Best Windows 10 Pro and Windows 11 Pro laptops (2023): top notebooks for productivity

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REASONS TO BUY
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Windows 10/11 Pro Laptop
(Image credit: Future)

If you’ve been searching for the best Windows 10 Pro or Windows 11 Pro laptops on the market, it can be tough to figure out what to go with. But, you’re in luck. This guide will help you find excellent notebooks that come pre-installed with the more robust version of Windows 10 or Windows 11, allowing you more control over the OS and more tools.  

Most users will be fine using Windows 10 Home, which comes stock on a lot of the best laptops, but people who use their portables for their business and power users will want the advanced features and control that come with Windows 10 Pro. For those who want the newest updates, and some of the new features of Windows 11, jumping up to Windows 11 Home will mostly likely be fine. But, for those individuals who are wanting every last feature for their work, they should check out Windows 11 Pro.

To help you, we’ve gathered our top choices of both Windows 10 Pro laptops and Windows 11 Pro laptops, so you won’t have to deal with the limitations of the Home edition of the OS or having to upgrade as soon as you have your new device.

These laptops come with the latest boundary-pushing technology and design as well as powerful internals, not to mention an OS that lets you reap the benefits of that top-end hardware.

So, read on to find out what our picks are for the best Windows 10 Pro laptops, and the best Windows 11 Pro laptops. Our very own price comparison tool will scour the internet for you and bring you the cheapest prices as well.

We've tested and compared these laptops to determine what they offer best. We looked at all their technical specs, like RAM, CPU, GPU, and battery life, and evaluated the overall quality of their design. We also considered their connectivity, portability, and pricing, among other things. 

Also, check out our reviews of the best thunderbolt laptops and the best business keyboards


The best Windows 10 Pro laptops of 2023 in full

HP Elite Dragonfly

(Image credit: HP)
Best Windows 10 Pro laptop for the traveling professional

Specifications

CPU: 8th-generation Intel Core i5 – i7
Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620
RAM: 8GB - 16GB
Screen: 13.3" diagonal Full HD touch display – Full HD touch Sure View display
Storage: 256 GB SSD

Reasons to buy

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Impeccable design
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Excellent battery life

Reasons to avoid

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Pretty expensive

The HP Elite Dragonfly is our pick for the best Windows 10 Pro laptop thanks to its combination of portability and power. It’s also one of the most beautiful business laptops we've tested in a long time, touting a thin and light design – complete with incredible speakers, a sublime keyboard, and the optional 550 nits 4K display – that’s absolutely hard to contend with. 

This hybrid gets our coveted five-star rating, which already says a lot as we don’t give that out lightly. And, did we mention it also boasts an excellent battery life, which gets you a long way when working on the go?

But a feature that might appeal to traveling professionals is the LTE integration that'll allow users to enjoy hassle-free internet connectivity wherever they are. 

Read the full review: HP Elite Dragonfly

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best Windows pro laptop: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

The best all-round Windows 10 Pro laptop

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-7600U vPro
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 620
RAM: 16GB
Screen: 14-inch, 2560 x 1440 pixels
Storage: 1TB SSD

Reasons to buy

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Smaller and lighter in every way to previous versions
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Improved Microsoft Precision Touchpad

Reasons to avoid

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Expensive

Lenovo's range of ThinkPad laptops are some of the very best business laptops ever made – not to mention, one of the best Lenovo laptops to consider if you want business grade capabilities, and with Windows 10 Pro installed, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is our pick for the best all-round Windows 10 Pro laptop money can buy. 

It comes in a slim and stylish design, yet packs a lot of power into its svelte body, with a powerful Intel Core i7-7600U vPro processor, 16GB of RAM, and a battery life of up to 15.5 hours. Despite its sleek build, it has lots of ports: 2 x USB Type-C, 2 x USB Type-A, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 3.5mm combi jack, and a Kensington lock. 

If you're looking for an absolute workhorse of a Windows 10 Pro laptop, then this is a fantastic choice.

Read our full review: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

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Acer ConceptD 7

(Image credit: Acer)
The best Windows 10 Pro laptop for creatives

Specifications

CPU: 9th-generation Intel Core i7
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 – 2080
RAM: 16GB – 32GB
Screen: 15.6" 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) 16:9 IPS
Storage: 1TB

Reasons to buy

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Very powerful
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Cheaper than MacBook Pro
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Good selection of ports

Reasons to avoid

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Expensive
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Plain design
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Not as thin and light as MacBook Pro

This formidable Windows 10 Pro laptop is capable of handling complex and demanding tasks such as 3D rendering, thanks in part to its Nvidia RTX graphics, and was designed specifically with creative professionals in mind. 

Beyond that sheer power it delivers, it also offers decent port selection, a minimalist solid white design, and that stunning Pantone-validated 4K IPS display. Worried about the white design getting dull and yellow-ish over time? The laptop has a stain-resistant coating that'll protect it from yellowing and marking from dirt, ink, and coffee. 

The Acer ConceptD 7 is a versatile device in terms of connectivity. It has 1 x Thunderbolt 3 USB Type-C, 3 x USB 3.1, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x mini DisplayPort 1.4, and an Ethernet port for wired networking. 

Obviously, it’s still pretty pricey, but if you’re looking for a Windows-powered MacBook alternative for video and photo editing, it’s a great option.

