10 Cool AI PCs Ready For Business Users

‘We expect the first wave of demand for these to be from our customers in marketing. If you’re utilizing large files and media, the advanced CPU can cut down a ton on time and also do so locally without needing internet connectivity,' VirtuIT CEO Gary McConnell tells CRN.

The coolest AI PCs for business are driving data through silicon from every vendor as the biggest brands now have the most innovative chips from Intel, AMD and Qualcomm, in a race to the TOPS – the rating of a devices’ neural processing capabilities.

While that measure may not be a household acronym yet, experts think this is the year that could change, with Forrester calling 2025 “the year of the AI PC,” and Gary McConnell, CEO of Dell platinum partner VirtuIT, telling CRN there is a greenfield emerging for AI PCs among business creatives who benefit from on-device AI features.

“We expect the first wave of demand for these to be from our customers in marketing. If you’re utilizing large files and media, the advanced CPU can cut down a ton on time and also do so locally without needing internet connectivity,” McConnell told CRN. “TOPS isn't yet a household term like IOPS but I’m sure it will get there in time.”

The on-device capabilities are one of the selling points for manufacturers. Lenovo boasts that all of its AI PCs can run Meta’s Llama 3.1 AI model locally without internet giving users access to generative insights without connectivity.

Qualcomm chips are also taking a prominent role among PC makers with all of Dell’s new AI PC lineup coming equipped with the processors. Lenovo and HP also have incorporated the chip into their top-end designs.

In its trends report titled “The Year Of The AI PC is 2025,” market research firm Forrester said one of the ways it pulls apart which PC is an AI PC and which is not is to determine how much processing it can accomplish on the device. The best AI PCs have the proper embedded chips and they can orchestrate the passing of workloads between a CPU, GPU, and NPU to leverage AI for a better user experience, the report states.

“(M)ost AI processing still happens within cloud services,” Forrester wrote. “AI PCs are now disrupting the cloud-only AI model to bring that processing to local devices running any OS.”

Businesses are latching on in the hopes of supercharging productivity, improving collaboration, and optimizing device performance and longevity.

“They’ll learn individual productivity preferences, filtering out notifications and distracting content while a developer is trying to code or alerting a salesperson when a high-value prospect emails back. The AI PC will even provide suggestions on how best to structure the day to support optimal productivity,” Forrester stated.

Another research firm, IDC, is also expecting AI PCs sales to take longer to mature with that firm eyeing 2026 as the year AI PCs sales will scale.

“While we expect AI to reach ubiquity at some point at the end of this decade, the ramp up towards mass market will take longer than expected, well into 2026,” wrote Linn Huang, IDC’s research vice president, devices and displays. “The next year-and-change will be largely about developing software, use cases, and target audiences for this AI-enabled hardware.”

As part of CRN’s AI PC Week 2024, here are the 10 coolest AI PCs we found that are ready for work.

ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 AMD

Price: $1,505

This device features AMD’s Zen 5 CPU with an integrated AMD Ryzen AI 7 Pro 360 processor, Lenovo said. It has 64 GB of dual channel memory running at 7500 mhz.

Lenovo said it can deliver 50 trillion operations per second

Lenovo says the machine is designed to empower the professional and deliver creativity without compromise to every user with a 17-hour battery life. Lenovo says this device can offload heavy AI work to the machine's NPU engine which cranks up speed and efficiency.

The ThinkPad t14 Gen 6 is also capable of running the Copilot+ Windows experience when it is available from Microsoft.

ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 Aura Edition

Price: $2,199

This AI laptop with a day-long battery life is also the one that Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said he carries in his backpack when he appeared on stage at Lenovo Tech World. The rest of us have to wait until February 2025, when it is released generally.

It features an OLED screen with a 120hz refresh for crisper viewing in either tablet or laptop mode, Lenovo says.

The device can also adapt to a user’s needs with AI-driven Smart Modes that can help reduce distractions and prioritize focus on work, as well as help with sharing files between devices. It includes a troubleshooting bot, and it can help users with wellness reminders about posture, breaks, and eye fatigue, Lenovo said.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition

Price: $2,159

Developed with Intel, this generation of X1 Carbon has the chipmaker’s Core Ultra processors (Series 2) combined with an Intel Arc Xe graphics. The X1 Carbon reaches 45 TOPS, Lenovo said. The device carries up to 32 GB of onboard memory.

Lenovo said all of that put together drives a “3x AI performance,” based on Intel’s internal performance projections. It comes with a 14-inch, 2.8k Dolby Vision display and a 120hz refresh rate for clean lines during fast motion on screen.

