Nowadays most of us are living a distant life or we are always on the go. The use of virtual communications on different platforms is a need of the hour especially in the post-pandemic times, where people are left with fewer options.
If you are an entrepreneur, student, or working distant then you need a Zoom app, you can do many things on this platform especially, high-quality video conferencing or business meetings.
So if those are your goals that we mentioned above then you must be impatient and looking for a suitable laptop that can get you what you need, then we are here to help you to make a smart choice.
Finding the best laptop for Zoom meetings or business conferences is not the same as laptops for other purposes like gaming, animation, or photo editing.
You require a machine that can run smoothly and support apps like Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet.
Well, there are a few very important aspects you need to keep in mind while buying a suitable laptop for yourself when it comes to Zoom meetings.
Things to Look for When Buying a Laptop for Zoom Meetings
1. Display
Size does matter, to have a large display is very crucial for your Zoom meetings the reason is all the feeds will be showing from many cameras, for that purpose the screen size of 10.1 or 11.5 won’t be enough, you need to look for a laptop with a 14 to 15.6 display at least.
2. CPU
To support multiple feeds from different cameras you need a strong processor to support, weaker processors can only work with a few inputs. You need a minimum 1Ghz processor; however, for Zoom meetings, you need at least 2Ghz.
3. RAM
Generally, the higher the Ram, the faster the processing speed. So we need at least 4GB of ram but it is highly recommended to be 6-8 GB to be on the safe side.
4. High Definition Camera
Having a high-definition camera is equally important in business meetings on Zoom.
Video feeds are dependent on the quality of the camera so that you don’t face any glitches and don’t lose clarity. The built-in cameras are not always great but many laptops come with a 720p webcam, which should be enough to produce high-quality videos.
5. Premium Quality Microphone
Another main feature for videoconferencing and Zoom meetings is a high-quality microphone. Mostly the laptops come with a built-in microphone, but this has a single and inferior quality mic. Some laptops have dual microphones with more features like background noise reduction, long-range audio, etc.
Our Top Picks of 5 Laptops for Zoom Meetings and Video Conferencing
1. Lenovo Chromebook S330 Laptop – Overall Best Zoom Laptop Under $500
Product Specification:
- Brand: Lenovo
- Series: Ideapad S330
- Screen Size: 14 Inches
- Colour: Business Black
- Hard Disk Size: 64 GB
- CPU Model: MTK 8121
- Ram Memory Installed Size: 4 GB
- Operating System: Chrome OS
- Card Description: Integrated
Product Summary:
Lenovo needs no introduction when it comes to quality machines they make, Lenovo Chromebook S330 laptop is no doubt among the best machines they have created. It is one of the stylish and durable laptops.
It is best suited for day-to-day computing, it comes with great features which you require for zoom meetings and video conferencing.
The Chromebook S330 is equipped with a MediaTek MTK8173C processor and RAM size of 4G LPDDR3, which is quite impressive to run the Zoom app for video conferencing.
It comes with a 14inch FHD display which is quite decent with a resolution of 1920X1080 Pixels.
The built of laptop is super slim and sleek, it is less than one inch thin and its weight is around 1450 grams (3.3pounds), which makes it super easy to carry.
This Chromebook also comes with a 720p webcam and two 2W speaker systems for effortless Zoom meetings.
The average battery life is up to 10 hours which is remarkable.
If you consider all the features of this laptop and then the price of this laptop which is less than $300, we think it’s a good buy.
Pros:
- Cheap
- Lightweight
- Slim design
- Excellent battery timing
Cons:
- CPU is not too powerful for multitasking
- No operating system is installed, so you have to install it separately
2. HP 14 Laptop – Best Budget Laptop for Zoom Meetings
Product specification:
- Brand: HP
- Screen Size: 14 Inches HD IPS Display
- Hard Disk Size: 128 GB
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 3250U
- Ram Memory: 8 GB
- Operating System: Windows 11
Product Summary:
This is another great laptop; it is powered by AMD Ryzen 3 3250u processor.
The design of this laptop is great and also very stylish and easy on the eyes, this device is incredibly fast with improved multitasking due to its powerful processor. It will surely support heavy applications and it is the right value for money.
This Laptop is equipped with AMD Ryzen 3 3250U processor and AMD Radeon Graphics, 8GB RAM, which makes it super powerful for computing needs, especially for Zoom app and video conferencing.
It comes with a 14inch HD IPS display which is quite stunning for entertainment, gaming and for video intense applications.
The design of this laptop is very compact and durable and with that screen size, it is super easy to carry. Even the 14-inch model comes with a standard HD webcam and usable stereo speakers with HD audio support.
The inbuilt webcam can be used in a variety of ways, making it ideal for video streaming applications. The 14-inch model comes with a standard HD webcam and usable stereo speakers with HD audio support.
Battery life is very good, so you can have Zoom meetings for long hours without any issues. The average battery life is 10 hours.
Pros:
- Great battery life
- Powerful CPU
- Slick design
- Fast charging
Cons:
- Average sound quality
- Touchpad not precise
3. Apple MacBook Pro MF839LL/A – A High-End Sub-$500 Laptop for Zoom Meetings
Product Specification:
- Brand: MacBook Pro
- Model: MF839LL/A
- Screen Size: 13.3 Inches LED-backlit -display
- Hard Disk Size: 128 GB
- Processor: i5 2.7 GHz
- Ram Memory: 8 GB LPDDR3
- Operating System: Mac
- Weight: 3.48 pounds (1.58 kg)
Product Summary:
Apple is the top manufacturer of computers and phones, it is no doubt one of the top sellers and more reliable for such products, the product designs are always stylish and eye-pleasing.
