Microsoft Student Laptop Discounts
The Microsoft Store website offers a discount of up to 10% to students buying devices from its Surface Range, including the Surface Laptop, Surface Pro or Surface Book. Bear in mind that the price reduction may not apply if theres already another offer on the product youre buying.
- Youll need to verify that youre a school or university student, but beyond that you wont have to jump through any hoops to get the discount its applied at checkout
- Note that students can also get Office 365 for free if at eligible institutions.
Definitely know you want to go with Microsoft? Go straight to Microsoft student deals.
What If I Can’t Find The Exact Laptop Reviewed
We do our best to make sure all the laptops listed here are available to buy in the UK. However, the budget laptop market is extremely volatile, and retailers tend to secure limited stock of any model so there’s a chance it can go out of stock without us noticing we check as often as we can.
Also remember that laptop makers will make many variations of the same laptop, with subtly different specifications such as a different sized hard drive. It’s generally safe to buy one of these alternatives if you understand the differences in specification.
The Best Cheap Laptop For Surface Fans
The $399 Surface Go 2 is a 10.5-inch tablet thats about the size of a regular iPad. Youll have to buy the keyboard cover separately, but the overall package is still quite affordable if youre buying a lower-priced model.
You can configure the Surface Go 2 with a Pentium Gold or Core m3 processor. Those arent the fanciest or most powerful processors, but the system should still be adequate for your streaming and browsing needs, especially if you only need it to do one task at a time. It can run any Windows app, its easy to carry around, and it makes a solid secondary computer.
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Top Rated Laptops For Students To Suit Various Needs
After narrowing down your preferences, you can look for portable picks that different brands have to offer. HP Pavilion x360 Core i5 8th Gen with 8 GB of DDR4 RAM is a two-in-one laptop meant for processing and multitasking. With a weight of 1.59 kg, the laptop is easy to carry in your backpack. Its 35.56 cm full HD IPS display, along with a 5.33 mm sleek micro bezel screen and 178-degree wide-viewing angles, offers an immersive visual experience and makes reading notes or making presentations more comfortable.
Best Laptops For Students 2022
Need an affordable laptop for university or college? With so many models out there, it’s hard to know where to start. Here, we’ll help you review the best laptops and make an informed choice.
Credit: Bodnar Taras Shutterstock
A good student laptop should be right at the top of your list of things to take to uni. Great laptops for university don’t need to break the bank. If you know where to look, you can find good deals.
We’ve taken the time to research and review the latest best student laptops for any budget. In this student laptop guide, we reveal our top picks for 2022 before sharing tips on buying, including what to look for when choosing the best laptop for university.
With so many student laptops to choose from, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. So we’ll start with a quick comparison table of the best university laptops to meet different budgets and needs:
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Hp Pavilion 14 Review: Verdict
If youre looking for a mid-range Windows laptop, should you go for the HP Pavilion 14? In truth, theres no one, standout reason to choose this laptop. But there are lots of little reasons that add up to a very convincing proposition.
The most obvious reason is the stylish, ultralight design. That might sound superficial, but if you want something that will look impressive in a meeting, for instance, then this will do it. Another is the delightful HD display which, when teamed with the superior Bang & Olufsen audio, makes this is a great choice as an entertainment centre.
Connectivity is broad, which means that you can team it with a wide variety of monitors, TV, headphones, universal chargers and more. Battery life is decent. And on the whole, the Pavilion 14 does an good job of letting you use Windows 10, without holding things up with bloatware or annoying quirks.
In short, this is an attractive, efficient laptop that gets out of its own way, and lets you do what you want to do. And for the price, you cant say fairer than that.
Which Operating System Is Best For Your Laptop
The next step when youre considering the best laptop for you is to choose between Windows, macOS or ChromeOS operating systems:
Its worth noting that for Chrome OS, the introduction of a local file manager and apps mean that the system is becoming more advanced. If you only plan to use your laptop for writing essays and browsing the web, then ChromeOS arguably does everything you need it to. Plus, its super easy to use.
For a system with broader functions, its mostly down to personal preference whether you go for Windows or macOS. However, bear in mind that Apple laptops probably wont fall into the cheap student laptop category.
