Top 5 Features When Choosing a Laptop for Working From Home

Laptops have become the staple device in many businesses and come in ever-increasing forms, from desktop replacements offering large screens and full connectivity, such as the dynabook Tecra laptop range, through to ultra-slim and ultra-portable laptops like the dynabook Portégé laptop range, focussing on battery life and flexibility of use.

With the move to more home working for many small- and medium-sized businesses, choosing a laptop has taken on a new dimension: for the user, they wish to know how easy it is to setup and use, while for the business, how they can support that laptop remotely.  

Here we take a look at the features you need to look for when choosing a laptop for home working:

#1: laptop screen quality

When it comes to choosing a laptop for business needs, screen size is often cited as a primary importance. For many it needs to be large enough to comfortably replace their desktop display, while at the same time small enough to easily carry around. Portable laptop screens typically sport a 13.3-inch to 14.1-inch display, as this size offers the best compromise, as larger sizes are better suited to desktop replacements.

However, the size of a screen isn’t the only thing you should consider. Think about the resolution, the number of pixels that make up the display, and whether you can comfortably see all the information you need to read. Flexibility is also key, so opt for a display with a bright non-reflective screen, as you’ll then be able to work anywhere, including outside in the garden.

#2: Performance and speed

Choosing a laptop for business used to be a compromise between opting for processing power or battery life. Fortunately, the latest generation of laptop users no longer need to face such a compromise.

However, as we increasingly work from home, you will need to consider the amount of processing power that goes not only into performing daily work tasks, but also the background options, such as connecting to cloud storage, company VPNs and similar forms of remote access.

When thinking about performance, you should also consider the build quality of the laptop. Opt for a laptop with a magnesium-allow chassis, as this will offer the best strength and flexibility to survive the rigours of the road, as well as the needs of being used around a busy household.

Keeping your laptop safe and working is vital, which is why dynabook supports many models with a ‘Reliability Guarantee’, so if the device fails in the year after purchase, they’ll repair it and give you your money back.

#3: Laptop keyboard

For many, a business laptop is only as good as the data entry it allows. To this end, a good quality built-in keyboard and pointing device is essential, especially if you’re looking to work in small and confined conditions. The keys on the laptop keyboard should be well-spaced and have a good responsive traction to them. What’s more, opting for a non-spill keyboard will certainly help you cope with the rigours of having to work at home, where working around families can lead to spillages.  

Any business user who has had to travel at night will know how essential a backlit keyboard can be, allowing you to work in any poorly light situation. This feature can be incredibly handy for home working, as it allows you to work in the living room in the evening, for example, while other family activities are going on around you.

#4: Laptop connections

Working from home often asks us to work from a variety of locations, from the kitchen table to sitting on the sofa. To this end, while your laptop offers everything you may need, you may also need to look at how you can quickly setup, or put away, your work environment.

Your laptop itself should have instant on/resume or fast hibernation functionality, so you can quickly stop and start working. Biometric authentication using either your face or finger for fast and secure log-on could well be an option you’d like to consider. What’s more, if you work at a table a docking station with Thunderbolt 3 or USB Type-C connectivity will allow you to set up or break down with ease.  

 #5: Multimedia features

One area that is often overlooked when choosing a business laptop is the multimedia functionality of the device. However, when it comes to working from home, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how essential features, such as good quality speakers, microphone and webcam are.

Choosing a laptop with good quality audio and video features allow you to better interact with colleagues and clients. You should also consider how easy it is to add more features, such as a wired or wireless headsets, without the need of relying on your IT department.

Dynabook laptops from Sharp have been built with the business user in mind. If you would like to know more about how dynabook laptops and innovative solutions can help your business enable your employees work from home with ease, please Get in Touch.