9 BEST Laptops For Students – 2024 (School/College)

Students, being the most versatile creatures, long for a laptop flexible enough to execute different tasks simultaneously. Finding such a laptop is not a cakewalk. The laptop should strike a perfect balance between its performance, weight, acoustics, battery, and keyboard.My educational background and experience in this field have helped me find the 9 best budget education laptops ideal for a student's needs. These laptops are versatile and ticks off most of the checkboxes of a student's wishlist. Read till the end for my final verdict to help you make the right purchase.The best laptops for students include Acer Aspire 5, Lenovo IdeaPad 5, MacBook Air M3, HP Envy 360, etc. These laptops can serve every need of students. They have good processors, crisp audio and sound quality, adequate battery life, and a comfortable keyboard.

Best Laptops For Students

LAPTOP	Processor	RAM	Screen Size	Starting Price	Buying Link
👍Acer Aspire 5	Intel Core i7	16GB	15.6''	$801.28	Buy Now
Lenovo IdeaPad 5	AMD Ryzen 7	16GB	15.6''	$799.00	Buy Now
HP Envy x360	AMD Ryzen 5	8GB	15.6''	$489.59	Buy Now
Acer Chromebook Spin 513	Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c	8GB	13.3''	$223.88	Buy Now
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3	Intel Core i5	8GB	12.4''	$699.99	Buy Now

1) Acer Aspire 5

Acer Aspire 5 is the #BestStudentLaptop as it can be used for casual surfing and consuming media by offering a backlit keyboard with stereo speakers. I don't have to worry if I drop it, as an aluminum outer casing protects it. Various ports like USB-C, USB 3.2, and HDMI are available for connecting peripherals.If I want to make a style statement among my peers, this device offers me a backlit keyboard with a sleek design. Also, it offers an IPS display with an 82.58% screen-to-body ratio, which is perfect when binge-watching my favorite shows or working from home.Features:

• Wi-Fi 6 Connectivity: Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 improves the device’s data-sharing capability. It also reduces latency by up to 75%.
• Fingerprint Reader: This feature reduces the device’s startup time and makes you stand out from the crowd, as this feature is sporadic when seen on a laptop.
• Multiple Cooling Modes: Acer provides users with three modes, namely silent, regular, and performance. One can control the speed of the fan with a single touch.
• Elevated Hinge: Aspire 5 has an elevated hinge design, making the typing experience of students comfortable and smooth. Also, this design helps keep the device cooler when working to its full potential.
• Graphics: It is equipped with Intel Iris Xe graphics that provide students with life-like graphics, encouraging them to explore fields like designing and editing as they have never done before.

Pros	Cons
Its weight of 3.5 pounds makes it easier to carry anywhere in the house.	Excessive reflections from the screen can hinder the seamless viewing of media.
The 720p webcam is ideal for making high-quality video calls with friends and family.
Stereo speakers come in handy during media consumption.

2) Lenovo IdeaPad 5

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 is the most versatile laptop a student can ask for. Its AMD Ryzen 7 processor and student-friendly interface fulfill all my needs. If you want to experience high-quality graphics, this is a laptop for you, as this student laptop has AMD Radeon graphics.This laptop's connectivity is not an issue as it includes a 9H HDMI cable, which is ideal for connecting external displays. This laptop offers an HDMI port and various other ports, enabling students to connect peripherals during presentations or lectures. Also, this laptop allows me to type comfortably even in dim light with the help of its backlit keyboard,Features:

• Anti-glare: This laptop's display minimizes reflections and reduces eye strain. It is ideal for students who have high screen time.
• Enhanced privacy: Lenovo provides students with a tab to lock the camera physically. This feature is essential for students to ensure their privacy.
• Dolby Audio: IdeaPad comes with Dolby Audio, making the environment perfect for entertainment. It also comes in handy during online classes.
• Fingerprint Reader: The laptop offers a fingerprint reader for faster locking or unlocking the device, saving students a lot of time.
• WiFi 6 Connectivity: It has Wifi 6 connectivity that permits students to be connected to loads of information on the internet from anywhere. Also, they can access their online data and transfer it to their peers without any physical connection.

