Which Laptop Is Best For College Students

What Type Of Display Should I Go For

Many laptops are still 13in, which remains the sweet spot between size and portability for most people. However, you can get smaller or larger displays depending on what you need.

Bear in mind that cheaper laptops will come with a lower quality display which is likely to be on the dim side and lacking some detail. It might be a compromise worth making, but for tasks such as photo editing, its worth spending a bit more

What To Look For In A Windows Laptop

The OS offers multiple ways to interface with your content, whether its a keyboard, trackpad or mouse, fingertips on a touchscreen with many models, using a stylus pen on a screen for greater precision (often called digital inking, or by using your voice with the Cortana personal assistant.

There is a wide spectrum of prices for Windows 11 devices, starting at $99, and goes into several thousand for gaming PCs.

This is where we see Surface Laptop Go 2 , coming in to support and elevate the educational experiences among students, says Albert. Despite its compact size and 12.4-inch touchscreen display, it features a full-size keyboard and large trackpad.

What Are The Best Student Laptops 2023 The Top 3

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The best student laptop is the Apple MacBook Air . The macOS option is different to the two below, being the most powerful, delivering a premium look and feel.

The best student laptop for most people is the HP Pavilion 14. This Windows laptop has everything you need to get your work done day to day, whether that be writing and researching an essay, or completing an online exam.

The best student laptop for portability is the Google PixelBook Go. This Chrome OS device is like a tablet with a stand, but you can add accessories to make it into a laptop replacement.

If youâre an Apple devotee, then the latest Apple MacBook Air is a great choice of laptop, especially for creatives such as graphic designers or moviemakers. That’s because there’s more power on board, thanks to Apple’s M2 processor. This laptop is one of Appleâs slimmest and lightest, making it super easy to carry around in your bag.

As we said, this laptop uses Appleâs M2 silicon, which boosts performance compared to what you’d normally get for this price. As a result, however, itâs not the cheapest option going for students, but it is still one of the more affordable MacBook options, so if you do have some flexibility in your budget then this oneâs well worth the investment.

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How Did We Choose These Laptops For College

Going to college is an expensive endeavor and can even be more so when the course taken is a STEM or design qualification — but for many students, simply a reliable, robust device for research and writing trumps spending a fortune on unnecessarily powerful specifications. We’ve leaned upon our years of reviews and tests to make sure we have a range of requirements covered.

Will You Be Using Your Laptop For Gaming

If you will be using your laptop for gaming as well as doing schoolwork, youll need more than just the basics. To start with, youll probably want to go a bit larger with the screen size since visuals will be important. Just be sure to choose a size that will fit into your backpack when classes are in session on campus or youre gaming away from home.

Youll probably also want a better resolution for clean, crisp graphics and as close to hi-fi sound as you can get. As for speed and performance, 4GB of RAM is passable, 8GB is highly recommended, and 12GB will provide a positively premium gaming experience. An external keyboard and mouse, headphones, and a separate monitor can enhance game time and give a student something to look forward to during brutal marathon study sessions.

The screen on this Acer laptop is large enough to ensure you wont miss any of the action while gaming . And at twice the RAM required for the best gaming laptops, it promises peak performance. Theres also 1TB of storage space for school necessities, four USB 3.0 ports, and an average battery life of eight hours. Its probably too big to fit into most traditional backpacks, but it should comfortably fit into a larger tote bag.

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Can You Get A Good Laptop For College At A Discount Price

The best laptop for college and high school will make a dent in your bank account, but it doesnt have to be a massive one. Although how much you spend will depend largely on the features that are important to you, you should be able to get a decent one for well under $1,000. The average laptop customer is said to spend around $600 or $700, but you can go significantly lower than that if you require few to no bells and whistles.

Acer and Lenovo both sell budget models in the $400 price range, while at between $200 and $300, Hewlett Packards Stream 11 is billed as the cheapest Windows laptop your money can buy. Although it offers good performance and long battery life , the low-res display isnt the best and neither is the webcam. Samsungs Chromebook 4 is equally budget-friendly, so dont let the idea that the best laptop for college is out of your budget to stop you from seeking it out.

The Acer Aspire 5 A515-46-R14K Slim Laptop is a good choice for college that ticks all the major boxes. Its dual-band WiFi 6 connection makes it a fast laptop, and this model of Acer laptops comes with BlueLightShield protects your eyes from the glare of blue light. A backlit keyboard, fingerprint reader, and noise-canceling technology make this one of the best performing laptops that a little bit of money can buy.