Read the full review: Acer ConceptD 7

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Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (2019)

(Image credit: Dell)
Versatile Windows 10 Pro laptop that's sleek and powerful

Specifications

CPU: 10th-generation Intel Core i3 – i7
Graphics: Intel UHD – Iris Plus Graphics
RAM: 4GB – 16GB
Screen: 13.4" FHD+ (1920 x 1200) InfinityEdge Non-Touch Anti-Glare – 13.4" UHD+ (3840 x 2400) InfinityEdge Touch Anti-Reflecitve
Storage: 256GB – 512GB SSD

Reasons to buy

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Stunning, extremely portable design
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Great performance
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Gorgeous, responsive screen

Reasons to avoid

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Battery life is just ok
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Only decent sound
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Lid hard to open

You’ll be hard-pressed to find fault in the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (2019). Design-wise, not only is it incredibly compact and lightweight, but it also boasts that gorgeous responsive display, stunning woven design, and an easy-to-use keyboard. But, it’s more than just looks. 

It’s pretty impressive as well when it comes to performance, thanks to its 10th-generation Intel Core processors and Intel Iris Plus graphics. The display is made of Corning Gorilla Glass 5, so the touchscreen will feel incredible beneath your fingertips. Its bezels are exceptionally thin too, which not only gives you more screen real estate but also gives the laptop a stunning minimalist look.

You can get this brilliant 2-in-1 with Windows 10 Pro installed, which means it's earned its place in this list.

Read the full review: Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (2019)

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Dell Latitude 7490

(Image credit: Dell)
A powerful Windows 10 Pro laptop from Dell

Specifications

CPU: 8th-generation Intel Core i3 – i7
Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620
RAM: 4GB – 16GB
Storage: 128GB SSD – 512GB SSD

Reasons to buy

+
Reasonable price
+
Excellent performance
+
Great battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
Dell proprietary PSU

Dell is a well-respected brand when it comes to making dependable, no-nonsense business laptops that run Windows 10 Pro, and the Dell Latitude 7490 is a great example of that. It features some of Intel's latest processors, along with a decent amount of RAM and integrated graphics. 

A choice of SSDs (Solid State Drives) means Windows 10 Pro and all your applications load up quickly and perform brilliantly. Battery life is also impressively long as well. The connectivity ports include 3 x USB 3.1 (Gen 1) Type-A, 1 x Thunderbolt 3 USB Type-C, Smart Card slot, microSD card, RJ-45 Ethernet port, and SIM card receptacles. 

All of the laptop's ports are on the sides, and since the vents are underneath, you'll want to avoid placing the device on soft surfaces. 

Read the full review: Dell Latitude 7490

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The best Windows 11 Pro laptops of 2023 in full

Dell Latitude 9330 2-in-1

Best Windows 11 Pro Laptop overall (Image credit: Future)
Best Windows 11 Pro Laptop overall

Specifications

CPU: 12th Gen Intel Core i7
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7
RAM: 16GB
Screen: 13.3 inches
Storage: 500GB

Reasons to buy

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2-in-1 design allows for greater flexibility
+
Responsive touchscreen
+
Quick processor
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Lightweight design and build
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Privacy and security features built-in

Reasons to avoid

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Not a 4K display
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Expensive compared to competition

Dell's Latitude line has always been one to keep an eye on for business uses. This iteration is no exception. The 2-in-1 capabilities, multi-point touchscreen, snappy response, and powerful internal computing power makes this a dream to work on. 

To make this laptop more interesting, there are a handful of built-in privacy and security features to make sure that your work stays your work. These include privacy detection, auto lock when you walk away, the ability to unlock with Windows Hello, and more.

All of the laptop's ports are on the sides, with two Thunderbolt ports on the left and one USB-C on the right with a headphone jack as well.

Read the full review: Dell Latitude 9330 2-in-1 Laptop

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An MSI Creator Z17 on a wooden table

Best Windows 11 Pro laptop with stylus support (Image credit: Future)
Best Windows 11 Pro laptop with stylus support

Specifications

CPU: 12th-gen Intel Core i7 – i9
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 TI – Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 TI
RAM: 8GB – 16GB
Screen: 17 inches
Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD – 2TB NVMe SSD

Reasons to buy

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Excellent build quality
+
Great performance
+
Beautiful 17 inch screen

Reasons to avoid

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Expensive
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Weak speakers

The 17-inch MSI Creator Z17 is a powerful laptop with stylus support and Windows 11 Pro installed. This machine is excellent for a creator's workstation due to the powerhouse CPU and graphics under the hood. It also has quieter fans, allowing for more prolonged and tedious work sessions without having the laptop sound like a fighter jet taking off.

Read the full review: MSI Creator Z17

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Frequently Asked Questions

How to choose the best Windows 10 Pro laptops for you?

When choosing the best Windows 10 Pro laptops for yourself, start by evaluating what kind of tasks you need the laptop for and the features that are essential for you.

Based on your requirements, you'll want to narrow down the laptop's specs, like the CPU, RAM, GPU, storage, and screen size. If you're going to use the laptop for gaming or heavy graphical editing, then it's best to opt for a powerful one with a large screen and competent graphics card and CPU.

Look out for the laptop's connectivity options. Sleeker and lighter ultrabooks often lack plenty of ports but offer great portability. 

If you're mostly on the road and primarily need the laptop for general business work, then a lightweight and thin 13-inch model should serve you well. 

Also, look out for the keyboard's quality, battery life, speaker performance, webcam, and overall design.

The best Windows Pro laptops: How we test

We've tested and compared the best Windows 10 Pro laptops on numerous points, from their CPU and graphics to their size and connectivity options. 

We evaluated their overall performance, how well they ran different apps, their battery life, and the size and quality of the screen. We examined the weight and sleekness of the laptops, along with their overall design and durability. If they had features that made them travel-friendly, we made sure to mention that. 

We tested the keyboards, trackpads, webcams, and speaker performance and also checked whether they included LTE integration, among other aspects.