Pros	Cons
It has front-firing speakers that deliver a crisp and rich sound. during your online classes.	The hinge joining the screen with the main body is not very reliable.
The AMD Ryzen 7 processor gives enough power to breeze through any task.
A touchscreen with a backlit keyboard is ideal for students to take notes anywhere.

Pricing:

Version	Processor	Storage	Price	Link
16/256	AMD Ryzen 7	256GB SSD	$799.00	Buy Now
16/512	AMD Ryzen 7	512GB SSD	$819.00	Buy Now
16/1	AMD Ryzen 7	1TB SSD	$839.00	Buy Now
👍16/2	AMD Ryzen 7	2TB SSD	$879.00	Buy Now

3) HP Envy x360

HP Envy x360 is the most aesthetically pleasing laptop for students, and it has a sleek and elegant design. The AMD Radeon Graphics provides ultra-high graphics that take my editing skills to the next level. Also, this feature gives me an upper hand when playing games with my friends.If you don't want to trade-off between power and design, then this laptop is made just for you. Its Wireless-AX(WiFi 6) connectivity lets me access the internet for information or connect with colleagues from any part of the earth. It is a game changer in this segment- being stylish and powerful simultaneously.Features:

• Convertible: A 2-in-1 laptop that can turn into a tablet. This feature is a boon for students, making it a perfect platform for note-taking, drawing, or designing.
• Streamlined Design: The streamlined design makes this laptop thinner and lighter. This sleek design makes the computer more portable.
• Faster Performance: It comes with PCle SSD, which delivers 15x faster performance than traditional SSDs, aiding students in storing heavier files faster.
• Keyboard: This student laptop has a backlit keyboard that allows for a smooth and comfortable typing experience even in dim light.
• Ports: A student gets an HDMI port with a couple of Type-C ports and various other ports to connect to other devices during their classes or while completing assignments.

Pros	Cons
Premium looks with a sturdy chassis allow students to use it in a rough and tough environment.	The consumer has to buy a stylus for this device separately.
RAM/SSD can be upgraded, keeping in mind the user's future usage pattern.
The touchscreen feature helps students hone their design skills.

4) Acer Chromebook Spin 513Acer Chromebook Spin 513 is the #BestCheapLaptop for students. It is great value for money and is designed to be safe and student-friendly. This laptop gives me the liberty to type even in dim light with its backlit keyboard. I don't have to run here and there to find a charging socket, as this laptop has 13.5 hours of battery life.This student laptop operates on Chrome OS and is designed to fulfill most of the needs of school students. It is easy to use and learn and offers better value for money than its Windows counterparts. The two built-in microphones enable better microphone reception, providing better audio quality during conferences.Features:

• 4G LTE: The Chromebook offers 4G LTE connectivity that keeps a student connected with the world even when not connected to a WiFi connection.
• Gorilla Glass: The screen is protected with gorilla glass, accounting for every fall of this device. It is the best for rough and tough use by students.
• 2 in 1 Laptop: It has a convertible configuration, which can be used as a laptop or a tablet. This 2-in-1 feature helps the student to work according to their comfort level.
• Peripherals: Acer has packed this laptop with various ports like USB-C, nano sim slot, etc., so students can easily connect to many other devices whenever needed.
• EPEAT Certification: It has been awarded the silver certification of EPEAT, which asses products against criteria including energy use and has a reduced sustainability impact across their life.

Pros	Cons
Minimal bezel around the screen gives students an immersive experience.	Struggles to load or handle many tabs at once due to its primitive processor.
Cellular connectivity gives students an additional connectivity mode in the absence of WiFi.
The gorilla glass adds extra protection, essential for rough and tough use.

