For this reason, we have crunched the figures to identify the best laptops for college students. With the start of the new academic year quickly approaching, now is a fantastic opportunity to improve your hardware with a laptop that is equipped for college in order to succeed in the coming term. You’re going to need a nice laptop for college whether you’re just getting started or about to enter your final year. But it’s simple to become disoriented when there are so many options available. We’ve got you covered, so don’t worry. To help you finally make that coveted deans list, the PCWorld staff has put together a thorough list of the best laptops for college students. All of these choices have undergone extensive testing and evaluation as part of our ongoing search for the best laptops available to everyone.
Here is the list of Best Laptops for College Students
HP Envy 13
The HP Envy 13 is a top-of-the-line sub-$1,000 laptop for students and others who want a mobile device with power and long battery life (11 hours and 15 minutes on the FHD model). even in the 2021 model, the thin bezel and high performance make it a fairly expensive laptop competitive with the competition. When you combine this kind of performance with a stylish chassis, a brilliant and bright 1080p display, and ample performance from the 11th generation Core i5 CPU, the Envy 13 is a great laptop for college students. And honestly, the Envy 13 is a great all-around choice for those who don’t need gaming performance, given that it is the best laptops for college students compared to many of the other products on this list.
Acer Swift 3
The Acer Swift 3 can teach college students who are learning to stretch their money a valuable lesson. which lesson? Excellent performance doesn’t require a higher price. all crammed into a portable form. Additionally, you can do more with it and any adapters or dongles thanks to its USB Type-C, HDMI, and USB-A ports. Still, it is one of the best laptops for college students that you can consider. Its keyboard is also excellent for composing term papers because it has quiet, clicky keys that won’t annoy your roommate. But don’t expect it to take the place of your Bluetooth speaker its audio could need a little more punch. Although its slightly dark display isn’t ideal for Netflix, you’ll be able to overlook that tiny issue because of how well it balances performance and cost.
MacBook Air M1
Easily one of the best laptops for college students available on the market, the M1 MacBook Air, one of the first to move from Intel to Apple chips, is still available, which is a good thing even though the bigger and better M2 MacBook Air is. Our go-to pick for a MacOS laptop for regular use remains Apple’s budget model. It is a terrific option for education and pleasure anyplace because of its strong performance and lengthy battery life up to 18 hours. The M1 Air has Apple’s Magic Keyboard, Touch ID, a Force Touch trackpad, and a 13.3-inch Retina display, just like the previous Mac laptop models. It’s challenging to go wrong with the new MacBook Air if you’re a college student.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4
Although Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 4 is a fantastic gadget that truly competes with MacBooks, Apple may still manufacture outstanding laptops. Why is this laptop so beneficial to students? Its amazing PixelSense touchscreen makes it a delight to use for creative work in addition to its lovely thin and light form. Depending on the configuration you choose, it also has a fantastic keyboard, strong specifications, and a long battery life. If you dislike macOS, be assured that this will work just as well for you because it is as close to a rival for the MacBook Air as they come. Make an impression on HD video calls with Studio Mics. On the colorful PixelSense touchscreen, note thoughts. Dolby Atmos audio will immerse you and give you a theater-like experience. Do it all with a perfect balance of speed, which is now up to 70% faster, and a far longer battery life than before1, together with a sleek, ultra-thin design. both sizes. Two keyboard strokes end. Overall, it is one of the best laptops for college students that you can buy.
Dell XPS 13
Another consistently outstanding laptop from Dell is the XPS 13. Its body is made of carbon fiber and machined aluminum, and it is both sturdy and light. It will look just as good as anything else in the lecture hall. The Dell’s battery life is between 12 and 18 hours, and it offers a comfortable keyboard and a sizable touchpad. Additionally, it is loaded with amenities, including decent speakers, a Thunderbolt 4 port, a microSD card slot, and a Windows Hello webcam. However, there are no full-size USB ports available. There are three display options for the Dell XPS 13. Your box sets and creative work will appear wonderful because all feature incredibly small bezels, a 16:10 aspect ratio, and excellent resolution. The higher-resolution displays are preferable for demanding customers with larger wallets, while the 1920 x 1200 screen is perfect for everyday use. The OLED display is especially bright. The XPS is available with 32 GB of memory, and Intel’s low-power Core i5 and Core i7 processors are good, with the latter offering sufficient power for the majority of business applications. The Dell XPS 13 is not the best laptops for college students. Its entry-level systems cost $1,319 / £1,099, and Core i7 CPUs and high-resolution displays cost more. The Dell XPS 13 is the greatest high-end Windows laptop for students, nevertheless, if you’ve got the cash.
