Doctors and healthcare professionals around the world are some of the most important people around. For one pretty detrimental reason; they keep you alive. Yeah, no biggie, right? And even though there are numerous niches within medicine and various types of doctors, they all have one thing in common; they need the best laptops for doctors to help them get through the day with patients, staff meetings, answering emails, and a little downtime fun watching a movie or winding down with some music. Even doctors need to take a break sometimes.
Why Laptops Are Important to Doctors
Doctors play a very important role in our society. Without the advent of modern medicine and technology, common everyday problems and health concerns would be much more troublesome. Just like how the world changed overnight when Penicillin was accidentally discovered. Before 1928, bacterial infections such as ear, skin, throat, and mouth infections were far more deadly. Modern ingenuity and technological advances help develop integral medicines and procedures like vaccines, cancer treatments, to common ailments like the flu, headaches, and stomachaches.
And in recent years, computers and laptops have also become important tools for students training to be doctors and medical professionals alike. Doctors need laptops to help them in treating patients, doing research and other doctorly duties they can expect in their day to day schedules. Doctors, nurses and medical staff have a few programs they need to run on a daily basis such as Electronic Health Record software for keeping records of patients, patient scheduling software, billing and collection software just to name a few.
Of course there's no set 'criteria' which can be applied for laptops for doctors so we're going to focus on features that will potentially make a doctor's life easier. To do that, we're going to highlight some important features that doctors and medical professionals should be on the look for in their machine companion.
What To Look For
Now you might be asking yourself, what do doctors need to help make their lives easier, while they help save lives? For the most part, the key specs you should be aware include the processor, RAM/storage, battery life, portability and the display. There are other features that can potentially benefit medical practitioners out there, so we'll mention it as we go along. One major consideration that we'll mention before anything else is the price. Now considering doctors don't inherently require too much power out of a laptop, they can consider something on the cheaper side.
A budget, but decently equipped laptop is the ideal scenario here. Most times, these types of laptops will be more than sufficient and are often packing great specs for the price. Less is more, but I'm sure many doctors out there might want to opt for a premium, high-end laptop like a MacBook Pro or the Microsoft Surface lineup. Either way, let's get straight into the features to look out for to get a better understanding of what I'm talking about.
1. Processor
The processor is the powerhouse of a computer. You know, like how a mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell? A little biology humor to lighten the mood. Anyway, the processor of the best laptop for doctors will have to be powerful enough to handle daily processes without lag, crashes, and slowdowns.
You'll come across processors like the Intel Core i5 or Intel Core i7 processor most often as they're the flagship Intel Core processors available. For our needs here, even the slightly dated 8th and 9th Gen Intel Core i5 / Intel Core i7 will be more than powerful enough to handle a doctor's day to day tasks. This includes documenting patients medical history, creating patient schedules, and probably Googling rare symptoms and diagnoses for reference. Okay that last one might seem a little far fetched for the average medical professional, but you get my point.
A better processor equates to a future-proof, speedy laptop that'll last you more than a couple of years. I'm sure doctors can relate to wanting to keep things running smooth for the long run.
2. RAM/ Storage
The processor isn't the only spec on a laptop for doctors that will dictate performance. A major factor to performance is your RAM and storage capacities. RAM mostly refers to how fast your laptop can keep things running while multitasking various programs. The bigger and faster your RAM is, the better your laptop will perform as a whole. For doctors I would recommend at least 4GB as a base variant. The highest end laptop brands will try to RAM 16GB of memory on board, which is great if the deal is right.
For storage, it refers to how much data you can store onboard the laptop's hard drive capacity. This includes images, videos, music, text documents, files, and program data. Essentially meaning if you're going to be downloading a lot of files, preparing reports and research, you're going to need a fair bit of storage to help keep things in check. As a base, a 256GB SSD should be more than capable of storing your files efficiently. I mention an SSD rather than a HDD simply because that has now become the norm. An SSD is much faster, making start up times and program load times that much more bearable.
3. Battery Life
Battery life greatly adds to the performance and value your laptop for doctors will have. Mainly because longer battery life equals to how long you can use the laptop with peace of mind. No one likes to waste time charging up a laptop, sitting there, tethered to a charger. Battery life greatly adds to your versatility and portability factor and can often be overlooked. Consumers don't usually look at the battery capabilities as they would the processor, storage, RAM, and display. So that's why we're highlighting this often neglected feature so you can work that much more efficiently.
Not to mention a longer battery life could make your life that much easier. Charge your laptop right before bed, and pick it up by itself to take it out for a busy day of patients, reports, and meetings. That little extra battery life can go a long way for your personal schedule and how content you are with your purchase, so best not to over look this feature. You'll see a range of battery life specs, but anything over 8 hours should be more than enough for a full day's work.
