Best HP Laptops for Work: Features and Performance

The best laptop for work optimises productivity and provides ample battery life to power through a rigorous working day. And as many modern employees are constantly on the move, a good business laptop also comes in a slimline, lightweight design.

But not all businesses have identical requirements. Some require high-speed processors, while others need beefy GPUs to render 3D images on the fly. Therefore, the best work laptop will vary from worker to worker.

In this post, we’re providing a simple work laptop definition, outlining the top shopping considerations, and presenting a shortlist of the best work laptops in the HP Australia store.

Shop Business Laptops

HP For Business

Contents

What is a work laptop?
What to look for in a work laptop?
The best laptops for work from HP
Identifying the best work laptop for you

What is a work laptop?

A work laptop is a portable PC specially designed for work-related tasks. The best laptops for work come with high-end specs to reduce load times and optimise productivity - time is money, after all.

Most work laptops prioritise portability, so you can whisk the device between meetings and workplaces. The business laptop generally has a sleek, professional aesthetic rather than vibrant colours and ostentatious decorations. Many have preloaded security software to keep company data safe from prying eyes.

Expect less emphasis on recreational pursuits, such as a gaming-ready graphics card or a 4K screen for streaming.

What to look for in a work laptop?

As we know, there’s no one-size-fits-all definition for the best business laptop. The ideal option depends on your specific requirements.

Specifications

Hardware is the most crucial consideration. A business is better off investing more to ensure workers can achieve peak productivity. For this reason, a work laptop typically has better specs than a device designed for home or recreational use (high-end gaming laptops are the exception).

Consider the following specs as a minimum benchmark:

A late-generation AMD Ryzen™ 5 or Intel® Core™ i5 processor
8GB of RAM
A 256GB SSD
An integrated GPU

Of course, many work tasks require better hardware - consider your unique needs.

Portability

Portability is important for workers on the move. Most business laptops feature a petite, lightweight design to make life easier for hybrid workers and travelling between meetings.

However, some options, such as HP’s workstation range, add weight in exchange for better specs and a larger screen. The lightest, most portable work laptops weigh as little as 1 kg, while heavier options weigh up to 2 kg.

Display

A crisp, high-resolution display isn’t only necessary for streaming and gaming. Better resolution enables workers to easily see what’s on the screen, which enhances productivity during prolonged use.

The most common work laptop display is Widescreen Ultra Extended Graphics Array (WUXGA), which is optimised for the business-friendly 16:10 aspect ratio. If your work entails presentations or the visual arts, you could consider a 4K resolution instead.

Ports

A good business laptop has plenty of ports to plug in peripherals. But don’t assume every work laptop will automatically include all the ports you need.

Aside from the ubiquitous USB, consider whether you’ll hook the laptop up to a second screen. Programmers, spreadsheet wizards, data analysts and numerous other professionals will greatly benefit from a dual-monitor setup. HDMI is the gold standard, while DisplayPort is the preferred option when working with more than two screens.

Also, an Ethernet port lets you achieve a faster, more secure internet connection than WiFi - but only when an Ethernet cable is available.

Security

With cybercrime on the rise, security is a critical concern for every Australian business. Many work laptops come with preloaded security software to verify user identity and safeguard sensitive data from harm.

HP Sure Sense protects your PC from an ever-evolving list of malware. Meanwhile, HP Sure Click automatically scans websites and read-only files to filter out viruses and ransomware.

HP Wolf Security for Business is an industry-leading endpoint system that serves as your first line of defence. Among other things, it minimises addressable attack surfaces, offers in-memory breach detection, and facilitates remote recovery from firmware attacks.

Price

Every business has a budget. When shopping for a suitable work laptop, weigh up your requirements and purchase the best possible device within your financial means.

But don’t overdo it. There’s no point spending big on top-end technology when your workers need only perform basic word-processing tasks.

The best laptops for work from HP

Now that you’re up to speed on the key considerations, let’s look at the top business laptops in the HP Australia store.

We’ve split our list into categories so you can pinpoint the perfect option with ease.

Best premium: HP EliteBook 1040 14-inch G9 Notebook PC

SHOP HP EliteBook 1040 14-inch G9 Notebook PC

Got a generous budget to play with?

Then take a look at the HP EliteBook 1040 G9. Boasting impressive specs across the board, this capable notebook will cruise through even the most demanding work-related tasks.

But this nimble little workhorse isn’t just about the specs. The slimline device weighs a meagre 1.16 kg, making it among the lightest laptops from HP. Plus, you’ll get up to 18 hours of use on a single charge - that’s portability you can rely on.

