best laptops for working from home or remotely

Working from home is now not only for IT folks. Aka COVID-19 turns the whole world into lockdown and almost everyone is working from home or remotely. Working from home is not an easy task as it sounds. You have to balance your personal as well as professional life while working from home.  Your work from home accessories is very important. And one of those things is a laptop. So, here we are talking about the best laptops for working from home or remotely.best laptops for working from home or remotely

First, clear your need, and what kind of work is it? Once you get an answer buy a laptop according to that need. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on a laptop to work productively from home, but you do need to make sure your laptop has certain features to keep you productive and connected.

Features like RAM, hard disk, processor, GPU support, battery life, system updates, laptop protection, and the price focuses become much more significant than you can suspect on the grounds that every angle impacts your work from home or remotely.

Work from home laptop requirements:

CPU:  As you know CPU is the brain of the laptop so check CPU generation while buying a laptop for work from home. There are several generation CPU is available in the market. AMD and Intel come with a different generation of CPU, but you can select as per your need. Minimum Intel Core i3 CPU and Intel i7  CPU are always recommended.

GPU: You are looking for the best laptops for working from home or remotely and not a gaming laptop. So, you can select a laptop with ‘integrated’ graphics. Intel’s Core i5 U-class comes with integrated HD or UHD graphics and it will suffice for basic work-from-home tasks. If you are looking for playing games on the laptop then select a laptop with a dedicated graphics card as per your need.

Storage: When it comes to storage, you are ok with a budget then select a 256GB SSD or 1TB hard drive. If your budget is low then you can go for a minimum of 128GB SSD or 500GB HDD. It’s always better to select SSD over HDD but SSD laptops are a little bit expensive.

RAM/Memory: For running standard working applications and a lot of browser tabs, your laptop should have in any event 8GB of RAM. Don’t go with lower-end models with simply 4GB. In the event that you can bear the cost of a model with 16GB, you can go for it.

Display: The laptop display is also an important factor while buying a laptop. You can buy a laptop with 14 inches or 15 inches diagonal, with a resolution of 1920×1080 (1080p). If possible choose a taller, 4:3 aspect ratio display for more vertical space. 12 &13 inches display laptops are also available. And 17-inch laptop will be quite heavier and larger to use.

Battery: You are working from home so it’s always better to select a laptop with high battery life. Your laptop should have a minimum of 5 hours of battery life. In case, your laptop has more than 5 hours of battery life then it’s always recommended.

Operating System: Operating system is another aspect to consider while buying a laptop for working remotely. If you buy a budget laptop you will get a Windows operating system. Windows 8/10 is always recommended. If you buy Apple laptops you will get macOS Mojave.

Ports: Always keep on eye ports provided by laptops while buying a laptop. Check for USB, HDMI, and audio ports. Ports are always useful to connect external devices to the laptop so always be specific with ports while selecting a laptop.

Webcam: Webcam is a must while buying a laptop for working home or remotely. While working from home you end up doing a lot more video conferencing. Most laptops offer an integrated webcam, and most of those webcams are 720p resolution, which is sufficient for video conferencing. If you want a 1080p webcam, mostly higher-end laptops offer 1080p webcams.

Best Laptops For Working From Home or Remotely

Here is a list of the best laptops for working from home or remotely.

1.Best budget-friendly: Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop

If you are looking for a budget-friendly laptop to start your work from home. Then Acer Aspire 5 slim laptop is the best choice for you. You can buy a brand new Acer Aspire 5 slim laptop only for $449.

                                       

It is a good laptop for day to day tasks and to do other tasks as well. It has a very good battery life. And you will get this all in once package at a decent amount of price.

  • CPU: 3.5 GHz (AMD)
  • GPU: AMD Radeon Vega 3 Mobile Graphics ( Integrated )
  • RAM: 4GB (DDR4 SDRAM)
  • Hard Disk: 128 GB
  • Display: 15.6 inches LED ( 1920 x 1080)
  • OS: Windows 10 Home
  • Battery: 7.5 battery life

This laptop is a complete package with a low budget. You can easily do your work from home and remotely. You will get a nice slim and sleek designed laptop. It has 3.97 pounds in weight (1.8KG) and you feel it lighter than it’s the actual weight.