4. Portability
Grouped similarly to battery life, portability is another feature consumers don't fully appreciate in a laptop. As someone who has tested all kinds of laptops, I can whole heartedly say that a lighter, portable laptop is much more comfortable than heavier, bulky laptops. This can include gaming laptops and powerhouse designer devices, so keeping in mind the importance of portability is highly recommended. As I mentioned earlier, you will most probably be able to handle most tasks and functions on pretty much any laptop you can find. Finding the right combination of price, feature set and form will be integral to the search.
For portability, we can take three factors to help determine how well it scores in the category; weight, screen size, and dimensions. They all co-relate to each other but modern advances in the laptop industry has made it possible to fit in larger screens in a smaller body. Mostly you'll see 13"-14" laptops and under fit this category the best. Any laptop weighing under 4 pounds should also be deemed very portable, along with slim dimensions. Trust me, when you're on your daily commute and walking from office, to lunch, to meetings, etc. you're going to thank me when you don't have a sore back at the end of the day.
5. Display
And finally, probably the most sought out feature among consumers; the display. Why is the display so important you might ask? Because at the very core of a laptop, the main piece of hardware you interact with most is the display. Any function, task, program, you need to interact with the display to see what you're doing. That being said, there are two factors that relate to display that you should be looking for; the screen size and display resolution.
Screen Size
In relation to screen size, this is a more flexible consideration for most laptops for doctors. Depending on what you prefer, you might be looking for a bigger 15.6-inch display laptop or a more petite, compact 14-inch display. If you have poor eyesight, I'd say get a bigger display so everything on screen is slightly bigger so you don't have to strain your eyes too hard, squinting to read what is on screen. A smaller 13" or 14" screen isn't going to make it that much harder to see, but it's that extra screen real estate that makes it a clearer viewing experience. Either way, the best laptops for doctors will all be equipped with a clear and pleasant viewing experience.
Display Resolution
The more pressing spec we should be looking for is the display resolution. Mainly as the display resolution will dictate how clear, vibrant, and crisp everything you see on screen is. Most laptop manufacturers have landed on a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution norm which is great honestly. I would say a Full HD resolution is the base for a lot of content online like video streaming sites, YouTube videos, and video games. Plus things like text, documents and general browsing on your desktop and internet browser look leaps and bounds clearer than a HD screen. Essentially, a Full HD display is the base resolution the best laptop for doctors will house.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, we can take a deep dive into our search for the best laptops for doctors around. Let's get straight into the list!
The Best Laptops for Doctors
1. MacBook Pro 2020
Apple's latest MacBook Pro is a prime example of the right combination of features, design and power. But the caveat here being it comes at a hefty premium in comparison to some cheaper, still capable Windows 10 enabled laptops. But for the price, you are getting quality; on the display is a gorgeous 13.3-inch Retina Display (2560 x 1600) with some great on-screen tech to bolster the viewing experience. This includes a P3 Wide color gamut for even more vibrant, eye-popping color, 500 nits of brightness, and True Tone technology to automatically adjust the color temperature to your surroundings. Overall, some flagship level display features.
But a pretty screen isn't the only thing the MacBook Pro has going for it. This year's iteration of the MacBook Pro was a first for Apple, shifting away from their normal Intel Core processors to their Apple developed M1 Chip. So far, we know that the M1 Chip processor from Apple is more than capable of handling most tasks, even for graphically intensive design programs and some video editing. Safe to say, more than sufficient to be qualified as the best laptop for doctors. Accompanying the powerful M1 Chip is 8GB RAM and a rather high storage; 256GB on an SSD. This will help processes and programs run that much smoother, without running into the dreaded spinning ball of death. Apple users will know what I'm talking about.
Some other standout features includes up to 20 hours of battery life, Apple's Touch Bar and Touch ID tech, and a pretty great scissor backlit keyboard. All these features come together to form a very appealing package, at a hefty price. If you're looking for one of the best laptops around and don't mind forking a bit extra cash for that piece of mind, the MacBook Pro is the right laptop for you.
2. Microsoft Surface Pro 7
Akin to the previous Apple MacBook Pro, the Microsoft Surface lineup are some of the best laptops for doctors you can get. The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 takes a bit of a different approach from Apple's standard though, with a 2-in-1 functional tablet form factor. The 12.3-inch PixelSense Display touch screen keeps a high resolution of 2736 x 1824 with great versatility. Where the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 shines is the capability of turning into three various modes: Laptop Mode, Tablet Mode and Studio Mode. Depending on your mood, you can easily switch from reading reports on a tablet to typing away on laptop mode. A very versatile and useful feature set, that's for sure.
But just because it comes in a compact, 12.3-inch display form factor, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 doesn't compromise on power. Under the hood the laptop comes with one of the latest 10th Gen Intel Core i7 processors, a whopping RAM 16GB capacity and 256GB SSD. If you couldn't tell, that's quite a hefty amount of power for something that's essentially a tablet. That versatility to use as you please; as a laptop or tablet to get some drawing or handwritten notes done is the biggest draw of the device. What makes it impressive is that it will manage all those functions without a single hiccup in performance.
