Over the past two years, whether we like it or not, working from home has become a reality for many of us, and to some extent, it’s probably here to stay. Working from home does gives us more flexibility in how we manage our time, so while we might like going into an office, there will be times when we prefer remote work. But that means you need to be well-equipped to work from home, and to help you with that, we’ve selected some of the best laptops and PCs you can buy today for exactly that.
But what constitutes a good work from home PC? Aside from being a great laptop in general, there are two core things you’ll probably care about if you’re working from home: a good webcam for meetings, and Thunderbolt support so you can set up all your peripherals and a multi-monitor setup using a Thunderbolt dock. For webcams, we’re going for laptops with Full HD cameras or higher, something that’s still a bit rare nowadays. As for Thunderbolt support, that does mean most of the devices on this list are powered by Intel, who develops and licenses Thunderbolt.
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- Best overall: HP Spectre x360 16
- Best for creative professionals: Surface Laptop Studio
- Best business clamshell: Lenovo ThinkPad X13
- Best business convertible: HP Elite Dragonfly Max
- Best high-performance laptop: Razer Blade 15 Advanced
- Best tablet: Surface Pro 8
- Best AiO: HP Envy AiO 32
Best overall work from home laptop: HP Spectre x360 16
HP’s Spectre family gained another new member this year in the form of the Spectre x360 16. Blending high-performance specs with a great display and webcam, this is certainly one of the best laptops you can buy today, and even more so if you’re working from home.
The 16-inch Spectre x360 stands out from its smaller siblings right away in terms of performance. Unlike the 15W processors in the smaller Spectre models, the Spectre x360 16 comes with Intel’s 35W H-series (also called H35) processors. You can get it with a Core i7-11390H processor with 4 cores, 8 threads, and boost speeds up to 5GHz, making this a very fast laptop. Because of its higher power rating, this processor can hold its boost speeds for longer, too. The processor also includes Iris Xe graphics, but if you want more power for GPU-related tasks, you can get this laptop with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card, too. Finally, you get up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD storage, so you really aren’t missing out on any aspect.
One of the things that make the Spectre x360 unique is its 16-inch display. This is the first Spectre laptop with a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is taller than the 16:9 screens of the 13- or 15-inch models, and it’s fantastic for work. The added vertical space is great for reading and writing documents without having to scroll as much, making productivity that much better. Not only that, this is an extremely sharp display coming in at 3072 x 1920 resolution in the base model. If you want an even sharper screen, there’s an Ultra HD+ (3840 x 2400) OLED panel available, too. Of course, this is a convertible,
The true standout feature of the Spectre x360 16, however, is the camera. This laptop comes with a 5MP “GlamCam” webcam, and in addition to having fantastic quality, it includes smart features like the ability to track the user if they move around to keep them in the frame, beauty and lighting adjustments, and so on. This is one of the best webcams you’ll find on any laptop right now, and of course, it also supports Windows Hello facial recognition.
Design-wise, the Spectre x360 16 is very similar to its smaller siblings, but also quite different. It still has somewhat angular edges, but they’ve significantly rounded and smoothed out, so it should feel a bit more comfortable to hold. Along with that, while this model still has a dual-tone look, it’s much more subtle now. The nightfall black model has gold-tinted accents along the edges, while the nocturne blue accents the dark blue surfaces with a lighter shade of blue for the edges. This isn’t a very light laptop, as you might expect from its specs and size. It weighs 4.45lbs, and it measures 19.81mm in thickness, so it’s still portable, but probably not something you want to carry around all day.
Finally, coming around to the ports, the Spectre x360 16 has a very solid supply. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, once USB Type-A (3.2 Gen 2) port, HDMI 2.0b, a microSD card header, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. That covers all the basics, in addition to giving you two whole Thunderbolt 4 ports so you can connect multiple monitors and more peripherals with a Thunderbolt dock, or even an external GPU.
The HP Spectre x360 16 is a laptop that gets almost everything right, and if you want to work from home, this is one of the best PCs you can buy right now.
- The HP Spectre x360 16 is fantastic laptop with high-performance specs, a sharp display, and a great webcam.
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Best work from home creator laptop: Surface Laptop Studio
Microsoft’s Surface lineup has some great devices to its name, but the Surface Laptop Studio is arguably the best one yet, especially if you’re planning to work from. Its combination of specs and the unique form factor make this my personal favorite device on this list, so of course, it’s an easy recommendation.
