Best Laptops for Project Managers
Project managers work on a lot of ideas which they have to present to their bosses. These presentations are often very big and complex projects that require a lot of work on the presentation. This is the reason why many managers find themselves spending more time on projects than they do at their homes or with their families. And for this reason, it becomes important that one finds the best laptop that will help them carry out their project management functions effectively and efficiently.
The following list takes into consideration all these functions and suggests some laptops that will be helpful in carrying out various functions in project management:
What We Took Into Consideration
• The first major function in project management is communication: Project managers come across several communication issues when managing projects and therefore, communication is something that needs to be taken care of when choosing a laptop. These days, it has become easier to communicate as most laptops come with keyboards and display screens that give high-speed internet access so finding a good laptop for communication is not difficult.
• The next major function in project management is the presentation: Project managers have to make several presentations during the course of their projects. And this is where they need a decent laptop that will allow you to connect HDMI or VGA cables when required. There are several laptops available in the market which allow one to use an additional monitor apart from the screen provided by them when making presentations. This allows you to work on two things at once thus saving time and making your job simpler.
• The third major part of project management is documentation: There are different kinds of documents that you will be required to prepare when managing a project and each of these documents has different functions. Some of them need to be in electronic form so that can they can be accessed very easily while others require printed versions for the same purpose. There are several laptops available in the market with advanced internal storage systems which allow one to save documents on their laptop and access them when needed. This makes documentation easy and efficient.
• The fourth major function of project management is data gathering: Data gathering involves collecting data from all the team members involved in a project and then analyzing it thoroughly before making any kind of decision based on that data. This is often done through surveys where the entire team fills out a questionnaire that consists of multiple questions which help you gather the information that can help you make important decisions.
A good laptop for data gathering would be the one that comes with a webcam and microphone through which you can connect to all of your team members, ask them questions, and record their responses. This saves time as well since once the questionnaire is filled up by all team members, you do not have to meet each member separately to get information about the project.
• The fifth major function of project management is analysis: Analysis involves studying various factors before making any decision regarding a certain aspect of the project. An effective way of carrying out this function in many cases would be by using spreadsheets and graphs so that one can find and analyze data quickly without much effort. All laptops nowadays come with excel installed on them but what makes a laptop suitable for analysis is the availability of data processing software that can readily process data and generate graphs, charts, and spreadsheets.
It should also have an advanced operating system with high recovery rates to avoid any loss of important information that might occur during normal computer usage. These are some major functions in project management and keeping them in mind while buying a laptop can help you buy the perfect one.
8 Best Laptops for Project Managers
1. Dell XPS 15 – Best laptop for project managers
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti
- RAM: 16GB DDR4 (2,933MHz)
- Screen: 15.6-inch 4K (3,840 x 2,400) touch
- Storage: 512GB SSD (PCIe, NVMe, M.2)
- Ports: 2x USB-C 3.1 with Thunderbolt 3, 1 x USB-C 3.1, 1 x SD card reader, combi audio jack
Dell XPS 15 Editor's Choice
The Dell XPS 15 is the closest thing you’ll get to a MacBook Pro on Windows. It is one of the best laptops for project managers, developers, and power users who can afford its premium price.
It comes with an Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6GHz processor with Turbo Boost Upto 3.5GHz which will give you enough processing speed to run all your applications smoothly. It’s the ultimate pairing of performance and features for a laptop. With 16GB DDR4 RAM and 2TB Hard Drive Storage, you can comfortably run multiple applications and store all the project data in it without worrying about space
We loved this laptop for its pricing too, it’s powerful yet cheaper than the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Simply put, the Dell XPS 15 has morphed into the paragon of Windows laptops. If you’re not a macOS user, this is your best bet for a powerful Windows laptop.
In conclusion, the Dell XPS 15 is the best laptop for project managers. It balances beauty and performance making it one of the best laptops under $2000.
2. Apple MacBook Pro (M1, late 2020)
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Screen: 13.3-inch (2560 x 1600)
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Battery life: 22:37
Apple MacBook Pro (M1, late 2020) Best Values
Since the introduction of Apple’s M1 CPU, the MacBook Pro line has slowly but surely begun to resemble its more powerful sibling, the iMac Pro. The new RRP 8GB performance RAM and faster M1 chip means that this new MacBook is a real powerhouse. Essentially, it is more affordable than the flagship 16-inch MacBook Pro.
It features a 15″ Retina Display and comes with 8GB of 2400MHz memory and Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 on top of an Intel Xeon W-2140B CPU, which gives you enough processing power. It also offers 32GB of slower 2666MHz RAM as standard. There is 256 storage inside which makes it capable of running multiple applications at the same time smoothly
Ideally, the MacBook Pro is an essential tool for multimedia editors, software developers, creatives and professionals such as project managers.
Bottom line, the Apple MacBook Pro is one of the best laptops for project managers we’ve ever come across. It has a gorgeous display and beautiful build quality and comes with an ideal combination of processing power and portability. It’s an excellent choice for project managers as a runner-up laptop.
