Best laptop for college students 2024: Choosing the best laptop for college students is like choosing a shoe where there is no one-size-fits-all decision. With a multitude of your flooding in the market, it became a tiring process to find value-for-money options that align with your academic needs, personal preference, and budget.
Welcome to our fifth year of “best laptops recommendation for college students”, where we help you to hail through for the best choice among Windows, MacBook, and Chromebook.
If you are new here, these recommendations are key to finding the best high-durability laptop within your budget. Best laptop for college students We have cherry-picked these laptop suggestions for college students through filters such as portability and battery life, build quality and durability, heat management, price, connectivity, and OS.
You will find all the links to these student laptops next to their descriptions. If you find our recommendation helpful, words of appreciation in the comments below would be highly appreciated.
Before directly jumping on the recommendations, let me answer this most asked question:
Which one is better: Windows, MacBook or Chromebook for college students laptop
Choosing between a Windows, Macbook, or Chromebook highly depends on the type of task you would be performing on the laptop. Best laptop for college students
If your college course includes high-performance tasks like graphic designing, video editing, or music production then MacBook would be a great choice because of its excellent build quality and long-lasting battery life.
If you don’t have any budget questions for buying a laptop then a MacBook is your go-to option. Best laptop for college students
In case your academic requirement is limited to web-based tasks then Chromebook is proven to be cost-effective.
When it comes to compatibility with a variety of software including academic applications, windows can be a great choice. Best laptop for college students Security can be a concern in a Windows laptop as compared to a MacBook.
Top Picks for College Laptop
Best laptop for college students
MacBook Air M1
Despite the latest models of MacBook Air available in the market, the MacBook Air M1 is the first choice when it comes to the best college laptop. With up to 18 hours of battery, Best laptop for college students it can handle multiple high-performing tabs together without worry of overheating issues. For a college student, this option can never go wrong.
Why you should buy MacBook Air M1
- Higher power efficiency and better battery life
- Less likely to overheat
- High-performing faster M1-based Mac; apps load much faster
- Streamlined integrated GPU
Why you shouldn’t buy MacBook Air M1
- You cannot add more RAM, especially a year down the line
- Minimal upgrade option after purchase
- Limited professional accessories support; No SD Card slot & fewer ports
- Compatibility issues with apps
- Boot Camps don’t support; means no to Windows performance, especially on Intel-based Macs
| Specification(MacBook Air M1) | Details |
| Dimensions (mm) | 6.10 x 304.70 x 212.40 |
| Operating system | macOS |
| Battery Life (up to hours) | Up to 18 hours |
| Display Size | 13.30-inch |
| Resolution | 2560×1600 pixels |
| Processor | Apple Apple M1 1st Gen Apple M1 |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM, 512GB SSD |
| Number of USB Ports | 2 x Thunderbolt 3 (Type C) |
Best Student Laptop for Creative Work
Apple MacBook Pro 14
After checking through various test points, the Apple MacBook Pro 14 turned out to be the best choice laptop, Best laptop for college students especially for students related to creative fields like architecture, engineering, media industry, graphic designing, video editing, etc.
With a battery life of up to 14 hours, it supports three Thunderbolt 4 ports, 16 GB (unified memory) & 512 GB (SSD Storage). Best laptop for college students This 14.2-inch MacBook is available in two color options.
Why you should buy Apple MacBook Pro 14
- Highly efficient performance
- Mini LED Display
- Battery life up to 14 hours
- 3 Thunderbolt 4 Ports including HDMI and SD
- Supports 6E WiFi
Why you shouldn’t buy Apple MacBook Pro 14
- Quite expensive
- Face ID support is not available
- Distracting Notch
- Little heavier as compared to other models
| Specification (Apple MacBook Pro 14) | Details |
| Dimensions (mm) | 22.12 x 31.26 x 1.55 |
| Operating system | macOS |
| Battery Life (up to hours) | up to 18 |
| Display Size | 14.20-inch |
| Resolution | 3024×1964 pixels |
| Processor | 12-core CPU |
| Memory | 16GB RAM, 64GB unified memory, 2TB storage |
| Number of USB Ports | 3 |
Dell XPS 15
Any model that can win over Apple’s superiority is definitely Dell XPS15
Why you should buy Dell XPS 15
- No distraction by wasted space around the screen, just an Infinity display
- Considerably lightweight ultrabook; portable travel-friendly
- Satisfactory and comfortable keyboard with ideal space
- Multiple options are available without burning pocket
- Excellent battery life up to 18; some variances have up to 11 hours
Why you shouldn’t buy Dell XPS 15
- Keyboard and Touchpad easily catch fingerprints
- Opening a laptop is a two-hand process because of its lightweight
- Low pixel Front camera is under the display, not on the front like other laptops
- Max brightness can be improved for super bright days
- Snappy & loud click; Not much distinction between left and right click
- Keyboard gets heated
| Specification (Dell XPS 15) | Details |
