Dell Precision 3541-15.6″ with Intel Core i7-9850H -16GB RAM- 512 SSD with Nvidia 620 4GB

The Precision 3541 is made up of a carbon fiber polymer that helps keep the weight down, and there is an aluminum option if you’d like something a bit more robust. There’s nothing exactly exciting about the design, but it’s considerably lighter and has a smaller footprint than many other 15-inch workstations we’ve reviewed. It’s a laptop made for professionals who are more interested in productivity than showing off.

Dual hinges allow the lid to open to 180 degrees with a smooth action. They’re stiff enough to hold the display in place when moving around, yet you can open the laptop with one hand when it’s sitting flat.

Dell offers a few display options, though they top out at 1920×1080 (FHD) and dip as low as 1366×768 (HD). For Enterprise buys the low-res screens make sense, but if you’re buying for yourself, go with at least FHD.

An enormous 97Wh battery, which is the height of what Dell offers, takes up about half of the space inside. Opting for the larger battery (97Wh compared to 51Wh) only costs about $50, and it’s a worthwhile investment.