Some other great features you can expect with the Surface Pro is up to 10.5 hours of battery, which charges 0-80% in just an hour. Oh, and did I mention it comes with the keyboard cover out the box which you usually would have to purchase separately? Yeah, that makes it a pretty great deal that you'd be hard pressed to pass up. You can also pair the tablet with Microsoft's Surface Pen and Arc Mouse to get a full desktop/2-in-1 experience. Overall, a versatile, lightweight laptop weighing in at only 1.7lbs with fantastic performance.
3. Acer Aspire 5
Looking for something a little more affordable, that just gets what you need done? The Acer Aspire series is that and more, and the latest Acer Aspire 5 is no exception. On the screen, the laptop is equipped with a 15.6-inch Full HD LED-backlit IPS display, netting a great screen size and resolution. Not the most exciting spec around, but that's what the Acer Aspire series does best. Not one outstanding feature, but capable internals and hardware all around. A Jack of all trades, Master of none, if you would.
This is apparent especially when you take a look under the hood. We're missing out on the flagship Intel Core i7 processor, and we're met with a 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor. This is still one of the latest Intel Core i5 processors available, it's just not the best compare to the Intel Core i7. Still great performance though, further bolstered by some great RAM (16GB) and 256GB SSD storage. All this together should be more than ideal as a laptop for doctors, since software used by medical practitioners aren't as intensive as other industries. The laptop also features an Intel UHD Graphics card which should be able to do some graphic intensive tasks like image and video editing.
Some other great features include up to 8 hours of battery life, a backlit keyboard, fingerprint reader, and weighs in at 3.97lbs. Considering it is a 15.6-inch laptop, it has some pretty great dimensions and weight. Overall, the Acer Aspire 5 does everything you need it to, nothing more, and nothing less. When you take the price into consideration, it's a steal for what you're getting in the total package.
4. HP Pavilion 15
If you were looking for best-in-class performance for a somewhat reasonable price tag, the latest HP Pavilion 15 fits right in. This laptop truly has some of the best internals on the list thus far, and comes in a very attractive, compact package. On the front we've got a 15.6-inch FHD micro-edged display, which translates to very slim bezels around the display frame to maximize screen real estate in a lightweight body. Weighing in at only 3.86lbs, this is definitely one of the lightest full-sized display laptops around.
If that wasn't enough to convince you the laptop also comes with the latest 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and a sizable 512GB SSD. Since we're talking about the absolute latest Core i7 processor along with that much RAM and storage, you're pretty much set for at least 5-6 years without having to upgrade your laptop. Besides the stunning screen and powerful performance, I have to add that this laptop is quite the looker. With a simple, yet elegant single tone silver all around the laptop gives it that 'premium' quality. Its minimalist design language, paired those slim bezels on the display truly makes for a very attractive laptop.
Some other great features you can expect from the HP Pavilion 15 is up to 8 hours of battery life which charges back up to 50% in 30 minutes, a backlit keyboard, and speakers by Bang & Olufsen. All together, a great screen, powerful performance, and an affordable price tag. A strong competitor for the title of the best laptop for doctors.
5. ASUS VivoBook 15
Another fantastic budget option for doctors out there is the ASUS VivoBook 15. You're getting a great laptop for an honestly, stellar price tag. The price-value ratio skews heavily towards value with a dapper 15.6-inch FHD NanoEdge bezel display. You'll notice some super slim bezels around the display, similar to the HP Pavilion 15 which makes the laptop that much more attractive. The display actually features an 88% screen-to-body ratio, meaning a lot more screen in a smaller, lighter package. Besides the screen, I'm a big fan of the simplistic look throughout; from the screen, to the backlit keyboard, and the innovative ErgoLift hinge which makes typing a better, more ergonomic experience.
Besides the fancy looks, the ASUS VivoBook 15 comes with substantial firepower with a 1oth Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage. The only thing really lacking from the internals is the slightly lesser 8GB RAM, but it should be more than enough for most programs and users. When you compare the prices to the other laptops on the list however, this might seem a much more reasonable trade off.
Some other great features the laptop comes with includes Windows Hello sign in with a fingerprint reader, a light 3.75lbs weight, and audio by ASUS SonicMaster. As mentioned at the start, this isn't the most powerful laptop around but what you get as a whole with the ASUS VivoBook 15 covers everything you could possibly need in a portable form factor.
Conclusion
Only one can reign as the undisputed champion out of all the best laptops for doctors we've talked about so far. But we will preface this with the fact that we think all laptops featured are more than capable of handling all your doctor needs. It's a matter of budget, the look, and what you are personally in the market for.
That being said, the undisputed best laptop for doctors is the HP Pavilion 15!
The HP Pavilion 15 hits all the right checkmarks in terms of form and function, all together with a reasonable price tag. The latest Intel Core i7 processors, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD paired with the insatiable good looks makes for a deadly combination. Plus, how good would this beast look, perched on your work desk at the office, clinic, or home? For all those reasons, the HP Pavilion 15 is unanimously crowned the best laptop for doctors available.