Pricing:

Model	RAM	Storage	Price	Link
R841T-S4Z6	4GB	64GB SSD	$223.88	Buy Now
👍CP513-1H-S338	8GB	64GB SSD	$359.99	Buy Now

5) Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is the #BestStudentLaptop for CS students and also ideal for engineering students, with a great battery, excellent networking, and a touchscreen for making notes. Looking for a sleek, easy-to-take-everywhere laptop weighing around 2.5 pounds, then this is the one for you.With 15 hours of battery life, it can easily power me throughout my day. I can connect many devices with ports like a headphone jack, USB-C, etc. This laptop keeps me worry-free about hacking or other cyber crimes with its advanced security suite by Microsoft.Features:

• Fingerprint Power Button: An easy way to quickly sign in to your laptop. The faster sign-in option facilitates students to get into their work directly.
• HD Camera: A student can elevate his experience of video calls with an HD camera. It is a perfect fit for students who engage in many online classes and conferences.
• Touchscreen: The touchscreen feature aids students in using the device as a laptop and a tablet. This feature helps students take notes or edit videos.
• Microphone: It has built-in Studio Mics combined with audio processing technology that removes background noises and captures your voice clearly so you can attend online lectures in any environment.
• Sound: This student's laptop is equipped with Omnisonic speakers and Dolby Audio, providing rich and immersive sound and creating a positive environment.

Pros	Cons
AI-powered search is bliss for students while submitting their assignments or projects.	Students must be aware that the battery drains quickly when in sleep mode.
The keyboard is comfortable and smooth, ideal for CS students' coding.
Students get various color options to choose from.

*Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is available in Ice Blue, Platinum, and Sandstone colors.

6) HP 14" Ultra Light Laptop

HP 14" Ultra Light Laptop is the #BestStudentLaptop, which ticks off most boxes and is specially built considering students' needs. This device offers Celeron N CPU, boosting performance and sailing me quickly and easily throughout a day's work. I always get immersed in the content due to its 14'' display.The lightweight design makes it easy for me to carry it anywhere and work on the go. I get to hone my gaming skills with this laptop, which is integrated with Intel UHD Graphics and enables me to track every opponent's movement. HP also provides a Ghost Manta 128GB SD card with the laptop. Features:

• Microsoft Office 365: The student gets a year of Microsoft Office 365 free with this laptop—such a boon for students who spend most of their time in Word, Excel, etc.
• HD Webcam: A 720p HD webcam enhances picture quality during video conferencing or online classes.
• Ports: This device is packed with different types of ports to increase the number of peripheral connections with your device. This feature is handy for students.
• Microphone: A dual array digital microphone delivering crisp audio is perfect for students during conferences or Zoom classes.
• Windows 11S:  Students get Windows 11 S mode with this laptop, which gives them an extra sense of cybersecurity, making it an ideal laptop for cybersecurity students.

Pros	Cons
Microsoft Office 365 subscription is handy for students when working around their assignments.	RAM is not enough to handle heavy tasks or multiple tasks without buffering.
A pixel sense display provides crisp frames to the student.
The fast charging helps students as they don't have to sit at a place to charge for longer hours.

Pricing:

Variant	Processor	RAM	Storage	Price	Link
8/128	Intel Quad Core N4120	8GB	128GB SSD	$289.99	Buy Now
8/192	Intel Quad Core N4120	8GB	192GB SSD	$269.99	Buy Now
16/128	Intel Quad Core N4120	16GB	128GB SSD	$289.99	Buy Now
16/192	Intel Quad Core N4120	16GB	192GB SSD	$329.99	Buy Now
👍16/256	Intel Quad Core N4120	16GB	256GB SSD	$399.99	Buy Now

*Available in various color options

7) MacBook Air M3

MacBook Air M3 is the #UltimateStudentLaptop by Apple for design, programming, or editing. It provides ideal processing and graphic performance along with battery life. This student laptop comes with Apple's own M3 chip, making it one of a kind and also making it 13x faster than Intel-based MacBooks.Improved processing speeds from its predecessors help me to work on various tasks simultaneously without experiencing any lag. Its 18-hour battery life relieves me of the stress of finding a socket to plug it. Furthermore, student laptop discounts on Apple devices can make the MacBook Air M3 an even better deal.Features:

