After the pandemic in 2019, working from home went from being just a trend to becoming a necessity for many people. It soon became the go-to work mode for many companies, giving employees a range of valuable benefits.
These days, many of us including me prefer remote work for these reasons: cost savings (fuel, public transportation, and work attire), the flexibility of setting our own hours; and work from a comfortable environment to experience better work-life balance.
While remote work sounds great but you should have a right laptop to support your remote work at your home, at least your laptop can run smoothly when doing your basic daily tasks. The most expensive option isn’t always the best choice; it depends on your specific job requirements. Not every laptop is suited for every type of remote work.
Below is a quick list of the best laptops for working from home in 2024 and factors to consider when choosing a laptop based on your job.
- Dell Inspiron 15 – Best Budget
- Apple MacBook Air M2 – Best Overall
- Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 – Best for Business Users
- Lenovo Yoga 7i – Best 2-in-1 Laptop
- ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 – Best for Power Users
| Office Work | Creative Art Work | Programming | Business Use | Power Users and Gaming | |
| Tasks | Email, document editing, spreadsheets, video conferencing, web browsing | Photo editing, graphic design, video editing, digital illustration | Coding, software development, running virtual machines, AI/ML model training, data analysis | Meetings, presentations, document management, data analysis, client communication | Gaming, 3D modelling, video editing, streaming, intensive multitasking |
| CPU | Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 | Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 | Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 | Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 | Intel Core i7/i9 or AMD Ryzen 7/9 |
| RAM | 8 – 16 GB | 16 GB or more | 16 GB or more | 8 GB or more | 32 GB or more |
| Storage | 256GB SSD | 512GB SSD or more | 512GB SSD or more | 256 GB or more | 1 TB SSD or more |
| Display | 13-15 inch, Full HD | 15-17 inch, 4K or higher, 100% sRGB coverage | 14-16 inch, QHD (2560×1440) or higher | 14-16 inch, Full HD | 15-17 inch, QHD or 4K, 120Hz refresh rate or higher |
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The Best Budget
Dell Inspiron 15
PROS
- Affordable price
- Wide range of ports
- Support Touchscreen
CONS
- Plastic build
- Not suitable for demanding tasks
- Short Battery Life
- Basic Keyboard Quality
| Specs | |
| CPU | 13th Gen Intel Core i5-1335U |
| GPU | Integrated Intel® Iris Xe Graphics |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 1 TB SSD |
| Display | 15.6″ FHD (1920×1080) Anti-glare Touchscreen |
You can get a 15-inch touchscreen laptop running with an Intel Core i5-1335U for under $600. Though it’s an i5, the Alder Lake-U series from the 13th generation makes its performance similar with the Core i7-1265U (12th Gen). It also comes with Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics that are enough to handle your daily activities, from photo and video editing at moderate levels to casual gaming smoothly.
The Dell Inspiron 15 includes essential ports such as USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, and an SD card reader; don’t worry about connecting various peripherals and external monitors. 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage is pretty great for you running multiple applications smoothly at the same time and large file saving. Not enough? It allows you to upgrade based on your requirements.
This 15-inch Full HD wide display allows you to open your screen, giving you enough space to run multiple applications side by side. Additionally, a responsive touchscreen can help you quickly scroll through your documents, spreadsheets, or web pages.
Average battery life is around 3 to 4 hours on a single charge, plus touchscreen displays can consume more power. It sounds not such good, but finding a power outlet may not be such an issue while working from home.
While this keyboard cannot offer the premium feel and tactile bump like higher-end models, it is good enough for regular use. Its touchpad is responsive, and multi-touch gestures are well supported.
The large 15.6-inch laptop weighs only 3.64 pounds, making it lightweight enough to carry anywhere. I recommend the Dell Inspiron 15 for reasons not only of budget-friendliness but also solid performance, upgradability, good display, and comprehensive connectivity options.
The Best Overall
Apple MacBook Air (M2)
The Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M2) is the best 15-inch laptop for working from home, featuring a larger screen, 1080p webcam, comfortable keyboard typing, quality audio, and great performance.
PROS
- Powerful performance
- Large, high-quality Retina display
- Long battery life
- Lightweight and portable
CONS
- Expensive
- Limited ports
| Specs | |
| CPU | Apple M2 Chip (8-Core) |
| GPU | 8-Core GPU |
| RAM | 8GB to 24GB unified memory |
| Storage | 256GB to 2TB storage |
| Display | 15.3″ Liquid Retina display |
For years, the Apple MacBook Air always the first choice in case you have the budget for working basic daily tasks. When selecting the chip among M1, M2 and M3, there are no any significant difference in their performance on simple daily tasks. However, I would recommend M2 because it can provide the fine line between longer battery life and excellent performance. M2 is enough for you to switch between tasks, handle large files, and run demanding programs efficiently.
