What to Look for In a Work From Home Laptop

Many companies adopted hybrid work setups as a response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hybrid work allows employees to split their time between working from home and working from the office. It also minimizes time and energy spent on commuting while still maintaining a productive work environment.But to overcome a sudden change like this, you’ll need a strong sense of discipline—and it also helps to have the best laptop for work from home setups for boosted efficiency! In this post, we’re going to break down the top factors to consider when choosing a work from home laptop.

Three of the best work-from-home laptops available at Integr8

9 Factors to Consider When Choosing The Best Work From Home Laptop

What are the best laptops for hybrid working? What features should you look for? Find the best office and work from home laptop for you using this guide:

1. Weight, Size, and Form

Laptops are designed to be portable, but portability depends on their weight, size, and form. Usually, laptop sizes start at 11.6 inches and go all the way to 17.3 inches. A bigger laptop is usually heavier—around 1.8 kg to 3.6 kg, so you’d want to stick to a smaller, thinner laptop that’s below 1.5 kg to make it more convenient to carry. Just note that some of these smaller laptops do not support high-end Intel Core CPUs and graphic cards, so it is best to check and find the right balance of features for you.

2. Battery Life

One of the things that would narrow down your choices is to pick one with long battery life. The best laptop for work from home is one that can last for at least eight to 10 hours (the usual office hours). This way, you won’t have to constantly look for an outlet to plug it into because your battery’s about to die.Eight to 10 hours is just the basic. Now, there are actually excellent laptops in the market that could give you 18 hours of use when fully charged.A good practice is to check the rating of the battery in Watt-hours (Wh) or milliamp-hours (mAh). The larger the figure, the longer the battery life is.

3. Display Quality

Expect to stare at your laptop screen for hours, most likely longer than when you were at the office! Naturally, your eyes will be stressed, but even more so when the display quality isn’t the best. The best laptop for work from home should have a screen resolution that feels comfortable to use. Consider at least a 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution (full HD), but if you really want the best, there are actually work from home laptops now that offer a 4K resolution.

4. CPU, Functionality, and Speed

Choosing the laptop’s CPU, functionality, and speed depends on the nature of your work. If it calls for heavy files to be saved and the installation of complicated software applications, then you need a faster processor to support the load. You can check the best Intel processors and best AMD processors existing in the market before making a final decision.

5. RAM and Storage

RAM is another crucial factor to consider when buying the best work from home laptop. RAM is all about how much data and information your laptop can handle at the same time. If you’re just browsing and sending emails, a 4GB-RAM should be enough. But if you’re using design software, 8GB and higher will give you more power.In terms of storage, SSD or Solid State Drive gives better performance and usability, replacing old-fashioned hard disk drives. Get at least 256 SSD to support your daily tasks.

6. Usability

A multi-function laptop with great physical qualities allows you to work comfortably. For example, a two-in-one laptop with a touchscreen feature that could turn into a tablet when folded is more convenient than standard laptops.Also, take note of the keyboard of the laptop. It should have a comfortable layout, full-sized keys, and ample space between easy keys.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6 20XY002WUS 2 in 1 Notebook

7. Security

Anyone can get into your personal files online and offline by guessing your device’s password. But with the new generation of defence called biometric security, your laptop can strongly hinder them from doing so. This feature is now becoming a common inclusion in modern laptops. Some even have fingerprint sensors on the keyboard and Face ID recognition technology that unlocks your laptop with just a glance.

8. Connectivity

LTE, Wifi, or Ethernet? These are the ways your laptop can connect to the internet. But if you want to work even while you’re travelling, it’s best to go for laptops with LTE. Unlike built-in network cards, laptops with LTE can connect to your mobile internet service provider (ISP) for internet access. It’s also a great alternative in case your wireless connection is electricity-dependent.

9. Price

This is the part where you assess your financial capacity as a buyer. It’s also where you compare the price with the features of the laptop you intend to buy.Be careful not to squeeze your budget too tight simply because you want to “save.” That’s usually how people end up buying a laptop they want to throw out the window after a month.

The 6 Best Work-From-Home Laptops In the Market Right Now

Bringing all these nine factors into play, we’ve picked what we think are the best work from home laptops in the market today:

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen1 20UN005DUS Ultrabook

Find The Best Work From Home Laptop Deals at Integr8

Whether you continue to work from home, go back to your office environment, or do a mix of both, always take these factors into consideration. It’s how you can get the best value (and efficiency!) out of your money.Want to find the best work from home laptop deals? Head over to Integr8. We’re one of Canada’s most trusted providers of business systems. Whether it’s laptops, printers, copiers, or managed print services, you’ll find all the premier office solutions at Integr8. Visit our website or give us a call to know more about our products and services.

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