Performance-wise, the Surface Laptop Studio comes packing Intel’s H35 series processors, up to an Intel Core i7-11370H. This is a quad-core, eight-thread processor with boost speeds up to 4.8GHz and integrated Iris Xe graphics, so you get a lot of power right there already. If that’s not enough, the Core i7 models of the Surface Laptop Studio also include an NVIDIA GeForce 3050 graphics card, letting you run some GPU-focused workloads, including some games, if that’s your thing. Additionally, the Surface Laptop Studio also comes with up to 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD, making this a very capable machine all around.
The display on the Surface Laptop Studio is also a highlight. It’s a 14.4-inch panel and it comes in the signature 3:2 aspect ratio that other Surface devices have. This is even taller than a 16:10 display, so the same benefits apply, but to an even greater extent. It’s also packing 2400 x 1600 resolution, making this a very sharp screen, and you get support for Dolby Vision, too. One of the most unique things about this panel is that it actually has a 120Hz refresh rate, something that’s usually reserved for gaming laptops, so animations, transitions, and other motions will look very smooth on this screen. This is another convertible with touch and pen support, but in this case, you also get support for “Tactile signals” (haptic feedback) with the Surface Slim Pen 2, which makes it feel like using a real pen to write on paper.
The webcam on the Surface Laptop Studio is a 1080p webcam, which is still better than the majority of laptops out there. It’s not quite up there with the 5MP cameras of the Surface tablets, but it is better than other Surface Laptop models, too. And of course, Windows Hello facial recognition is also supported.
The design of the Surface Laptop Studio is easily its most unique characteristic. This is a convertible, but instead of a 360-degree hinge, the Surface Laptop Studio has two hinges on the display so you can use it in a few different positions. You can pull the screen closer to you if you’re just watching a movie, or you can go all the way and fold the screen down over the base, turning it into a canvas that’s great for taking notes, drawing, and other artistic work.
Aside from the form factor, it looks very much like a Surface device made of aluminum and magnesium, and it’s also cleverly designed to store the Surface Slim Pen 2 on its underside. In terms of portability, the Surface Laptop Studio starts at 3.87lbs (4lbs if you get the NVIDIA GPU), and it’s 18.94mm thick.
Finally, the Surface Laptop Studio is one of the first Surface devices to support Thunderbolt 4, helping it earn its place on this list. It has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a Surface Connect port that’s used for charging and an alternative docking method, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. While Thunderbolt 4 support means you can connect pretty much anything with a dock, the lack of other ports means you’ll practically need a dock to connect anything to this laptop, so we have to dock some points for that.
Despite its limited port setup, though, the Surface Laptop Studio is a phenomenal laptop. If you’re planning to work from home, this is one of the most capable and versatile laptops you can find, and thus, one of your best options.
- With its unique form factor, sharp and smooth display, and powerful specs, the Surface Laptop Studio is one of the best laptops out there.
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Best business clamshell: Lenovo ThinkPad X13
Unsurprisingly, business laptops are great for working, and the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 is a fantastic example of that. It has the iconic ThinkPad design with some modern touches that make this one of the best laptops you can buy to work from home.
Unlike the laptops we’ve looked at so far, the ThinkPad X13 has a 15W processor, up to an Intel Core i7-1185G7. This is a quad-core, eight-thread processor with boost speeds up to 4.8GHz, and it includes vPro support. This is a common feature in business laptops, and it means there are some extra security features. It still has Intel Iris Xe graphics, too. In addition to the processor, you can get it with up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage, giving you more than enough RAM for multitasking and space for plenty of files.
The display on the ThinkPad X13 is a 13.3-inch panel and it comes in the 16:10 aspect ratio. The base model comes in Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) resolution, and that’s plenty sharp already, but you can go up to a Quad HD+ (2560 x 1600) display if you want the extra detail. Depending on the model you choose, the maximum brightness can go up to 500 nits, so this should be an easy laptop to use outdoors, too.
The ThinkPad X13 doesn’t include a 1080p camera by default, but you do have the option to get one, and if you do, it also includes Windows Hello facial recognition support. That makes this a good camera for video meetings and calls, with the added convenience of unlocking your PC easily. There’s also an option for human presence detection, so the laptop can go to sleep and wake up based on whether you’re in front of it.
Lenovo’s iconic ThinkPad design is here and accounted for, featuring the well-known red accents and of course, the pointing stick on the keyboard. You can use this to control your mouse cursor, and a pair of duplicate buttons above the touchpad also make this easier. In addition to the classic ThinkPad black, there’s also a silver version of this laptop. It’s a fairly lightweight laptop, weighing 2.78lbs, and it’s 18mm thin.