• M3 SOC: This version of MacBook Air comes with Apple's in-house M3 system on chip, boosting its performance to the next level. It makes the laptop faster in every sense.
• Silent Design: The laptop features a fanless, silent design, no matter the task. This feature saves a student from the loud noises of fans during a heavy, memory-consuming job.
• Spatial Audio: MacBook is integrated with an immersive sound system with spatial audio that takes the sound quality of this device to a whole new level.
• Warranty: The user gets a one-year limited warranty and up to 90 days of complimentary technical support. This can be further upgraded with Apple Care+.
• Display:  It comes with a Liquid Retina display, which permits students to work longer hours with negligible strain on their eyes. Also, it is enclosed in a recycled aluminum enclosure, making this laptop durable enough.
• Touch ID: This student laptop boasts a backlit keyboard and Touch ID, enabling faster signing to the device with more privacy. Also, this feature saves students a lot of time.

Pros	Cons
It uses Mac OS, boosting its performance over the roof.	It's a little heavy on students' pockets.
The connectivity in Apple's ecosystem with other devices is unmatched by any other manufacturer.
Mac is an industry-standard used in many operations.

Pricing: * Apple MacBook M3 is available in 4 colors: Midnight, Silver, Space Gray, and Starlight

8) MSI Modern 15

MSI Modern 15 is the best student laptop for gaming and casual surfing. It has powerful AMD Radeon graphics for image and video editing, which help me design elements for my work. It is a lightweight laptop weighing just over 4 pounds, enabling students to take it anywhere.If you have an assignment to finish, your code is very complex, or you have to render a heavy file, so don't worry if you have this laptop equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 processor. This student's laptop has high-res audio, enabling latency-free communication with my colleagues.Feature:

• Military Grade Durability: This device achieves military standards for durability. Students can use this laptop for rough and tough use.
• MSI Center: Modern's in-house MSI Center takes optimization to the next level with various system modes for a broader range of tasks, especially for students.
• 180° Lay Flat: The 180° lay-flat function allows the user to share the screen for a more effective workspace, directly increasing students' work efficiency.
• Ports: This student's laptop comes with a USB-C port and a microSD card socket, which aids students in connecting various devices and sharing information.
• Keyboard: The backlit keyboard uplifts the user's style statement and aids in a smooth and comfortable typing experience.

Pros	Cons
You get ample everyday computing pace with AMD Ryzen 7.	A battery life of just 7 hours is not enough to get a student throughout the day.
A responsive and satisfying keyboard for typing makes it a smoother experience for students.
The 180° flat feature is very lucrative for students.

9) Dell Inspiron 15 5000

Dell Inspiron 15 is the #BestStudentLaptop, providing an Intel Core i5 processor and a comfortable keyboard to type on. I can run multiple tabs and execute the tasks untroubled as this student laptop has a massive 32GB RAM. The PCle SSD has a 15x faster performance than traditional SSDs.WiFi 6 connectivity helps me to communicate with my peers seamlessly. It gives me the feeling that the Internet is at my fingertips. Dell has offered its users various ports ranging from USB-C to a micro SD card slot to connect many devices, improving students' working efficiency.Features:

• Intel Iris Xe Graphics: Dell has packed this laptop with Intel Iris Xe graphics so students can improve their video editing and designing skills.
• Backlit Keyboard: Typing in dim light becomes more accessible for students with the backlit keyboard.
• Fingerprint Reader: Easy locking and unlocking with the fingerprint reader reduces startup time for the laptop, saving a lot of time for students.
• Keyboard: This is one of the best laptops for coding due to its angled keyboard, which is ideal for writing comfortably in a go for long durations.
• Speakers: It has dual stereo speakers to provide excellent and crisp sound to the listener while you are presenting.

