If you’re a college student, having a good laptop can help you ace your exams while relaxing with streaming sites or playing games. With so many options at such a wide range of pricing, selecting the best laptop as a college student might need some extra effort.
If you are looking to purchase a laptop for college, having a long battery life and a fast CPU is a must-have. If you prefer to take notes by hand, you can invest in one of the finest 2-in-1 laptops for a hybrid laptop/tablet experience. We’ve also included laptops with powerful gaming features for those wanting to unwind after finishing their coursework.
Whichever laptop you choose, you’ll want to add a few accessories, such as a comfortable mouse, a well-equipped laptop bag, or even a printer.
Without further ado, here are the finest college laptops, including some budget selections for those who dread the hefty price and their college tuition fees!
HP Envy 13
With a fresh design and Thunderbolt 4 connectors, the new HP Envy 13 is the ideal sub-$1000 laptop for students or anyone who wants plenty of power and long battery life (11 hours and 15 minutes on the FHD model).
With even thinner bezels and better performance, the 2021 model has shown that it can compete with the far more expensive flagship laptops.
When those capabilities are combined with a sleek body, a bright and colorful 1080x1920p display, and a good processing speed from an 11th Gen Core i5 CPU, it’s simple to understand why the Envy 13 is the finest college laptop for students. And, to be honest, given that it is a budget laptop compared to many others on our list, the Envy 13 is an excellent pick.
MacBook Air
If you prefer macOS over Windows, the Apple MacBook Air is the way to go. While the MacBook Air M2 is now available, many users will be quite content with the MacBook Air M1, which costs less than $1,000 and is accessible to students for $899.
Along with its excellent performance and 14 hours and 41 minutes of battery life, this lovely laptop makes it difficult to match for college students trying to get the most bang for their dollars.
While the Pro offers superior sustained performance, the MacBook Air is less expensive and quiet due to its lack of a fan. And, of course, Apple’s most affordable 13.3-inch model is also the most portable, only 0.6 inches thick and 2.8 pounds.
The MacBook Pro is a solid alternative, but when all aspects of a college laptop are considered, the MacBook Air is the best choice for most macOS lovers seeking their ideal college laptop.
Dell XPS 13
The Dell XPS 13 is a powerhouse of a laptop and the finest premium laptop for college students. Thanks to an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU with integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, the notebook is equipped for work or play. And with a battery life of more than 11 hours, you’ll have plenty of time for both. The laptop routinely outperformed or was on par with competitive devices.
But don’t worry, the XPS 13 is as attractive as it is powerful.
The business created a smaller and lighter laptop than earlier generations. Despite the smaller size, Dell made significant modifications, such as a bigger touchpad and keyboard. In addition, you get a 13.4-inch near-bezel-less display on all sides, the first in the world.
Nevertheless, the Dell XPS 13 is the laptop you’re looking for if you want the whole deal.
Acer Swift 5
The previous-generation Swift 5, equipped with an 11th Gen Intel CPU, blew us away with its 13-hour battery life, great performance, elegant design, and reasonable pricing. It has a faster SSD, better performance, great video transcoding, and lightning-fast file transfers — and it still manages to be lightweight and visually appealing with an appealing dark-green-and-gold color scheme. The current-generation Swift 5 costs $200 extra, although the tiny price increase is justified.
The Swift 5 inherits some of the same issues as the previous generation, such as intrusive bloatware apps and poor speakers. But generally, this is one of the finest laptops of 2022 and an ideal match for a college student looking for strong performance in a thin-and-light form factor.
To sum it up, regardless of your college major, it is important to remember that there is no singly correct choice here. It all depends on what you prefer more; a large memory RAM and fast CPU for productivity or having a lightweight laptop with a long battery life to carry around campus without having to worry about charging. Either way, make sure to check what suits you best and make your college life experience a breeze.
