The best laptop computers for college students

Disclaimer: The price & specs shown may be different from actual. Please confirm on the retailer site before purchasing.( If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.)

Ah, college. A time of real enlightenment. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re heading right into your last year, you’re mosting likely to require a good laptop computer for college research study and creating papers. But with so many various brand names as well as complicated design numbers out there, it’s very easy to get overwhelmed. Also Read – Best deals Found on Friday, March 11, 2022.

Don’t stress, we’re here to aid. We have actually gathered a robust checklist of student-friendly laptop computers for college that we had formerly examined as well as reviewed as part of our continuous pursuit to find the most effective laptop computers. To put it simply, the folks over here have personally vetted each and every one of these picks. While a lot of (if not all) of the laptop computers on this checklist are wonderful efficiency equipments, we’ve additionally obtained choices for players as well as macOS users, and options to strike every price factor. You might likewise discover some low-cost treasures in our roundup of the most effective laptop offers, which we upgrade daily.

1. HP Spectre x360 14 1Q881AV
When we think about the best thin-and-light laptop, it’s always been a close contest between the Dell XPS 2-in-1 and the HP Spectre x360. This time around, we’re giving the luxurious HP Spectre x360 14 some time in the sun, with a nod to the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 that preceded it as our top pick. The Spectre x360 14, now sporting the same Intel 11th-gen Tiger Lake CPU available in the Dell XPS line, trades blows with its eternal rival in test after test. It rises to the top because of a few key advantages: It offers longer battery life (thanks to a bigger battery), a far better keyboard, and little things like a USB-A port and a physical webcam shutoff switch, all for a lower price. Well played, HP.

2. Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition

If you’re serious about gaming, the Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition is one heck of a powerhouse. The review unit we tested had an 8-core AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor, an AMD Radeon RX 6800M GPU (with 12GB of GDDR6), 16GB of memory, and 512GB of NVMe SSD storage. You can play older titles on high to very-high graphics settings and newer games on medium. There are a few shortcomings, though. Battery life is lackluster and it’s pretty darn heavy. That said, poor battery life and a clunky form factor isn’t unusual for a gaming laptop, and if you’re looking to play some games when you aren’t busy working on assignments, this powerhouse offers much more value than most of its rivals.

3. Microsoft Surface Pro 7+

By naming this Windows tablet the Surface Pro 7+, Microsoft mistakenly implies that it’s some sort of minor upgrade from the Surface Pro 7. Nothing could be further from the truth: We rarely see such massive upgrades in CPU and GPU horsepower, as well as battery life. It also offers an LTE option and an absolutely dead-silent, fanless chassis.

You may be wondering why we chose the 7+ and not the Surface Pro 8. While the 8 has a larger screen and good audio, configurations start at $1,099.99 and can go up to over $2,599.99. The 7+’s base configuration starts at $899, which is a more affordable option for college students, and it should still chew through tasks admirably. The base version has an Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of SSD storage.

4. Pixelbook Go

As a general note, Chromebooks make excellent productivity machines. They’re designed for basic tasks like web browsing, typing out papers, and so on. They’re also largely virus-free.

Google’s Pixelbook Go is a perfectly good Chromebook and that’s exactly what the company set out to create. It offers a careful balance of quality features and economical compromises for a reasonable $649 starting price. It’s also much better looking than the typical bare-bones model. If you’re committed to the Chromebook universe, this is a laptop worth buying. 

5. LG Gram 17

The LG Gram 17 is a remarkably lightweight business laptop, and one worth considering if your scholarship left you ample room for a luxe laptop purchase. Although relatively big in size dimensions-wise, it somehow weighs just under three pounds. Is it a work of sorcery? No, it’s the magnesium chassis that makes it so light. In our review, we liked the bounciness of the keys and the long battery life. The Gram 17 ran out of steam around the 13 hour mark, which is nothing short of impressive. The 17-inch IPS-grade display is stunning, too. With a resolution of 2560×1600, you’re bound to get a crisp and vibrant picture. According to our review, the display size is perfect for productivity.

