Have you ever wondered why some laptops last longer than others? Maybe you’ve had several laptops over the years and have found some don’t last more than a few months, while others end up being workhorses for nearly a decade.
The truth about laptops is that they’re made with varying quality parts, which impacts the price. Cheaper parts, along with smaller hard drives and less power, make it possible for manufacturers to offer entry-level laptops at affordable prices. This is great for kids and people who just need to get light use out of their laptops. However, it’s not ideal for business use.
Consumer grade laptops are made with parts that are not designed to be worked as hard as a business grade laptop. If you’re using a laptop for work, whether you’re running your own business or simply working from home, here are several reasons you need a laptop built for business.
1. Your business laptop will last longer
High-quality business laptops are a good investment if you want your device to last. You shouldn’t have to replace your business computer every year or two. It’s time-consuming to transfer files and restoring backups and reinstalling applications can be a frustrating experience.
Although they cost a little more, you may not have to pay full price. Periodically, you’ll find plenty of good business laptops on sale from reputable brands. For example, HP makes ProBooks and EliteBooks specifically designed with enough power to meet your business needs. Most ProBooks also come with the Intel UHD Graphics 620 card, which is a major upgrade for anyone working with media.
No laptop will last forever, but when you start with one built for business, it will last much longer.
2. You’ll get better performance
Right out of the gate, business laptops perform better than consumer grade devices. They’re made with faster and stronger processors, more memory, and more disk space. The best part is they’re equipped with better batteries that last longer and charge faster.
Many of today’s laptops are also made with solid state drives (SSD) as the default. Solid state drives are faster, run quieter, and don’t require as much energy. It’s also easier to recover data from a hard drive failure.
Unlike the cheaper versions, business laptops can be upgraded with even more RAM and storage space. The screens are higher quality and so are the graphics cards, which is important if color matters. For instance, if you’re running a business that requires you to create graphics, you’ll need a quality graphics card to see the colors properly.
3. You can’t afford to be disrupted
Perhaps one of the most important reasons to get a business laptop is the fact that it will reduce the potential for major disruptions. For example, if you buy a cheap laptop, there’s a good chance it’s going to break down in some way within that same year – and maybe sooner. It might be something small, like a key that comes off and won’t go back on, or it could be a section of the screen that turns black. With really cheap laptops, it might be something worse, like a failed hard drive or logic board.
It doesn’t matter if you can afford to fix or replace your laptop because, at that point, it will be an inconvenient disruption to your business. You’ll have to put everything on pause while you get a new device and transfer your files. If you’re a solopreneur, running your business alone, and need to process orders daily, a broken laptop can really set you back.
4. Business laptops have better security
You’ll find that many business laptops come with built-in security features, like a fingerprint scanner. This is something that isn’t typical of consumer laptops. Manufacturers know that business owners need their employees to keep their laptops secure, and having built-in security will generate more sales.
A business laptop will serve you better
Consumer grade laptops are extremely affordable today, but that wasn’t always the case. Decades ago, you had to make a considerable investment in a laptop regardless of the brand, even entry-level models. Now, entry-level consumer laptops are more affordable, but they’re not as powerful.
If you need a reliable laptop for your business, go with a business grade device made by a well-known manufacturer with a good reputation for quality. Don’t worry about the higher price tag – consider it an essential business expense.