But the difficult part is you can’t get them cheap they are never cheap and it’s hard to find an Apple MacBook under $500.
So what we can do is to get a used one they are renewed but still can be in good condition.
There are two best Macbooks for Zoom for under $500, and the first one is MacBook Pro MF839LL/A.
This laptop has a processor of 2.7 GHz, which is extremely fast for multitasking and online interactions through Zoom meetings and other social media platforms.
This display is 13.3 inches LED Backlit, which is quite normal as compared to the pads which are still pretty good. It’s very lightweight only 3.48 pounds which is quite portable, you can carry it anywhere with you without any problems.
It comes with a built-in webcam, which is quite good, you won’t get any issues using the Zoom app and other video calling applications.
Storage space is good enough and also 8GB of memory is useful for multitasking. The battery lasts more than ten hours on full use.
Pros:
- Decent design
- Lightweight
- Fast processor
- Wallet-friendly price tag
Cons:
- Small display
4. Acer Aspire 5 – A Wallet-Friendly Laptop for Voice and Video Conferencing
Product Specification:
- Processor: Quad-Core AMD Ryzen 3 3350U (2.10 GHz – 3.50 GHz)
- Display: 15.6-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 (1080p)
- Graphics: Integrated AMD Radeon
- RAM: 4GB DDR4
- Storage: 128GB SSD
- Operating System: Windows 11 Home (S Mode)
- Extras: Fingerprint reader, Backlit Keyboard
- Weight: 3.48 pounds (1.58 kg)
Product Summary:
There’s a lot to like about this inexpensive Acer A515-46-R3UB, it has got a very slim and light body but is very solid in performance on all basic and complex computing tasks. And the decent battery life and extras like a backlit keyboard and fingerprint reader.
The laptop’s upper lid with a silver shell gives it a stylish look. When you open the lid, it reveals a 15.6-inch display with thin left and right bezels, and the black keyboard pad makes a striking contrast with the upper body.
Aspire 5 is a powerhouse that will handle day-to-day productivity tasks and some more. The 15.6-inch display on this Acer Aspire 5 is the ideal one for the Full HD (1920 x 1080) and is bright enough for daily entertainment and productivity.
Acer’s Aspire 5 has a very comfortable keyboard with some extra features that we haven’t seen this budget. It has a spacious backlit keyboard, complete with a narrow 10-key numeric keypad. It has a very comfortable typing experience.
Another feature worth mentioning is the audio quality. You get decent sound for a budget laptop. The Acer Aspire for sure got the best speakers. The Ace Aspire 5 comes with a 48Wh 3-cell Li-ion battery, which can last up to 10 hours that involves continuous web surfing.
This is one of the best laptops for Zoom meetings, Skype, and other similar apps, you don’t require very high specifications.
We are very pleased with the specification of this laptop model it has everything that a laptop has to offer if you wanted to use it for Zoom meetings, Webinars it can be a smart choice.
Read our in-depth review of Acer Aspire 5
Pros:
- Large display
- Fast CPU
- Durable build quality
- High-quality sound
- Cheap
Cons:
- Low storage space
5. Lenovo V14 14″ FHD Business Laptop – Best Sound Quality Laptop for Zoom and Skype Video Calls
- Brand: Lenovo
- Display size: 14 Inches
- Screen Resolution: 1922 x 1080 Pixels
- Processor: AMD Athlon Gold 3150U, 2.4 GHz
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Storage: 256 GB SSD
- Weight: 3.53 pounds
Product Summary:
This is another laptop from Lenovo, which comes with the ideal features.
Whether you are working on spreadsheets or video conferencing, managing files, or doing other jobs, the Lenovo V14 laptop will handle your needs efficiently. It is designed to keep your data safe and secure, it is your dependable everyday business partner. And its slimmer, smaller design gives a striking look.
It comes with well-rounded specs that include a high-quality webcam for Zoom video calls, built-in microphones, and Bluetooth.
Again one of the budgeted laptops on our list, this laptop comes with a 14inch Display, a screen resolution of 1922×1080 pixels, and it has a powerful processor with a speed of 2.4GHz.
It has a decent storage space of 256GB and 8Gb of memory, storage space is enough to store a large amount of data including videos and images.
Lenovo V14 has a powerful processor that can handle simple to complex jobs undoubtedly with ease.
It has a very eye-catching design and a solid build. The 14-inch display is not the ideal one, but it is still on a budget with a lot of other features.
This laptop comes with high-quality speakers that produce decent sound, they are very loud and without noise which is very good when you are attending Zoom meetings.
Pros:
- High quality speakers
- Lightweight
- HD Webcam for video calls and meetings
- Decent storage capacity
Cons:
- Small screen size
Final Verdict
It’s always stressful when you need to find a suitable product under a limited budget with all the best features and exceptional quality.
Keeping in mind for Zoom meetings, we have selected the most budget-friendly laptops for you, which are cheap and still have the best specifications and features.
If your requirements are just to run applications like Zoom or Skype, then even Chromebook 330 is quite capable of handling all those apps and on top of it is less than $500.
For Zoom meetings and online video calls, you can go for Acer Aspire 5, which comes with 15.6 display, a powerful processor, maximum storage space, better audio and video capabilities, and decent size RAM.