Surface Laptop Studio Review: Graphics

This Surface can absolutely double as a gaming laptop so long as you’ve equipped it with the optional Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU with 4GB of VRAM.

Our benchmarks prove it. We played the Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm benchmark at 1080p resolution at 66 frames per second. When dialing up the settings to native resolution , the game played at a smooth 57 fps. Getting back to the 1080p test, the Laptop Studio matched the XPS 15 and ThinkPad X1 Extreme before destroying the Spectre x360 14 and MacBook Pro .

On the synthetic 3DMark Fire Strike test, the Surface Laptop Studio put up a score of 10,356, pushing it past the XPS 15 , Spectre x360 14 and the category average . Only the ThinkPad X1 Extreme churned out a better score.

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The Best Laptops For College Students In 2020

Whether its a slim, light word processor or a powerhouse for design and engineering, college students can be sure: Sporting a laptop will make their courses much easier. But figuring out how to buy a laptop that, ideally, lasts through four years of college can be stressful there are lots of models to choose from. After all, this is the machine thats going to power Netflix nights, note-taking, essay writing and, depending on the college major, programs like video editing or 3D modeling.

Subjects that make use of complex software such as engineering, video production or architecture will require more powerful laptops, for example, while those studying art or design might prefer a laptop with a touch-display for digital sketching.

Before taking the plunge, check with your college whether they recommend any one platform over others. Colleges usually do not require a certain model of a brand, but you want students to be able to get their computers serviced quickly by on-campus technicians who are certified in brands of computers, says educational technologist Kathy Schrock.

Apple Macbook Air Best Mac

Pros

The move to Apples own M1 chip represents arguably the biggest change for the MacBook Air since it first launched, and it certainly doesnt disappoint.

The new Air offers truly incredible performance within a thin and light body, with the M1 chip also significantly boosting battery life compared to the Intel version.

A largely unchanged design means a lot about the new MacBook Air will be familiar if youve tried a recent model, although the recently-introduced Magic Keyboard is a big upgrade over the earlier butterfly keys.

Its also easy to forget how much value Apple adds by including a pretty comprehensive suite of applications you might not need to spend any extra money on software.

There is now a 2022 MacBook Air, but the new chipset and a redesign means its significantly more expensive. This is where youll find the best value.

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What Should Students Look For In A Laptop

Student laptops should be thin and light enough to be easily carried around, and they should also be built to withstand an entire school day in a backpack. Long battery lives are also essential, so that students don’t have to worry about having to plug them in half way through a lesson.

These devices should have a high-quality webcam and integrated microphone for remote study. Many students are still taking part in virtual lessons, so making sure they are seen and heard clearly is essential.

Besides that, the specifications will be targeted to your specialism. If you need something more powerful for video editing or 3D work, the ideal laptop will have the capability found in our most powerful laptops guide.

Surface Laptop Studio Review: Webcam

Bravo once again, Microsoft. The company uses some of the best webcams in its Surface laptop and tablets, and the 1080p snapper on the Surface Laptop Studio is no exception. Photos and videos look crisp and colorful, especially when compared to everything else on the market.

A selfie I snapped in my dimly lit office revealed stray hairs poking out of my unkempt beard and I could see individual LEDs in the standing light behind me. The beige tone in my shirt was spot-on but the herringbone pattern was completely lost to visual noise. I did the camera a favor by going outside on a sunny day, and while the sky above me was completely blown out, the fuzziness from the indoor pic had vanished.

Mind you, this isn’t the same quality you get from one of the best external webcams, but I’d take the small downgrade over hauling around more equipment .

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Which College Laptop Is Right For You

When you are deciding on a new college laptop or remote study, you first need to ascertain its main purpose: purely for essay writing? A one-stop-shop for study and entertainment? A workhorse for power-hungry design programs?

While Macs — at least, iMacs — are generally associated with powerful design programs, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops are sturdy machines for work and play, whereas Chromebooks are typically suitable for general tasks.

If a laptop is only for writing, surfing the internet, and checking email, the more budget-friendly options on our list will be suitable and should last through a college career.

Studies don’t last forever, though, and so if you’re willing to invest a little extra into a machine that is more future-proof and will last you years to come, you should consider one of the laptops in our guide that sport higher specifications, such as high RAM and modern graphics cards.

