These Are the Laptops College Students Should Actually Be Using for Class
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For students, laptops aren’t just for taking taking lecture notes and writing papers anymore — they’re practically essential to getting through your college tenure, from managing your schedule, to signing up for classes, streaming movies and music to keep yourself sane during finals week, and video chatting with the folks back home. But with more laptop options on the market than ever, it can be difficult picking the right model for your needs.
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The best laptops for college students strike that fine balance between “functional enough to run Photoshop without crashing” and “not so expensive it’ll make my student loans look like pocket change”. Besides performance, you’re also going to have to factor durability into the mix, since you want a model that will actually last through all four years of undergrad (and more, if you plan for grad school). More storage is all necessary for students to keep all those files and potentially large multi-media projects in one place, but that also tends to mean a higher price.
But never fear, we’ve done all the research for you and found laptops that have high performing processors from Intel, AMD, and Apple, long-lasting battery life, and won’t break the bank (yes they do exist). From multipurpose two-in-one notebooks, to slim, lightweight models to toss in your backpack, these are our picks for the top college laptops for 2023 that’ll help you do pretty much everything you need for school (except write your papers for you).
In This Article
Our Picks for Laptops for College 2023
What’s the Best Laptop for College?
Buying Guide: How We Picked the Best Laptops for College
Our Picks for Laptops for College 2023
Whether you’re studying or “studying”, these well-rated and reviewed laptops are perfect for any college student, no matter your major.
BEST OVERALL: Macbook Air 13-Inch (2020)
BEST 2-IN-1 LAPTOP: HP Envy x360 15
MOST STORAGE: Lenovo IdeaPad 3i
BEST LIGHTWEIGHT: Microsoft Surface Pro 9
BEST BUDGET-FRIENDLY: Acer Chromebook 315
1. Macbook Air 13-Inch (2020)
Even if you’re not in a tech-heavy major, the M1 chip in this Macbook Air brings a lot to the table for college students.
The chip, designed exclusively by Apple, is up to 3.5 times faster and supercharges this ultra-light model, which weighs in at only 2.8 pounds. The Apple 7-Core GPU powers graphics and videos, while the large trackpad still gives plenty of room to comfortably move around. It’s also silent enough for library work – and we mean totally silent. Despite not having a fan inside, it still manages an impressive 18-hour battery life and an eye-popping 13-inch Retina display, with 2560 x 1600 native resolution and support for millions of colors.
The only letdown was the camera – which shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s gotten an Air in the past few generations. If you’re taking classes remotely, we suggest investing in an external HD webcam, but compared to everything else here, this entry-level laptop is still our go-to recommendation for everyday schoolwork and streaming use if you want to stay within the Apple ecosystem.
Apple 2020 MacBook Air Laptop M1 Chip, 13″ Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage, Backlit Keyboard, FaceTime HD Camera, Touch ID. Works with iPhone/iPad; Gold
2. HP Envy x360 15
If you’re looking for a 2-in-1 laptop while not compromising on portability, go with the HP Envy x360 15, which only weighs a little over four pounds.
It’s got a 15.6-inch FHD touchscreen, which is great for students who want to create or edit on this convertible laptop. There are multiple RAM and storage options available too, depending on what you plan to use this gadget for. Options on Amazon start at 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM, which is enough if you’re just using this laptop for schoolwork, or even if you plan to stream or game lightly on it.
For majors that require heavy productivity apps like Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro, you can even get up to 2TB of storage. Since it’s got an AMD Ryzen processor coupled with AMD Radeon graphics you’ll get clear visuals when you edit video or photo or even while your game through Xbox Game Pass on your new PC.
HP also claims that their 2-in-1 laptop supports fast charging, booting it up to 50% in just 30 minutes. Students will also like the sleek, edge-to-edge design too, which adds to this 2-in-1 laptop’s campus-ready allure.
HP Envy x360 15
3. Lenovo IdeaPad 3i
There’s lots to like about this Lenovo, such as the Intel Core i3-1115G4 processor, which can range from 3.0GHz up to 4.10GHz. But the amount of free hard disk space is what really sticks out among the attributes here, coming in the clutch for class-packed semesters.
With 1TB available, over four times the amount of some of the others (at a similar price), this should definitely be considered by students who need to both save and have fast access to large bulky files and applications. The 20GB of RAM is enough to handle work projects and school assignments too.
We also like that you can also effortlessly switch between “Max Mode” where your CPU provides quick and speedy performance, and “Battery Saving Mode”, perfect when you forget your charger in between classes. The 14-inch HD touchscreen features an anti-glare matte finish, and though they aren’t backlit, the full-size keyboard has a smooth and breezy feel when typing.
