You don’t have to run a business to benefit from a business laptop. They’re easier to repair and upgrade than other laptops, and they’re built with sturdy materials that hold up well to travel and frequent use. We’ve tested dozens of business laptops over the years, and the Dell Latitude 5430 is the best option for most people: It has plenty of ports, it offers all-day battery life, and it comes with a comfortable, reliable keyboard and trackpad. But if you don’t care about being able to upgrade or fix your laptop yourself, a good ultrabook is usually cheaper.
Our pick
The Latitude 5430 is a great all-purpose laptop that features a wide range of ports and an easily repairable design.
| Processor: | Intel Core i5-1235U | Storage: | 256 GB SSD |
| Graphics: | Intel Xe | Screen: | 1080p IPS |
| Memory: | 16 GB | Weight: | 3.03 pounds |
| Tested battery life: | 9 hours |
The Dell Latitude 5430 includes everything we like to see in a business laptop. It performs well at basic tasks from browsing the web to building Excel pivot tables, it has a wide range of ports, and it lasts more than an entire workday on its battery. The 14-inch 1080p screen looks nice enough to work on all day, and we liked using the laptop’s keyboard and trackpad. It’s also easy to repair and upgrade, so you can use it for years and years to come, even if parts fail or break. It’s a bit bulky, so if you’re prioritizing weight over repairability, check out our upgrade pick.
Upgrade pick
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 is a sleeker and more upgradable business laptop that’s still very repairable.
| Processor: | Intel Core i5-1335U | Storage: | 512 GB SSD |
| Graphics: | Intel Xe | Screen: | 14-inch 1920×1200 (touch optional) |
| Memory: | 16 GB | Weight: | 2.5 pounds |
| Tested battery life: | 11 hours |
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 has a great screen, fast processor options, nice keyboard, and a long 11-hour battery life that makes it the best of all worlds for a Windows laptop. It costs about $200 more than our top pick, and upgrades to the screen could make it pricier, but Lenovo’s top-quality hardware and reliability are hard to beat. Aside from the laptop’s processor and RAM, most other components are easy to repair.
Also great
Framework makes it easy to repair and upgrade your laptop by selling easy DIY upgrade kits and swappable ports.
| Processor: | AMD Ryzen 5 7640U or Intel Core i5-1340P | Storage: | 256 GB SSD |
| Graphics: | Intel Xe | Screen: | 13.5-inch 2256×1504 non-touch (touch optional) |
| Memory: | 8 GB or 16 GB | Weight: | 2.9 pounds |
| Tested battery life: | 10.5 hours (AMD) |
The Framework Laptop 13 is the most repairable option in this guide, because Framework itself is built around creating laptops that can be easily upgraded and repaired. The Framework Laptop 13 is fast and has a great processor and screen, and it’s similar in build quality to laptops from major manufacturers. It does have some potential pitfalls: If Framework goes under and parts are no longer available, your laptop isn’t nearly as upgradable or repairable anymore.