Pros	Cons
Dual stereo speakers are ideal for media consumption and video calls.	It lacks features to justify its price.
The faster performance of PCle SSD is best for students.
WiFi 6 connectivity helps students to share data with their peers.

Tablets vs Laptops For Students

Features	Tablets	Laptops
Connectivity	👍Tablets generally have an option for cellular connectivity as well as WiFi.	Laptops rely on WiFi or Ethernet for connectivity.
Processing Capabilities	The processors can't support heavy tasks like coding or editing.	👍For laptops, any task is not difficult to execute with their powerful processors.
Portability	👍Tablets are lighter and sleeker than laptops and are easy to carry anywhere.	Their flap design hinders portability.
Graphic Cards	They lack graphic cards	👍The graphic card often comes integrated with the device
Cameras	👍Students get both front and back cameras with much better image quality	Laptops only offer a front camera only adequate for online classes.
Typing	Tablets don't come with an external keyboard. It's not ideal for long typing sessions.	👍The external keyboard, mainly with a backlit keyboard, aids students in smooth typing.
Screen Size	They are smaller and sleeker than laptops.	👍Laptops have larger screens essential for students who spend most of their time on devices.
Ports	Generally, they offer 2 or 3 ports, which hinders users from connecting various devices.	👍They offer a significant number of ports to aid students in connecting many different devices at once.

After reading this, you might be considering choosing the best tablet for your education needs. The top picks for tablets in the market are:

Apple iPad

Apple iPad with in-house bionic chips makes it an ideal device for students in foundational classes. The retina display protects students' eyes from strain during long sessions. The Apple Pencil gives the user the feeling of holding a pen and writing in a notebook. The front and back cameras give users perfect picture quality for online classes. The portability also adds magic to this device, with a long-lasting battery life of around 10 hours.

Samsung Galaxy Tabs

Samsung's Galaxy range of tabs is one of the best in the market, having Android OS. They are ideal for students who love writing notes in class or designing with an S pen. They have adequate processing power to perform essential functions with integrated Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. With enhanced portability, they also make up for suitable entertainment devices with LCDs.

Kindle

A reader's paradise is what defines a Kindle. A 330 ppi no glare display gives a student a natural paper-like feel. With an Amazon-manufactured device, students can load many books into the machine with apt memory space. The biggest drawback is that it can't perform any function other than reading a book, so it can be a secondary device for students, not a primary one.

How to choose the best laptop for students?

Many laptops compete for the best spot in the range for students. So, one has to be extremely careful while choosing a laptop. One should look out for these particular characteristics in a device:-

• Value: Many devices offer these functionalities, but we must remember that no machine can be perfect, so we must choose wisely.
• Battery Life: Battery life is among students' most highly valued specifications as they work longer hours. They don't like spending too much time being plugged in and like to work in different places.
• Processor: Choosing a fast-performing processor with a good reputation in the market is the key to a perfect laptop.
• RAM: Students must do various tasks and open various tabs simultaneously, requiring sufficient RAM to handle this large load.
• Sound: In today's digital era, education is being digitized. To access digital education, students must attend various online lectures needing a good-quality speaker to transmit sound clearly.
• Audio: Students sometimes have to communicate with their peers or present their work in online classes or competitions, making a good studio-quality microphone necessary.
• Portability: Student laptops should be lightweight and portable enough so that students can carry them anywhere and enable them to work on the go. Heavy laptops restrict movement and make it cumbersome for students to work on them in their classrooms.

FAQs

   

The Verdict

We have discussed the best laptops available on the market for students. In my experience, choosing the best low-cost laptops for students is better than finding student discounts on laptops. We have seen that each computer is a power-packed device, and it all depends on the consumer which functionalities they want to prioritize over others. Here is a concise version listing the best features of each laptop to aid the consumer.

Feature	Laptop
Best Budget Laptop Overall	Acer Aspire 5
Best Rated Laptop (Amazon)	Lenovo IdeaPad 5
Best Style Icon	HP Envy x360

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