Like most business laptops, the ThinkPad X13 is packing plenty of ports. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports — one of which is also part of a proprietary mechanical docking connector — two USB Type-A ports (3.2 Gen 1), HDMI 2.0, and a headphone jack. You can also add LTE or 5G support to this laptop so you can stay connected when you’re away from home or if your Wi-Fi stops working for some reason.
As far as business laptops go, the ThinkPad Xx13 is one of the best out there, especially if you’re looking for something you can use to work from home. The option for a 1080p camera is a big plus, and it’s just a great laptop across the board.
- The ThinkPad X13 keeps Lenovo's iconic design elements and adds modern elements like a tall screen and a great webcam.
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Also great: Dell Latitude 7420
If you’re looking for a laptop specifically designed for business users, the Dell Latitude 7420 is another great option. As a business laptop, it offers a lot of connectivity options and a classic design, while still offering great features for remote work.
The Dell Latitude is powered by Intel’s 11th-generation Core processors up to a Core i7-1185G7 with vPro. This is a 15W processor, but it still has four cores, eight threads, and it can boost up to 4.8GHz, plus it includes Iris Xe graphics. Plus, vPro support means it includes some extra security features for businesses. You can also get it with up to 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, so performance shouldn’t be a problem for productivity, and you have plenty of space for files and documents.
The display on Latitude 7420 isn’t going to blow your mind, but it’s a solid Full HD (1920 x 1080) panel, coming in the more classic 16:9 aspect ratio compared to the two laptops above. The display maxes out at 300 nits of brightness, so while it’s good for working from home, using it outdoors might be a problem. There are options for touch support, as well as a 4K model, though that last one means you don’t get a Full HD webcam.
That’s right, there are a couple of different options for the webcam. Most models come with an infrared camera for Windows Hello support, but if you want the best image quality, you’re going to want the Full HD camera instead of the standard HD one. Only a handful of models have a Full HD camera, so make sure you’re buying the right one. With it, you should get a solid video calling and meeting experience while working from home.
In terms of the design, the Latitude 7420 is a very subdued laptop, though it does come with two options for the lid. You can get it in a silver-colored aluminum model, or a black carbon fiber variant if you want something more distinct. This also has a small impact on the size of the laptop. The carbon fiber model measures 17.27mm thick and starts at 2.7lbs, but the aluminum model is thinner — 16.9mm — but heavier, starting at 2.89lbs. This could also be because the internal configurations are different depending on the chassis, though.
Finally, we have ports, and the Dell Latitude 7420 offers a great supply of them. First off, you get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and they’re on different sides of the laptop so it’s easier to plug in regardless of your position. You also get one USB Type-A port (3.2 Gen 1), HDMI 2.0, a microSD card reader and a headphone jack. You also have the option to add a Smart Card reader and a nano-SIM slot for the LTE-enabled models.
All of these configuration options are available on Dell’s website, which might be your best choice if you want to fully configure your laptop. You can also find the Latitude 7420 on Amazon below.
- The Dell Latitude 7420 is a solid business laptops that nails all the basics and it comes in a classic design.
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Best business convertible: HP Elite Dragonfly Max
Great business laptops don’t have to come in overly traditional designs, and the HP Elite Dragonfly Max is the best example of that. This is a fantastic convertible laptop with great business features and a design that’s modern but subdued enough to fit in a business environment.
Starting with performance, the HP Elite Dragonfly Max comes with Intel’s 11th-generation Core processors up to a Core i7-1185G7. This is similar to the Latitude 7420, with four cores, eight threads, 4.8GHz boost speeds, and Iris Xe graphics. Of course, vPro support is also included. Aside from the processor, you can get it with up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD storage, so you’ll be doing pretty well as far as performance goes, and multi-tasking shouldn’t be a problem here.
The Elite Dragonfly Max has a 13.3-inch display, and it comes in the standard 16:9 aspect ratio a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution. It’s not as impressive as some other displays, but it does come with HP’s Sure View Reflect technology, which prevents people around you from seeing what’s on your screen. This also gives it a maximum brightness of 1000 nits, so you shouldn’t have any trouble using this laptop outdoors. And of course, being a convertible means you get touch and pen support, and the display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
One of the best things about the HP Elite Dragonfly Max is its webcam, which is another rare case of a 5MP camera on a laptop. Not only is it a 5MP sensor, it can actually record 1440p video, so this is truly one of the very best cameras you’ll find on any laptop. Of course, there’s also an infrared camera here for Windows Hello facial recognition, plus a fingerprint reader.
The design of the HP Elite Dragonfly Max strikes a great balance of being subdued without being boring. It comes in “sparkling black” so, at first glance, it just looks like a black laptop, but when you look closely, the surface sparkles and makes it a bit more unique. Aside from that, this is a very thin and light laptop, weighing just 2.49lbs and measuring 16mm in thickness, so you can use it at home or take it anywhere you want without much hassle.
