The best student laptops not only help you study and create a good work flow, but on the other hand they’re the ideal college companion for streaming, gaming and video calling with friends and family. You can’t move out to pursue a college or uni without having a good laptop to support your studies. But decent doesn’t necessarily mean ‘most expensive’. There’s an entire host of best laptop options for students, whether Chromebook, Windows or Apple.
Take a look at the student laptops you can buy today
1. HP Pavilion 14
Specifications
CPU: 8th generation Intel Core i5-8250U
Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620
RAM: 8GB
Screen: 14-inch (1,920 x 1,080)
Storage: 256GB SSD
Reasons to buy
Strong all-round specs
Solid build quality that will last
Big internal storage space
Reasons to avoid
Not great for heavy Photoshop work
2. Google Pixelbook Go
Specifications
CPU: Intel Core m3-i7
Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 615 (300MHz)
RAM: 8GB – 16GB
Screen: Full HD Display – 4K Ultra HD Molecular Display
Storage: 64-256GB
Reasons to buy
Amazing battery life
Fantastic “hush” keyboard
Premium looks, not a premium price
Reasons to avoid
Do you want Chrome OS?
Not a powerhouse system
3. Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
Specifications
CPU: Apple M1 chip with 8‑core CPU
Graphics: Integrated 7-core – 8-core GPU
RAM: 8GB – 16GB unified memory
Screen: 13.3-inch 2560 x 1600 Retina display
Storage: 256GB – 2TB SSD
Reasons to buy
Very responsive
Great battery life
Silent running
Reasons to avoid
Fanless design may impact performance
4. Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon
Specifications
CPU: 11th Generation Intel Core processors
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
RAM: 8GB / 16GB
Screen: 13.3inch QHD (2560 x 1600)
Storage: 256GB / 512GB SSD
Reasons to buy
13.3inch QHD screen
Facial recognition
Decent performance
Reasons to avoid
Average battery life
No fingerprint sensor
5. Dell XPS 13 (9310)
Specifications
CPU: Intel Core i7-1185G7
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
RAM: Up to 16GB
Screen: 13.4-inch Full HD+ LCD (1920 x 1200)
Storage: 512GB
OS: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Dimensions: 198.70 x 295.70 x 14.80 mm
Weight: 1.2 kg
Reasons to buy
Powerhouse performance
Sleek design and great screen
Will last way beyond university
Reasons to avoid
Average audio
Limited ports
6. 14-inch and 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro (M1, 2021)
Specifications
CPU: Apple M1 Pro or Apple M1 Max
Graphics: Apple M1 Pro or Apple M1 Max
RAM: Up to 64GB
Screen: 14.2-inch (3024 x 1964 pixels) or 16-inch (3456 x 2234 pixels)
Storage: Up to 8GB
Connectivity: SDXC card slot, HDMI port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports
Camera: 1080p FaceTime camera
Reasons to buy
Top-tier performance
Quality design
Excellent display
Reasons to avoid
We’re not sure about the display notch
