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Classes have just ended, but it's not too early to start looking at laptops for the next school year. Summers have a way of starting slowly, but that leisurely pace is misleading because before you know it, Labor Day is almost here, bringing summer vacation to an abrupt halt. If you know you'll need a new laptop this fall, I wouldn't wait until August to start shopping. Laptop prices swing wildly as manufacturers and resellers rotate sales, so it pays to track pricing for a few weeks to get the best deal. Start your back-to-school shopping by checking out my favorite laptops for students.
The MacBook Neo is easily the best laptop for school use, especially if you (or the student you're buying for) already have an iPhone. The two devices work seamlessly together. At $599, the Neo is nearly half the price of the cheapest MacBook Air, and students and teachers can get it for only $499. Given the convenience and security that Touch ID provides, however, I'd view Apple's $100 educational discount as a way to get the added Touch ID (along with more storage) free, rather than lowering the price of the base model.
Pros
- Premium MacBook look and feel at much lower cost
- 13-inch display not much smaller than Macbook Air's
- A18 Pro chip is powerful enough to provide fulfilling MacOS experience
- Surprisingly impressive sound from stereo speakers
Cons
- Touch ID costs $100 extra
- Baseline 256GB SSD will fill up fast
- No MagSafe or fast charging
- Smaller battery and shorter battery life than MacBook Air
Only a few weeks after ceding the battery life throne to Lenovo in our tests, HP has snatched back the crown with the OmniBook 5 14.
Pros
- Unbelievable battery life
- Sturdy, stylish and compact design
- OLED display delivers deep blacks, vivid colors
- Generous RAM and SSD for the price
Cons
- OLED display isn't the brightest
- Slow USB-C ports
Built around an Arm-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor, the Zenbook A14 is the lightest Copilot Plus PC we've tested and the second-longest running. It weighs less than 2.2 pounds and offers a battery life of more than 24 hours.
Pros
- Incredibly thin and light without feeling flimsy
- All-day-and-all-night battery life
- OLED display at this price is a nice surprise
- Ample RAM and storage for the price
Cons
- Meh performance from Snapdragon X CPU
- Meh mechanical touchpad
- Meh speakers
Based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme processor, the Zenbook A16 is a rightful successor to last year's excellent Zenbook A14 and one of the best 16-inch laptops you can buy.
Pros
- Leading application and AI performance
- Thin and light, yet has a rigid design
- Huge OLED is crisp, smooth and bright
- Good sound from six-speaker array
Cons
- Lackluster 3D performance
- Meh mechanical touch pad
- No room for internal expansion
- Beige = boring
This recent release from Acer's budget Aspire line is based on an Intel Lunar Lake CPU. Its Intel Core Ultra 5 226V features a neural processing unit capable of 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS) for local AI processing, which happens to be the minimum requirement for Microsoft's Copilot Plus PC platform. The Aspire 14 AI is on sale for $619 at Amazon and only $500 at Costco, making it easily the cheapest Copilot Plus PC I've reviewed.
Pros
- Exceedingly long battery life
- Competitive performance for the price
- Useful port selection
Cons
- Dull display
- Dull design
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- Best Laptop for College Students: Top Laptops for School in 2026
- What's the best laptop for college students?
- Best laptops for students in 2026
- Best laptop for college students
- Best Windows laptop for college students
- Best ultra-light laptop for students
- Best big-screen, ultra-light laptop
- Best entry-level budget laptop for students
- Best MacBook Pro alternative for students
- Best laptop for art students (and gamers)
- Best big-screen budget Windows laptop
- Best laptop for note-taking
- Best Chromebook for college
- Best laptops for college student compared
- Factors to consider
- How to get the best laptop for high school students
- How we test laptops for students
- Other student laptops we tested
- Laptop FAQs
What's the best laptop for college students?
Apple's MacBook Neo is a near-perfect laptop for student life and student budgets. It costs just $499 with Apple’s student discount and offers a premium MacBook design, a display that’s hardly any smaller than the MacBook Air’s and enough performance for the majority of students. You just don't see this level of build quality and design at this price.
