Choosing the best smart board for your business: A buyer’s guide

Many organizations are looking to replace their traditional whiteboards and projectors with smart boards. The answer to whether this makes sense or not depends entirely on what you want to accomplish.

Smart boards can make sense if you’re looking to:

• Brainstorm ideas visually
• Deliver interactive presentations
• Annotate documents in real-time
• Host remote meetings with integrated tools
• Work with intuitive drawing tools

If you’re certain smart boards are the right choice for your business, we’re here to help! Below, you will find a breakdown of the key considerations when choosing a smart board, along with the best smart boards sorted by category.

5 key considerations when choosing a smart board

Before purchasing a smart board, you need to consider these five factors:

1. Office size (screen size & resolution requirements)

The size of your office space and the amount of smart boards you plan to purchase largely determine the screen size and resolution requirements. 

As a general rule for the screen size, follow these guidelines:

• Small office spaces (2-15 people / 5 – 25m²): A 55 or 65-inch smart board is the most suitable for offices with 2-15 people.
• Medium-sized office spaces (15-25 people / 25 – 50m²): A 75-inch screen size is ideal for medium-sized office spaces.
• Large office spaces: (25-40 people / 50 – 80m²): Look for an 86-inch smart board for large office spaces or even a 98-inch for super large office spaces. 

As for the resolution, 4K is the basic standard for screen sizes of 55” and over. It displays four times the detail of Full HD, and ensures that everyone in the room clearly sees all the presented slides and documents. If you’re buying a portable smart board, a full HD is more than enough for most situations. 

2. Operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Before investing in a smart board, make sure it is compatible with your existing devices and operating systems. Most modern smart boards support all types of devices (e.g., laptops, desktops, mobile devices) and key operating systems (Android, Windows, macOS, Linux).

Related to the OS, smart boards with dual system capabilities can be advantageous. These boards allow you to switch between different OSs, such as Android and Windows, which gives you a lot of flexibility. 

3. Hardware specifications (e.g., Connectivity & WiFi)

Based on your organizational needs, it’s important to choose a smart board with the right hardware specifications.

Some of the key features to look for include:

• Webcam: If you plan to use the smart board primarily for meetings, look for one with a 1080p or 4K webcam built in. Companies like Microsoft now offer AI-powered webcams, which are also worth looking into.
• Microphone: If you don’t want to invest in a separate microphone, look for a smart board with a built-in microphone. Most of today’s smart boards offer that.
• WiFi: Modern smart boards often come with built-in WiFi, which enables wireless screen sharing, internet connectivity, and easy integration with cloud apps and tools. Wi-Fi 6 is the latest technology and offers the fastest speeds.
• Connectivity: Smart boards offer various connectivity options, such as HDMI, USB-C, DisplayPort, and Bluetooth. If you want to display the smart board on a larger screen, make sure both HDMI input and output are available.
• Multi-touch functionality: If you plan to collaborate with your colleagues using the smart board, multi-touch functionality is essential. Modern smart boards offer up to 40 touchpoints.

4. Software & application support

Most smart board providers offer their own apps, which enable real-time collaboration, file sharing, annotation, saving, sharing content, and more. These apps often offer remote management features for IT professionals, such as tools for updating firmware, remote configuration, and user profile management.

In addition, SMART, BenQ, Samsung, and Newline smart boards have Google EDLA certification, which has almost become the industry standard. With it, you can access many Google services, such as Google Drive, Gmail, and Chrome, directly from the board. If the certification is available, it is mentioned in the product description:

Google EDLA Certification example from Samsung

If you operate in the Google ecosystem, Google EDLA certification is what to look for.

5. Price and the available warranty

The prices for smart boards ranging in size from 55” to 86” generally range between $2,000 and $10,000. According to the smart board manufacturer, BenQ, a smart board’s price is dependent on the available features, software, warranty coverage, and customer support.

BenQ has created a great comparison table that shows the price differences between their different models:

Price examples from BenQ smart boards

Not all companies have the same price as BenQ, but they generally fall within a similar price range (although more expensive options are available).

As for warranty, smart board providers usually list them on their websites. For example, BenQ mentions on their support page that the warranty is three years:

BenQ warranty information

Don’t just skim over the warranty; actually look it over and see what’s included. This will help prevent any surprises later on.

The 7 best smart boards for businesses

To help you choose the best smart board for your business, we have broken down the best options from our own unbiased research and findings into the following categories:

1. Best overall smart board
2. Best budget smart board
3. Best smart board for meetings
4. Best small office smart board
5. Best large office smart board
6. Best smart board for collaboration
7. Best portable smart board

1. Best overall smart board (SMART QX Pro series)

SMART aims to offer an “all-in-one” smart board system with the QX Pro product line, and it does so quite impressively. It comes with key features like a built-in mic array and UHD camera, two 20W speakers, screen sharing, and compatibility with all major conferencing platforms. The QX Pro Series works with various devices and operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and more.

The QX Pro series is available in three different sizes, which makes it suitable for both smaller and larger office spaces. 

2. Best budget smart board (Samsung Flip 2.0)

The Samsung Flip 2.0 offers a wide range of features at a reasonable price of $3,250 for the 55-inch version and $3,999 for the 65-inch version. It is a highly visual smart board and offers templates for calendars, schedules, notes, and checklist boards. It supports multi-writing for up to four people, multiple connection options, screen viewing, and remote management.

Flip 2.0 isn’t the largest smart board on its own. However, it can be projected into another large display in real-time, which makes it suitable for large meetings.

3. Best smart board for meetings (Microsoft Surface Hub 3)

Surface Hub 3 is Microsoft’s flagship smart board product and the ideal choice for teams using Microsoft Teams Rooms. Microsoft’s smart board aims to improve remote meetings through features for co-creation and collaboration, an AI-powered wide-lense camera, a 4K display, and an easy-to-touch display. 

Surface Hub 3 smart boards work with Microsoft products, like Endpoint Manager and Intune, making it possible for IT teams to monitor and manage their smart boards remotely. 

4. Best small office smart board (Microsoft Surface Studio 2+)

Another Microsoft smart board solution is Surface Studio 2+, which is significantly smaller than the Surface Hub 3. At 28 inches, Surface Studio 2+ is ideal for smaller offices that require a smart board for individual use, creative work, or collaborative sessions.

If Surface Studio 2+ doesn’t suit your needs (such as being too small), Microsoft Surface Hub 3’s 55-inch version, available for $9,499, can be a suitable choice for small offices.

5. Best large office smart board (Newline Z Pro Series)

Newline Z Pro Series offers a wide range of capabilities that make it ideal for enterprises and large office spaces. The smart board is equipped with a 4K AI camera, 40 touch points, built-in Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, user profiles, and tons of connectivity options. It is compatible with Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux devices. 

Newline also offers a Q series smart board, which is mostly used for education. Both the Z and Q series models have received positive reviews on platforms like Reddit:

A Reddit review of Newline

6. Best smart board for collaboration (BenQ Board Pro RP04)

BenQ Board Pro RP04 is a smart board designed for efficient team collaboration using various Google products. Thanks to the Google EDLA certification, it comes pre-installed with Google applications, like Google Drive, Google Meet, Google Docs, Google Excel, and Chrome. The available features, including shortcuts, split-screen mode, built-in microphone and camera, and over 50 touch points, help to further improve team collaboration.

The Board Pro RP04 smart board comes with wireless screen sharing through the InstaShare 2 application, which is available for all users.

7. Best portable smart board (ViewSonic VA1655)

ViewSonic VA1655 is advertised as an interactive board but offers many comparable features to smart boards. It is ideal for simple presentations and extending the screen from phones, tablets, or laptops.

Remote workers commonly use the VA1665 version to improve their workflow, as shown in this Amazon review:

Amazon review of ViewSonic VA1655

ViewSonic VA1655 is promoted as one of the most lightweight and compact interactive boards available. It features a 16-inch screen and weighs just 0.7 kg.

How can organizations secure their smart boards against threats?

At Atera, we always encourage (and our platform also helps) IT departments and MSPs to implement strong security protocols for all connected devices, including smart boards.

To ensure your smart boards remain secure, follow best practices, such as:

• Enable password protection and multi-factor authentication
• Monitor network activity and restrict access
• Regularly update firmware and software
• Set up user permissions based on roles
• Maintain a backup plan for critical data

Most smart board providers offer remote management tools that help to accomplish the above. Even though these tools are often basic, they can perform basic maintenance.

For more security for your IT infrastructure, check out Atera. It offers an all-in-one IT management platform, powered by Action AI™ to protect against threats for various endpoints, such as workstations, servers, switches, and SNMP-enabled devices. To learn more, read our Atera review! Try Atera out for free, no credit card required!