Apple MacBook Pro 14
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021), a high-end computer that need little introduction, is the best laptops for college students that we have evaluated. It has a superb battery life, seems incredibly well made, and is lightweight. It may be configured with either an M1 Pro or M1 Max SoC, both of which are more than capable of handling almost any workload, making it a great option for students majoring in disciplines like graphic design, architecture, or engineering. It’s preferable to buy enough storage and memory up front because they can’t be user-replaced. One of its best attributes is its Mini LED display. It is suitable for color-critical work since it is sharp and color-accurate and covers the complete sRGB and DCI P3 color spaces. You also receive a sizable, responsive haptic touchpad and a keyboard that is comfortable to type on all day. You don’t have to be concerned about making too much noise in a quiet school or library because it gets a little warm when it’s working, but the fans never get noisy.
Lenovo Yoga 9i
One of the best laptops for college students is the Lenovo Yoga 9i, which has a small, rounded shape with many connectors, including Thunderbolt 4 and USB Type-A, for mouse, backup discs, and other accessories. With an OLED display that measured 352 nits of brightness and covered 140.1% of the DCI-P3 color palette, we put the Yoga 9i through its paces. With Dolby Vision support, it is extremely vivid, stunning, and vibrant. The Yoga can be turned into a tablet if you want to use it as a note-taking device. It functions as a laptop when you’re prepared to begin your term paper. It can also be used as a display for presentations, with the excellent 360-degree sound bar providing the audio.
Dell XPS 15
The Dell XPS 15 is capable of multitasking, productivity, and even some light gaming. The XPS 15 has a powerful, aesthetically pleasing, slim design. While it might seem insignificant, the four-border InfinityEdge bezel has enabled one of the highest resolution displays currently available, and for those who don’t require the longest battery life, it now comes with stunning OLED technology. If that’s not enough, a peek under the hood reveals an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti and an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 Comet Lake H-Series processor. All of our benchmark tests, including the graphics test, were won by the laptop. That implies that, in a pinch, you could start up a productive gaming session. Currently, this is one of the best laptops for college students that you can buy right now.
Lenovo Duet 3
The Lenovo Duet 3 (or Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 depending on where you buy it) is the best laptops for college students that you can get for as little as $359 if your homework can be handled with a Chromebook. This is essentially a larger, more costly version of Lenovo’s unexpectedly capable and affordable Chrome tablet, the Chromebook Duet, which was released in 2020. We adored the original Duet because it featured a terrific battery life, reliable performance, and a respectable built-in keyboard cover, all for under $250. The new Duet 3 from Lenovo is a little more expensive, but it also comes with a bigger, brighter display, more ports, and more power from a stronger Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 processor.
Gateway GWTN141
In the 1990s, Gateway was well-known for its inexpensive PCs and laptops. 2020 saw the brand’s revival with a fresh batch of laptops and tablets offered just by Walmart. The 14-inch model, which we chose after testing the 15-inch model, is the best. Despite being combined with less expensive parts, the Intel Core i5 processor delivers consistent performance. The touchpad isn’t the most accurate, and the keyboard is comfy but not lighted. The integrated fingerprint reader is also hit or miss. Nevertheless, it features numerous connectors, making it easy to connect a mouse or an external display, and the full-HD display is also respectable overall. Additionally, during our streaming video test, the battery lasted a few minutes under 10 hours. So, if you want one of the best laptops for college students, we highly recommend this product.
Final Words
You want the best laptops for college students that is sturdy, inexpensive, and dependable. You want your laptop to last you at least for your whole term of study, if not much longer, so it’s normally advisable to go with well-known manufacturers for that last point. For Windows laptops, reliable companies include Dell, HP, Acer, Asus, Microsoft, and, of course, Apple. If you’re starting a degree in video editing or digital illustration, check out best laptops for college students, which provides affordable rates on computers made with creative pros and students in mind.
