Check out these excellent Windows laptops that come with LTE support

Best
Windows LTE laptops
Windows Central
2022

Best overall: HP Spectre x360 14

HP’s Spectre x360 14 is our pick for overall best Windows laptop, and it now has optional 5G connectivity. The configuration in question comes with Windows 11, up to an 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1195G7 processor (CPU), 2TB of M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD storage, and 16GB of RAM.

One of the biggest attractions to the HP Spectre x360 14 is no doubt the 13.5-inch touch display with tall 3:2 aspect ratio. You can get it in 1920×1280 (FHD+) or 3000×2000 (3K2K) resolutions, with the latter being OLED. The high-res display also has an anti-reflective coating, 400 nits brightness, and 100% DCI-P3 color. An active pen with tilt support is included for inking.

There’s a privacy shutter for the front-facing camera, and an IR sensor works with Windows Hello. A fingerprint reader lives within the keyboard. You can even add a privacy screen to the FHD+ option to keep unwanted eyes from spying over your shoulder. This premium convertible laptop — that can rotate around for tent, stand, and tablet modes — is our pick for best Windows LTE laptop.

The Surface Pro 8 represents a significant change from the Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus. The Pro 8 has a more rounded chassis made of aluminum, the display bezel is much thinner, and the screen itself is larger and has a 120Hz refresh rate. The screen is now sized at 13 inches and works optimally with the Surface Slim 2 for inking with haptic feedback in select apps. Dolby Vision is included.

There are dual Thunderbolt 4 ports for much better connectivity, the battery is larger, the cameras are better, and Dolby Atmos boosts the listening experience.

Surface Pro 8 models with LTE are so far only available on the “Business” side of the Microsoft Store, but anyone can shop there. LTE models are available with 11th Gen Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPUs, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of M.2 PCIe SSD storage. For more information, check out our comparison of the Surface Pro 8 vs. Surface Pro 7.

The 15-inch Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 is one of our favorite convertible laptops from the past year. While it doesn’t offer 5G connectivity, its 13-inch sibling does. The Galaxy Book Pro 360 13 with 5G is super sleek and lightweight, measuring just 0.45 inches (11.4mm) thin. It’s built well, it has good battery life, and performance is there when you need it from 11th Gen Intel Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs.

The 13.3-inch touch AMOLED display is a real highlight here. It delivers excellent color reproduction with plenty of color profiles on board, and it’s great for inking with the included S Pen. The 1920×1080 (FHD) resolution looks crisp at 13.3 inches; it’s the only resolution available.

You can shop the 5G Galaxy Book Pro 360 models straight from Samsung where Core i5 and Core i7 models are available.

Lenovo has added LTE connectivity to most of its X1 lineup at this point — including the X1 Carbon and X1 Yoga — but none of these really gets us as excited as the new ThinkPad X1 Nano. Announced late 2020, this is a 13-inch Ultrabook with a 2K display (2160×1350) with Dolby Vision and 450 nits brightness. Grab it in touch or non-touch, the latter using an anti-reflective finish.

Battery life and performance are excellent thanks to 11th Gen Intel Core hardware and Intel’s Evo platform certification, and you’re also getting two Thunderbolt 4 ports. This is a ThinkPad, so the keyboard is as good as it gets, and the laptop has plenty of security features, including an IR camera, fingerprint reader, and camera shutter. Sitting open, it can also detect when you’re nearby to log you in as quickly as possible.

This laptop weighs in at just 2.12 pounds (962g) and is just 0.55 inches (13.87mm) thin, making it an excellent choice for life on the go. 4G LTE and 5G models are now widely available. Have a look at our ThinkPad X1 Nano review for a closer look.

The ThinkPad X1 Nano (Gen 2) was announced at CES 2022 and is expected to launch in April starting at $1,659. It has new 12th Gen Intel Core CPUs, LPDDR5 RAM, and more storage space. If you don’t need a laptop immediately, you might want to wait for the latest revision.

Lenovo brought 16:10 displays and 5G to the Gen 6 X1 Yoga, which has returned it to the top spot when it comes to convertible laptops. It’s expensive, but you really get what you pay for. The design is impeccable, and it’s dripping in additional security and ease-of-use features. You get human presence detection with the IR camera, a webcam shutter, dTPM 2.0 chip, fingerprint reader, and Kensington lock slot.

Add up to an 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU, 16GB of LPDDR4x-4266MHz RAM, and a 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD for awesome performance. The laptop is also Intel Evo certified so you can expect boosted battery life and quick response no matter what.

