What Size Screen Do You Need
Tablet screen sizes range anywhere from 7 to 13 inches, and the user experience can be entirely different based on what size you get. Bigger screens are also more expensive, so consider how you might want to balance price point with screen real estate. Our best advice: if youre getting a tablet as a secondary device to your laptop, a 7- or 9.7-inch screen will work well, but if youre getting a tablet as your primary device, a 10.5- or 12.9-inch screen is a better choice.
The Best College Chromebook: Google Pixelbook Go
Google’s latest is the best college Chromebook because it combines a sleek design with an incredible keyboard and a surprising level of hardware for its starting price.
- Screen: 13.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 ~ 3,840 x 2,160 touch screen
- Processor: Intel Core m3 ~ Intel Core i7
- Operating system: Google Chrome OS
- Memory and storage: 8GB ~ 16GB of RAM, 64GB ~ 256GB storage
Pros: Excellent display, incredible keyboard, lightweight and slim, long battery life
Cons: Fan-less CPU, pricey upgrades, no biometric login, small-capacity storage
If your budget allows and you want a Chromebook that’s a bit more powerful, check out Google’s newest Chromebook, the Pixelbook Go.
With its attainable starting price, the Pixelbook Go provides a shockingly luxurious portable computing experience that similarly-priced laptops couldn’t come close to. For example, the Pixelbook Go has a 1080p touch-capable display with a 1080p camera, in addition to 8GB of RAM.
However, the Pixelbook Go does come a bit short on storage, at least local storage. With merely 64GB of space in the entry configuration, it leans heavily on cloud storage, which starts at $1.99 per month for 100GB more space . Still, most other Chromebooks at this price point offer either the same or less local storage. Finally, the Pixelbook Go’s battery can last for up to 12 hours, by Google’s measure, putting it in line with the MacBook Air.
Best Small Laptop For College
Pros
- Comfortable keyboard and touch pad
- Multiple color options
- Attractive styling and excellent build quality
- USB Type-A port
- No face recognition camera or keyboard backlighting
- Internal storage tops out at 256GB
- Middling audio quality
For students, a laptop is as essential as textbooks and a school IDand not just for taking notes and doing homework. It should also be able to handle your big extracurricular activities: keeping up with your social networks, streaming movies, listening to music, posting photos, gaming, video chatting with the ‘rents back home.
Laptops are more essential now than ever, as many colleges and universities implement a mix of in-person and remote learning to as part of their responses to the coronavirus pandemic. If you’re learning from home a few days a week and heading to campus the rest of the time, a laptop you can use wherever you are is essential.
A laptop for college students also needs to respect your budget while lasting for the long haul, preferably through four years of undergrad and maybe a year of grad work. Lucky for you, we have a bunch of recommended models that fit that description perfectlyand since most of them are below $1,000, they won’t drain your savings account in a big way .
Here are the basics you should keep in mind while looking for a laptop for college.
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Top 8 Best Tablets For College Students In 2022
By Robin Owens 4 days ago,
Recommended college tablets for textbooks and note taking.
An array of tablets for college is broad, offering the feature-set that will satisfy the majority of students needs. To help you make an informed decision, we have picked up the best options present on the nowadays market and gathered them in this article. They are mostly aimed at facilitating the studying process and performing other classroom-related tasks.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4
If youre looking for an excellent typing experience, look no further than the Surface Laptop 4. Microsoft has been killing it with its recent Surface Laptops keyboards, and this one is no exception. Though theyre not as deep and springy as ThinkPads, the buttons here are super responsive and offer ample travel. The roomy trackpad is solid, too.
Of course, its important that the Surface Laptop 4 deliver on everything else, or we wouldnt recommend it. The 15-inch version that we tested offered breezy performance, respectable battery life and a lovely 3:2 Pixelsense screen that supports Microsofts Surface Pen input. Though its design is a little staid, the Surface Laptop 4 still has a clean, professional look and a luxurious aluminum case that’s sturdy enough to withstand being stuffed in your backpack on the regular. Plus, at 3.4 pounds, it won’t burden your shoulders much.
The best thing about the Surface Laptop 4 is that the base model, which comes equipped with AMDs Ryzen 5 processor and 8GB of RAM, starts at $1,000. That rivals the Dell XPS 13, making it a better buy for the value conscious you get more screen, more power and more RAM for the money. Both the Surface and the XPS are great options, but the latter offers an OLED panel and thinner bezels that make it look more modern.
