For students, a laptop is as essential as textbooks and a school ID—and not just for taking notes and writing papers. It also needs to handle your extracurricular activities, from streaming movies and music to keeping up with your social networks, posting photos, gaming, and video chatting with the ‘rents back home. With more colleges and universities mixing on-campus and remote learning, a laptop you can use wherever you are is essential.
A college laptop must also respect your budget while lasting through at least four years of undergrad and maybe a year or two of grad school. Lucky for you, we’ve collected our favorites from recent reviews—notebooks that not only fit the above criteria but (for the most part) are priced under $1,000, so they won’t replace tuition as the biggest threat to your bank account. Check out our picks for the best college laptops for 2023, then keep reading to learn the details of what to look for while shopping.
The Best Student Laptop Deals This Week*
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
HP Pavilion Plus 14
Best Overall Value Laptop for Most College Students
Why We Picked It
HP’s Pavilion Plus 14 is one of the best laptop deals for college students right now. To be the top pick for most students, a laptop should have an affordable starting price, quick performance, premium build quality, and ideally (for those with bigger budgets) room for upgrades. The Pavilion Plus 14 has all of these features and more at a starting price of under $800. With its thin design, powerful processor options, and a high-resolution OLED display option without breaking the bank, the Pavilion Plus 14 is an unbeatable value. Even the highest-end configuration, which includes the OLED screen, 1TB SSD, and a potent Core i7 H-Series CPU, is priced at a reasonable $1,279.99. Although the laptop has a few minor shortcomings, it’s an excellent deal for a well-made and fully featured laptop that’s perfect for college students.
Who It’s For
If you want a quick, lightweight, and hassle-free laptop, then look no further than the Pavilion Plus 14. It’s particularly friendly to those who are willing to spend a bit more for faster and fancier upgrade options. While there are larger-screen alternatives available, the Pavilion Plus 14 is ideal for students who need a lightweight laptop for everyday tasks, such as taking notes, writing papers, and streaming lectures. Its affordable starting price (with room for upgrades at checkout) and reliable all-around performance make it the best value for college students who want a high-quality laptop.
PROS
- Stellar 2.8K OLED display for the price
- Thin and light (though not the lightest)
- Good array of ports and 5-megapixel webcam
CONS
- Under-10-hour battery life
- No webcam privacy shutter
- No Thunderbolt 4 ports
Apple MacBook Air (M1, Late 2020)
Best Affordable macOS Laptop
Why We Picked It
To get the obvious out of the way, the 2022 MacBook Air with Apple’s more powerful M2 processor is a faster, more desirable machine; if you can swing its $1,199 starting price or a costlier upscale configuration, don’t look back. But the M1 version of Apple’s lightest portable is still a highly capable, lovable laptop for $999. Weighing a trim 2.8 pounds, it offers a sharp 13.3-inch Retina display; elegant unibody metal construction in Space Gray, Gold, or Silver; one of the best keyboards and arguably the best touchpad on any laptop; snappy performance and unbeatable integration with the iPhone; and phenomenal battery life (29 hours in our video-playback test).
Who It’s For
Apple still insists touch screens are only for tablets and phones, but otherwise it’s hard to find fault with the system that invented the ultraportable category. The MacBook Air remains a great grab-and-go productivity partner for almost any around-campus computing task short of hardcore gaming.
PROS
- Good value, especially for a MacBook
- Much-improved performance, thanks to Apple’s new M1 processor
- Exceptional battery life
- Sleek, portable metal design
- High-quality keyboard, touchpad, and display
- Multiple color options
CONS
- Port selection limited to two USB Type-C connections
- Still no touch-screen option
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Best Small Laptop for College
Why We Picked It
The Surface Laptop Go 2 occupies a middle ground between Microsoft’s mini tablet (the Surface Go 3) and its mainstream clamshell (the Surface Laptop 4). It starts at a low $599.99 ($799.99 as tested), but is more stylish and better made than many budget notebooks, with a squarer 3:2 aspect ratio screen that lets you see more of a webpage or word processing document without scrolling. The PixelSense display is on the small side, at 12.4 inches, and its resolution isn’t ultra-sharp, but the Laptop Go 2 weighs only 2.5 pounds despite a battery that lasts over 12 hours, so it’s hard to complain.
