Most laptop makers typically have several lines of laptops - some are designed for consumers and some are professional-oriented products. But in many cases, home users would be better off if they ignored the marketing spin and bought business laptops. While consumer portables are usually designed for style (or low price), business laptops frequently offer a tougher chassis, better reliability and longer lifespan.

For example, the most popular laptop brand is HP. They have several product lines - Pavilion, Envy, ProBook and EliteBook. There are also a few less common lines such as Spectre and Folio but those are quite rare. Most Pavilion and Envy laptops are sold to typical consumers through retail outlets. Most ProBooks and EliteBooks are sold directly to businesses or IT departments of schools. People who buy them want a higher standard of quality and expect them to last many years.

Even if you don't "work" in the traditional sense all you do on your laptop is write emails, surf the Web and post to social media you can benefit a great deal from a notebook that's optimized for productivity but is still affordable.

Here are 10 reasons to consider a business laptop.

Built to Last

If you want a notebook that can survive drops and spills, a business system is more likely to take the abuse and not be damaged beyond economic repair. For example, many Lenovo Thinkpad laptops have a metal chassis and cage that help them survive falls. A few models have spill-resistant keyboards. Accidents like spilling coffee and beer on the laptop keyboards are quite common and will ruin most laptops... but not this one! Watch the video below

Matte Displays with Better Viewing Angles

Glossy displays are very common on most laptops and many people like the extra shininess and vibrancy of colors. That is, until they take it outdoors or try to work in a brightly lit room. Many of those glossy screens have worse viewing angles, lesser brightness outdoors, and you will see your reflection!

Matte displays have slightly lower saturation but they will be usable in various conditions.

Better Keyboards

If you type a lot, it's hard to overstate how important a good keyboard is. Typical keyboards have a very low vertical travel distance, making typing not as precise. Business laptops usually have keyboards with snappy feedback and travel that feels like a normal keyboard.

More and Better Pointing Options

Most consumer laptops only have touchpads for navigation. While they vary in quality and size, most people prefer using a wireless mouse and we always recommend one. However, if you type a lot and need to move the mouse cursor, you can also use the pointing stick between G and H keys. These are quite common on business laptops. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of these but frequent travelers and typists swear by them!

Replaceable, Extended Batteries

Most modern laptops come with sealed-in batteries. If your battery has lost the charging capacity or stopped working, it will require disassembling the laptop - not something everyone can or willing to do! Most business computers allow you to swap the battery easily and because they are designed with businesses in mind, it's possible to buy replacements even 10 years after you bought your laptop. We don't recommend keeping your laptop for 10 years but it's an option!

Less Crapware

Have you ever noticed how most laptops come with quite a few programs already installed? Some are useful but most are just junk, such as trial versions of popular antivirus suites like Norton, McAfee and TrendMicro. Business laptops don't have that.

Biometric Security

Most business laptops have a fingerprint reader allowing you to login to your computer with just a finger swipe. Fancy new models even have cameras with face recognition so the second you open your laptop, it's already logged in! No more need trying to remember the password.

Long Life Span, More Serviceable

We already mentioned that you can easily replace batteries in business laptops but that's not all. Most of those laptops have a bottom cover with easy access to RAM, storage and WiFi card, allowing you to quickly do an upgrade. Some even allow easier access to the fan and heatsink so you can remove that ball of cat fur! Consumer laptops are much more difficult to open and work on - all in the name of thinness and expendability!

Reasonably Priced

Most business laptops are more expensive than their consumer counterparts. However, they are designed to last longer and you'll be paying less over the long run. Instead of buying a crappy $800 laptop that will last you three years and be frustrating to use, you could buy a $1600 laptop that will last more than 5 years and have better usability.

Bottom Line

Choose your next laptop wisely! Skip the big box stores and get your laptops from reputable IT companies. You can even order them yourself from retailers like PBTech, ExtremePC, Playtech and many others. Want the best advice on what to get? Come talk to us!

Can't afford to spend $1500+ on a new laptop? We have many refurbished business-grade laptops in stock, complete with one year warranty!