I'm willing to live without most of the features the Neo lacks because it costs $500 less than the cheapest MacBook Air. And, sure, its iPhone processor isn't as powerful as the M5 chip in the new MacBook Air, and it comes with only 8GB of RAM, but the Neo has enough oomph to provide an entirely pleasant MacOS experience for most students.
I also have Windows recommendations for school I’ve tested and reviewed that are also portable and affordable. The Asus Zenbook A14 is well suited for campus life with its ultralight design and ultra-long battery life, and the surprisingly lightweight Asus Zenbook A16 is one of few 16-inch laptops I'd recommend for campus life. For even longer battery life, check out the HP OmniBook 5 14. Meanwhile, the return of the Dell XPS 14 gives those studying STEM or design a powerful and stylish Windows alternative to the MacBook Pro.
With so many resources and so much of your course curriculum available online, it's next to impossible to get through college without a laptop. There is no shortage of laptops for sale, which makes it difficult to zero in on one that will fit your needs and budget. That's where my laptop colleagues and I come in. We've researched and tested to find the best laptop for college students in 2026. Whether you are looking for a MacBook, a Windows laptop or a Chromebook for school, we've rounded up several college laptop picks that will serve most students well.
Best laptops for students in 2026
Pros
- Premium MacBook look and feel at much lower cost
- 13-inch display not much smaller than Macbook Air's
- A18 Pro chip is powerful enough to provide fulfilling MacOS experience
- Surprisingly impressive sound from stereo speakers
Cons
- Touch ID costs $100 extra
- Baseline 256GB SSD will fill up fast
- No MagSafe or fast charging
- Smaller battery and shorter battery life than MacBook Air
The MacBook Neo is easily the best laptop for school use, especially if you (or the student you're buying for) already have an iPhone. The two devices work seamlessly together. At $599, the Neo is nearly half the price of the cheapest MacBook Air, and students and teachers can get it for only $499. Given the convenience and security that Touch ID provides, however, I'd view Apple's $100 educational discount as a way to get the added Touch ID (along with more storage) free, rather than lowering the price of the base model.
Why we like it
It has the same luxurious, all-aluminum design as Apple’s other MacBooks, and its 13-inch display is nearly as big as the 13.6-inch Air’s. The Neo’s iPhone chip can’t match the performance of an M-series processor, but it’s still powerful enough to provide a smooth MacOS experience for most people.
Who it’s best for
Anyone on a student budget who can’t spend $1,000 or more on a laptop, especially if you already own an iPhone, because iOS and MacOS work so well together.
Who shouldn’t buy it
Students in STEM or design programs will likely need more power than the Neo offers and will need to spend more on a MacBook Air or even a MacBook Pro.
Pros
- Unbelievable battery life
- Sturdy, stylish and compact design
- OLED display delivers deep blacks, vivid colors
- Generous RAM and SSD for the price
Cons
- OLED display isn't the brightest
- Slow USB-C ports
Only a few weeks after ceding the battery life throne to Lenovo in our tests, HP has snatched back the crown with the OmniBook 5 14.
Why we like it
For starters, it runs and runs (and runs and runs). It’s the current battery life champ, lasting more than 28 hours in testing. In addition to record-setting battery life, the OmniBook 5 14 offers a simple, elegant design and easy-to-carry weight -- plus, an OLED display that delivers stellar contrast and vivid colors. It also supplies an ample 32GB of RAM and a roomy 1TB SSD, neither of which is a given in a laptop that costs less than $1,000.
Who it’s best for
For students and others constantly on the go, the OmniBook 5 14 is a fantastic pick at a great price.
Who shouldn’t buy it
If you're concerned about Windows-on-Arm compatibility issues, skip the Snapdragon X-based OmniBook 5 14 and go for an Intel- or AMD-based laptop.
