9 | 29.9 | 46.9 | 39.6 | 40.14 | |
| Heat | |||||||||||
| Maximum Upper Side * | 44.1 | 47.2 | 39.4 | 43.7 | 44.2 | 37.1 | 39.2 | 38.7 | 40 | 46.3 | |
| Maximum Bottom * | 47.3 | 51.5 | 50 | 38 | 38.9 | 38.7 | 51.2 | 45.3 | 47.2 | 43.3 | |
| Idle Upper Side * | 25.5 | 30 | 31.6 | 25.8 | 27.7 | 27.3 | 33 | 25.9 | 23.4 | 26.8 | |
| Idle Bottom * | 26.6 | 30.5 | 33.4 | 26.2 | 28.3 | 28.1 | 34 | 28 | 27.4 | 28.3 | |
| Battery Runtime | |||||||||||
| Reader / Idle | 1723 | 1411 | 1487 | ||||||||
| WiFi v1.3 | 717 | 555 | 659 | 556 | 700 | 877 | 848 | 685 | 705 | 885 | |
| Load | 119 | 118 | 174 | 86 | 101 | 155 | 151 | ||||
| Power Consumption | |||||||||||
| Idle Minimum * | 3.3 | 3.61 | 2.9 | 3.82 | 3 | 3.16 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 3.75 |
| Idle Average * | 5.8 | 6.78 | 9.9 | 5.74 | 5.2 | 5.6 | 6 | 5.4 | 6.3 | 5 | 7.75 |
| Idle Maximum * | 9.6 | 7.45 | 10.4 | 7.65 | 5.9 | 7.13 | 7.6 | 6.9 | 7.5 | 7.1 | 8.69 |
| Load Average * | 47.2 | 48.85 | 37.1 | 35.79 | 42.8 | 30.86 | 37 | 38.9 | 35 | 44 | 33.12 |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 35.6 | 28.7 | 31.5 | 35.6 | 37 | 33.2 | 37 | 35.4 | 39.5 | 28.7 | |
| Load Maximum * | 65.3 | 66.51 | 58.8 | 45.04 | 65.7 | 46.55 | 65 | 66.5 | 63 | 88.7 | 35.19 |
* ... smaller is better
