The Best Mobile Workstation Laptops

February 2023 update. Mobile workstations king when it comes to powerful business notebooks. Ideally, they combine typical business characteristics with powerful hardware optimized for reliability, stability, and performance. Below, you will find the best mobile workstations reviewed by Notebookcheck.

Notebookcheck (translated by DeepL / Ninh Duy), Published 03/05/2023 🇩🇪 🇮🇹 ...

A wide range of extended support options, system-specific accessories, long-lasting availability of spare parts, and extended warranty options are staples in this category. In addition, these notebooks often come with ports that have been all but eradicated on other devices but are still fairly common in businesses worldwide. Product cycles tend to be very long, and a case can easily remain current for three or more years. Prices more often than not start significantly above $1,000 and can quickly rise to seeming exorbitant levels.

The main driving cost factors, in addition to above-mentioned characteristics, are the professional-level GPUs often found in these devices. Unlike the more common consumer-level GPUs they have special capabilities and are optimized for stability, compatibility, and reliability when used with certified software. And while this may not be relevant for home users businesses tend to have very different priorities, and these GPUs can make or break a purchase decision. Please consider the following lists as well:

The Best Business Notebooks (premium office laptops)
The Best Budget Office Notebooks (affordable office laptops for less than 800 Euros)
The Best Subnotebooks (small and mobile laptops, less than 14-inch)

The Best Mobile Workstation Notebooks

Position	Total Rating	Date	Model	Height	Weight	Size	Resolution	Screen
1	91 %	02/2023 New	Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1 RTX A5500 Intel Core i9-12950HX NVIDIA RTX A5500 Laptop GPU 64 GB Memory, 2048 GB SSD	30.23 mm	3 kg	16.00"	3840x2400	matte
2	90.1 %	11/2022	HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA Intel Core i7-12800H NVIDIA RTX A2000 Laptop GPU 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD	19 mm	1.8 kg	16.00"	3840x2400	matte
3	89.7 %	02/2022	HP ZBook Fury 17 G8-4A6A9EA Intel Core i9-11950H NVIDIA RTX A3000 Laptop GPU 0 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD	27 mm	2.9 kg	17.30"	3840x2160	matte
4	89.6 %	01/2023 New	Asus ExpertBook B6 Flip B6602FC2 Intel Core i9-12950HX NVIDIA RTX A2000 Laptop GPU 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD	27.2 mm	2.8 kg	16.00"	2560x1600	matte
5	89.1 %	12/2022 New	Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance Intel Core i9-12950HX NVIDIA RTX A5500 Laptop GPU 16 GB Memory	25.95 mm	2.8 kg	16.00"	3840x2400	glossy
6	87.6 %	09/2022	Dell Precision 5000 5470 Intel Core i9-12900H NVIDIA RTX A1000 Laptop GPU 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD	18.95 mm	1.6 kg	14.00"	2560x1600	glossy
7	87.4 %	01/2023 New	HP ZBook Power 15 G9 6B8C4EA Intel Core i7-12700H NVIDIA RTX A2000 Laptop GPU 32 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD	22.8 mm	2 kg	15.60"	3840x2160	glossy

The table above contains an overview over the best portable workstation 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

Editor's Comments

When reviewing a mobile workstation performance is of utmost importance. Accordingly, the category of mobile workstations trimmed for mobility and more akin to Ultrabooks is seldom to be found among the top contenders in this specific category, even though they are without a doubt decent laptops.

1st – Lenovo ThinkPad P16 G1

Lenovo had a lot planned for the ThinkPad P16 G1: After all, Lenovo's first full-fat 16-inch workstation was supposed to replace both the ThinkPad P15 and the ThinkPad P17. At the same time, it is the first model with the HX55 CPU series, which requires stronger cooling.
The project has succeeded, Lenovo has created a very good mobile workstation. The model we tested with Nvidia RTX A5500 and Intel Core i9-12950HX is the most powerful mobile workstation we could test up to the time of the review. This leads to a surprising problem: The 240-watt power supply is not sufficient to charge the ThinkPad behemoth under permanent load. Besides that, the missing RJ45 port and the rather slow SD card reader are points of criticism. On the plus side, besides the extremely high performance, there is a very maintainable, modular design as well as a surprisingly restrained active cooling when the device is not running at full steam.

The ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 maximizes performance even though this means higher power consumption and core temperatures. However, the 230 W power supply might be too conservative considering the very demanding processors of our top-end configuration.

Some variants of ThinkPad P16 G1 are available through the usual retail channels, such as Best Buy and Amazon. For more configurable options, users can purchase directly from Lenovo's online store.

