7 Best Laptops for Small Businesses in 2026

Choosing laptops for a small business means balancing multiple priorities at once. HR teams need devices that are easy to onboard and redeploy, finance teams need predictable costs, and employees need laptops that reliably support their day-to-day work. Without clear standards for what to buy and who each device is for, companies often end up with inconsistent hardware, more support issues, and slower onboarding.

In 2026, these decisions are shaped by global hiring, lean internal teams, and a wider range of laptop options than ever before. Business laptops need to support different roles and working patterns without forcing companies into one-size-fits-all hardware decisions.

This guide highlights several of the best laptops for small businesses in 2026, helping teams make clearer, more consistent equipment choices.

1. Apple MacBook Pro 14.2″

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip works well for small businesses that want a versatile Mac option capable of handling both everyday work and more demanding tasks. It offers sustained performance in a portable design, making it a practical choice for teams that want to keep their Mac lineup simple while still supporting a range of roles and workloads.

Why it works for small businesses: This MacBook Pro delivers sustained performance in a more compact, flexible configuration than larger Pro models. It’s a practical option for small businesses supporting mixed workloads that need more headroom than entry-level laptops, without committing to the size or higher-end configurations typically associated with workstation-class devices.

Best for: Analysts working with large datasets, marketing teams handling some creative work, and mixed roles where standardizing on one model across technical, creative, and general office work simplifies device management.

2. Apple MacBook Air 13.6″ (M3)

The MacBook Air 13.6″ with the M3 chip is a strong baseline option for small businesses equipping teams at scale. It’s designed for everyday work—documents, collaboration tools, and browser-based apps—while keeping device costs, weight, and ongoing support needs low. For remote-first or growing companies, it works well as a standard Mac choice that’s easy to deploy broadly without overinvesting in performance most roles don’t need.

Why this works for small businesses: The MacBook Air offers a practical balance of performance, portability, and predictability for everyday work. Its lightweight design and strong battery life make it well-suited to remote teams, while its consistent macOS experience helps small businesses standardize without overbuying hardware.

Best for: Small businesses with macOS-first teams supporting remote employees and managers who primarily work in collaboration tools, documents, and browser-based applications.

Read also: 5 Ways to Reduce IT Costs in 2026

3. Apple MacBook Air 15.3″ (M4)

The MacBook Air 15.3″ keeps the lightweight design and long battery life of the Air line while adding a larger display that makes multitasking and extended screen time more comfortable. The extra screen space supports everyday work like documents, dashboards, and side-by-side apps without increasing setup complexity. For small businesses, it’s a practical option for roles that benefit from more visual room while maintaining a simple, consistent Mac setup across teams.

Why this works for small businesses: The larger display makes it easier to work across multiple documents and tools without relying on external monitors, while keeping the same lightweight, easy-to-standardize setup as the smaller Air. This supports productivity gains for certain roles without introducing additional device complexity across the team.

Best for: Roles in sales, marketing, operations, finance, and HR that regularly work across multiple tools and benefit from extra screen space.

Learn more with: Best Monitors for Remote Workers in 2026

4. Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G6

The Lenovo ThinkPad E14 G6 is suited to organizations that standardize on Windows for everyday business work. It supports common workloads—documents, spreadsheets, internal systems, and video calls—without moving into higher-spec or premium configurations. For small businesses equipping teams across departments, it works well as a default Windows option that can be issued broadly without introducing unnecessary hardware variation.

Why this works for small businesses: The ThinkPad E14 G6 offers a practical screen size, full keyboard, and ports that support external monitors, keyboards, mice, and docking setups for a wide range of everyday work needs. It supports documents, spreadsheets, internal systems, and video calls on Windows, without moving into higher-spec or specialized configurations. For small businesses, this makes it easier to issue the same model across teams and replace or reassign devices as the organization grows.

Best for: HR, finance, operations, customer support, administrative roles, and internal sales support teams that prefer or require Windows for their day-to-day work.

5. HP EliteBook 640 G11

The HP EliteBook 640 G11 is well-suited for teams that require a Windows laptop aligned with stricter data-handling and compliance requirements. It is designed to support hardware- and firmware-level security controls (such as managed BIOS settings and hardware-backed security features) and to work cleanly with standard Windows security policies commonly used in regulated or security-conscious environments.

Why this works for small businesses: Built-in security capabilities make it easier to apply consistent protections without relying on custom setups or specialized devices. For small businesses where IT, HR, and finance responsibilities often overlap, this helps support compliance needs around payroll, contracts, and employee data while keeping day-to-day device management straightforward.

Best for: HR, People Ops, and finance teams that regularly work with sensitive employee or financial data.

Find out more with: Cybersecurity Frameworks: Top 5 Frameworks to Know in 2026

6. Dell Latitude 5440

The Dell Latitude 5440 is a Windows laptop suited to teams that need a dependable, broadly usable device rather than role-specific hardware. It’s often selected as a general-purpose laptop when organizations want one model that can work across different functions and employment types without frequent re-evaluation. This makes it a sensible choice for environments where roles, projects, or staffing arrangements change over time.

Why this works for small businesses: This device strikes a middle ground between portability and usability, allowing it to function comfortably both at a desk and on the move. Because it doesn’t rely on specialized specs or accessories, the same device can be reassigned or reused across teams without creating gaps in capability or support requirements as the business evolves.

Best for: Sales operations, IT support, HR coordinators, operations staff, and other roles that need a broadly usable Windows laptop.

Find out what your employees expect from IT equipment today.

7. HP EliteBook 840 G11

The HP EliteBook 840 G11 is a higher-spec Windows laptop designed for roles that need more performance headroom than standard business models. With increased memory and storage options in a portable form factor, it supports heavier multitasking and more demanding applications while remaining practical for day-to-day business work. This makes it a strong option for users who need extra capacity without stepping into large or specialized workstation devices.

Why this works for small businesses: The EliteBook 840 G11 offers higher memory and storage options in a slim, portable design, making it well-suited for users who run multiple applications or work with larger files throughout the day. For small businesses, this provides a way to support more demanding work within the same Windows laptop lineup.

Best for: Business analysts working with complex models, finance teams running reporting and planning tools, and marketing professionals handling creative assets where extra performance and storage support demanding daily workflows.

Discover how to ensure seamless and speedy integration of global employees and their IT equipment with Deel IT.

Equip your small business with Deel IT

As your business grows, laptop purchasing, setup, and tracking often become a bottleneck. Deel IT helps small businesses standardize how laptops are procured, configured, shipped, and managed, without adding extra admin or IT overhead.

With Deel IT, you can procure any of the laptops recommended in this guide, along with 240+ other options for business devices and accessories, ensuring employees get the right equipment for their role while keeping costs and processes consistent as your team grows.

Here’s what that means for small businesses:

• Simple global delivery: Ship pre-configured laptops directly to employees in 130+ countries, with customs, taxes, and local logistics handled for you
• Day-one readiness: Laptops arrive with company settings, security policies, and required software already in place, so new hires can start working immediately
• Clear device tracking: Track which employee has which laptop and where it’s located, all from one dashboard
• Repairs and replacements without the hassle: Coordinate local repairs or replacements through trusted regional partners to minimize downtime
• 24/7 support: Always-on IT support for device issues and troubleshooting, with a native ticketing system
• Secure offboarding: Lock and wipe devices at offboarding and arrange secure retrieval, without manual coordination.

Book a demo to see how Deel IT simplifies laptop management for growing small businesses.