Laptops are essential for college students, whether for remote classes, assignments, or taking notes. Fortunately, you don’t need much for a college student laptop.
It differs from a gaming laptop, which requires impressive specs and a powerful processor. Even a budget laptop with standard features will work for many post-secondary students.
The most practical laptops for students are lightweight, durable, and packed with powerful internal components. Laptops with fast CPUs and GPUs allow students to run multiple programs.
They can also enjoy media at medium to high settings. In addition, the devices should have a portable design, allowing you to use them on or off campus. The ideal laptop should last the length of your post-secondary education.
Here are the best laptops for college and work.
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1. ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED is built with the latest Intel Core i9 processor, Iris Xe GPU and a high-capacity 1TB SSD storage. For everything you’ll need to do as a student, this ASUS laptop has the specs to make it happen.
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED is one of the best affordable OLED college laptops.
It includes a big 15.6-inch 2.8K 120Hz OLED display and superb audio quality, making this an ideal device for creative projects. In addition, the laptop’s trendy design suits students aiming for a young, chic aesthetic.
2. MSI Modern 14
The MSI Modern 14 is a trim, lightweight, aluminum laptop. It is one of the lowest-priced laptops you will find for its features. It has 8GB of RAM, a backlit keyboard for nighttime typing, and average-to-high battery life. Unfortunately, the MSI Modern 14 is limited by a 128GB SSD, which doesn’t give you much download space.
The MSI Modern 14 is ideal for college students who want a basic high-quality laptop. It is a suitable option if you don’t plan on using your device for gaming or resource-intensive work.
3. HP Envy 13
The HP Envy 13 is constantly rated as one of the best overall laptops for students. With a speedy Intel Core i5-1135G7, a vivid touchscreen display, and 11+ hours of battery life, this is one of the better laptops in the under-$1,000 category.
As a budget laptop, the HP Envy 13 offers the minimum specs for essential functions.
However, students who want to play games should avoid the HP Envy 3 and use a more powerful device. Furthermore, if the 13.3-inch display is too small, consider moving up to an HP Envy 14 for a bigger screen.
4. Apple MacBook Air
The Apple MacBook Air is one of the more affordable macOS laptops, especially considering the older M1. Whether it’s the M1 or M2 processor, rest assured you’ll get fast, elegant, and unbeatable performance from any Apple macOS student laptop. You can also easily integrate it with an iPhone if you have one.
The MacBook Air M1 is for people who already have an iPhone and want an Apple laptop. With its sleek design and exceptional battery life, you can get all your college work done and do almost anything with it short of gaming.
5. ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED
The ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED is a compact, lightweight, and elegant student laptop. The visuals are fantastic on the 16:10 2.8K OLED NanoEdge touchscreen. This device features excellent specs, including up to a 13th-gen Intel Core i7 processor and up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU. It also includes up to 2TB storage with 16GB DDR5 RAM.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED is another great laptop that fits most budgets. It’s a fast worker with reliable computer power. As a college student, you will find all the necessary productivity features on this efficient device. The ASUS Zenbook 14 is perfect for students looking for an all-rounder laptop.
6. Dell XPS 13
The Dell XPS 13 is a premium Windows 11 laptop with solid CPU and GPU power, 8GB of RAM, sufficient storage, and a 13.4-inch 4K monitor. The battery life and features are excellent. For college students looking for a laptop workhorse, the Dell XPS 13 gets our vote.
The Dell XP13 gives you lots of power from the processor. It’s an excellent choice for students who require high-resource support. While still small and light, the Dell XPS 13 specs are reliable. You do not have to worry about the system crashing or performance issues.
7. Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
A smaller laptop than average, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is stylish. With a PixelSense display, ultra-sharp resolution, and a battery that lasts over 12 hours, those who don’t mind the size or are looking for a small laptop will be pleasantly surprised by the Surface’s performance.
If you’re on a tight budget and don’t want a heavy laptop, try the Surface Laptop Go 2. This reasonably priced college student laptop is available in several stylish, colourful designs.
Its only cons are a low-resolution 1080p display and a webcam that may not be up to everyone’s standard.