If you’re going to do some long-running on multiple intensive applications—like 3D modeling in Blender or video and photo editing with Adobe software—go with a MacBook Pro or another strong gaming laptop. The MacBook Air is just perfect for everyday tasks and could turn out to serve for many years.
The 15.3 inch Retina Display is large and comforts your eyes on it when working for long hours. Also, 1080p HD webcam upgraded from 720p in previous model paired with a three-microphone array alongside a stereo speaker system for clear video calls and meetings. Your face and voice will stay sharp and clear while communicating with clients.
I really love its long-lasting battery life, doing light tasks such as web browsing and document editing, allowing you to use the laptop for half a day. Additionally, its lightweight design, at just 3.3 pounds, makes it highly portable, ideal for use at home or on the go.
Overall, the MacBook Air (M2) is a great investment for anyone working from home, offering powerful performance, portability, and an array of features that enhance productivity and comfort.
The Best for Business User
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 is an ideal laptop for professionals working from home. Its sleek, ultra-thin design ensures easy portability, while its Intel’s U-series latest CPUs handles demanding tasks effortlessly for long hours of work and video calls.
PROS
- Portability
- Premium Build
- Good Battery Life
- Strong Performance
CONS
- Limited Upgradeability
- No Ethernet Port
| Specs | |
| CPU | 13th Generation Intel Core i7-1365U vPro Processor |
| GPU | Integrated Intel® Iris Xe Graphics |
| RAM | 32GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 1 TB SSD |
| Display | 14″ Touchscreen WUXGA (1920 x 1200) Display, IPS, Anti-Glare, 100%sRGB |
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon offers a good balance between performance and battery life due to its U-series Intel Core i7 processors. The i7 processor allows the laptop to remain cool and quiet even during high-demand tasks, with a noise level of only 42 dB. The battery life reaches about 8 hours on a single charge, better than some competitors—the Dell XPS 13—and on par with others, such as the MacBook Air M2.
It is very light and slim. It weighs only 2.5 pounds and is thin, with a thickness of as low as 0.6 inches, hence its portability around your home or to various spots when traveling. Thin but sturdy, it’s got a carbon fibre body with magnesium alloy that is very well built. The soft-touch material of the lid doesn’t show fingerprints and hence always looks clean and sleek.
The 14-inch display of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is sharp and clear. You can have a regular 1200p touchscreen or go all the way up to 2.2K or OLED if you need even better image quality. While not the brightest screen, this laptop’s screen is bright enough for most rooms, handles reflections well, and doesn’t glare from windows or lights.
This is quite a comfortable keyboard to type on. The keys feel good with nice travel and are quiet, so you’re ideal for working in shared spaces or late at night. If this is your first ThinkPad, you may notice a slight difference in the keyboard layout due to the swapping of the function and control keys, but you will quickly adapt to it. The trackpad is smooth and responsive, and if you prefer the TrackPoint—the little red nub—it’s here too. That’s handy for moving the cursor without lifting your hands from the keyboard.
For video calls, the 720p webcam lights up pretty nicely, even when it’s a challenge for light. It’s also suitable for meetings, watching videos, or maybe some light gaming thanks to its quad-speaker system that gives clear and balanced sound.
The Best 2-in-1
Lenovo Yoga 7i
Versatile, powerful, and durable 2-in-1 laptop for remote work, the Lenovo Yoga 7i should be at the top of your list
PROS
- Comfortable Keyboard and Trackpad
- Great Display
- Versatile 2-in-1 Functionality
CONS
- Slightly heavier than other ultrabooks
- Fan Noise under Heavy Load
- Bulky in Tablet Mode
| Specs | |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-1355U |
| GPU | Integrated Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics |
| RAM | 16 GB LPDDR5-5200MHz |
| Storage | 512 GB SSD |
| Display | 16″ WQXGA (2560 x 1600), IPS, Glare, Touch, 100%sRGB |
If your remote work has you constantly switching between laptop and tablet modes, the Lenovo Yoga 7i is a fine choice. It has a 360-degree hinge that lets it easily flip back and forth between modes, so it will let you adjust to whatever your work calls for at any time. Be it a traditional laptop setup for detailed tasks or a tablet for note-taking and presentations, the Yoga 7i has you covered.