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Best Budget Laptops To Buy At A Glance
- Great all-round affordable touchscreen laptop: HP Pavilion 14, £549
- Best shoestring Windows 10 buy: Asus E410, £200
- Best budget convertible laptop: Microsoft Surface Go 2, £399
- Best budget performance buy: Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 14, £450
- Best low-cost ultraportable: Acer Swift 1, £399
- A top cheap 15.6-inch screen option: Dell Inspiron 15 3000, £500
- Best for high-end performance: Dell Inspiron 14, £550
- Best Chromebook deal: Asus Chromebook C523, £230
How We Test The Best Laptops Under $500
We put each laptop through extensive benchmark testing both synthetic and real-world before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers and heat management.
In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and sRGB color gamut of the laptop’s display. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 4.3 and 5.0 and 3DMark professional graphics tests.
To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and to duplicate a 4.97GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is the Dirt 3 benchmark with medium settings at 1080p resolution.
We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows 10 laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a good result whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered for longer than 5 hours deserve praise.
These tests are complemented with extensive hands-on testing from our reviewers who critique everything from the laptop’s materials to the feel of its touchpad.
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Best Budget Laptops For Students
When it comes to the best budget laptops for students, there are some really good options on the market right now. If you are a student who is looking to buy a laptop for your day-to-day workloads, then you have a ton of options that don’t compromise quality and also don’t burn a huge hole in your pocket. The list of best laptops for college students includes options that have long battery life and fast CPU performance to keep with your day-to-day needs.Our list of budget laptops for university students includes a good mix of laptops, suited for different use case scenarios. We have also included some gaming laptops for those who like to unwind after a long day of school or homework. The devices on this also include some of the top affordable laptops in India. So without wasting any more time, let’s check out the top budget laptops in India
Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5 2
With a great combination of modern hardware and 2-in-1 touchscreen versatility, the Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5 is a great workhorse of a laptop. It has a 14-inch fold-flat 1080p touch display, a snappy AMD Ryzen 3 processor, 4GB RAM, and a nice quick 128GB SSD for responsive file storage and app loading. Its specs are simple but ideal for working and general use, and should last for awhile.
The Ryzen CPU is speedy enough that itll open apps and run software quickly, and while this might not be as sleek and stylish as a MacBook , its much more affordable. Lenovo laptops are also pretty great when it comes to sturdiness and reliability so you wont have to worry about it taking the odd bump or knock when youre carrying it from class to class.
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Venturer Challenger 10 Pro 2 In 1 10 Inch Tablet
For students on a strict budget, a tablet+keyboard combo can work out much more cost-effective than purchasing a laptop and tablet separately. At not much over a hundred pounds, the Venture Challenger 10 Pro is certainly the cheapest in our roundup but what can it offer?
Well, its certainly an incredibly portable student laptop but also quite robust. The 10-inch tablet touchscreen is ideal for students who need to watch revision videos or lecture playbacks at 1280 x 800 resolution.
There are only 32GB of storage but it does have a micro SD slot to allow you to expand this easily enough should you need to. The detachable keyboard is sturdier and easier to use than a lot of flimsy mini keyboards weve tried: its perfect for responding to emails and typing up course notes but students with long essays to write will most likely tire of it after some time.
Its size and price means it does compromise slightly in two areas: battery life and processing it lags behind most in our roundup in terms of speed, but we think for students who dont require the use of lots of software or streaming might still find it useful.
Offering the benefits of a tablet with simple laptop features, we think this one is more suited to younger students.
Best Overall: Apple Macbook Air
- 1 Headphone-out and Audio-in Jack
- No DVD/CD Driver
The incredible latest Model of the Apple Macbook Air has arrived with a thinner and lightweight body. So now it is more comfortable to carry on to school or in other places. The super-long Battery life of about 12 hours makes it more portable.
So, This one may be your best choice still you should check the compatibility with the most used educational software, Especially those running at school.
Here, RAM, Hard Disk, Clock speed is enough for a school student. On the other hand, there are two choices for the processor and hard disk space. Either you take Core i3 with 256 GB SSD or Core i5 with 512 GB SSD .
And, You should not think about HDMI, LAN Port, or CD/DVD Drive. You have Thunderbolt 3 ports. Just use a cable converter to connect your device. Also, Wifi technology 801.11 ac and Bluetooth 5.0 will meet your wireless activity.
The best thing is, It comes with the Mac operating system. The user interface of macOS is too easy than any other OS.
- 1 Headphone-out and Audio-in Jack
- No DVD/CD Driver
Google Pixelbook Go is one of the greatest products by Google. Is there any question about the quality of Google products? This laptop is so lightweight that it can be carried for a long time without any problem.
Super speed processors and Chrome OS take just a second to start up. Also, see the battery life of 12 hours. It also lets you choose for expected RAM, Storage, and Processor.
