Best Laptops to Gift Business Students
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Business school comes with its share of expenses, such as tuition and books. But one particularly crucial purchase as you begin your degree is your technology.
Finding the best laptop for business students often involves research along with understanding how you’ll use a computer both in and outside of the classroom. Ideally, you’ll also use this laptop when you graduate and enter the workplace. Here’s how to pick the right laptop for the job, as well as 5 top models business students use today.
You can also find all you'll need for the school year, whether you're a student or teacher, on our HP Back to School Guide, featuring bundles and curated PC and accessory options picked for your specific education needs. For special discounts every day of up to 40% on tech for school, join the HP Education Store Program - no student ID is required!
What makes a laptop for business students?
Depending on your preferred industry, your laptop may need to handle different tasks. However, as a baseline, make sure your device can help you with the following activities:
- Spreadsheets, software for creating tables, and scripts for making calculations less cumbersome
- Microsoft PowerPoint and multimedia presentations with rich graphics and screen capture technology
- Streaming services that let you watch your classroom lectures virtually without stuttering or lag
- Video and editing software for creating commercials, social media posts, and creative sales assets
- Accounting tools for crunching numbers and producing reports
- Video conferencing solutions for meeting the challenges of today’s global economy
These are just some examples of what you may encounter as part of school projects or internships at a company.
At a minimum, your business school laptop should let you easily log into your classroom management system to view your assignments and interact with instructors. And with a more powerful laptop – like those on our list – you’ll be well equipped to tackle just about any task on a job site or when working in an experiential learning setting.
What features do business students need?
When choosing a laptop as a business student, make sure yours includes these features:
- Lightweight and portable, so you can take it anywhere and work in even the tightest spaces
- Sturdy enough to handle being moved from place to place, opened over and over, with repeated use of the keyboard, touch screen, and ports
- Comes with all the Microsoft business or office tools you need, including the Windows Pro operating system
- Includes adequate memory for working quickly under tight deadlines and enough storage to keep important files at your fingertips
- Enough processing power to make running multiple programs at once a breeze, while allowing for streaming, video conferencing, and document editing
- Plenty of ports for accessories and additional monitors
- Touch screen is optional, but it may help you do more with modern apps, including notes, sketches, and design tasks
- Convertible or multi-function is optional, too, but it’s helpful when you need to use your laptop like a tablet or give an on-the-fly presentation in tent mode
If your laptop boasts these must-have features, you can then choose your preferred screen size, body color (where available), and security extras. Some of the best business school laptops even include increased privacy protection to keep your work, and the work of your future clients, safe.
The 5 best laptops for business majors
There are many HP laptops on the market that you could use at business school. We picked these 5 models for their versatility in a variety of work and school environments, reliability in terms of battery life and build, and integration of the latest tech. Many can be customized to your specific needs, as well.
HP Spectre x360 13 laptop
If you need a totally portable powerhouse, the HP Spectre x360 13 is for you. With a near-borderless display and long-lasting battery life with support for fast charge of 50% in about 45 minutes, you can work straight through class and into the evening with this laptop.
The aluminum body design features a sturdy hinge that gives you the best viewing at any angle and will hold up to the rigors of college life. It also boasts a 5MP IR camera with camera privacy shutter for professional video captures, and a fingerprint reader for secure access. You’ll love the HP Rechargeable MPP2.0 Tilt Pen included in this configuration for convenient tablet writing, drawing, and whatever else you can put your mind to.
Key features:
- Up to 13th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor with Iris® Xe graphics
- 90% screen-to-body ratio that makes the most of its space
- Up to 3K2K OLED, multi-touch enabled, UWVA display measuring 13" diagonally
- Up to 32GB of onboard memory and 2TB PCIe SSD storage
- Use either WiFi 6E or Bluetooth 5.3 connections – or both for maximum productivity
HP Elite Dragonfly notebook
Another top pick for business professionals, the HP Elite Dragonfly notebook offers optimal mobility in a rugged design. This notebook comes with a long battery life and a 5MP IR camera with HP Camera Privacy Key for convenient privacy. It also features audio by Bang & Olufsen and quad stereo speakers for superior sound. Another nice perk is that Windows 11 Pro is standard on this device.