Pros
- Incredibly thin and light without feeling flimsy
- All-day-and-all-night battery life
- OLED display at this price is a nice surprise
- Ample RAM and storage for the price
Cons
- Meh performance from Snapdragon X CPU
- Meh mechanical touchpad
- Meh speakers
Built around an Arm-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor, the Zenbook A14 is the lightest Copilot Plus PC we've tested and the second-longest running. It weighs less than 2.2 pounds and offers a battery life of more than 24 hours.
Why we like it
Its Ceraluminum shell allows the Zenbook A14 to be incredibly light yet rigid, and its 14-inch OLED display is excellent. It also serves up ample RAM and storage for the price.
Who it's best for
Students and anyone who is regularly on the road for their job. If portability is paramount, then the lightweight, long-running Zenbook A14 is the pick.
Who shouldn't get it
If you're concerned about Windows-on-Arm compatibility, skip the Zenbook A14 and find an Intel- or AMD-based laptop.
Pros
- Leading application and AI performance
- Thin and light, yet has a rigid design
- Huge OLED is crisp, smooth and bright
- Good sound from six-speaker array
Cons
- Lackluster 3D performance
- Meh mechanical touch pad
- No room for internal expansion
- Beige = boring
Based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme processor, the Zenbook A16 is a rightful successor to last year's excellent Zenbook A14 and one of the best 16-inch laptops you can buy.
Why we like it
The Asus Zenbook A16 has a lot going for it. It boasts leading AI performance and is fast with non-AI tasks, too. It offers good battery life, has a beautiful 3K OLED display and is the lightest 16-inch laptop I've ever tested. I wouldn't recommend many 16-inch laptops for campus life, but the Zenbook A16 weighs less than three pounds so it won't feel like you're dragging an anchor to class every day.
Who it’s best for
Anyone who wants a big, 16-inch laptop that they can take with them. The 16-inch OLED provides a wonderful work surface, and the sub-three-pound weight makes the Zenbook A16 an easy travel companion. Plus, it’s well-equipped to last a long time. With its stellar application and AI performance, the Zenbook A16 is a modern laptop well equipped for today's demands and those of tomorrow. Because even if you aren't using your laptop to perform AI tasks now, you might next week, next month or next year.
Who shouldn’t buy it
While the Snapdragon X2-based Zenbook A16 outpaced competing Intel Panther Lake laptops in AI and application performance, Qualcomm's Adreno graphics chips can't match Intel's integrated GPU in 3D performance. The Zenbook A16 model I tested costs $1,700, which is pricey for a laptop with little to no gaming capacity.
Pros
- Exceedingly long battery life
- Competitive performance for the price
- Useful port selection
Cons
- Dull display
- Dull design
This recent release from Acer's budget Aspire line is based on an Intel Lunar Lake CPU. Its Intel Core Ultra 5 226V features a neural processing unit capable of 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS) for local AI processing, which happens to be the minimum requirement for Microsoft's Copilot Plus PC platform. The Aspire 14 AI is on sale for $619 at Amazon and only $500 at Costco, making it easily the cheapest Copilot Plus PC I've reviewed.
Why we like it
The Aspire 14 AI is a great pick among budget laptops. Its performance and battery life exceed what you can expect for the price, and the design is nearly the same as you get with Acer's more expensive Swift models. You're forced to sacrifice display quality to hit such a low price, but that's an item that's usually not very high on a budget shopper's priority list. More important is getting a modern CPU that delivers sufficient performance for everyday use that's also efficient to allow for lengthy battery life -- plus a bit of future-proofing with its AI capabilities.
Who it's best for
With the lengthy battery life we've come to expect from Copilot Plus PCs and with application and AI performance that's competitive with pricier models, the Aspire 14 AI offers great value for budget shoppers looking for a Copilot Plus PC.
Who shouldn't get it
If you care about the overall look of your next laptop and have the money, you can find more exciting designs. Spending more will also get you a brighter display with better color performance.
