4 Best Business Laptops of 2026
Apple has announced the new M5 MacBook Air, with the same design and features as previous generations, but increased by 30% processing speed. As in previous years, the MacBook Air will come in 13 and 15-inch models, and the larger 15-inch version simply adds screen space for many diehards and Google Sheet gauchos.
The biggest updates are the minor interior changes. The new laptops will use the Apple N1 networking chip, which provides Bluetooth 6 and Wi-Fi 7, and is used in Apple phones, tablets, and watches. Apple also increased the base storage of the MacBook Air to 512 GB, which increases the price by $100.
The MacBook Air will come in sky blue (blue), midnight (dark blue/black), starlight (gold), and silver, and start at $1,100 for the 13-inch version and $1,300 for the 15-inch version. It can be pre-ordered from March 4, and will be available for direct purchase on March 11.
At CES 2026, we also saw a slate of business laptops to be launched this year, including models designed around customization and those that offer multiple processor options.
The most exciting announcement is the upcoming Lenovo X1 Carbon Aura Edition Gen 14, which now has a more customizable design. Lenovo has completely redesigned the interior of the laptop, making it easier to remove the keyboard and access the motherboard. Lenovo will offer the new X1 Carbon with Intel’s latest Panther Lake processors, a 2.8K OLED display with 500 nits brightness, and a redesigned keyboard that retains the company’s signature red pointer. It will be available in March 2026, starting at around $2,000.
We’re also looking forward to HP’s new EliteBook X G2, which offers three new processor options from Intel, AMD, or Qualcomm. The G2i will have Intel’s Panther Lake processors, the G2a will have the latest AMD 400 CPUs, and the G2q will have a choice of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips. Each version can be equipped with up to 64 GB of RAM sold and a 2.8K OLED screen, although most configurations may have a 1200p display in IPS or OLED. All models of the laptop will have three USB-C ports and one USB-A port, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a headphone jack. HP has also redesigned the keyboard of the EliteBook X G2, although it retains its large 5 MP web camera and large trackpad. HP says the new EliteBook X will be available in the spring, and hasn’t announced pricing yet.
Asus announced two business laptops at CES: the new ExpertBook Ultra and the updated ExpertBook P5. ExpertBook Ultra is built with an Intel Core Ultra X7 358H or 7 356H processor, a 2.8K OLED display with anti-glare coating, and up to 64 GB of memory. It will have two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and a headphone jack. The updated ExpertBook P5 will be almost identical to the 2025 version, with new Intel Panther Lake processors. We’re still waiting on pricing and availability for Asus’ business laptops.
Dell has relaunched its XPS 14 laptop, after briefly discontinuing the line last year. The new XPS 14 has a completely new design that looks more like a MacBook than previous models, and thankfully ditches the capacitive function keys above the keyboard. Dell has equipped the XPS 14 with Intel’s Core Ultra X7 358H processor, 32 GB of RAM sold, and a 1440p display with up to 500 nits of brightness.
The 2026 XPS 14 configuration starts at $2,050, up from the 2024 XPS 14’s starting price of $1,700. Due to sharp increases in both RAM and storage costs, this is likely to be the trend in business laptop pricing this year. XPS 14 is available now.
