Did you know that one out of four workers now work completely remotely? With the global pandemic still in effect more and, more businesses are choosing to have their employees work from home.
This shift to remote work has made life a lot easier for some people. However, it does require some getting used to. For many people, their current laptop might not be ideal for remote work.
So, how do you go about finding the best laptop for working from home? Simple: you read this article. In it, we’ll go over everything you should consider before purchasing a laptop for remote work.
We’ll also go over some of our favorite products. That way, you can decide what works best for your needs. Let’s get started!
What to Consider When Choosing a Laptop for Remote Work
Before we dive into the best laptops for working from home it’s important to know what you’re looking for. Remote work requires different needs than other types of work.
As such, your laptop should be able to accommodate these needs completely. To give you a better idea of what you should look out for in this section we’ll discuss some of the considerations that everyone should make.
Portability
The first thing that you should consider is portability. For many people, remote work means moving around a lot. Some people might prefer to work out of a coffee house or library.
Others might travel a lot (though this isn’t as likely with recent travel bans). If you anticipate being on the move a lot with your laptop, then you should make sure to prioritize the portability of your laptop. This means paying attention to the screen size and weight. For screen size, we think that thirteen inches are the sweet spot for portability.
Anything bigger than this can make it difficult to transport. However, some people might work jobs that require a bigger screen. If you fall in this category, then you might need to sacrifice portability for screen size.
Next, there are weight considerations. Ultimately, this depends on the strength of the individual. However, we wouldn’t recommend going above three in a half pounds. Otherwise, you might start to feel that your laptop is weighing you down.
Battery Life
Most of the time when you’re at home you’ll have access to a charging port. However, this isn’t always the case. If you’re working remotely on the road, or you prefer working in areas outside of your home, then there will likely be times when you don’t have access to a charging port.
If you fall in this category, then you should look for a laptop that has dependable battery life. The optimal battery life will vary slightly from person to person.
However, generally speaking, we recommend a minimum of eight hours of battery life. Ideally, the laptop should have more than this.
Speed and Functionality
Next, we get to one of the more important aspects of your work-from-home laptop: speed and functionality. These two functions are usually determined by your CPU (or Central Processing Unit). However, no two individuals have the same CPU requirements.
So, how do you determine what type of CPU to get? Well, it all depends on the type of work that you do. If your job involves simple tasks, like emailing, word documents, spreadsheets, and things like that, then you don’t need the most advanced CPU on the market.
Indeed you can probably get away with one that’s under $100. However, if your job involves more complicated tasks, like graphic design, video and photo editing, and conference calls, then you should go with a more expensive CPU that costs between $200 and $300.
Keep in mind that some people require a workhorse of a CPU. This is for people that need to multitask while they work (for example streaming and playing a game at the same time).
It’s also for tasks like 3D rendering that require a lot of processing power. If you fall in this category, then you will likely need to spend over $400 on a CPU.
RAM Storage
Remember that your CPU isn’t the only component of your laptop that determines its performance levels. The amount of RAM storage is also important. What is RAM storage?
RAM stands for random access memory and it determines how many programs your laptop will be able to run simultaneously. Again, if all you’re doing is sending emails and exploring the internet, then you don’t need a lot of it.
Usually, four gigabits should be more than enough. However, if you’re editing and designing on your laptop a lot, then you should up your RAM to eight gigabits. More demanding applications will require up to sixteen gigabits of RAM.
In addition to RAM storage, you should also consider the amount of memory that comes with your hard drive. Thanks to cloud storage many people don’t need to worry about this.
However, if you work with files that take up a lot of space, then you will need to pay attention to this area. Generally, 256 gigabits of SSD storage is a great starting place.
Best Laptop for Working From Home
Now that we know what to look for we can dive into some of our favorite laptops for working from home. Keep in mind that the laptops in this section aren’t ranked.
This is because they are all great options for remote work. However, depending on your job or budget one might appeal to you more than the other.
- Apple MacBook Air M1
If your job requires a clear display, then you can’t go wrong with the Apple MacBook Air M1. When you combine the 13.3-inch Retina display with the 2560 × 1600 resolution, then you get a clear picture quality that you will be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.
We also like it for remote work because it’s so light. Plus the battery life is impressive, so you can work for long stretches without charging. As such, it’s easy to carry from place to place.
The HD web camera is ideal for those long conference calls. Sadly, the Apple MacBook Air M1 isn’t perfect. For one thing, it doesn’t come with much storage.
So, if you need a lot of file space, then you’ll need an external hard drive. Also, there are limited ports. So, if you require a lot of things plugged into your laptop at once, then look elsewhere.
Ultimately, we recommend the Apple MacBook Air M1 for people in visual fields, like graphic design, photography, and video production.
- Yoga 9i (14”) 2 in 1 Laptop
Can’t decide between a tablet and a laptop? If the answer is yes, then the Yoga 9i (14”) 2 in 1 Laptop is the product for you. This is one of the new Intel Evo laptops that comes with enhanced graphic capabilities.
As such, it’s ideal for people that want to work during the day and play games at night. Plus, let’s not forget that it also includes a tablet, along with a garaged pen and rotating soundbar.
As such, we highly recommend this laptop for graphic artists that want to sketch directly onto their laptops. There are only two real downsides. One, the trackpad is pretty sensitive.
However, this can be solved with a mouse. Also, the fingerprint reader is fairly hit or miss. But, none of these problems do much to detract from all the positive aspects of the Yoga 9i (14”) 2 in 1 Laptop.
- HP Pavilion 15
Are you on a budget for your home business laptop? If the answer is yes, then look no further than the HP Pavilion 15. For a laptop that’s under $100, the HP Pavilion 15 still packs a punch. This is in large part thanks to the Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor.
On top of that, it’s also durable and comes with a huge amount of ports. And don’t think the company forgot about the RAM. With sixteen gigabits worth of it you don’t need to worry about running multiple programs at once.
The downside? The HP Pavilion 15 can sometimes be a little glitchy. And, the battery life isn’t anything to write home about. But, besides that, it’s a great device.
Want More Content? Keep Reading
We hope this article helped you find the best laptop for working from home. As you can see, there are a lot of things to keep in mind when shopping for a laptop for remote work.
Ultimately, the best product for you depends on the nature of your job and the hardware requirements you need from it. However, as long as you follow the advice in this article, then you should be fine.
So start shopping for the perfect laptop for your work-from-home position. Did you enjoy this article? If the answer is yes, then you’re in the right place. Keep exploring to find more topics that you’re sure to love.