The new display options with 16:10 aspect ratio are incredible. Accurate color, up to a UHD+ resolution, anti-reflective finish, Dolby Vision, and HDR 400 will leave you pleased every time you open the lid. There’s also a siloed active pen inking. Check out our ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Gen 6) review for more information.

Note that the ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Gen 7) was announced at CES 2022. It’s expected to launch March 2022 and should start at about $1,749. We compare the ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Gen 6) vs. the ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Gen 7) for more information.

The Surface Go 3 was a fairly minor refresh over the Surface Go 2, but a refresh nonetheless. This ultraportable 2-in-1 is essentially a smaller version of the Surface Pro lineup, complete with rear stand and attachable keyboard and touchpad. It’s best for those who don’t need a ton of performance but still need a premium device that travels easy.

Surface Go 3 models with LTE connectivity have a 10th Gen Intel Core i3-10100Y CPU, 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM, and a 128GB SSD. You’ll be able to cut through lightweight productivity work, especially with a keyboard attached.

The 10.5-inch touch display has a 1920×1280 resolution and a 3:2 aspect ratio, ideal for use as a tablet. The screen supports inking with Surface Pens. Ports include USB-C, 3.5mm audio, a microSD card reader, and a Nano SIM slot for LTE models. For added security there’s a front-facing IR camera.

In Executive Editor Daniel Rubino’s Galaxy Book Go review, he mentioned that it was almost perfect other than the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 processor. Well, that day is here. AT&T now sells the Galaxy Book Go with faster 8cx Snapdragon CPU and 5G, with an $800 price tag that really can’t be beat.

This new model also comes with twice as much RAM (8GB) and twice as much storage (256GB). It still has a beautiful, thin design that doesn’t require a fan inside for cooling, and the keyboard and touchpad are still excellent. The 14-inch FHD display and 7 hours of battery life aren’t exceptional, but at this price it’s easy to let it go.

If you’re a student or active person who needs an always-connected device, this is a great way to go. It doesn’t cost a lot, there are no major blind spots, and it’s certainly affordable.

It’s unclear whether LTE will still be functional when some sort of apocalyptic event happens. If it is, this is the laptop you’ll want as you’re rolling down the street in your armor-plated SUV.

Panasonic’s 14-inch Toughbook 55 MK2 is built into a modular magnesium alloy case. You can quickly swap out parts on the go, and there’s even a heater for storage when you’re working in extreme temperatures. A second battery can be added if you need a longer life, which will land you well more than 20 hours. This is a laptop you can toss into the back of a truck at the start of the day and not have to worry about it.

Performance hardware includes up to an 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1185G7 CPU, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB of SSD storage, enough to handle any necessary productivity work. The touch display is set at either an HD or FHD resolution, with anti-reflective or anti-glare finish. It hits up to 1,000 nits brightness for working outdoors. And, of course, it includes 4G LTE connectivity so that you can keep in touch with any other survivors out there.

Need the power of a mobile workstation and want to stay connected everywhere you go? HP’s ZBook Fury 15 G8 is likely going to be a great fit. It’s rather expensive, but that’s expected from a laptop with this level of hardware. Models with configurable WWAN include up to an Intel Xeon W-11955M vPro CPU, NVIDIA Quadro RTX A5000 GPU, 128GB of DDR4-3200MHz ECC RAM, and 4TB of M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD storage and 2TB of HDD storage.

There are plenty of lesser configurations available, and you should be able to get exactly what you need even with 4G LTE included (HP doesn’t limit a whole lot of hardware when the extra modem is included).

The workstation is packed with ports, you can add an IR camera for extra security, and a fingerprint reader is ready for quick logins. There are a bunch of 15.6-inch display options, ranging from low-end FHD to high-end UHD with precision color tuning for design and development work. If you don’t want to be tied to a desk with your workstation, this is the way to go.

Bottom line

The best Windows LTE laptops are becoming more and more the same as the best overall laptops thanks to the increasing popularity of mobile connectivity. If you’re looking for the best of both worlds, the convertible HP Spectre x360 14 should be considered. It’s a premium laptop with a ton of attractive features, including 3K2K OLED touch display with 3:2 aspect ratio, enormous touchpad, excellent audio, and a big battery. Performance is also solid thanks to 11th Gen Intel Core CPUs.

Any of the other laptops included here will also get you connected even outside of Wi-Fi range. The Lenovo ThinkPad X13s is also on the horizon, expected to launch May 2022. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 CPU, and Lenovo claims it can deliver up to 28 hours of battery life. If you like the idea of an ARM-powered ThinkPad, this one should be enticing.

And for those who absolutely want to invest in 5G instead of just 4G LTE, be sure to check out our collection of the best 5G laptops.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide