I want to give a different kind of answer, and not totally what the original poster asked.
This is OS/2 World, and so I'm interested in running some kind of OS/2 on a laptop. I am not interested in running Windows, or Mac, or I'd be on a different website. So I'm not really going to install Windows at all.
So, WiFi has to work. These are the newest computers that can run WiFi on OS/2. USB has to work. USB 3.0 is not available, so the computer must have USB 2.0 ports. If you don't want WiFi, then you can use a newer computer.
Here are two computers I use, with commentary on how to buy and install OS/2 on them. I'm an OS/2 consultant, so you can also buy them from me.
http://www.blondeguy.com/computer/hobopeep.htmlHobopeep, a Lenovo W500, is difficult to buy on eBay. There are four distinct models of W500, and you want the one that has an Intel 5100 WiFi. eBay sellers do not know what chip is in the machine, so you have to buy carefully.
http://www.blondeguy.com/computer/arbopeep.htmlArbopeep, a Lenovo X200, is easy to buy. All X200 have the Intel 5100, and will run WiFi on OS/2.
Once Arca Noae releases a WiFi driver for current laptops, running on a newer machine will be possible. Today, all new Lenovo laptops run the same WiFi chip. This is the chip that Arca Noae is targeting. But, talking to AN, I expect a new driver is a long way off, possibly not in 2016.
I will say from experience that an OS/2 laptop is not 100% great in the real world. WiFi works in airports and cafes for the most part. But WiFi in corporate environments often does not. Corporate WiFi is often a hack job, and works because IT controls all the parts of the solution. Commercial WiFi works because they have to accommodate a wide range of customers.
Tethering works on my tablet, but not on my phone. A fully supported WiFi will improve things a lot.
I'm using eCS 2.2 b 2 and Arca Noae software on both laptops. I do my professional work using the X200 under eCS.