As for connectivity, the HP Elite Dragonfly Max is as well-equipped as you’d expect for a business laptop. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one USB Type-A (3.2 Gen 1), HDMI 2.0, a headphone jack. That covers pretty much all your basic needs, and you can also add a nano-SIM card slot by adding LTE or even 5G support, so this is a great laptop to work even when your Wi-Fi may be down or if you need to be out of the house.
As we said in your review of the HP Elite Dragonfly Max, this is a phenomenal business convertible, and one of the best laptops you can buy to work from home thanks to its high-end specs, fantastic camera, and more. However, it’s quite a bit pricy.
- With a premium but classy design, a fantastic camera, and a welath of business features, the HP Elite Dragonfly Max is a fantastic laptop for work.
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Best high-performance laptop for work from home: Razer Blade 15 Advanced
Yes, yes, a gaming laptop in a list of laptops for work. Laptops can be good for a lot of things, and just because you’re working during the day, it doesn’t mean you can’t be a gamer by night. If you want a laptop that balances both of these things well, the Razer Blade 15 Advanced is a great option.
For gaming laptops, performance is naturally a top priority, and the Razer Blade 15 is no exception. It’s powered by an 11th-generation Intel Core i7-11800H processor, featuring 8 cores, 16 threads, and boost speeds up to 4.6GHz, making this one of the most powerful laptop processors out there. Backing that up, you can get up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 laptop GPU with 8GB of dedicated memory and 105W of power, so rest assured all your games will run great on this laptop. Beyond that, you can get up to 32GB of RAM (which you can upgrade yourself) and 1TB SSD, plus an empty M.2 slot for future expansion.
The display on the Razer Blade 15 comes in a few different configurations, but it’s always a 15.6-inch panel and it comes in the 16:9 aspect ratio. The different versions include a Full HD (1920 x 1080) display at 360Hz, Quad HD (2560 x 1440) at either 165Hz or 240Hz, and a 4K OLED panel at 60Hz (though this model seems to be out of stock). Your choice here depends entirely on your preference, though I’d personally argue that a Quad HD panel is probably the sweet spot for this size if you plan on gaming and working on the laptop.
Webcams are often overlooked in gaming laptops, but the Razer Blade 15 Advanced doesn’t skimp on it. You get a Full HD webcam, complete with Windows Hello facial recognition, making this a good camera for meetings, but also if you’re interested in streaming your gaming sessions in your free time.
Despite being a gaming laptop, the Razer Blade 15 has a fairly subdued design that’s not obnoxious like some other gaming laptops can be. It’s mostly a black laptop, though it does have a green Razer logo on the lid. The keyboard has RGB backlighting, but it only shines through the key labels, so it’s still somewhat understated. It’s also just under 17mm thin, which is impressive for its specs, and it weighs 4.4lbs. That’s not light by any means, but it could be a lot worse, too.
The Razer Blade 15 Advanced also has a very balanced supply of ports. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, three USB Type-A (3.2 Gen 2) ports, HDMI 2.1, a full-size SD card reader, and a headphone jack. That’s one of the most complete setups you’ll find on any laptop, and it’s made better because these ports are all evenly distributed on both sides, so you have more flexibility with how you want to plug in your peripherals and displays.
If you need a lot of processing power, whether it’s for video editing or gaming, this is one of the best laptops you can buy for that while also being a great option for working from home.
- The Razer Blade 15 is a powerful gaming laptop that still has the makings of a great remote work PC, including a great webcam.
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Best tablet: Surface Pro 8
Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablets have always been standout devices, but for the past few years, they’d been getting a bit stale. That all changed with the Surface Pro 8, though which brought a new design, new specs, and Thunderbolt 4 support for the first time, making this a fantastic tablet for working from home or anywhere you want to.
Performance-wise, the Surface Pro 8 comes packing Intel’s 15W Tiger Lake processors up to a Core i7-1185G7, which is in line with other ultrabooks on this list. That’s a quad-core, eight-thread processor with boost speeds up to 4.8GHz, as well as Intel Iris Xe graphics. It also comes with up to 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, so you’re really not missing much here compared to more traditional laptops.
The display on the Surface Pro 8 is another one of its strengths, being an extremely sharp 13-inch panel with the typical 3:2 aspect ratio all Surface devices have. The resolution is 2880 x 1920, and like the Surface Laptop Studio, it supports Dolby Vision and a 120Hz refresh rate (though it’s off by default on the Pro 8). Of course, it also supports touch and the Surface Pen, including support for tactile signals on the Surface Slim Pen 2.