6. MacBook Air (Space Gray)

The MacBook Air with the new M1 processor so absolutely and thoroughly trounces the Intel version released earlier this year (with Intel’s “Ice Lake” Y-series CPU/GPU) that it defies belief. And, since there’s no fan, the Air runs super quiet, which is great in a classroom setting.

Unfortunately, Apple changed practically nothing else about the MacBook Air. This new model is exclusively a processor swap. But what a processor!

7. Acer Aspire 5 – Best budget option

With its affordable price point, decent performance, and robust build, the Acer Aspire 5 is a good budget option for most people. While the color scheme is a little boring, the build is surprisingly rugged. Our tester was surprised by its “solid, durable feel.” The keyboard is nice, too. It has a spacious layout, which is perfect for longer typing sessions. Performance is fast enough for general-use tasks like writing emails and browsing the web, but that’s about it. If you’re shopping around for a solid everyday laptop that won’t break the bank, the Aspire 5 is definitely worth a look.

8. Acer Swift 3X

The Acer Swift 3X is both speedy and lightweight, an ideal choice for the college student who’s always on the go. The higher-tier configuration we reviewed has an Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor, an Intel Iris Xe Max discrete GPU (with 4GB of LPDDR4X memory), 16GB of memory, and 1TB PCIe NVMe of SSD storage. But the real star of the show is its 14-inch 1080p IPS display, which shines at a bright 300 nits, according to our review. We managed to squeeze out 12+ hours of battery life on a single charge, so you can definitely expect this laptop to last through multiple classes.

9. Acer Swift X (SFX14-41G-R1S6)

From stellar performance to the lightweight form factor, the Acer Swift X has a lot to offer. In addition to handling content-creation tasks, it can also run a few lightweight games as well. However, its biggest strength is its battery life. Despite the power-hungry internals, the Swift X’s battery lasted more than 12 hours in our tests. Depending on your use, you won’t need to go hunting for an outlet all that much. It’s perfect for college students.

10. HP Envy x360 15
The HP Envy x360 15 (2021) has an attractive design, decent internals, and a wide selection of ports. The unit we tested came equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 5700U processor, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage. For ports, you’re getting two USB-A, USB-C, HDMI 2.0, and a full-sized SD card slot. In our review, we liked the keyboard quite a bit, saying “the keys give off a satisfying tactile bump and they actuate even if you hit just the corner of a key with your fingernail.” In other words, you don’t need to worry much about accidental keypresses.

What to look for in a laptop computer for university
The first thing to think about is budget plan. Just how much are you willing to spend on a laptop computer? If you’re dealing with an inflexible budget, Chromebooks are an excellent alternative. They’re cost effective as well as designed to deal with everyday tasks like creating papers, working with spread sheets, and so forth. Chromebook prices can vary anywhere from $200 as much as $1,000. If you intend to spend a bit extra, laptops with exchangeable touchscreens (or else called 2-in-1s) supply a great deal of functionality. You can turn the display around and utilize it like a tablet computer or prop it up like an easel for viewing films.

If you have actually got a full routine, you’ll probably be running from class to class with very little downtime in between. That’s why we recommend a laptop with a durable battery. We suggest something that’ll last 7 to 10-plus hours on a single charge, unless you want a notebook that can play games on the side– pc gaming laptops are infamous for their much shorter endurance, even throughout everyday jobs. That 7 to 10 hours is a good figure if you intend on taking your laptop with you almost everywhere.

Things like navigating your email or enjoying Netflix will certainly require more RAM. We recommend springing for 8GB of RAM or even more. 4GB of RAM is fine and great for web browsing and also basic workplace job, but 8GB is better for having more tabs open as well as whatnot. And also, applications like Google Chrome as well as Spotify often tend to eat up a great deal of RAM. Lots of people can manage with 4GB in a pinch if you’re on a tight budget, however you won’t have the ability to multitask as much.

The final thing is a suitable keyboard. In college, you’re going to be investing a great deal of time keying. Depending on your personal choice, you may want either a full or short travel keyboard. Mechanical key-boards, for instance, generally have much longer traveling. This aids protect against unintentional keystrokes. The tricks likewise give a lot of responsive feedback, as they bounce back after they’re pressed down.