Which Laptop Is Best For Students

How We Test Student Laptops

We know that buying a new laptop can be a huge investment. Even more so with laptops for college students. Thats why we take our jobs seriously, and test every laptop we recommend on this list extensively.;

That process involves using them in our day-to-day lives to see how long their battery lasts, how robust they are college kids have hectic lives, after all, and how cool they stay under pressure. We also look at their design, including how stylish they are, if they are thin and light enough to carry around with, and how comfortable they are to work on. Because the webcam and microphone in a laptop is also incredibly important, especially these days, we take time to test those out as well.

When it comes to performance, we use a mix of real-world tests and synthetic benchmarks to see how powerful these laptops are. This means using Windows 10 and running various apps and seeing how fast they load, noting down any problems.;

Battery lives are also important, so well keep track of how long we can use the laptop without needing to charge. To get specific numbers, we also run our own battery life benchmark that plays a looped 1080p movie until the battery dies and the PC Mark 10 battery life benchmark, which replicates real-world usage, such as web browsing and document creation. These tests give us an excellent idea of how long the batteries in these laptops last.

• Want more choices? Check out our list of the best laptop 2021

The Surface Distilled To Its Essence

The Surface Laptop Go boils down the best Surface features down into a smaller, wallet-friendlier package. That recipe has enormous appeal right now, as many people require capable laptops to work from home but are also concerned about their budgets in this rocky economic climate. Since the Surface Laptop Go is more capable than the Surface Go 2, especially when it comes to computing power, its a better choice for most budget-minders eyeing a Microsoft device. The clamshell design will also be a lot more pleasant to type on than the Surface Go 2 and its snap-on/snap-off keyboard.

That said, you can find other potentially better budget-friendly options out there. We especially like the Editors-Choice-winning IdeaPad Flex 5 for its extraordinary blend of value and computing power. Meanwhile, if you can spend just $300 or so more than the asking price of the Surface Laptop Go configuration reviewed here, you can consider a cornucopia of excellent midrange ultraportables, including the 13-inch Surface Laptop 3 and the lowest-end MacBook Air.

What Are The Best Laptops For College Students In Usa 2021

This article will be answering the question of what are the best laptops for college students in the USA in 2021. We will be considering different factors such as price range, processing power, screen size, weight, warranty, etc.

The rise of Chromebooks has brought computing to a new level for college students. Chromebooks are more affordable than other types of laptops because they are powered by Google Chrome which is essentially free.

This article will be providing comparative reviews of the different types of laptops that are available for college students in the United States in 2021.

You May Like: What Is A Good Laptop For Online Schooling

Best Student Laptops: What To Consider

If the laptop is going to be used by students studying specialised subjects, then you may need something that’s a bit more powerful for example, graphic design students may benefit from a laptop with a modern graphics card. You’ll certainly want something that will last at least three years, if not longer. What you don’t want to end up with is a laptop that halfway through a course gives up the ghost.

But not every student will need massive specs. Many Chromebooks make excellent student laptops, replacing massive storage with a super speed. This is because the apps they run don’t take up much space, and with built-in support for Google Drive, it means your documents are all saved in the cloud as well.

The best student laptops also offer excellent battery life. You’ll want something that lasts all day in lessons and lectures , and when the battery does run out, it needs to be able to be recharged quickly.

Budget Laptops For Students

The first thing to think of when choosing the best laptop for students is the budget, especially since students might not be able to afford high-level and expensive laptops. With laptops, less expensive models mean fewer features, but this doesn’t always mean lower quality. You can get entry-to-mid-level laptop prices at Lenovo.com for your student needs.

Before you go shopping for a student laptop, you should decide on the budget range that you want to go for and then look at the laptops in that range.

As you’ll see in the sections below, each key laptop specification includes a wide range of performance options like faster or slower processors, different display technologies, and so on. It can be easy to spend a lot of money on these features, but you don’t have to.

Recommended Reading: Where Can I Sell My Used Laptop

Differences Between Laptop Vs Desktop

A desktop PC is a static, stationary computer that will stay on a desk in an office or bedroom. It usually consists of various parts: a tower, a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse.;

PCs are generally more customizable than laptops as well. You can put together top-of-the-line parts for every aspect of the PC when you choose a desktop computer, whereas your choices are more limited with a laptop.