Pros
- Sleek, solid design at a reasonable weight
- Strong performance with long battery life
- Quiet and cool operation
- Physical keys have returned to the Function row
- Huge, haptic touchpad
- Quad speakers produce great sound
Cons
- Matches MacBook Pro in price but not performance
- Seams along the edges and below the keyboard are magnets for debris
- Limited port selection with no adapter included
- No fingerprint reader
After killing it off last year, Dell turned right around this year and brought back the XPS this year. The XPS 14 marks a grand return for Dell’s longtime premium laptop brand.
Why we like it
The XPS 14 corrects many of the errors of the Dell 14 Premium, including the most egregious ones, while coming in at a reasonable weight and retaining a solid, well-built chassis. Physical keys returning to the Function is another move in the right direction. Based on Intel’s latest Panther Lake processors, the XPS 14 delivers strong overall performance and long battery life.
Who it’s best for
STEM and design students who want the power and style of a MacBook Pro in a Windows laptop.
Who shouldn’t buy it
If you're OS agnostic, the MacBook Pro offers better performance and battery life for the same price.
Pros
- 2.5K OLED display is crisp, bright and fast
- Snappy keyboard feels fast for games
- Thin and light for its size
- Free M.2 slot to add second SSD
Cons
- Short battery life
- No biometrics for easy, secure logins
- Lacks fast Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 ports
- Always-on power button LED is annoying
The Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 is overkill for most budget gaming laptop shoppers, both in terms of price and features. But if you view it as two laptops in one -- a competent gaming laptop with a reasonably large 15.1-inch display and a general-use laptop that's thin and light enough to carry around more than occasionally -- then its price begins to look like a great value.
Why we like it
It provides great performance for the price, and the 2.5K OLED display is outstanding. The Legion 5i Gen 10's OLED wins the Triple Crown for displays: a high resolution for crisp text and images, a speedy refresh rate for smooth movement and a high peak brightness that allows colors to pop. It's one of the best laptop displays I've ever seen.
Who it’s best for
It's a great pick for gamers, but it's more than just a gaming laptop. Art students will love the bright, high-res OLED display and the laptop's portability relative to other gaming laptops.
Who shouldn’t buy it
If you need a portable laptop with good battery life, then most gaming laptops, including this one, are the wrong choice.
Pros
- Optimal balance of screen size and laptop weight
- Incredible battery life
- Comfortable keyboard and roomy touchpad
- Crisp 1440p webcam
- Excellent external expansion options
Cons
- Design can't be described as "exciting"
- So-so speakers
Weighing less than 3.5 pounds and offering amazing battery life, the Acer Aspire 16 AI is a 16-inch laptop that's easy to take with you.
Why we like it
The Aspire 16 AI offers an optimal balance of screen size and system weight, making it a unique laptop: the rare 16-inch ultraportable. Plus, its battery life is fantastic, letting you lighten your load by leaving the power cord at home. If you're looking for an affordable and portable productivity machine, the Aspire 16 AI checks a lot of boxes.
Who it’s best for
Budget laptop shoppers who are unwilling to choose between screen size and a lightweight. The 16-inch Aspire 16 AI doesn’t weigh much more than the average 14-inch laptop, giving you extra screen real estate without sacrificing much in portability.
Who shouldn’t buy it
Students and others constantly on the go will be better served with a smaller, 14-inch laptop that’s more compact and even lighter than the Aspire 16 AI.
Pros
- Strong build quality
- Great performance for the price
- Long battery life
- Comfortable, quiet keyboard
- Good port selection
Cons
- A little on the heavy side
- Clacky touchpad
- Uninspired audio output
With its excellent build quality, adequate display, strong performance and lengthy battery life, the Yoga 7 14 Gen 9 provides a ton of value and is a great fit as a versatile machine for home use or students.
Why we like it
It provides a ton of value at its regularly discounted price of $800 at Amazon. I liked its solid, all-metal chassis and the power and efficiency of its AMD Ryzen 7 8000-series CPU.