3. HP Elite Dragonfly G2
- CPU: 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-1165G7 (quad-core, 12MB cache, up to 4.7GHz)
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe graphics
- RAM: 16GB LPDDR4X (4,266MHz)
- Screen: 13.3-inch, 4K IPS BrightView WLED
- Storage: 256GB PCIe SSD
- Ports: 2 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A, HDMI 2.0b, headset jack
- Weight: 2.18 pounds (0.99kg)
HP Elite Dragonfly G2 Great Value
The HP Elite Dragonfly G2 is certainly one of the best business laptops from HP yet. The Dragonfly G2 is a great purchase, offering a stunning design, great battery life, and very good performance. It’s the perfect business laptop for project managers looking for something that looks premium
The HP Elite Dragonfly G2 is designed to facilitate easy collaboration among teams in any working location with its compact design and security features along with powerful processing capabilities making it a great buy.
Other notable flaws include no fingerprint sensor, no HDMI output support, and irregular trackpad performance at times
The bottom line is that HP Elite Dragonfly G2 has everything going in its favor to be a great notebook for professionals on a budget. It may not have a cutting-edge look, but it looks sleek and gets the job done well enough to merit our recommendation. The price isn’t bad either given the performance and features (including LTE) on offer.
4. Microsoft Surface Pro 8
- CPU: 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-1165G7 (quad-core, 12MB cache, up to 4.7GHz)
- Resolution: 2880 x 1920
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
- RAM: 16GB
- Screen: 13.3 2-in 1 detachable
- Storage: 256GB PCIe SSD
- Ports: two USB-C ports, both boasting Thunderbolt 4 support
- Weight: 1.96 pounds
- Battery life: 12:34
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Best portable
It’s been a while since Microsoft released a new entry in its Surface Pro line of tablets that can double as laptops, but it’s finally here and presents a new vision for the series. The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is now the thinnest Surface device to date with an all-new magnesium design sporting a refined magnetic charging port and an overall high level of durability.
This has also allowed Microsoft to bring back two essential features: Windows Hello and USB Type-C ports which were missing from its predecessor – Surface Pro 4
The laptop comes with a unique kickstand allowing you to set the display at any angle up to 150 degrees so you can work comfortably in almost any environment. If that wasn’t enough, then just like most recently launched Windows 10 devices this one too supports Surface Dial giving creatives more options than ever before.
In real-life productivity, the Surface Pro is right up there with the best of them. It has a brilliant display, long battery life, an improved (and backlit) keyboard, and a trackpad that’s simply marvelous. Its Intel Core i7-1185G7 processor and 16GB RAM allow it to power through most tasks and demanding software and games.
Bottom line, Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8 is the best Windows 10 tablet you can buy. It may cost a pretty penny, but it packs enough power for your day-to-day tasks and then some while also featuring one of the thinnest profiles available today without compromising on ergonomics or sturdiness. The device has simply hit all marks in our book and if you’re looking for something similar to an iPad Pro with Pencil support and more, look no further than this one.
5. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 (2021)
- CPU: 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-1165G7 (quad-core, 12MB cache, up to 4.7GHz)
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe graphics
- RAM: 16GB
- Screen: 14-inch
- Storage: 256GB PCIe SSD
- Ports: 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, and USB-A 3.2 ports. right side: USB-A port, audio jack, and Security lock slot
- Weight: 2.49 pounds
- Battery life: 19:45
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 (2021) Best Values
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 (2021) is a remarkable laptop that shares its spotlight with the best laptops in the world. It compares head to head to the Dell XPS 13 OLED and beats it in most areas. The ThinkPad also comes with amazing battery life, fast performance, and one of the best keyboards where every keystroke is perfect. It has bezels that are thinner (and better looking) than what you’ll find on most other 14-inch laptops out there too.
Couple all of these with impressive specs like 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD i7 processor, and a brilliant screen for less than $2,000 it’s hard to not recommend this laptop to anyone looking for pure (business) productivity and productivity.
To summarize, if the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 had an OLED display, we’d have to shut down getthatpc.com’s laptop review efforts for a while and proclaim that laptop technology has reached an unassailable peak. It’s that good; it sets standards for other productivity PCs and business ultraportables to aspire to. It leaves room for gaming laptops and content-creation workstations to outperform it, but it essentially defined what a productivity PC or business ultraportable should be. This must be our least predictable Editors’ Choice selection ever.
6. LG GRAM 17 (2021)
- CPU: 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-1165G7 (quad-core, 12MB cache, up to 4.7GHz)
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe graphics
- RAM: 16GB
- Screen: 14-inch 2560 x 1600
- Storage: 256GB PCIe SSD
- Ports: 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI and 2 USB Type-A 3.2 ports, headphone jack
- Weight: 2.98 pounds
- Battery life: 19:28
LG GRAM 17 (2021)
The LG GRAM 17 is a slim, attractive device with a huge display and long battery life, weighing less than 3 pounds. In a world where 17-inch laptops are bulky and not easily portable, the LG GRAM 17 (2021) is a breath of fresh air weighing just under 3 pounds. It’s really portable and it can do just about everything you’d want out of a laptop, from browsing the web to watching Netflix to playing AAA games.