Check out our pick of the best desktop PCs to see what this form factor has to offer.

A laptop is a portable, all-in-one device that usually has USB inputs on the sides for optional peripherals. Laptops have a built-in screen, a built-in keyboard, a trackpad that acts as a mouse, and can vary in size.;

Laptops are generally limited by their size but many modern batteries are big enough to provide 12 or more hours of power before needing to recharge.

We’ve collected together the best laptops as well.

Microsoft Surface Book 3 Best Touch

Experience the most powerful Surface laptop yet featuring 10th Gen Intel Core processors and GeForce discrete graphics. The new Surface Book 3 15 is 30% faster than the previous generation and twice as powerful as the MacBook Pro. The new Surface Book with Performance Base can play new PC games with its 10th Gen Intel Core processors and GeForce GTX 1060 discrete graphics. With the power to pass any test and a battery life of up to 16.5 hours , its the ultimate laptop for work and play.

Experience a new way to work and create. The redesigned 15 Surface Book 2 lets you be as mobile as you choose to be. Its powerful enough to run professional-grade software and versatile enough to meet the demands of your schedule. At the heart of it all are an ultra-responsive keyboard, an incredibly precise pen, and innovative technologies to make your Surface Book 2 the ultimate laptop.

The most powerful Surface laptop ever, powered by a quad-core, 10th General Intel Core processor. Now the Surface Book 2 is 15 to 30 percent faster. Power when you need it. Up to 17.5 hours of battery life in a powerful laptop, powerful tablet, and a portable studio. The connections you need, including USB-A, USB-C, and full-size SD card slots.

Basic Features:-

Recommended Reading: Can I Buy Laptop In Installments

Best College Laptops In : Best Laptops For Students

The best college laptops for students, from budget laptops to workstations

If you’re a student, you’ll want one of the best college laptops so you can ace your exams then stream TV or play games when it’s time to relax. But with so many choices at so many different prices, it can be homework in itself to find the very best laptops for students.;

When you’re buying a laptop for school, make sure it has long battery life and fast CPU performance. You can find a lot of these units on our main best laptops page, which gives you a wide selection of the top notebooks to choose from. And if you prefer to take notes by hand, buy one of the best 2-in-1 laptops.;We’ve also ranked the best gaming laptops for those who like to unwind after the coursework is wrapped up. We’re still in a process of reviewing some laptops that could find their way on this list, so be sure to check back in regularly for the latest and great laptops for students.;

Whichever laptop you get, you’ll also want to pick up a few extras, such as a comfortable mouse, a;well-appointed backpack,;and perhaps a .;Without further ado, here are the best college laptops, including some budget picks for those dreading tuition payments.;

Best For A Solid Basic Classic Clamshell

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 have been more essential than ever for students in 2020 and 2021, as many colleges and universities implement a mix of in-person and remote learning to meet social distancing requirements made necessary by the ups and downs of 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.

And especially in these trying times, a laptop for a college student 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.

Recommended Reading: How To Run Virus Scan On Dell Laptop

Best Buy Customers Often Prefer The Following Products When Searching For Student Laptops

Browse the top-ranked list of Student Laptops below along with associated reviews and opinions.

Browse the top-ranked list of Student Laptops below along with associated reviews and opinions.

The Best Student Laptops Available Now

Reasons to avoid

The Acer Swift 3 ticks pretty much every box for what makes the best student laptops. It’s affordable, without making too many compromises, and yet it’s powerful enough to easily handle day to day tasks, including web browsing and document creation, making it perfect for students.

It’s also thin and light enough to easily carry around school or campus, but with a decent build quality which means it won’t easily break. The latest model brings some choice hardware upgrades, so it’s now a better performer than ever before, and battery life has been given a boost as well.

It’s not the most powerful laptop in the world, and it won’t handle games, but for an affordable and dependable student laptop, this one is hard to beat.

