10 Remote Ready laptops for working from home in 2023 (March edition) ($690-$6K)

As a software engineer (with some laptop-specific blogging thrown in for good measure), I spend 90% of my time working on what amounts to a home office. I'm the type of person who conducts extensive research before making any purchasing decision – that's how this site came to be.

That is why I feel confident about what makes for a great laptop for working from home. That being said, there's no shortage of great laptops for working from home.

On top of this, I know this laptop buying guide will be popular with other types of professionals. So without further ado, here's the complete guide.

Processor for Working from home

As remote work has become the norm in the past few years, there's been a noticeable shift in the laptop processor market. We've seen Apple step up their game with their own ARM-based M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max and M2 system-on-chip modules, offering exceptional single-core performance and battery life, while AMD has managed to take 20% of the CPU market with their 6th generation Ryzen processors. Intel is still on its 12th generation of processors, while the 13th is expected to reach laptops in the near future. Intel's and Apple's silicon chips have adopted a hybrid performance/efficiency core design (big.LITTLE). If you need a good battery life in a PC laptop, Ryzen models are the best.

Now, is it worth investing in a high-end CPU for working remotely? If you're working with audio, video, or 3D models – yes. But for most other use cases, a mid-range (or even an entry-level) processor will do just fine. If you're looking for a Windows laptop under $1000 – you should expect to get an AMD Ryzen 5 or Intel Core i5 processor. If you can afford it – go for an i7/Ryzen 7, but that's not necessary for most. You can check the last letter in the processor model name to determine the series it belongs to. CPUs ending with an "H" are the best option if your work demands high-end computing performance and battery life is not an issue for you. Meanwhile, more power-efficient U and P-series processors are better suited if you don't need the best performance and you'd take a more extended battery runtime instead. By purchasing an up-to-date processor, you won't experience any lag.

To compare processors, I'd recommend using Cinebench (R23) benchmarks. Keep in mind that laptops have performance limitations, primarily due to limited power delivery and thermal design, that prevent them from being as fast as desktops.

To conclude, here's a table of recommended processors for each price bracket (CPUs split into 3 tiers based on performance):

Price Range	Processor
<$1000	i5-1235U; Ryzen 5 6600U
$1000 – $2000	i5-12500H; Ryzen 5 6600H; Apple M2
>$2000	i7-12700H; Ryzen 7 6800H; Apple M1 Pro

The best memory for Working from home in 2022

Over the last 5 years, laptop hardware saw major improvements in terms of CPU and RAM speed, latency, and capacity. This is especially true for the newer Intel and AMD CPUs that are now able to support both DDR4 and, more recently, DDR5 RAM.

For the purpose of working from home, 8 GB of RAM is the bare minimum you'll want to be looking for. That's regardless of whether you're opting for a Chromebook or a full-fledged Windows/macOS laptop. 16 GB is where I'd recommend people to aim for, but if you plan to work with large datasets and require a more future-proof machine, 32 GB should be the upper limit.

That said, we still don't recommend spending too much on RAM speed and latency, as it won't make a big difference in our situation. DDR5 RAM is still quite expensive, so it's best to wait for the technology to mature before considering investing in it.

To summarize, here's a table of RAM configurations I recommend depending on your budget:

Budget	RAM
<$800	8 GB
$800-$1200	16 GB
>$1200	32 GB

Picking a good display

When it comes to choosing the right display for working from home, the most important factors to consider are resolution, panel type, brightness and color accuracy.

The current standard is an IPS or IPS-level screen, and this should be your default choice. TN-level panels can only be found in the cheapest laptops, so if you're looking for a reliable device – IPS or IPS-level is your safest bet.

Full HD (1920×1080) is still the most common display resolution, and if you're on a budget, this is what you should go for. For most people, this will be more than enough. You'll have sharper images and more workable space, especially when multitasking. QHD (2560×1440) is most frequent in premium gaming/business laptops, while 4K (3840×2160) is most common in professional notebooks for creators.

High refresh rate screens are found in the majority of gaming laptops, and if you're into gaming, you'll want to get at least a 120 Hz panel. If you're into gaming and creative work, you should look for a 144 Hz panel with fast response times.

While not yet widespread, OLED is becoming increasingly prevalent. This is a great choice for those who want a bright, vivid display with excellent contrast ratios. Mini LED laptop backlighting may also be seen on professional laptops on occasion, notably after Apple incorporated it in their 2021 MacBook Pro range (14" and 16" models).

HDR (VESA-certified) displays are somewhat niche but not exceedingly difficult to find. Most HDR laptops have limited local dimming, so they cannot accurately reproduce darker tones. So if you're working with video and photography professionally, this isn't something you should invest in.

Finally, color accuracy and gamut coverage. These are things I would only worry about if I were doing graphic design or photography work on my laptop; otherwise, these specs aren't essential since most content creators use calibrated desktop monitors anyway (if they can afford them).

My recommendations for average home/business laptop prices range from budget-friendly to high-end. If you're on a budget, aim for an IPS panel with a minimum of 280 nits of brightness and 90% sRGB coverage. If you can afford it, get an IPS panel with at least 300 nits and 100% sRGB coverage. And finally, if money isn't an issue, go for an OLED panel with 380 nits and 100% sRGB coverage.

5 Best Laptops for Working from home

Table of the Best Laptops for Working from home

Laptop	Price (approx)
ASUS ZenBook 13 UX325EA-EH71
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro
GIGABYTE AORUS 15 XE4
Dell XPS 17 9720