The 5 BEST business laptops
1. HP EliteBook Folio 1020
Price when reviewed: £1,892 inc VAT
Key specs: 12.5in 2,560 x 1,440 display | Intel Core M | 128-512GB SSD | 1.26kg
HP’s EliteBook might just be the best Windows business laptop ever made. It fuses a glorious touchscreen with bombproof build quality, a brilliant keyboard and innovative ForcePad touchpad to produce an Ultrabook of rare quality. The only stumbling block, aside from its ludicrously high price, is its Core M processor, which rules it out for heavy duty tasks such as video editing or 3D rendering. There are no other compromises, however. Simply put, if you want the best and are prepared to pay for it there’s nothing to beat the HP EliteBook Folio 1020. Click here to read our HP Elitebook Foilo 1020 review
2. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (2015)
Price when reviewed: £1,892 inc VAT
Key specs: 14in 3,200 x 1,800 display | Intel Core i5/i7 | 128-512GB SSD | 1.31kg
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon means business. Offering enterprise-grade features that Apple’s “Pro”-branded laptops can only dream of, this is a true professional ultraportable. As ever, the price is dauntingly high. The entry-level X1 Carbon kicks off proceedings at over the £1,200 mark and touts a mundane specification – the combination of a Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM, 128GB SSD and Full HD display is underwhelming for the money. Add in a Quad HD touchscreen, 256GB SSD and Core i7 CPU, and the price leaps up above £2,000. It does everything you can ask of it – performance is great, and battery life competitive – but at this price we’d expect nothing less. Click here for our Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (2015) review
3. Dell Precision M3800
Price when reviewed: £1,799 inc VAT
Key specs: 15.6in 3,200 x 1,800 display | Intel Core i7 | 256GB SSD | 2.1kg
Workstation laptops aren’t meant to be sexy or attractive, but the new Dell Precision M3800 turns convention on its head. It packs a quad-core CPU, Nvidia Quadro graphics and solid-state storage into a slim, stylish chassis that makes it look more like a super-sized Ultrabook – and it’s brimming with power. Click here to read out Dell Precision M3800 review
4. HP ZBook 17
Price when reviewed: £3,598 inc VAT
Key specs: 17.3in 1,920 x 1,080 display | Intel Core i7 | 32GB SSD, 500GB HDD | 3.8kg
The biggest model in our line-up is the ZBook 17, and it partners a huge 17.3in display with a burly, upgradable chassis, a truckload of connectivity and a slew of high-end componentry. Quad-core Intel processors provide staggering amounts of power, features are plentiful and the optional DreamColor display is earth-shatteringly good. The only downside is the astonishingly high price. If your IT budget is up to it, however, there’s no doubting the quality on offer. Click here for our HP ZBook 17 review
5. Dell Precision M4800
Price when reviewed: £2,210 inc VAT
Key specs: 15.6in 3,200 x 1,800 display | Intel Core i7 | 256GB SSD | 1.29kg
High-DPI displays are the flavour of the moment, but the Dell Precision M4800 marks the first time we’ve seen such a screen on a business-class machine. That isn’t this monster of a workstation laptop’s only talent though. The Dell Precision M4800’s chunky chassis crams in a stupendous amount of tech, providing just the right blend of comfort, power and portability for those seeking the ultimate in laptop oomph. Click here for our Dell Precision M4800 review.
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