| Dimensions (mm) | 357.00 x 235.00 x 17.00 |
| Operating system | Windows 10 Professional |
| Battery Life (up to hours) | up to 16 hours |
| Display Size | 15.60-inch |
| Resolution | 1920×1080 pixels |
| Processor | Intel Core i5 8th Gen 7300HQ |
| Memory | 4GB, 16 GB expandable, 256 GB SSD |
| Number of USB Ports | 3 |
| Graphic Processor | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti |
Best touch screen laptop for college students
Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1
Why you should buy Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1
- Fairly travel friendly
- Battery life up to 10 hours
- As it is 2 in 1, you can set it up in tent mode or use it as a tablet
- Very loud up-firing speakers
Why you shouldn’t buy Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1
- Not bright display under direct reflection during broad daylight
- Sound unnatural with little bass in the speaker
| Specification (Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1) | Details |
| Dimensions (mm) | 15.42 x 356.78 x 251.70 |
| Operating system | Windows 11 Home |
| Battery Life (up to hours) | up to 16 hours |
| Display Size | 16.00-inch |
| Resolution | 1200×1920 pixels |
| Processor | Intel Core 13th Gen |
| Memory | 8 GB: 1 x 8 GB, DDR4, 3200 MT/s, 512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD |
| Number of USB Ports | 3 |
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8
Why you should buy Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8
- Supported OLED touch screen with pen
- Carry case for pen included
- Decent battery life
- Strong build quality
- Fast processing performance
- Premium feel with sturdy aluminum body
Why you shouldn’t buy Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8
- Can’t customize extra function keys
- No option for 5G connectivity
- Absence of built-in pen storage
- Average webcam quality
| Specification (Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8) | Details |
| Dimensions (inches) | 0.6 x 12.5 x 9.1 inches |
| Operating system | Windows 11 Home |
| Battery Life (up to hours) | up to 14 hours |
| Display Size | 14 inches |
| Resolution | 2880 x 1800 |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-1360P |
| Memory | 16 GB, 512 GB (SSD) |
| Number of USB Ports | 1x USB Type-A, 2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB 3.2, 3.5mm audio |
| Graphic Processor | Intel Iris Xe Graphics |
As a college student, which processor would be better: i5 or i7
Ask this question to decide whether a college student should buy an i5 or i7 processor: Will I be doing high-processing tasks like video editing or streaming? Best laptop for college students If your answer is yes and your budget allows then you should go i7. Processor i 7 will offer you more cores and Threads which in turn will give high end.
Otherwise, i5 is a perfect balance of affordability and performance for college students. Both i5 and i7 consume the same amount of power. Best laptop for college students
Make sure to check other factors as well apart from processing power to choose the best available laptop according to your needs.
Which generation of laptop is best for students
Processor is a crucial part of choosing a decent laptop. Generally for college or high school students, laptops of the latest generation Intel Core with i 5 or i7 processor are considered best. Best laptop for college students
It is recommended for college students to avoid buying high-end configuration machines unless the purpose is hardcore gaming.
How do I choose a new laptop as a college student?
While buying a new laptop you should have clarity about some basic requirements such as:
- How much usage of minimum time do you expect from a laptop
- Why you need: Will you be performing lower-end processing tasks or high-end processing task
- Minimum storage capacity according to your needs eg: RAM, SSD, or HDD preference
- Budget
- OS
- Battery
In conclusion, a student laptop must have these three features: weight less than 1.5-2 kg, compact size, and at least i3 10th gen. Remember to must have an SSD slot! Best laptop for college students
What is the best size of laptop for a college student?
Most students who are buying a laptop for college must prefer the Ideal laptop screen size between 13″ to 17″ while keeping in mind the weight of the laptop. Best laptop for college students There must be a strike balance in performance, screen size, weight, and portability
When is the best time to buy a laptop for college students
The best time for students to buy a laptop for college is definitely on sale so that we can avail all the best possible discounts & offers on this deal. Best laptop for college students
- Black Friday sale
- Cyber Monday sale
- Back to school
- Amazon Prime day
Apart from this student discounts are offered by many companies including Apple, Microsoft, HP Dell, Amazon, Lenovo, etc. Best laptop for college students
Apple offers student discounts ranging from $50 to $400 off on MacBooks & iPads.
Dell University gives an exclusive 10% discount to students while buying from the .edu email address. Best laptop for college students
Microsoft Student Discount offers 10% off to students
A 5% discount is offered by Lenovo to students as well as teachers on buying laptops.
Another perk that students can away while buying a laptop is by asking for free software offered by respective companies.
Also read : 5 Ways To Make Passive Income Up To $1000
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