The 57-watt hour battery promises 18 hours of battery life to support long days of work. It also features Copilot+ PC features when available from Microsoft.

The new mousepad now also provides haptic feedback.

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x (14″ Snapdragon) Laptop

Price: $999

This Yoga Slim is not just lightweight at under three pounds, it packs a Snapdragon X Elite X1E78100 processor with 12 CPU cores running at 3.4Ghz. The laptop has an integrated Qualcomm Adreno GPU.

Yoga Slim runs 32GB of dual channel memory that runs at 8448 Mhz and it has a rapid charge feature that will give users 3 hours of runtime on a 15-minute plug-in. It has a 14 inch, PureSight 3K OLED touchscreen display that boast 1,000 nits of peak brightness in high definition with a 70-watt hour battery.

Dell XPS 13 Laptop

Price: $1,299

Dell says this XPS has on-board AI that offers cutting-edge responsiveness and speed for navigating demanding workloads and freeing up time to be more creative, while spending less time charging.

This is Dell’s thinnest and lightest XPS and it comes with the promise of 27 hours of battery life as well as fast charging. The XPS 13 features Copilot+ and it is powered by a Snapdragon X Elite X1E80100 processor with 12 cores running at up to 3.4GHz. It features an integrated Qualcomm Adreno GPU and all together it can deliver 45 TOPS of NPU power.

Dell Inspiron 14 Plus

Price: $1,099

The Inspiron 14 Plus features a Snapdragon X Elite X1E80100 that runs 12 CPU cores at speeds up to 3.4 GHz. It has an integrated Qualcomm Adreno GPU card and integrated NPU and it can be loaded with a 1 TB PCIe NVMe SSD hard drive.

The model has a 14-inch touchscreen display that refreshes at 60 Hz and has a brightness rating of 400 nits. The Inspiron 14 Plus has a battery life of 17 hours.

Dell Latitude 7455

Price: $1,849

Dell’s premium thin AI PC laptop delivers a thick 45 TOPS through its Qualcomm chipset. It has a Snapdragon X Elite processor that has 12 cores running at up to 3.4 GHz, as well as an integrated Qualcomm Adreno GPU. This model has 32 GB of memory and storage that tops out at 1 TB GB of NVMe SSD.

The QHD display is a 14-inch touchscreen with a 400-nit brightness rating. The Latitude has a 21-hour battery life and it is Express Charge- and Express Charge Boost-capable, Dell said.

HP EliteBook X G1a Next Gen AI PC

Price: TBA

HP calls the EliteBook X G1a Next Gen AI PC the “world’s most powerful next-gen AI business notebook” -- based on its rating of 55 TOPS worth of NPU power and up to 64 GB LPDDR5x-8000MT/s memory, as of September 2024.

This device is still listed as “coming soon” but it claims to reach those 55 TOPS using AMD Ryzen AI300 processors which is on the high end for the AI PCs on this list.

HP says this will give users the ability to do away with the lag and run complex AI models locally. This EliteBook comes with up to 64 GB of memory, 2 TB of NVMe SSD storage, and a 14-inch anti-glare touch screen monitor.

HP said it was designed for users to “boldly innovate” with secure next-gen AI capab ilities built into a package that weighs 3.3. pounds.

HP EliteBook Ultra G1q Next Gen AI PC

Price: $1,699

Available now, this HP is using a Snapdragon X Elite processor with up to 32GB of memory and an embedded Qualcomm Adreno GPU, and Qualcom Hexagon NPU for maximizing AI tasks and giving users the ability to run AI locally.

While HP talks about the PC’s optimized battery life it doesn’t make any promises in terms of hours, but HP’s Fast Charge capabilities will give users 50-percent battery in 30 minutes when they run low, HP stated. It has a 14-inch touchable monitor that delivers 400 nits of brightness.

HP ZBook Power G11

Price: $2,049

The HP ZBook Power G11 is touted as an AI workstation that can deliver superior on-device AI performance and security at an affordable price. It runs either an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU or an AMD Ryzen 9 Pro and it features a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3000 Ada Laptop GPU. The device can be equipped with up to 64 GB of memory and pack 8 TB worth of PCLe Gen4 NVMe of storage.

The Zbook features a 16-inch 2K display with a 120 Mhz refresh rate and carries a 400-nit brightness rating. HP said it’s designed to handle 3D modeling as well as AI-powered content creation and multi-tasking.