What We Love Most
What We Love Most
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What Should Be Considered When Selecting The Best Laptops For Middle School Students
1. Which software is running in school: First, check which software runs in school and the Laptops you choose. Can it run that software properly?
2. Battery life: In some old schools, missing enough charging plug, so long-time Battery support is also important.
3. Operating System : Ensure the Laptops operating software is easy to use and your operator familiar with that OS.
4. Weight: For a middle school student, weight should be as light as possible.
5. Hardware: Since the Laptops is for kids, it will be ok. Even if it meets the minimum requirements, but I should remember that your children are growing up.
6. Special Requirement: Built-in Webcam, microphone, a network connecting port like RJ45 or USB C type, Bluetooth should be considered. Also, Touchscreen technology, fingerprint sensor, CD/DVD drives should check out if needed.
Built For Backpacks: Assessing Ruggedness
Unique features like these are what transforms an ordinary cheap laptop into a school-friendly machine that kids won’t outgrow or destroy in a few months. Arguably the most important is how rugged the case is.
A few Chromebooks and inexpensive Windows laptops have spill-resistant keyboards, which means that they should survive splashing with an ounce or so of water unscathed. It’s much rarer to find entire laptops that are waterproof the rugged ones that are typically cost several thousand dollars and aren’t geared toward kids at all, but rather workers in outdoors or shop-floor professions. Likewise, it’s relatively easy to find reinforced lids or cases made of rubber to help absorb drops from a few feet, but you just won’t find fully ruggedized machines anywhere close to this price range.
Portability is another key concern, especially for middle- and high-schoolers who walk to school with backpacks laden with heavy textbooks. Most laptops in this category with screen sizes from 11 inches to 13 inches weigh about 2.5 pounds. Go above 3 pounds, and you’re putting a real burden on your child’s shoulders.
Battery life is important, too, but it’s no longer the limiting factor that rendered the laptops of a decade ago useless if they spent more than a few hours away from a power outlet. Even some of the cheapest laptops now boast times of about 10 hours on PCMag’s battery rundown test, thanks mostly to their power-sipping Intel processors.
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What Extra Features Does Your Uni Laptop Need In 2022
Most laptops come with a built-in Ethernet port, a few USB ports and a small webcam all of these features are pretty standard and essential.
Amazingly, however, some budget laptop models come without any USB ports nowadays pretty bold as many of us still rely on them to back up our documents or connect an external keyboard/mouse.
USB 3.0 is the latest upgrade. Referred to as the SuperSpeed USB, it can transfer data up to ten times as fast as its predecessor, USB 2.0. Definitely worth looking out for.
Disk drives, on the other hand, have been scrapped in many new models to save weight and theyre becoming pretty obsolete. If you do a lot of DVD watching or burning things onto disks, you can always buy an external drive if necessary.
HDMI ports are standard, but its worth bearing in mind that not all lightweight notebooks will have them. Apple laptops are likely to have a Thunderbolt instead, but you can buy HDMI adapters for just a few quid.
Things Students Need To Know Before Buying A Laptop
To start, here are five of the top things to think about when buying a laptop to use as a student:
We’ll help you buy the perfect student laptop for your budget – see our expert laptop reviews.
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Best Cheap College Laptops Under $300
Why we like it:
Editors Rating:
TypeHere you have a 2 in 1 design: Firstly a proper laptop type but note that its a Chromebook which runs on unique software. But its also a tablet and a presentation console. The hinge allows you to position the screen in a way thats ideal for everyone who need to view it.
Instead of only taking notes this can be your tool for doing an impressive presentation with slides or simply enjoy viewing images with your college friends. After all you want some entertainment when you take a break from studying. In tent mode you can have your laptop standing upright to view the screen without the device taking up much space.
General FeaturesThis is a touch screen laptop which makes it easy to scroll online or quickly browse through slides when you study.
Its at the top of our list because of high end features embedded in an affordable device such as anti glare technology. This is perfect for sitting in front of your class notes for hours during exam times.
It has 4GB RAM and a 2.1 GHz processor from Intel.
Hard DriveThe hard drive only has 32GB storage space with the eMMC feature.
PortabilityAt only 3lb its easy to carry in your bag. The size also works. On the 11.6x 8.1 x 0.8 device you can see clearly but it fits into your backpack with ease.
Just note that this is a Chromebook so its not designed for Windows operating systems. Youll have to work mostly via Google Drive and apps on the Play Store.
- Only one USB
- Cant load Windows