Reasons to avoid

Many of the best student laptops are Chromebooks due to their fantastic value for money. They run Chrome OS, which is less resource-hungry than Windows 10, which means Chromebooks can use lower-powered hardware and still offer excellent performance.;

This means Chromebooks are often a lot cheaper than Windows 10 devices, and the Acer Chromebook 314 is in our view the best budget Chromebook for students. With a low price, it means you’re not blowing your student loan on a laptop, and it still offers great features including a bright and vibrant 14-inch display and 12 hour battery life. So, you can work on this thing throughout an entire school day, and you’ll still have battery life left over.

Reasons to avoid

Reasons to avoid

Recommended Reading: How To Make Space On Hp Laptop

Which Laptop Screen Size Is Best For You

Laptops come in all shapes and sizes. Choosing which laptop screen size is best for you can be a difficult decision with so many options available to you.

Do you need a compact 11 13 laptop for school or travel or a huge 17 screen for all your gaming needs. The size of the laptop screen you need basically depends on what you want to use your laptop for.;

The Best Laptops For Engineering Students

Reasons to avoid

Dont let its slim and stylish design fool you the Dell XPS 15 2020 is an absolute workhorse. Its 10th Gen Intel Core processors can juggle multiple tasks with ease, and the optional Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU gives it some serious muscle for CAD work and gaming. The sheer power you can pack into this svelte, elegant ultraportable make the XPS 15 is one of the best laptops for engineering students, and that’s before you consider the great speakers and gorgeous, immersive InfinityEdge display.

However, the 4K model we tested lasted just eight hours in our battery test. That’s enough to get you through a day at school, but if you don’t need the 4K resolution for your work, we recommend the XPS 15 with a discrete Nvidia GPU and a FHD display it should last a bit longer on a single charge with the lower-resolution screen.

Reasons to avoid

With an AMD Ryzen 9-4900HS processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a powerful 14-inch laptop built for gaming on the go but engineering students can turn all that power to more productive uses.;

Reasons to avoid

The 16-inch MacBook Pro has yet to get an injection of Apple silicon, but even without an M1 chip this big MacBook should serve engineering students well thanks to its beefy specs, discrete AMD GPU, and 11-hour battery life.;

Reasons to avoid

Read all about it in our full Dell XPS 17 review.

Reasons to avoid

Reasons to avoid

Reasons to avoid

Reasons to avoid

Also Check: Are All 2 In 1 Laptops Touch Screen

Is An 111315 Etc Laptop Too Big

This completely depends on your tastes and the work youre doing. Some people scoff at the idea of lugging around a 17 laptop while others think a 13 laptop is rather tiny to get any work done. 15 laptops tend to be the industry standard with the smaller laptops being ultraportable and larger laptops being desktop replacements.

While 13 laptops tend to be better for portability and larger laptops have their place in the gaming realm, you can easily get a 17 laptop and still use it for travel. I wouldnt suggest gaming on a small laptop but it isnt impossible. It really comes down to your personal preference. There is no too big or too small option.

Finding The Best Student Laptop

When considering which is the best college laptop for you, there are a several factors you need to keep in mind to make sure that you purchase the right one.

Selecting the right student laptop for your needs and budget will involve choosing your preferred specifications in several important categories.

You May Like: What Is A Good Laptop For A 10 Year Old

What Specifications Does Your Budget Laptop Need

One of the most important things to consider when making your purchase is the power and speed a laptop has, as this will affect how the laptop works day-to-day.

The power and speed of your laptop are determined by three factors:;CPU ,;RAM and the type of hard drive it has .

CPU

CPU is the raw power of the computer which processes information and instructions. Its measured in gigahertz and its power determines the speed at which it can process information and the number of instructions it can process at one time.

Budget laptops with 1.0GHz will only be able to cope with pretty basic tasks, whereas higher-end laptops will have around triple that and, as such, can handle most things you throw at them.

RAM

RAM is basically your computers short-term memory, temporarily storing the data that youre actively using so that it can be accessed as quickly as possible.

So it follows that the more RAM your laptop has, the more you can have running at any one time like listening to music while playing a game.

Lightweight laptops can function perfectly with 4GB of RAM, while 8GB is more sensible if you plan on doing more with your study computer.

Hard drive

Hard drives store your computers data everything from pictures to music and software is kept here.

The type of hard drive your university laptop will have is important. A solid state drive has no moving parts, making it faster at retrieving information than a traditional hard disk drive .