Key features:
- Beautiful slate blue case design
- 13th Generation Intel Core i7 processor
- Connect with Intel WiFi 6E AX211 and Bluetooth 5.3 wireless card (supporting gigabit data rate)
- 13.5" diagonal, 3K2K (3000 x 2000), OLED, UWVA display with Corning® Gorilla® Glass 7
- 2 USB-C, 1 USB-A, and 1 HDMI 2.1 ports
HP Pavilion x360 convertible laptop
The HP Pavilion x360’s convertible design makes it easy to use in almost any environment. Switch from laptop mode to tablet mode or “tent” mode for presentations and streaming video. It also offers Windows 11 Home. And you’ll be able to work through any work or play on your list with up to 8 hours and 30 minutes of battery life.
Thanks to its ENERGY STAR® certification, you’ll use less energy as you work. Plus, this laptop is made with sustainable, post-consumer recycled, ocean-bound plastics. If you love the environment as much as you love crushing your homework, this is the laptop for you.
Key features:
- 12th Generation Intel Core i5 processor with Iris Xe Graphics
- Up to 16GB of RAM
- Up to 256GB SSD storage
- Supports battery fast charge of about 50% in 30 minutes
- HP Wide Vision 720p HD camera with temporal noise reduction
- 15.6" diagonal, FHD (1920 x 1080), multitouch-enabled, IPS, edge-to-edge glass screen
HP ENVY 17 laptop
When you’re searching for a good laptop for business majors, consider the HP ENVY 17 laptop, a standout pick for those in creative industries including marketing and design. This laptop is fast, using the latest multi-core Intel Core processors and Intel Iris Xe graphics.
You’ll never miss a detail with this laptop’s 17.3-inch FHD edge-to-edge glass display, and 100% sRGB color gamut for color accuracy will help your work shine. With up to 8 hours and 45 minutes of battery life, you can get through a full day of work or play with this ENVY. This is an impressive laptop that can provide years of support for photo editing, video rendering, and creative pursuits both in and out of the classroom.
Key features:
- Superior connectivity with the latest WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3
- Support for fast charge up to 50% in about 30 minutes
- Camera privacy shutter and mute mic buttons
- 3 USB Type-A, 2 Thunderbolt 4 with USB Type-C, 1 HDMI 2.1 ports
- Up to 512GB PCIe Solid State Drive storage and up to 16GB DDR4 memory
HP ZBook Firefly 16 G10 mobile workstation
For those looking for a thin and light laptop with incredible computing power, the HP ZBook Firefly 16 G10 more than delivers. It’s designed to perform processor-intensive tasks, like data mining from Excel spreadsheets and creating multi-deck presentations.
Plus, the ZBook Firefly 16 is capable of running all the software modern business professionals need. Choose from Adobe Suite options, Windows Microsoft Office tools, and AutoDesk, all of which help make this one of the truly good laptops for business students.
Key features:
- Starts at 3.88 lbs
- Up to 13th Generation Intel Core i7 processor
- Up to NVIDIA RTX™ A500 Graphics
- Up to Intel AX211 WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 vPro wireless connectivity
- Up to 2TB PCIe-4x4 2280 NVMe TLC SSD storage
- Enhanced security features include HP Sure Recover, HP Secure Erase, HP Sure Sense, HP BIOSphere Gen6, and MS Bitlocker Encryption
- Upgradeable to backlight with spill-resistant privacy keyboard
Bottom line
Your decision to go to business school, whether as a new student or a returning professional, doesn’t need any extra stress. Plan ahead with the right tech to take some uncertainty out of the equation and help focus on your work. Also, while you may need to budget at this time, it’s important to not cut corners as you invest in your future.
These best computers for business majors combine value with performance. Whether you’re seeking your bachelor’s degree full-time or a part-time MBA, HP offers the best laptop for business school today to help you become a leader of tomorrow.
