Need help with specs/picking new business laptop please (PC not MAC) my IT guy is AWOL. I am old but know enough to be dangerous and can generally muddle through setup but the simpler the better. May use some old terminology so bear with me. Currently using 6+ year old Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon.

Use: general Business predominantly cloud based applications & cloud-based server environment (OneDrive based now but migrating to more traditional cloud-based server environment). Microsoft 365, Quickbooks Enterprise with cloud-based server/storage, Other cloud based applications - HubSpot, Salesforce, etc. etc.

What I think I want moderately priced Laptop: Fast (native & cloud/internet WiFi/Ethernet), moderately small & lightweight but need ports/connections(?), big hard drive, standard keyboard (no 10 key) no touchscreen (only because I have never had one?), decent battery (why do they all suck and can they be replaced?).
Easy compatable "docking station" for Office and Home office able to connect multiple monitors, ethernet, external keyboard/mouse, external webcam/mic/speakers etc. Also, ability to hardwire screen share with 65" TV, currently "cast" which is clunky.

Recommended basic specs processor, RAM, etc.
Recommended Make & Model?
Any help appreciated.

https://slickdeals.net/f/17086588-lenovo-thinkpad-p14s-gen4-14-fhd-ips-ryzen-7-pro-7840u-32gb-lpddr5-1tb-gen4-ssd-usb4-win11p-989-f-s?src=SiteSearchV2Algo


Docking station: anything with usb 4.0 / usb-c will be good for a port hub or "dock". It's a $50-100 device that has hdmi, usb, Ethernet etc.


SSD gen4 is good. I bought a gaming laptop and installed another 1TB SSD for 2TB total.

Battery life: if you care enough you should go Apple/Mac. Dell XPS and others usually have good reputations, but it might be 7-9 hrs vs 15+ on new MacBooks.

Most of the apps you listed seem to be macOS friendly.

That looks like a he11 of a deal. Is it "last years version"?

They have a large lineup. Can't say for sure but at end of day as long as usb4 and 32GB of ram you are probably ok for 4 years.

That's speced incredibly well for that price. It was $700 a few weeks ago per some of the SD comments. Its way overkill for your needs but should last you many years. Thinkpads are workhorses.

Only downside is 14" screen. I prefer a minimum of 15.6 for my work laptops.

Also it's on a 65 w charger and there are lots of good USB C 65w+ chargers that can handle multiple charging at once, super useful for travel only having one charger and one plug that you need.