Acer Aspire 5 slim laptop has an LED display that will come in 1920 x 1080 (full HD) resolution. You will get a 15.6-inch screen size and it’s sufficient to work from home. And the main thing is IPS display comes with widescreen LED-backlit.

The laptop comes with a backlit keyboard. As usual, like other Acer keyboard keys are solid and responsive. You also get a dedicated numeric keypad in a little bit of narrow space. The trackpad is large and your palm will touch to the trackpad while typing on a keyboard.

Laptop speakers are nice and loud and perfectly fine for listening to the audio on online videos. Of course, you can’t expect much from budget-friendly laptop speakers.

This laptop model comes with HD Webcam (1280 x 720). It is more than sufficient for showing your face on Zoom or Skype while video conferencing.

While talking about port, you get a single USB 3.0 Type-A port, a USB 2.0 port, HDMI, ethernet, and a combo audio jack, along with a barrel-shaped power port (It’s all on the left side). On the right side, there’s only one more USB 2.0 port, plus a laptop security slot.

It has a Lithium-Ion battery and you get up to 7.5-hours battery life. Overall performance of Acer Aspire 5 slim laptop is ok to work from home or remotely. 

Pros:

  • Affordable price
  • Solid productivity performance for the price
  • Decent 15.6-inch display.
  • Battery life is excellent.
  • Sleek design
  • Good keyboard and touchpad.

Cons:

  • Build quality is so-so.
  • Display bezels are large.

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2. Best choice for programmers: Dell XPS 15

Programmers are familiar with work from home or remotely. Most of the company provides work from facility to programmers. And now in a pandemic situation, it’s compulsory to work from home to control the spread of COVID-19. As programmers owning the best laptop to work from home is always the best decision. 

                                   

Dell XPS 15 7590 laptop is one of the best laptops in the market for programmers to work from home. It comes with decent features that are required to run programming tools. 

  • CPU: 4.5 GHz (Intel)
  • GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1650 4GB
  • RAM: 16GB (DDR4)
  • SSD: 256GB
  • Display: 15. 6 inch 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) OLED 
  • OS: Windows 10
  • Battery: 6-8 hours 

Non-touch 15. 6 inch 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) OLED display is the main attraction of this laptop. The full HD option is also remarkable. hat display has 500 nits of brightness with great battery life and its best choice for doing your programming work.

You get 16GB DDR4 SDRAM that you can expand up to 64GB. While the storage of 256GB SSD that can be expandable up to 2TB. It has 9th Generation Intel Core i7-9750h processor and GPU of Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 (4GB).

When it comes to ports you get HDMI 2.0, two Type-A (Gen 1, USB 3.1), Type-C (Thunderbolt 3, x4 PCIe), and the increasingly rare full SD card slot. It has a very accurate fingerprint reader built into the power button. 

As you know dell provides a good keyboard and Dell XPS 15 has also a good keyboard. The keys are plastic and have the option of the backlight which is better for working low light.

The trackpad is nice and well suited for Windows laptops. Dell XPS 15  trackpad is large and uses Microsoft Precision drivers. 

The speakers of the laptop are average. The speakers are on the bottom and to the front, which gives clear sound but not much amplification which you want. Dell really needs improvement when it comes to laptops audio.

This laptop has the world’s smallest HD webcam. and it is enough to attend your meeting over webcam. The webcam capture wide, clear photos with minimum noise. 

Dell XPS 15 mode is 5.51 pounds (2.49 kg) in weight. And 1 Lithium-ion battery provides you 6-8 hours of battery life.

Pros:

  • Build quality is superb.
  • Superb OLED screen.
  • You can expand SSD up to 2TB.
  • Battery life is good.
  • Available in different configurations.

Cons:

  • The thermal situation needs improvement.
  • Speakers are average.
  • Only 1 NVMe drive

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3. Best selection for business use: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (7th Gen)

If you are a business person and looking for a laptop to work from home then Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (7th Gen) is the right choice for you. The current pandemic situation stops all business and you need to handle it from home. So, having a better laptop to run a business is a must now.

                                                   

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is an ultrabook for business folks. It is thin and lightweight so you can fit it in your small business bag. It’s a gorgeous screen, a world-class keyboard and a great mix of ports make it unique. 

  • CPU: Intel Core i5-82625U / Intel Core i7-8665U
  • GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 620 (integrated)
  • RAM: 8GB / 16GB LPDDR3 2133MHz
  • SSD: 256GB / 512GB NVMe-PCIe SSD
  • Display: 14.1-inch 1920 x 1080 /  3840 x 2160 HDR
  • OS: Windows 10 Pro
  • Battery life: 9 hours 

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon (7th Gen) comes with four different screen designs that include a 1080p non-touch panel, a 1080p touch panel, a 2K panel, and a 4K HDR panel. Each comes with a different price tag. You can select a base model or high-end, 4k model as per your budget.

The 4k display model provides stunning visuals. When you compare the 1080p display model with the 4k model you will notice the difference. The viewing angles are perfect for both models.

 The less-expensive model comes with a Core i5-8265U CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and a 1080p display, and a premium model with a Core i7-8665U CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 4K display.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon has integrated Intel UHD 620 graphics processor. It is good enough for watching videos and playing low-end games.

Lenovo’s ThinkPads series has a good reputation for keyboards and this model lives up to that reputation. The two models have smart, material keys that gave a strong 1.6mm of travel and required 70 grams of actuation force. And both models have two different pointing devices: a buttonless touchpad and a bright red TrackPoint pointing stick.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon (7th Gen) comes with good audio. You have the ability to choose the different audio profile which is provided by Lenovo. 

You get two different 720 webcams options, one with an IR camera for facial recognition and one without. Both webcams are enough to attend your office meeting from home. 

When it comes to port, you get: 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, 2x Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 1.4, Proprietary Ethernet, Headphone/Mic combo jack

1 Lithium-ion batteries provide 9 hours of battery life, which is sufficient for you to work from home. The weight of the laptop is 3.9 pounds.

Pros:

  • Battery life is good for the 1080p screen model.
  • Lightweight
  • The keyboard is a good & pointing stick.
  • A 4k screen model is available.

Cons: 

  • Average webcam with an IR camera.
  • The power button is awkward. 

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4. Best Gaming Laptop: Razer Blade 15 Gaming Laptop

If you are thinking gaming is a waste of time then you are wrong. You can earn enough money by doing professional gaming or doing an online gaming stream from your home. Just you need a good gaming laptop. And Razer blade 15 gaming laptop is the best gaming laptop for you. 

                                     

It is two in one laptop. You can do your work and gaming on this laptop. You feel it is an overpriced laptop but Razer provides you a masterpiece. It has advanced features and powerful internal components.

  • CPU:  Intel Core i7-8750H
  • GPU:  Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q 8GB
  • RAM: 16GB DDR4
  • Hard Disk: 512GB SSD
  • Display: 15.6 inch FHD (1920×1080)
  • OS: Windows 10
  • Battery: 5 hours of battery life.

The laptop comes with a full HD 15.6-inch display (1920×1080)  with a 240Hz refresh rate. It will provide the best experience for intense gaming sessions or content creation. 

Razer Blade 15 Gaming comes with 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H 6 core processor w/ 2.6GHz/4.5GHz (base/max turbo). You get NVIDIA GeForce 2070 RTX Max-Q, a dedicated 8 GB graphics card. 

The laptop supports SSD and comes with 512 GB SSD and 16 GB RAM. It has  0.7″ thin CNC aluminum unibody with high-performance, vapor chamber cooling. 

It’s a gaming laptop so you get gaming onboard keyboard. You get customizable RGB individual key lighting. The touchpad is quite large and super smooth and ultra-responsive.

The speakers on the Razer Blade 15  is not loud as accepted. But if you have a gaming headphone it will be better for you. 

The 1-megapixel webcam makes video quality a fuzzy. It’s not enough to do an online gaming stream. You can use it for facial unlock your laptop.

When it comes to connectivity you get 1 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), 3 x USB Type-A 3.1 Gen 1, Mini-DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0

The 1 Lithium-ion battery gives you 5-6 hours battery life. The Razer Blade 15 is 4.74 pounds in weight which is quietly heavier side. 

Pros:

  • Best build quality.
  • 60fps in Full HD for almost every video game.
  • Ray tracing support.
  • Decent 240Hz FHD screen
  • Better battery life.

Cons:

  • Expensive
  • A little bit heavier.
  • No G-Sync
  • Less storage as compared to price.

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5. Best Laptop For Music Production: Apple 13” MacBook Pro

If you are in the music industry and looking for the best laptop for working then Apple 13″ MacBook Pro is the best choice for you. Apple 13″ MacBook Pro is a thin and compact 13-inch option that is sufficiently lightweight and best for working home.

It has  7th generation 2.3 GHz dual-core Intel i5 processor along with an Ultrafast SSD. You can run multiple software on this laptop and do your music production.

  • CPU: Intel Core i5 Processor (Quad-core 8th-Generation)
  • GPU: Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645
  • RAM: 8GB 
  • SSD: 128GB/256GB / 512GB  SSD
  • Display: 13-inch 
  • OS: macOS
  • Battery life: 10 hours 

Apple 13″ MacBook comes in 128GB &256GB storage and 8 gigs of ram, which isn’t sufficient but it can be upgraded to 16. It comes with Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 and 13-inch brilliant retina display. 

Keyboard and touchpad are suitable for you to work. But you are in heavy music production then you can go with an external keyboard which supports music production.

It has an impressive 10 hours of battery life which good for work. This laptop has 4.9 pounds in weight. You get a 720p FaceTime HD camera.

When it comes to connectivity, you get two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports with support for charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt (up to 40 Gbps), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps).

Pros:

  • Lightweight
  • Longer battery life
  • Faster launching and importing of projects.
  • Excellent Retina display

Cons:

  • Expensive
  • No support for Wi-Fi 6
  •  Port variety is limited.

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6. Best laptop for students to study from home: Huawei MateBook X

The study from home is rapidly increased due to the ongoing pandemic situation. Schools, colleges and universities are closed everwhere and everyone studies from home. Huawei MateBook X is the best choice for you if you are doing study from home.

                               

It is an ultraslim laptop which is best for carrying and to do your daily study task. You can easily run the internet on this laptop and enroll in your online study. It comes under the notebook category. 

  • CPU: Intel Core i7-7500U
  • RAM: 8 GB 
  • SSD: 512GB  SSD
  • Display: 13-inches
  • OS: Windows 10
  • Battery life: 6 hours 

The laptop comes with the Intel Core i7-7500U processor and 512 GB SSD. It has 8GB RAM. The Mate Book X is as thin as a magazine and only  12.5mm thick and 2.31 lbs in weight.

You get a 2K display (2160×1440) protected by Corning Gorilla Glass and a 4.4mm narrow bezel with an 88% screen screen-to-body ratio.

The laptop sound is a plus point of Huawei MateBook X. It provides you  Dolby Atmos Sound System and gives you an immersive sound experience with Dolby custom-designed and tuned speakers.

The keyboard of this laptop is a water-resistant keyboard with a single-touch power button to unlock the notebook. It has a fingerprint sensor to lock and unlock your laptop screen. The touchpad is ok and you can easily use it to complete the task. 

When it comes to connectivity you get USB-A port, USB-C port, HDMI port, and VGA port; 1 year Office365 included. The computer has two Type C ports, one for charging and/or Mate Dock, and one non-charging port for Mate.

Pros:

  • Clean display
  • Impressive sound
  • Hardware suite is strong

Cons:

  • Power-limit throttling impedes performance
  • Normal GPU

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By Sameer

I'm Sameer Bille, a blogger from Mumbai, India. I started MuchTech as a passion.Here at Much Tech I write about Tech Tips,Tricks and how to guide.

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