The cameras on the Surface Pro tablets have always been ahead of the curve, and the Surface Pro 8 is no different. The front-facing camera is a 5MP sensor with support for 1080p video, making it one of the best webcams out there, plus it includes Windows Hello facial recognition. In addition to that, you get a second camera on the back, this time being a 10MP sensor with support for 4K video.
The Surface Pro 8 sports a brand-new design compared to its predecessor, with smaller bezels and rounded edges to make it more comfortable in the hand. As a tablet, it’s meant to be thin and light, and it does a good job at that. It weighs just 1.96lbs and measures 9.3mm in thickness; of course, that’s without the keyboard, which is sold separately. But even that doesn’t take away from the fact that this is the most portable device on this list.
Rounding things out with ports, the Surface Pro 8 does check the box of including Thunderbolt 4 support, and with two Thunderbolt ports, you have no shortage of options for what you can connect here. Unfortunately, those are all the ports you get aside from the Surface Connect port for charging (and an alternate docking method) and the 3,5mm headphone jack. Adapters or docks are pretty much required if you want to use any wired peripherals.
Aside from its limited port setup, the Surface Pro 8 is one of the best laptops if you’re planning to work from home as well as on the road. However, it’s only a laptop if you buy the keyboard sold separately, so that’s an extra cost to take into consideration.
- The Surface Pro 8 is Microsoft's most exciting tablet in many years, featuring a larger display and a modern design.
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Best all-in-one PC: HP Envy All-in-One 32
To round out this list, we’ll go with an all-in-one desktop PC, and we’ve chosen the HP Envy AiO 32 for that. Ideally, we’d like to recommend the HP Envy 34 AiO that was announced a few months ago, but it’s not available to buy just yet. This is still a powerful PC, though, and it has a lot to offer.
The specs inside the Envy AiO 32 aren’t the newest out there, but the Intel Core i7-10700 is still an 8-core, 16-thread processor that can boost up to 4.7GHz, so you’re hardly going to have any issues with performance here. To back up that processor, you also get an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card with 8GB of memory, giving you plenty of power for GPU-oriented tasks, whether it’s video editing or gaming. You also get 16GB of RAM out of the box (though it can be upgraded), a 512GB SSD, and a 1TB HDD. That storage is also accelerated by 32GB of Intel Optane memory.
The Envy AiO 32 also has a fantastic display. It’s a 31.5-inch 16:9 panel, and it comes in 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution, making for a fantastic viewing experience. In fact, it’s great in more ways, such as having 600 nits of brightness, support for HDR 600, and 98% DCI-P3 coverage.
Hidden away inside this PC is a 5MP that pops up above the display when you need it and retracts when you don’t. The high-resolution sensor makes for a great video calling experience, plus the camera also supports Windows Hello facial recognition to make it easier to unlock your PC.
Seeing as it’s a desktop, portability isn’t much of a concern with the HP Envy AiO 32, but the overall design is modern and in line with HP’s premium laptops. The back has a dual-tone black panel, and the front is adorned by a woven fabric cover for the front-facing speakers, so it looks premium and sleek all around. A cool feature of this PC is that the base has built-in wireless charging for your phone, which is a very convenient feature to have.
Finally, we have the ports, and there’s quite a few of them. On the back, there’s one Thunderbolt 3 port (though it’s the same speed as Thunderbolt 4), one USB Type-C (3.2 Gen 2) port, two USB Type-A (3.2 Gen 2) ports, HDMI input and output, and gigabit Ethernet. The right side of the display also has an extra USB Type-A (3.2 Gen 1) port, while the left side has an SD card reader. That’s all the connectivity you could need, so there isn’t much to say here.
If you’re less interested in a laptop and you want something that will be in your home office for a long time, the HP Envy AiO 32 is one of your best options for work. It doesn’t have the newest specs, but it’s not lacking in any way.
- The HP Envy AiO 32 packs the power you'd expect in a desktop PC, plus a great 4K display and a great webcam, too.
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That’s it for what we’d consider the best laptops (and one all-in-one) you can buy today if you want to work from home. We chose the Spectre x360 16 for the top spot because it has pretty much everything you could ask for – powerful processors with optional dedicated graphics, a sharp and bright display, a high-quality camera, and enough connectivity options to power multiple displays and peripherals in a home office setup.
You may have noticed all of these PCs have Thunderbolt support, but if you want even more options, we also have a list of the best Thunderbolt 4 laptops you can check out.
The post These are the best PCs for working from home in 2022 appeared first on xda-developers.
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