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Affordable Gaming Laptop: Lenovo Legion 5
If you want a laptop with gaming capacity but dont need the big name, there are plenty of more budget-friendly computers with high functionality and sharp graphics. The Lenovo Legion 5 is one highly-rated model. The 15.6-in. full HD screen and the 4GB GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card make for smooth, bright on-screen experience. One of the perks of using a gaming laptop for college is that they usually have an ethernet port. This model is also highly customizable if youre looking to add storage or upgrade other parts for your needs. Directly connecting your computer to the ethernet lowers your chances of missing a quiz due to slow or spotty WiFi.
What’s Hot At Techrepublic
Many college and university IT teams recommend specific systems for incoming students, as well as faculty and staff. These suggested systems can help narrow the number of choices. The following four steps can guide you through the process of choosing a system appropriate for your needs.
Additionally, these systems and this process may also be helpful for any computer buyer. The makes and models suggested by the schools below all represent reasonable equipment choices for many small businesses and nonprofit organizations, as well as students.
SEE: Hardware inventory policy
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The Best College Supplies And Dorm Room Essentials
Sending your kid off to college is nerve wracking. The best you can do is impart a few life lessons and outfit your kid’s dorm room with all the essentials. We’ve rounded up everything your kid needs for their dorm room from bedding and decor to tech and school supplies.
Living in a dorm is a crazy experience, but so long as you have the essentials, you’ll be just fine. Read on to find our top picks for every dorm essential you can imagine.
Best Laptop For College Gamers: Razer Blade 14
One thing that many college students like to do is gaming or at least I hope that wasnt just me. It used to be pretty hard to find a laptop that could handle demanding games and was still easy to carry around, but today, things have gotten a lot better. The Razer Blade 14 is a powerful gaming laptop, but its still portable enough that you can carry it around at school without too much of a hassle.
Lets talk performance first: The Razer Blade 14 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, which is a powerful 45W processor with 8 cores, 16 threads, and boost speeds up to 4.6GHz. AMD Ryzen processors are quite powerful, too, and despite the lower clock speeds, they can give Intel processors a run for their money in many scenarios. The Blade 14 also comes with NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics up to an RTX 3080, and thats a version with 100W of power a very impressive number for a laptop this small. You also get 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage, though that storage is upgradeable down the line. Unfortunately, thats not the case for the RAM.
For the webcam, the Razer Blade 14 sticks with a 1MP/720p camera, which isnt fantastic, but also not uncommon. Some gaming laptops dont have cameras at all or put them in terrible places, and at least the Blade 14 avoids that. Its not the best camera around, but its a laptop college students can use for online meetings and classes in a pinch.
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The Acer Chromebook 15 Offers The Best Value Laptop For Students On A Budget
- Screen: 15.6-inches, 1,366 x 768
- Processor: Intel Celeron N4000
- Memory and storage: 4GB RAM/32GB storage
Pros: Large 1080p screen, long battery life, top-firing speakers, plenty of ports
Cons: No biometric login, small local storage
For anyone prioritizing value above all else, we recommend the Acer Chromebook 15. This Chromebook features plenty of parts and niceties found in much pricier laptops such as a 15-inch screen, top-firing speakers, and USB-C connectivity.
That means you’re getting a fairly large screen with a decent resolution not to mention full-sounding speakers for watching Netflix and getting schoolwork done. The USB-C port runs on the USB 3.1 standard, so you’ll get 5-gigabit-per-second data speeds rather than the faster 40 Gbps speeds available through Thunderbolt 3.
The Acer Chromebook 15 also has a webcam with high-dynamic-range, or HDR, for deeper color support in video chats, and an 802.11ac Wi-Fi radio the most widely used standard today.
Otherwise, the Acer Chromebook 15 includes a dual-core Intel Celeron CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 32GB SSD, two USB-C ports, two USB 3.0 ports, an SD card reader, and a battery that’s rated for up to 12 hours of use. Suffice it to say, you’re getting the niceties of a $600 laptop for almost half the price.
Acer also recently announced a new 14-inch Chromebook with a 1080p screen that claims to offer 15 hours of battery life. It launches in July starting at $270, and we look forward to testing it soon.
Samsung Galaxy Book Pro
For those whose priority is a lightweight design, the Galaxy Book Pro series should be at the top of your list. At just 2.36 pounds for the clamshell and 3.06 pounds for the convertible model, the 15-inch Galaxy Book Pro is one of the lightest 15-inch laptops around. Its also super thin at 0.46 inches thick, and despite its compact size it manages to house three USB-C ports , a microSD card reader and a headphone jack.
It also packs an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and at least 8GB of RAM, along with a 68Whr battery that delivers a similar runtime to the Dell XPS 13 and Surface Laptop 4. Thats particularly impressive given the Galaxy Book Pro has a Super AMOLED screen, which offers sumptuous image quality, high contrast ratio and deep blacks. Unfortunately, Samsung is still stuck on a 16:9 screen format, which will feel outdated in a year or two, but is hardly a dealbreaker.