The Best Student Laptops 202: Top Laptops For School

Our picks for the best laptops for students on every rung of the learning ladder

CES 2023 is in full swing, and laptop manufacturers have announced some excellent new models, some of which are perfect for matriculating minds. Among them are the Acer Swift X 14, which should deliver strong performance in a slim package, and the MSI Summit Flip Evo models, which blend stylish designs with a 2-in-1 hybrid form factor.

Of course, we still have to put these new laptops to the test to make sure they’re a great value for students. Stay tuned as we’ll update this guide as soon as our reviews go live.

Christian Guyton, Computing Editor

The best student laptop should give you excellent value for money. Many students are operating on a tighter budget, with a new laptop usually being the single most expensive purchase made by college students when they begin a course. However, that doesn’t mean you should simply pick the cheapest laptop you can find.

When it comes to choosing the ideal laptop for students, you’ll need to make sure you get the best bang for your buck, lest be saddled with a clunker of a laptop. Ultimately, the best laptop will be different for each individual user. If you’re a filmmaking or animation major, you’ll likely need a laptop with powerful components and a dedicated GPU for running intensive software like video-editing and rendering programs. The same goes for STEM students.

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Best For Gaming: Razer Blade 15

Just because your laptop might primarily be for school or work doesnt mean you cant use it for fun. Those looking to game on their machines should prioritize responsive screens and ample ports for their favorite accessories that can best help them defeat their virtual enemies. If youre considering a gaming-first machine that you can use for school, check out our guide to buying a gaming laptop. It covers details about different CPUs and GPUs, minimum specs and more. Our favorite gaming laptop is the Razer Blade 15, which has an Intel Core i7 processor, and an NVIDIA RTX 3070 graphics for $2,500.

Its the most expensive item on this list, but you also get a 15-inch quad HD screen that refreshes at 240Hz. Different configurations are available, depending on your preference, including a Full HD 360Hz and a 4K 144Hz version. The Blade series is also one of the most polished gaming laptops around.

Those looking for something cheaper and more portable should consider the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14, which was our favorite model last year. The main reason it got bumped down a notch is because the 2022 refresh is almost $600 more expensive. Its still a solid gaming laptop though, with an excellent display, roomy trackpad and plenty of ports in spite of its thin profile.

Best Laptops For Students 202: The Best Of The Rest

The LG Gram 16 is one of the best combinations of a large screen and a lightweight chassis â it’s almost perfect if that’s what you’re looking for in a Windows laptop, especially if the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro options on macOS don’t appeal to you.

No, it’s not the cheapest going, which might make it out the reach of some students, but it’s the big screen real-estate that really helps sell this laptop. It’s not miles away from the critical four-figure sales mark, which for a screen of this size and quality isn’t too shabby at all.

Has this big-screen laptop sparked your interest? Read more about it in our full LG Gram 16 review.

The Dell XPS 13 series has consistently wowed us here at T3, and the latest version continues that trend â it’s powerful, supremely well built, and compact, so just about everything you could possibly want in your search for the best Windows student laptop around during back to school season.

With the latest 11th-gen Intel processors installed and up to 16GB of RAM installed, this is a portable computer that’s going to be able to handle everything that you want to throw at it. From late-night Netflix to early-morning essay writing, you’ll find the Dell XPS 13 for 2021 a capable and competent laptop.

If this sounds like a good fit, then take a look at the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 review.

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Best Chromebook: Acer Chromebook Spin 714

Chromebooks are increasingly popular among students, and if you want one too, the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 is the one to get. It packs more powerful specs than almost every other Chromebook, it has a solid display, and it looks and feels premium.

Starting with specs, the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 comes with a 12th-generation Intel Core i5-1235U processor, a CPU with 10 cores and 12 threads. Most Chromebooks on the market still have older processors, oftentimes Celeron or Pentium, but this CPU is on a completely different level in terms of performance. On top of that, it comes with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, more than enough to get a great experience with Chrome OS. For the price, this is absolutely fantastic.

On top of that, the laptop also has a very good display. It’s a 14-inch panel and it comes in the 16:10 aspect ratio, which is ideal for productivity. That’s something you also don’t see on a ton of Chromebooks, so it’s great to see it here. It comes in Full HD+ resolution , and it covers 100% of sRGB, so the visual experience on this laptop is quite good for this price point. You even get a Full HD 1080p MIPI webcam for online classes or other video calls.

There really aren’t many laptops that offer what this one offers for such a low price, so this is a fantastic choice, even if you’re not necessarily committed to Chrome OS.

Acer Chromebook Spin 714