The LG Gram 17 costs $2199 which is pretty steep for a “mainstream” laptop even for luxury laptops such as the MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar or Dell XPS 13 above. The good thing here is that you’re not paying extra for stuff you don’t need, because going back to the 2-in-1s and tablets there are very few options out there that can truly offer a similar experience.
LG Gram 17 (2021) is an excellent laptop if you want something to take with you from one place to another. It’s very nice looking, has great battery life, and is available in the same color as the MacBook Pro 13, which will make some users madly happy. There are few laptops like this on the market today with such thin bezels and a weight of under 3 pounds. When you choose this device, you’re getting it for portability, durability, and performance; not super-high resolution display or Thunderbolt 4. But this is a laptop with a 17-inch display after all, which means you can’t handle it like the 13-inch devices.
To summarize, the LG Gram (17 2021) is an excellent product that delivers exactly what it promises; It’s not for everyone but it’s certainly something I recommend if you’re in the market for something portable and ultra-powerful at the same time. If sweet design, portability, and productivity are your top priority then go for this device, you won’t be disappointed. Additionally, if you’re looking for a huge screen to work on without breaking the bank, the LG GRAM 17 fits the bill.
7. Dell XPS 13 (2020)
- CPU: 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-1165G7 (quad-core, 12MB cache, up to 4.7GHz)
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe graphics
- RAM: 16GB
- Screen: 14-inch 2560 x 1200
- Storage: 512GB PCIe SSD
- Ports: 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI and 2 USB Type-A 3.2 ports, headphone jack
- Weight: 2.80 pounds
- Battery life: 15:01
Dell XPS 13 (2020) Remarkable Performance
The Dell XPS 13 (2020) is Dell’s best-in-class 13-inch ultraportable laptop. It wasn’t first to market with a “borderless, bezel-less” 13-inch laptop — that honor goes to the Huawei MateBook X — but we named it an Editors’ Choice in our review and other publications later followed suit. Dell still offers better features for less money than its competitors.
The Dell XPS 13 (2020) is a damn good laptop and everything about it screams quality. You really can not go wrong with this device as long as you don’t need more than 128GB of internal storage or 4GB of RAM. If those can work for you then I recommend giving this excellent laptop a try and even if they don’t let’s hope that future releases will give us.
While games are still out of reach for this laptop, it handles productivity with ease. The battery is great for daily tasks, the keyboard is really nice to type on and the screen is one of the best around right now. This makes it an excellent laptop for mobile professionals who need a high-end performance in a smaller package than most other laptops out there.
In conclusion, Dell’s XPS 13 (2020) has been our choice to recommend to everyone looking for a sleek ultraportable laptop with performance chops. It has a gorgeous design that still holds up after all this time, a powerful Intel Core i7 processor, and a quality screen. The Dell XPS 13 (2020) is the best laptop in its class right now for most users.
8. MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
- CPU: Apple M1 (8-core)
- Graphics: Integrated 7-core GPU
- RAM: 8GB
- Screen: 13.3-inch 2560 x 1600
- Storage: 256GB PCIe SSD
- Ports: 2x Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), 3.5mm headphone jack
- Weight: 2.80 pounds
- Battery life: 11:14
MacBook Air (M1, 2020) Focused On Performance
The MacBook Air (M1, 2020) easily has the most beautiful design of any laptop I’ve ever seen. A notebook this pretty deserves your attention so if it can perform you can be sure that it will also catch some eyes. The only unfortunate part is its price which is rather high compared to other options but if you are able to pay, do not hesitate because you will love what the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) offers for $2,499.
Nevertheless, the M1-optimized apps and iOS apps are very impressive and so is the battery. We love the fact that the MacBook Air boots up quickly (an additional benefit of the M1 chip). Additionally, Big Sur (the 17th major release of Apple’s macOS) runs very well on the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) even if it’s not as perfect as we expected it to be.
The Apple M1 is a great mobile processor that offers a lot of power and efficiency for its size. While you can’t throw super-demanding apps or games at it without sacrificing performance, apps like Final Cut Pro X, Photoshop CC, Lightroom Classic CC, and Logic Pro X all load up quickly and run smoothly. If you’re looking for a laptop with plenty of processing power for less money than a MacBook Pro but can’t stand Windows machines, then look no further because this device was made especially for you. It is a great tool for project managers as well as students who need a powerful machine at a reasonable price.
To conclude, the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) is the cheapest laptop on this list but it doesn’t mean that its performance is inferior to the others. Apple has finally given us a new MacBook Air with modern hardware and, best of all, they didn’t increase the price. If you want a great-looking ultraportable with plenty of power for less money then you should consider getting one as it’s sure to impress.
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