Who it's best for
Anyone looking for a flexible two-in-one for a great price, including students who might like to take notes in tablet mode. It lacks some of the refinement and extras you get with Lenovo’s flagship Yoga 9i 14, but the midrange Yoga 7 14 is much more affordable. It's definitely the better option for students.
Who shouldn't get it
Laptop buyers who want a lighter two-in-one with a better OLED display and better speakers -- and are willing to spend more to get those extras -- should instead consider the Yoga 9i 14. For more, check out my picks for the best two-in-one laptop.
Pros
- Long battery life
- Excellent webcam performance
- Bright, matte touchscreen
- Durable build
- 512GB SSD
Cons
- No keyboard backlight
- Lots of flex on the keyboard, touchpad
- Slower 5Gbps USB-C ports
This 14-inch Chromebook Plus model delivers good performance and even better battery life, along with a respectably bright display with a matte finish to limit glare. And it has more storage than you'd typically find at its price. The model we reviewed lacked keyboard backlighting, which was a bit of a bummer, but Acer sells models with a backlit keyboard that aren’t much more expensive. With its mix of features and performance for the price, it’s easy to recommend the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 for school, work or home.
Best laptops for college student compared
See the specs for my favorite laptops.
| Display size/resolution | Weight | CPU tested | GPU tested |
| 13-inch, 2,480x1,506 | 2.7 pounds | Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100 | Apple A18 Pro 5-core GPU |
| 14-inch, 1,920x1,200 OLED | 2.85 pounds | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 | Qualcomm Adreno |
| 14-inch, 1,920x1,200 OLED | 2.16 pounds | Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100 | Qualcomm Adreno |
| 16-inch 2,880x1,800 OLED | 2.9 pounds | Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme X2-E94-100 | Qualcomm Adreno |
| 14-inch, 1,920x1,200 | 3.05 pounds | Intel Core Ultra 5 226V | Intel Arc 130V |
| 14-inch, 1,920x1,200 IPS LCD | 3.18 pounds | Intel Core Ultra 7 355 | Intel Graphics |
| 14-inch 2,880x1,800 OLED | 3.15 pounds | Intel Core Ultra X7 358H | Intel Arc B390 |
| 15.1-inch 2,560x1,600 OLED | 4.3 pounds | Intel Core i7-14700HX | Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 |
| 16-inch, 1,920x1,200 | 3.45 pounds | Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100 | Qualcomm Adreno |
| 14-inch, 1,920x1,200 | 3.6 pounds | AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS | AMD Radeon 780M |
| 14-inch, 1,920x1,080 | 3.2 pounds | Intel Core i3-N305 | Intel UHD |
There's a multitude of laptops on the market that would be a fit for students, and almost all of those models are available in multiple configurations to match your performance needs and budget restraints. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of options, we're here to help with advice on what to consider when shopping for a school laptop.
Price
The search for a new laptop for most people starts with price, particularly for cash-strapped college students. To end up with a laptop that will last you at least through four years of school, I would advise against choosing a bargain-basement, entry-level model. Additionally, you could get away with spending less upfront in past years with an eye toward upgrading memory and storage in the future. Laptop makers are increasingly moving away from making components easily upgradable, so it's best to get as many laptop capabilities as you can afford from the start.
Generally speaking, the more you spend, the better the laptop. That could mean better components for faster performance, a nicer display, sturdier build quality, a smaller or lighter design from higher-end materials or even a more comfortable keyboard.
Right now, the sweet spot for a reliable laptop that can handle average school tasks is between $700 and $800. For art and STEM students who need to run demanding graphics or STEM apps (or those looking for a bit of gaming, after your homework is done, of course), you'll need to spend about $1,000 or a bit more. The key is to look for discounts on models in all price ranges so you can get more laptop capability for less.
Size
If you plan on taking your laptop to class each day, then you'll want a lighter and thinner laptop. I recommend a model with a 13- or 14-inch display for most students. Larger 15- and 16-inch models provide more screen real estate for getting work done and juggling multiple windows, but you'll probably get tired of dragging it across campus.
