Ready to get to work? The best way to get it done is with a high-powered computing device. For most of us that's a laptop. But tablets are also making inroads with the workforce, enough so that we asked about their use in the office for the first time in a long time. Read on for the results.
Laptops for Work—2020
Winner: APPLE APPLE (Overall)Apple's leadership in the laptop category can be seen in our Readers' Choice stories and here on the Business Choice side going back to the first time we ever asked about work notebooks. If you're using a MacBook at the office, you are apparently a very happy user.
Winner: MICROSOFT MICROSOFT (Overall)The Surface line of notebooks by Microsoft has been running neck-and-neck with Apple's offerings going back to 2016's first Business Choice survey on laptops, and this year is no different. Microsoft is tops with users for the size and weight of the devices and the setup. You'll be pleased with a Microsoft device for getting work done.
Winner: HP : HP (Hybrid/Convertible Laptops) This is a first-time win for HP in this category, edging only slightly ahead of Microsoft to win when it comes to laptops that convert into other forms. PCMag readers consider HP hybrids to be the best value and easiest to use, with the best battery life and port selection. They recommend them highly.
Apple is a perennial favorite among users of laptops in our surveys for both home and work use. This year, in the Business Choice end of the survey, Apple's overall satisfaction score is up to 8.9 from last year's 8.6 (each out of a possible 10 at best). It puts Apple in the clear lead as the laptop brand most admired for use at the office.
That said, it's not alone in winning this year's Business Choice award; Apple shares the spotlight with Microsoft. Again. The two companies have co-won the award for many years, going back to 2016. After years of Apple having the lead, Microsoft leapt ahead in 2018, then last year the two companies tied at 8.6. Microsoft managed a minuscule climb to 8.7 for 2020, putting it behind Apple. No matter: we always try to give an award to a Windows-based laptop provider to go along with the macOS side of things. Obviously, you don't get more Windows-based than a laptop from Microsoft.
The two leaders had some other interesting highlights. For example, neither is considered a great value. Apple is the lowest score for value among all the brands, at 7.3, and Microsoft is the second worst at 7.6! (Acer's value is the highest rated, at 8.7.) They were also the low scorers for overall port selection on their devices (tied at 6.8; the winner for ports is HP at 8.0).
But you get what you pay for. The two winners tend to lead on almost every other factor, like Apple's high marks for ease of use (9.2), reliability (9.3), repairs (8.5), battery life (8.3), display quality (9.4), and the likelihood to be recommended to a colleague (9.0). Microsoft was on top for size and weight (9.2) and touch-screen quality (9.2). The two tied for the top spot when it comes to setup (9.4).
Last year was the first time we looked at hybrid/convertible laptops as their own category, since it's especially work-tastic to be able to convert a laptop into a quick kiosk or tablet for presentations. Only three vendors garnered enough response to rank, and Microsoft was the clear winner among them, with 8.7 for both overall satisfaction and the likelihood to be recommended to others. Dell and Lenovo were the others, both bringing up the rear.
This year, those three are still on the list, and their scores haven't changed much. The big switcheroo is that enough HP laptops were classified by our readers as hybrids, so it made the cut. While HP's overall satisfaction score is equal to Microsoft's at 8.7, we're handing HP the win for convertibles because it outshined (or tied) Microsoft on a number of other factors.
In fact, the only place where Microsoft completely outshined HP this year was in the size and weight category, where its hybrids earned a 9.1 compared to HP's still stellar 9.0. HP's not well ahead of Microsoft, but enough that the award goes to the company that next year might be called Xerox.
Work Tablets for 2020
Winner: APPLE: APPLEThe combo of killer hardware (especially the new iPadOS updates that make it more laptop-esque) and the incredible ecosystem of apps available for the iPad mean Apple is the top choice for readers who desire to get things done, sans the keyboard.
We haven't actually looked at tablet use in the workplace since 2014. Back then, more vendors were on the tablet bandwagon, trying to get slate computers into our daily lives; brands like Asus, Dell, and even Google showed up in the results. This year, the tablets are down to the three big names left selling them: Apple (with iPads running iPadOS), Samsung (running Google's Android), and Amazon (with the Fire brand of tablets running the FireOS knock-off version of Android).
Apple is the big winner here, with a high 9.1 score for both overall satisfaction and the likelihood to be recommended. iPads are also on top for ease of use, reliability, battery life, and screen quality. In fact, much like their laptop counterparts mentioned above, Apple's tablets earn their worst marks when it comes to the perceived value of the devices, because they cost a lot.
//Samsung's Galaxy Tab line of tablets takes the second-place spot with some still-decent scores across the board. When it comes to getting work done, I'm not sure why any of our readers would pick an Amazon Fire tablet, when they exist mainly to get you to consume content provided from Amazon—but maybe all those people watch Amazon Prime Video professionally. If so, it doesn't pay off to use a Fire, as it scored pretty low compared to the other brands.
Below is the full table of results for Business Choice 2020: Laptops and Tablets.
The PCMag Business Choice survey for Laptops & Tablets was in the field from January 6, 2020, through January 26, 2020. For more information on how the survey is conducted, read the survey methodologysurvey methodology.
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