It comes with up to the latest Intel Core i7-1355U processor, which is accompanied by 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM. This essentially means it’ll chomp through everything—be it running virtual machines and large datasets or juggling multiple apps without slowing down.
Durability is another high point of Yoga 7i. It has a solid, sturdy feel to the metal chassis that was never like those plastic ones scratching and wearing easily. This build deserves special attention in cases when you often move your laptop between different workplaces or carry it around.
Typing with Yoga 7i is easy, as the keys are well-spaced and the travel is good. You’ll hardly feel tired typing long documents; the quiet operation will ensure that you won’t bother others during video calls or late-night work sessions.
16-inch WQXGA touchscreen, it is larger than most laptop screens and has a higher resolution to make it almost perfect for graphic designers or video editors who want detailed visuals. The 100% sRBG color gamut makes sure the colors are vivid and accurate, considerations important for professional content creation and editing.
It won’t let you down with respect to battery life either. On a single charge, it goes on easily up to 9 hours, lasting through a whole working day without needing a recharge.
Weighing in at roughly 4.49 pounds, it is a bit heavier than some ultrabooks; however, it is still portable enough to move around the house or go to a café. On the bright side, that weight adds to its durability and helps it withstand daily use.
To sum it all up, if you want a versatile, powerful, and robust 2-in-1 laptop that can handle your remote work, the Lenovo Yoga 7i should straightaway top your list of devices.
The Best for Power User
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) is not just a gaming laptop; it’s a powerhouse that caters exceptionally well to work-from-home power users.
PROS
- Powerful Performance
- Advanced Cooling System
- Portability and Durability
CONS
- Limited Upgradeability
- Short Battery Life under Heavy Load
- Expensive
| Specs | |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS 8 Cores (4.0GHz-5.2GHz, 16MB Cache, 45W) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 |
| RAM | 32 GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 1 TB SSD |
| Display | 14″ 3K (2880×1800) 120Hz 0.2ms OLED ROG Nebula Display (100% DCI-P3) |
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 has top performance with the latest AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU. Power it on and it will handle AAA games flawlessly, or even 3D modeling and AI development. The performance will be seamless while editing 4K videos or rendering bulky 3D models in Blender. Benchmarks show that RTX 4070 renders rendering processes up to approximately 20 to 40% compared to the RTX 3070 more productive, hence making real-time rendering and effects smoother, with less time to wait.
The 14-inch 3K (2880×1800) OLED ROG Nebula Display supports a 120Hz refresh rate and 0.2ms response time for an indomitable visual experience. It’s a high resolution and a high refresh rate, good for people creating video work and good for gaming, where details are going to be sharp and motion flowing.
At 120Hz, admittedly the refresh rate has dropped from last year’s giddy 165Hz, but it’s still supported with ASUS’s own variable refresh rate (VRR) technology and G-Sync integration to keep unsightly screen tearing to a minimum and your visual experience buttery smooth. It is most apt for applications that depend on high color accuracy, such as graphic design or video editing.
The Zephyrus G14 has a smart and highly efficient cooling mechanism that entails smooth running and elongation of service life for all the components employed in the laptop. It, therefore, never lets the temperature rise even under heavy loads, such as gaming or rendering. It does experience a fall in battery life under very heavy operational conditions, thus frequent recharging is necessary.
The 2024 model has a keyboard with 1.7 mm of key travel. This is slightly deeper than that of the previous model, but not by much. The glass trackpad is better gliding, but clicking requires harder pressing than before. This could be a downside for users who prefer to be gentle.
Gaming laptops usually come heavy, though the Zephyrus G14 2024 just weighs 3.31 pounds, which eventually makes it light considering the capabilities that this laptop has. This is probably the model to get for anyone who wants something highly performant in a smallish form factor and is unbothered by a higher price.
While these present the best recommendations which I have picked for 2024, the right laptop will depend on the work requirements, the price budgeted for it, and preference.
The best laptop is the one that answers your particular needs and budget. From the MacBook Air to the business-oriented ThinkPad X1 Carbon, or any other top pick, the right choice will make your life as a remote worker much easier and allow you to take pleasure in your daily activities.
Still in doubt? Visit a store and try a few models. Sometimes the perfect laptop is the one that simply feels right in your hands.
Happy hunting for that perfect laptop, and here’s to a far more productive, comfortable, and enjoyable remote work experience!