Specs
If you are targeting a 14-inch laptop for school, then the basic display resolution of 1,920x1,200 pixels should suffice for creating crisp text and images. The picture's sharpness will improve as you increase the resolution, but you don’t need a 4K display for such a small screen. If your budget allows, look for an OLED display with a 2,240x1,400, 2,560x1,600 or 2,880x1,800 pixels. Not only will the increased pixel count improve the picture, but the superior contrast ratio and color performance of OLEDs will be evident compared with those of IPS LED displays.
For internals, Intel and AMD are the main CPU makers for Windows laptops, with Qualcomm as a new third option with its Arm-based Snapdragon X processors. Intel and AMD offer a staggering selection of mobile processors. Making things trickier, both manufacturers have chips designed for different laptop styles, like power-saving chips for ultraportables or faster processors for gaming laptops. Their naming conventions will let you know what type is used. You can head to Intel's or AMD's sites for explanations so you get the performance you want. Generally speaking, the faster the processor speed and the more cores it has, the better the performance will be.
Apple makes its own chips for MacBooks, which makes things slightly more straightforward. The entry-level MacBook Air uses an M1 chip, and the latest Air models feature M3 chips.
Battery life is paramount for a student laptop, and it has less to do with the number of CPU cores and more to do with CPU architecture, Arm versus x86. Apple's Arm-based MacBooks and the first Arm-based Copilot Plus PCs we've tested offer better battery life than laptops based on x86 processors from Intel and AMD.
If you plan to study art and your course of study will involve using graphics-intensive creative apps, then you will need a Windows laptop with a dedicated Nvidia GPU or a more powerful MacBook Pro. The same can be said for STEM students who will be using powerful scientific apps as well as any student who might want to play PC games on their laptop. Costs increase quickly, however, when you jump from integrated graphics to an Nvidia GeForce RTX GPU or from a MacBook Air to a MacBook Pro.
For memory, I highly recommend 16GB of RAM, with 8GB being the absolute bare minimum. RAM is where the operating system stores all the data for currently running applications, and it can fill up fast. After that, it starts swapping between RAM and SSD, which is slower. I suggest at least 16GB of RAM for a Windows laptop, but most students should be fine with the standard 8GB that Apple offers on its baseline MacBook Air. Plus, Apple charges a hefty sum for 16GB.
For storage, get at least a 256GB SSD and 512GB SSD if you can. If you need to go with a smaller drive, you can always add an external drive down the road or use cloud storage to bolster a small internal drive. The one exception is gaming laptops: I don't recommend going with less than a 512GB SSD unless you really like uninstalling games every time you want to play a new one.
Operating system
Choosing an operating system is part personal preference and part budget. For the most part, Microsoft Windows and Apple's MacOS do the same things (except for gaming, where Windows is the winner), but they do them differently. Unless there's an OS-specific application you need, go with the one you feel most comfortable using. If you're not sure which one that is, head to an Apple store or a local electronics store and test them out. Or ask friends or family to let you test theirs for a bit. If you have an iPhone or iPad and like it, chances are you'll like MacOS too.
When it comes to price and variety (and PC gaming), Windows laptops win. If you want MacOS, you're getting a MacBook. Apple's MacBooks regularly top our best lists -- they are costly, although the original M1 MacBook Air is still available for just $649.
Windows laptops can be found for as little as a couple of hundred dollars and come in all manner of sizes and designs. Granted, we'd be hard-pressed to find a $200 laptop we'd give a full-throated recommendation to, especially if you need it to last you through four years of school.
If you are on a tight budget, consider a Chromebook. ChromeOS is a different experience than Windows; more streamlined and easier to use. It's limited, in that basically everything runs through the Chrome browser. Just make sure that your school or coursework doesn't require you to use apps that run only on a Windows or Mac machine.
There is plenty of overlap between what makes a good laptop for college and a good laptop for high school. Without college-level coursework and with other PCs perhaps in the house, high school students may be able to use a Chromebook for all of their school needs and requirements. High schoolers may be able to look at a laptop purchase as a shorter-term investment: buy an inexpensive, lower-end model to get you to graduation, at which point summer job earnings or a grad gift from a grandparent could lead you to your next laptop for college and beyond.