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2nd – HP ZBook Studio 16 G9

From 16:9 and soldered RAM to 16:10 and expandable RAM - the HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 is a clear upgrade compared to its predecessor, the ZBook Studio 15 G8. With the longer aspect ratio, the HP workstation looks much more contemporary. However, the new design is only one of the strengths of this high-quality premium workstation, which also offers a comparatively slim aluminum case, great input devices, a very good-quality Dreamcolor display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, as well as very good performance and modern equipment. One notable weak point: The outmoded 720p webcam, and the battery life is also very weak.

The HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 is a high-quality and also powerful mobile workstation that is still quite mobile despite the 16-inch form factor.

Customers from the US can purchase the device directly from HP's online store or Amazon as well.

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3rd – HP ZBook Fury 17 G8

Like its predecessor, the HP ZBook Fury 17 G8 secured a very high rating in our review. It is identical to its predecessor in design and just like its predecessor it comes with plenty of workstation features by default. It features a robust metal case, good input devices, good connectivity, a powerful performance, and last but not least the excellent Dreamcolor display. Nevertheless, we feel that the ZBook Fury 17 could do with an overhaul given that neither its 16:9 display, nor its 2.5-inch slot are state of the art any longer. In addition, its SD card reader turned out to be slower than before.

Decent performance paired with moderate emissions. The ZBook Fury 17 G8 is a solid portable workstation with a very conservative choice of GPU. Considering its bulky case it could have used a bit more power in this regard.

Amazon US offers some variants of ZBook Fury 17 G8, prices range from around $1,570 to $4,509, depending on particular configuration.

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4th – Asus ExpertBook B6 Flip

Asus is not necessarily a manufacturer associated with the workstation class. However, if more laptops like the Asus ExpertBook B6 Flip appear, that might change in the future.
After all, it passes the most important hurdles for a workstation with flying colors in our test: The ExpertBook offers high performance, is not too loud at the same time, and it proves to be very maintainable and upgradeable. In addition to that, there are the convertible features that are almost never seen in workstations of this format. However, the Asus laptop is admittedly not free of criticism. The missing pen silo is to be criticized, and there is also no SD card slot.

As a 2-in-1 workstation, this laptop is unique. The Asus ExperBook B6 Flip is probably one of the most powerful convertibles.

At the time of writing, the device is not yet available in North America.

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5th – Dell Precision 7670

Dell is abandoning the 15-inch category of its classic Precision 7000 workstation series - and replacing it with the 16-inch category. The first model in this new series is the Dell Precision 7670, which is also the first 16:10 notebook in the 7000 series. The innovations go even further, as the Precision 7670 is the first laptop ever that we could test with the new CAMM standard for expandable RAM.

This also leads over to one of the strengths of the Dell Precision, its easy maintainability and upgradeability, up to three M.2-2280 SSDs can be accommodated by the Dell laptop. The performance is good, although not absolute top class. The Precision also offers features like 5G and an OLED display. Buyers will have to make concessions in terms of mobility because the Precision is quite heavy and does not have much endurance.

The Precision 7670 is at its best when configured with higher-end CPUs and GPUs. However, for the weaker configurations, there are thinner and lighter alternatives that can offer the same performance.

Wide selection of configurations of Precision 7670 are available from Dell, starting from around $2,412.

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6th – Dell Precision 5470

Mobile workstations with displays smaller than 16 inches are extremely unusual. Dell has nevertheless dared to take this step with the Dell Precision 5470. This is a smaller version of the Precision 5570, some would also say it's an XPS 14. In this case, of course, with a workstation twist, which is why Dell relies on powerful components like the Core i7-12700H as well as the Nvidia RTX A1000.

Admittedly, workstations are all about performance, which is why the Precision 5470 has a tough time compared to the larger models - a compact laptop will usually never achieve the same speed as a larger model with the same components. In the Precision's case, this means high noise under load and fluctuating CPU performance. In addition, the connectivity is very limited. In return, however, it offers ISV-certified graphics and up to 64 GB of soldered RAM in a very compact package. For workstation customers who are more concerned with mobility, the Precision 5470 can be a very interesting option.

The Precision 5470 is faster and stronger than its small case would suggest.

We can purchase Precision 5470 directly from Dell with many configurable options, starting at $1,929. An i7-12800H variant of the device are also available on Amazon US for $2,599.

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7th – HP ZBook Power 15 G9

HP markets its cheaper workstation models under the "ZBook Power" brand. The HP ZBook Power 15 G9 is the latest addition to this lineup. It offers various advantages that are good for a mobile workstation, such as the great 4K UHD display, the good upgradeability, long battery life and the good input devices. The system performance of the ZBook is good, but it could be even better with a stronger cooling system. It is also a pity that HP has omitted the SD card reader, and the speakers are poor.

The ZBook Power 15 G9 cannot achieve top rates especially in performance development, but the CPU performance has stabilized for the most part thanks to BIOS updates. The low-power 4K display offers good image quality after calibration and enables long battery runtimes.

The ZBook Power 15 G9 is available through HP’s own web shop as well as usual retail outlets, such as Amazon US.

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