Lenovo IdeaPad 3i Business and Student Essential 14” FHD Laptop, 20GB RAM, 1TB SSD Storage, Intel Core 11th Gen i3 Processor (Up to 4.10 GHz), HDMI, Win11S, Gray, Z&O Accessories
4. Microsoft Surface Pro 9
Microsoft’s Surface line has been around for years, and it’s always a top laptop choice for college if you’re looking for powerful performance with as much portability as possible. Fueled by the 12th generation Intel Core Processor, the Surface Pro 9 is not only blazing fast, but also super slim and lightweight at only 1.9 pounds.
The user interface is speedy, clean and boots up in seconds, and you can switch from laptop to tablet in one flip (bouncing between open apps is also pretty lag-free). The display is particularly vibrant and crisp, bringing out full colors and making precision photo-editing easy. The Surface Pro 9 can be programmed with up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage, which might be more than you actually need for classes. But we do suggest getting at least 256GB of storage so you have enough space to load up some essential productivity apps and download all your emails.
Most importantly, though, you’ll get Windows 11 preloaded onto this device, meaning you won’t have to pay extra for what you need to do coursework, and you can customize your workflow layout on Windows 11, allowing you to jump from project to project with ease.
With an extremely long-lasting battery life of 15.5 hours, this device is ideal for everyone, whether you’re a full-time student, or just taking a few classes.
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (2022), 13″ 2-in-1 Tablet & Laptop, Thin & Lightweight, Intel 12th Gen i5 Fast Processor for Multi-Tasking, 8GB RAM, 256GB Storage with Windows 11, Platinum
5. Acer Chromebook 315
Acer’s Chromebook 315 has arguably the best feature for college students on our list: giving you the most value for your money.
The laptop features a 15.6 HD touch screen, Intel Celeron processor running at 2.6GHz, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a high definition webcam, all for under $500. This makes it perfectly capable for basic tasks that students need to accomplish every day, from putting together presentations, to video chatting and DMing classmates.
One underrated features is how stacked this model is with ports — Acer loaded up the Chromebook 315 with two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, a MicroSD Card slot, and a headphone jack. This array of ports means the Chromebook 315 is ready for any compatible accessory right out of the box, no adapters necessary. The only input this computer is missing is an HDMI port, but that’s not a huge detractor.
If you’re shopping for a Chromebook for a student, or if your computing needs are fairly light, Acer’s Chromebook 315 is the way to go.
Acer Chromebook 315
What’s the Best Laptop for College?
Since there are so many options for college laptops below $1,000 (even below $500), it can be hard to weed out the decent laptops from other low-performing picks. To make it easier for you, if you’re looking for a laptop that will serve you through college and beyond, we suggest looking for models that excel in a few key areas — namely portability and battery life. The most affordable laptops for college might have a smaller screen or a lower-quality cameras, but they’ll be efficient enough for you to get your work done and take with you on the go. Chromebooks for students tend to be the most affordable, and Microsoft Surface Pros will probably loaded up with software you need for classes, but Apple’s MacOS tends to be the most consistent if you’re already a part of the ecosystem. Here’s everything we considered.
Buying Guide: How We Picked the Best Laptops for College
When reviewing laptops for college, we chose our picks based on the features most helpful for students, from battery life, to storage capabilities.
Portability: We kept our laptop picks to under 4 pounds, knowing these will probably have to be lugged around all over classes, or taken on long commutes. If even the lightest of these is still too heavy or storage is concert, we suggest seeking out a tablet with a foldable keyboard option, or choosing a 2-in-1 laptop.
RAM: RAM is what determines how well your laptop can multitask, or how many applications you can have open at once without your laptop lagging or freezing. Every laptop we’ve recommended comes with 4GB of RAM (which for everyday use, is more than enough). This means you can have multiple browser tabs open while you work and still be able to use other light applications like your email. For art students or creators who need demanding apps like Adobe Photoshop, you should probably get a higher RAM.
Storage: These college laptops have at least 32GB of storage, which is enough to download all your base apps, emails and documents. While you may not be able to store tons of games or movies on your laptop, it should easily suffice for your school productivity needs.
Battery Life: You want a laptop that can last through an entire week of classes — meaning about eight hours of battery life on a single charge. Luckily for you, these laptops all deliver on that aspect, with some options even showcasing extended battery life running up to 16 hours.
Extra Features: Other features you might want to look for are the number of ports available and whether or not your laptop has a webcam for virtual classes. We picked laptop with at least a set of USB-style ports and a headphone jack, so you should be good to go.
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