The review process for laptops consists of two parts: performance testing under controlled conditions in the CNET Labs and extensive hands-on use by our reviewers. This includes evaluating a device's aesthetics, ergonomics and features with respect to price. A final review verdict is a combination of both objective and subjective judgments.
A work station at CNET labs' computer testing facility.
Adam Breeden/CNETWe test all laptops with a core set of benchmarks, including Primate Labs Geekbench 5 and 6, Cinebench R23, PCMark 10, a variety of 3DMark benchmarks (whichever can run on the laptop), UL Procyon Photo and Video (where supported) and our own battery life test. If a laptop is intended for gaming, we also run benchmarks from Guardians of the Galaxy, The Rift Breaker (CPU and GPU) and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
For the hands-on test, the reviewer uses it for their work during the review period, evaluating how well the design, features (such as the screen, camera and speakers) and manufacturer-supplied software operate as a cohesive whole. We also place importance on how well they work given their cost and where the manufacturer has potentially made upgrades or tradeoffs for its price.
We also weigh the laptop to see how its heft compares to other similarly sized laptops, which is especially important for students who will be toting their laptop to and from school each day. We also pay attention to the build quality to assess how sturdy or flimsy a laptop is, which is another important consideration for students who will rely on a laptop day in and day out for at least four years.
The list of benchmarking software and comparison criteria we use changes over time as the devices we test evolve. You can find a more detailed description of our test methodology on our How We Test Computers page.
HP OmniBook 3 16: Powered by a Snapdragon X chip, HP's budget 16-inch laptop can run for nearly a day and a half on a single charge. It's also fairly portable for its size and elegant for its price.
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x: For its portability and daily productivity, it's a winner. Potential Windows-on-Arm issues and modest graphics chops, however, keep it from being a true all-arounder.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x Gen 11: This slender laptop's second-gen Snapdragon X2 chip has truly impressive performance, but you'll need to keep looking if you're after strong graphics performance.
Dell XPS 16: It costs as much as Nvidia RTX models but lacks RTX graphics. Still, the XPS 16 is a strong overall performer with a thin-and-light design.
Acer Swift Edge 14 AI: It’s a sleek and solid OLED laptop, but it forces some compromises.
Dell XPS 14: It's great to see Dell bring back the XPS and do so with such style.
GeekBook X14 Pro: Geekom’s first laptop is impressively thin and light but battery life disappoints. And I detest the touch pad.
Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 16 2-in-1 Gen 10: Lenovo's low-cost, 16-inch two-in-one is a versatile machine, but it forces you to live with more than a couple of compromises in the design.
Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Pro 16 Aura Edition: Centered around a gorgeous 16-inch OLED display, this kick-ass Yoga laptop provides the performance and build that graphics pros demand.
Microsoft Surface Pro (12-inch): The 12-inch version of Microsoft's detachable two-in-one will suffice for most users, but getting nickel-and-dimed by optional accessories that feel quite necessary is annoying.
Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition: This premium two-in-one is a near-perfect package with a fantastic OLED display and record-setting battery life.
Lenovo LOQ 15: This budget gaming laptop has an outdated design but serves up modern components and good 3D performance for the price.
HP Omen 16: This Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 rig offers good looks and competitive 1080p performance along with surprisingly long battery life and a cool twist on four-zone RGB keyboard backlighting
Alienware Aurora 16: I tested two Alienware Aurora gaming laptops and this is not the one to get.
Alienware Aurora 16X: This is the Aurora to get.
Acer Nitro V 16S AI: This budget gaming laptop serves up a big screen and big value.
HP OmniBook X Flip 14: This two-in-one laptop offers style, value and configuration options abound, including a 3K OLED display for only an extra $100.
Microsoft Surface Laptop (13-inch): It’s compact, solidly built and great for travel, but the 13.8-inch version is the better choice as your daily driver.