Processor: 12th Generation Intel Core i7 processor
RAM: 16GB DDR5-4800 MHz RAM
Storage: 512GB PCIe® NVMe™ SSD
GPU: Intel Iris® Xe Graphics
Screen: 14” diagonal WUXGA display
Weight: 1.16 kg
Battery life: up to 18 hours

Best budget: HP ProBook 445 14-inch G9 Notebook PC

SHOP HP ProBook 445 14-inch G9 Notebook PC

Workers on a more modest budget should consider the HP ProBook 445 G9. Despite the low price tag, this sleek, business-orientated machine has ample power for all your everyday tasks.

A lightweight design and excellent battery life make it a top option for hybrid workers, while HP Wolf Security for Business offers hardware-enforced, always-on protection.

Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 processor
RAM: 8GB DDR4-3200 MHz RAM
Storage: 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD
GPU: AMD Radeon™ Graphics
Screen: 14” diagonal HD display
Weight: 1.38 kg
Battery life: up to 12 hours and 30 minutes

Best midrange: HP EliteBook 860 16-inch G9 Notebook PC

SHOP HP EliteBook 860 16-inch G9 Notebook PC

Mid-range consumers might prefer the HP EliteBook 860 G9, a high-performance notebook with top-tier conferencing capabilities and near-eternal battery life.

While it’s a tad heavier than the two aforementioned options, the spacious 16-inch WUXGA display is a worthy trade-off for those who prioritise screen size. That sizeable screen makes it among the best laptops for working from home on our list.

A 12th Generation Intel i5 processor and 8GB RAM offer plenty of power, while the Intel Iris Xe Graphics outperforms other integrated cards.

Processor: 12th Generation Intel Core i5 processor
RAM: 8GB DDR5-4800 MHz RAM
Storage: 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD
GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Screen: 16” diagonal WUXGA display
Weight: 1.76 kg
Battery life: up to 19 hours

Best for graphics card: HP ZBook Studio 16-inch G9 Mobile Workstation PC

SHOP HP ZBook Studio 16-inch G9 Mobile Workstation PC

Need a beefy GPU?

Then check out the HP ZBook Studio G9. This high-powered mobile workstation packs an 8GB NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070 Ti under the hood, making it the best productivity laptop for professional animators and 3D modelling gurus.

A whopping 16GB of RAM and a speedy 12th Generation i7 work behind the scenes to optimise your workflows. Meanwhile, the crisp 16-inch WUXGA display showcases your creations in crystal clear clarity.

Processor: 12th Generation Intel Core i7 processor
RAM: 32GB DDR5-4800 MHz RAM
Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe TLC SSD
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (8GB GDDR6 dedicated)
Screen: 16” diagonal WUXGA display
Weight: 1.73 kg
Battery life: up to 12 hours

Best workstation: HP ZBook Power 15.6-inch G9 Mobile Workstation PC

SHOP HP ZBook Power Mobile Workstation PC

If your day-to-day involves crunching complex equations or rendering 3D images, then this pro-level workstation is your go-to option.

The HP ZBook Power G9 boasts some of the best specs money can buy. From an Intel i9 to 32GB of RAM and an RTX A2000 GPU, it’s got enough horsepower to handle anything you could throw at it, and then some. That makes it the best laptop for office work that money can buy.

Processor: 12th Generation Intel Core i9 processor
RAM: 32GB DDR5-4800 MHz RAM
Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe TLC SSD
GPU: NVIDIA RTX A2000 Laptop GPU (8GB GDDR6 dedicated)
Screen: 15.6” diagonal 4K UHD display
Weight: from 1.93 kg
Battery life: up to 16 hours

Best portable: HP Elite Dragonfly 13.5-inch G3 Notebook PC

SHOP HP Elite Dragonfly 13.5-inch G3 Notebook PC

Fast-paced workers on the go require a high-powered device with a portable, slimline design. Enter the HP Elite Dragonfly G3, which weighs in at a whisker under 1 kg. That’s so feather-light, you’ll barely even notice it’s there as you bounce between meetings or travel interstate for work.

HP manufacturing wizardry means this minuscule device packs one heck of a punch. With an Intel i7, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, it stacks up well against laptops twice the weight. Impressive battery life further enhances its always-on-the-move cache - it’s the best laptop for remote workers who value portability.

Processor: 12th Generation Intel Core i7
AM: 16GB LPDDR5-6400 MHz
Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
GPU: Intel Graphics - Iris Xe Capable (Require Dual Channel Memory)
Screen: 13.5” diagonal WUXGA+ touch display
Weight: Starting at 0.99 kg
Battery life: up to 14 hours and 20 minutes

Identifying the best work laptop for you

A good business laptop should find the right balance between power and portability.

Consider how often you travel for work and what specs you need to optimise productivity. Next, work out a reasonable budget and peruse our six recommendations from the HP Australia store.

Once you’ve picked up the perfect HP machine, you’ll chew through your workflows like never before.

Harry Stewart is a contributor to Tech Takes. He’s an Australian-based writer covering everything from travel to tech.

learn more