The Galaxy Book Pros keyboard isnt as comfortable as the Surface Laptop 4s but its pleasant enough, and the trackpad is enormous. Were more concerned about the odd webcam software that makes you look dark and splotchy, so if looking your best on video calls is of concern you might want to consider something else. Plus, the $1,100 base model comes with an Intel Core i5 chip, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, making it a competitive offering against the Dell and Surface laptops. Awful camera aside, theres plenty to love about the Galaxy Book Pro, especially for those looking to lighten their loads.
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Best Laptop For Creative College Students: Apple Macbook Pro
For students studying the arts, Apple products are optimal. Macs are known for high-end graphics, and theyre popular in professional creative industries like graphic design and photography. The Apple MacBook Pro is significantly more expensive than any other item on this list. But if you have the budget for it, its worth the splurge. You can get it with an Intel Core i7 or i9, and you can also choose 512 GB or one TB of storage. The latest 13-in. model is a little cheaper than the 16-in. version, and it also features Apples new M1 chip, which gives the machines speed a nice boost.
Choosing The Best Laptop
Gone are the days when a computer was an option for a college student. All college students would agree: choosing the right computer is a big decision. College students know a computer is not just a tool to keep up with email or surf through social media. College life is demanding and academic reliance on computer technology is only growing.
Students know their computer is where the bulk of coursework is created and completed and where tons of research happens. There is no clear replacement of the computer for serious word processing, required for essays and term papers.
Having a fast computer is not a luxury anymore, it is a necessity. For all the things that phones and tablets can do, the need for a computer is still a must. Luckily, college students have a plethora of computer options, more today than ever before. From small, lightweight little notebooks to fully-loaded laptops, options abound.
Having a solid computer is also necessary for the ever-growing trend of online courses, and for interacting with professors and classmates.
Data storage on the hard drive or a cloud gets saved through the computer. Security features protect data and even the students identity and personal information. This is all before even mentioning the things that college students use their computer for in their free time: from gaming to streaming movies, surfing the web, or just keeping up with social media.
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What Is The Best Tablet For Note Taking
The market is full of tablets for college that were designed for note-taking and typing. From the models that were featured in this review, the ones that offer the best note-taking experience include iPad Pro, Samsung Galaxy Tab S4, Microsofts Surface 7 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e. When choosing between such high-quality devices, you should compare their additional features to see which model suits your needs the most rather than solely focusing on their typing capability.
Key Factors To A Top Laptop For College
Performance: Theres no need to overbuy in power. Find the right power for your needs. For instance, if youre just picking up a laptop for writing papers, you might not need something with a large capacity SSD, a hefty processor, and 8GB of RAM..and with it a hefty price tag. Likewise, if youre buying something for a Graphic Design or CAD class, youll likely need something much heftier than just 4GB of RAM and a dual-core processor even if that processor is an intel core i7. Find a laptop that meets your needs and sets you up for success.
Portability: Make sure to purchase a thin and lightweight laptop. Theres nothing worse than carrying around a chunky laptop thats awkward and heavy to lug around campus or to the library. Its also good practice to make sure your laptop has a small footprint, allowing you to easily put it in most backpacks or carrying bags alongside textbooks and other study materials.Battery: Find a laptop with a good battery life, preferably one thatll last you all day and then some. For instance, the ASUS C201 has a battery life that lasts up to 13-hours, giving you plenty of study time during the day and then some. While you might not need that much, its good to search for the best college laptops that will last a little over three hours.
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Which Laptop Brand Is Best For Students
When buying a student laptop, you want a device that is well built, affordable and reliable. Students rely on their laptops, so you want to buy from a brand that offers great build quality and customer support should something go wrong. The best brands for this are Dell and HP.
However, Apple and Microsoft are also brilliant brands for laptops for students, as they both offer discounts for students, making their premium devices far more affordable.
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Best Student Computer In 2021
MacBook Air M1
Pi 4 Model B
Trying to find the right student computer can be a tricky proposition. You need to consider size, power and price when shopping for the best computers that meet your needs as a student.
Whether you want a Windows PC, a Mac, a svelte all-in-one computer or a big beefy gaming PC, we’ve got you covered. Every student has different needs and a different budget, which is why we’ve rounded up some of our favorite computers here in a broad range of prices.
- Complement your new PC with the best mice for you
- Get the best monitors for your new desktop
- Check out the best student Chromebooks for school
Read on for our curated list of the best computers for students. If you’re specifically looking for Apple kit, then you could also check out our guide to Apple student discounts.
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