How to get the best deal on laptops as a student?
The good news for college students on tight budgets is you can get a nice-looking, lightweight laptop with excellent battery life that will last you through four years of college for less than $1,000. In the $700 to $800 range, you'll even find models with premium design touches like thin-display bezels and aluminum or magnesium bodies.
Above $1,000 is where you'll find premium laptops and two-in-one convertible models that act as both laptops and tablets. If you're looking for the fastest performance, the best battery life, the slimmest, lightest designs and top-notch display quality with an adequate screen size, expect to spend at least $1,000.
Dell, HP, Lenovo and other manufacturers are constantly rotating discounts across their laptop lines, so it pays to monitor pricing -- we do it for you with our constantly updated best laptop deals -- and wait for a deal to land on the model you want. Apple rarely, if ever, offers discounts itself, but you can find good discounts on MacBook at Amazon, Best Buy and elsewhere -- keep an eye on our best MacBook deals for the best prices.
Is Mac or Windows better for college students?
Deciding between MacOS and Windows laptops for many people will come down to personal preference and budget. Apple's base model laptop, the M1 MacBook Air, starts at $999 but is regularly discounted to $750. For a newer M2 MacBook, be prepared to spend $1,000 or more.
For the money, you're getting great hardware top to bottom, inside and out. Apple has moved to using its own processors, which resulted in across-the-board performance improvements compared with older Intel-based models. That great hardware comes at a price. Also, you're limited to just Apple laptops. With Windows and Chromebooks (more on these below), you get an amazing variety of devices at a wide range of prices.
Software between the two is plentiful, so unless you need to run something that's only available on one platform or the other, you should be fine to go with either. Gaming is definitely an advantage for a Windows laptop. MacOS is considered to be easier and safer to use than Windows, especially for people who want their computers to get out of the way so they can get their schoolwork done. Over the years, Microsoft has done its best to follow suit and remove any barriers with Windows 11. Also, while Macs might have a reputation for being safer, with the popularity of the iPhone and iPad helping to drive Mac sales, they've become bigger targets for malware.
Are Chromebooks worth it for students?
Yes, they are, but they're not for everyone. Google's ChromeOS has come a long way in the 10-plus years since it arrived, and Chromebooks -- laptops that run on ChromeOS -- are great for students who do most of their work in a web browser or using mobile apps. They are secure, simple and, more often than not, a bargain. What they can't do is natively run Windows or Mac software. With their low cost and ease of use, Chromebooks are a natural fit for students, but be sure your school or particular course of study doesn't have certain software requirements that make a laptop with either Windows or MacOS a requisite.
Is Dell or HP better for college students?
One isn’t necessarily better than the other, and each has at least one laptop that’s a good fit for students. We like HP’s Pavilion 14 Plus, which is great for providing a solid, all-metal design and OLED display for less than $1,000. Dell’s Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 is another good $1,000 laptop with a sturdy, all-aluminum enclosure that also provides incredible, all-day battery life thanks to its Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor.
What is the best laptop for schoolwork and gaming?
You can play games on any laptop. What games you play and what content you create -- and the speed at which you do them -- vary greatly depending on the components inside the laptop. For casual browser-based games or using streaming game services like Nvidia GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming, you don't need a powerful gaming laptop. Similarly, if you're trimming video clips, cropping photos or livestreaming video from your webcam, you can get by with a modestly priced laptop or Chromebook with integrated graphics.
For anything more demanding, you'll need to invest more money in discrete graphics like Nvidia's RTX 30- or 40-series GPUs. Increased system memory of 16GB or more, having a speedy SSD of at least 512GB for storage, and a faster processor such as an Intel Core Ultra 7 or AMD Ryzen 7 will all help you get things moving faster, too. The other piece you'll want to consider is the display. For gaming, look for screens with a high refresh rate of 120Hz or higher so games look smoother. For art students and content creators, look for displays that cover at least 100% sRGB color space or, better yet, 100% DCI-P3.
