Best Laptops for College Students
In our tests, these models score high marks for portability, performance, battery life, and more
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If you’re a student or parent in need of a laptop, now is the time to start shopping.
National retailers are just starting to roll out back-to-school sales events, with the prices of well-designed laptops from manufacturers like Apple, Dell, LG, and Samsung often dropping to Black Friday levels.
But because a computer is a deeply personal purchase (unlike, say, a microwave or bath towels), it pays to do your homework before parting with your hard-earned money.
You may want to check your school’s website, for example, to see if it has guidelines for choosing a laptop. Business and engineering students may rely heavily on Windows software, while students in creative fields often lean toward a Mac.
Below you’ll find top picks from our testers, who rate laptops on performance, battery life, display quality, and other data points. To prevent manufacturers from tinkering with our results, we purchase every model we evaluate from a retailer to ensure that it’s no different from the one you take home.
For the latest deals and discounts for students, go to our Back-to-School Guide.
Laptops you’d actually want to use don’t usually cost less than $500, but this Lenovo model somehow comes in at less than $400.
It’s new, too, sporting the latest-generation Intel processor, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of solid-state storage. That’s an Intel Core i3 processor, mind you, which is on the lower end of the scale, but our testers say the laptop is still plenty fast for typical student tasks like browsing the web and writing papers. We have other picks below for those who prefer a bit more power under the hood.
Additional highlights for this model include long battery life (more than 14 hours of web browsing) and a touchscreen display, which may be useful for scrolling through those long documents you’re likely to encounter in school.
This 17-inch notebook is a good choice for students who want a laptop large enough to make streaming video services like Disney+, Max (formerly known as HBO Max), and Netflix really sing.
The model we tested has an Intel Core i7 processor, 32GB of memory, and not one but two 1 terabyte solid-state drives. That’s a huge amount of quick-to-access storage for your school projects, not to mention all of your music, photo, and video files.
But you don’t have to spring for such premium specs. The LG Gram comes in a variety of sizes, configurations, and prices, and it’s known for its feathery-light weight and generous battery life—two attributes that go a long way when you spend your days racing from class to class.
All laptops are portable, sure, but some, like the LG Gram, do a better job than others combining long battery life with thinness and lightness that encourage trips away from home base. Another great pick is the Samsung Galaxy Book 3, which is available in 13- and 15-inch sizes.
The 15-inch model we tested has an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, and 1 terabyte of solid-state storage. It weighs in at 3.4 pounds, which is light for a laptop this size, and has a battery that lasts as long as 14 hours on a single charge. In short, there’s more than enough performance and battery capacity here to easily power through scholastic tasks. For comparison’s sake, an i5 processor, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of storage are all that most people need for everyday use.
The beauty of a 2-in-1 laptop is that it can function as a traditional notebook and a big-screen tablet. To swing the keyboard out of the way, you simply fold it flat against the back of the display using the 360-degree “convertible” hinge.
If that sounds appealing to you, consider this 16-inch Dell Inspiron. It has an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, and 512GB of solid-state storage, and delivers nearly 26 hours of battery life for web browsing and just over 16 hours for more demanding tasks like streaming high-resolution video while camped out on the couch.
For Apple fans, the 13-inch MacBook Air offers solid specs, a lightweight frame, and good battery life in one compelling package.
The model we tested is equipped with Apple’s own M2 processor, 8GB of memory, and 512GB of solid-state storage. All of that is more than sufficient for everyday tasks. You also get an improved webcam (compared with earlier models), helping you look even better on those video calls.
If you’ve never owned a Mac before, you should also note that there’s no touchscreen option. Apple fans are used to that, but it may be a deal-breaker for Windows folks.
MSI is well known for its gaming laptops and accessories, and this 14-inch 2-in-1 convertible has the muscle to get you through class with no problems before ending the day with a bit of steam. It’s got an Intel Core i7 processor, 32GB of memory, 1 terabyte of solid-state storage, and a Nvidia RTX 3070 graphics card.
Our testers admire the long battery life (nearly 18 hours for browsing the web) and color-accurate display. You’ll no doubt admire the ability to play high-end games like “Elden Ring” and “Resident Evil 4” without missing a beat, and perhaps getting some homework done, too.