Who It’s For
If your collegiate laptop hunt is shadowed by a tight budget and portability is a priority, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is a fairly well-equipped winner. Available in four snazzy colors, it gives you some of the chic of a MacBook and even offers replaceable parts for sustainability and longevity.
PROS
- Competitive performance from updated CPU
- Stylish, colorful design
- Quality build and comfortable keyboard
- Reasonably priced
- Swappable SSD and chassis parts for longevity
CONS
- Less-than-1080p display with nonstandard resolution
- Updated (but still ho-hum) webcam
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon
Best Light Laptop for College
Why We Picked It
Lenovo’s IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon is an excellent choice for college students who need a high-performing laptop that can keep up with their busy schedules. Crafted from magnesium alloy reinforced with carbon fiber, it’s a durable and lightweight 14-inch ultraportable that is perfect for carrying around campus. Additionally, its dazzling OLED touch screen is fantastic for taking notes, browsing the web, or watching movies during downtime.
Who It’s For
If you’re a choosy student, the Slim 7 Carbon is home to luxury features that are usually only found in high-end laptops, such as the OLED screen and a handy dongle with HDMI and USB-A ports. And, at $300 less than a comparably equipped Dell XPS 13 OLED, it’s a standout value for budget-conscious students.
PROS
- Gorgeous OLED touch screen with 2.8K resolution
- Lively eight-core AMD Ryzen 7 processor
- Sleek and lightweight
CONS
- Lackluster keyboard
- HDMI and USB Type-A dongle instead of onboard ports
- No SD or microSD card slot
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14-Inch (2022)
Best 2-in-1 Convertible for College
Why We Picked It
The 2022 version of the IdeaPad Flex 5i 14-Inch we tested gets a nod, thanks to a sturdy convertible design that offers true portability, a vibrant, easy-to-read screen, and above average performance for an affordable price. Tough, capable, and affordable? That’s a college laptop trifecta. We also love that the system includes plenty of ports (including USB and USB-C) and supports pen input—if you buy one. From the reinforced hinges to the excellent keyboard and larger touchpad, it’s an improvement over last year’s model, which was already a value favorite.
Who It’s For
College students that want a great Windows 2-in-1 convertible laptop will be pleased by the performance and port selection, and those who want handwritten notetaking and sketching can get it for just a tiny bit more. The only complaint is battery life, but the Flex 5i will still get you through hours of classes and lectures.
PROS
- Sturdy as a tablet or laptop
- Includes both HDMI and USB-C ports
- Responsive, bright touch screen
- Decent performance for the price
CONS
- Display’s color coverage is lacking
- Battery life is shorter than average
- Active pen not included
- Proprietary power port instead of USB-C charging
Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 7
Best Budget Gaming Laptop for College
Why We Picked It
As a college student, you need a laptop that can handle everything from streaming lectures to gaming with friends at night or on the weekends. The Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 7 is an excellent choice with its sturdy build, customizable configuration options, and starting price of $1,249.99. While the price is relatively steep, it’s worth the investment for the exceptional performance you’ll get from its Intel Core i7-12700H CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card. Plus, the bright 165Hz display will ensure that your games look stunning.
Who It’s For
While the starting price might be a bit out of reach for budget-conscious college students, this laptop is perfect for those who prioritize (gaming) performance and portability. The standard 15-inch size strikes a balance between being large enough for immersive gameplay and easy to carry around campus. And although there may be more specialized options available, this laptop is as close to a crowd-pleaser as it gets. Whether you’re studying in the library or gaming in your dorm room, this system is sure to impress.
PROS
- An overachiever in gaming and productivity performance
- Bright, colorful 165Hz screen
- Ample connectivity
CONS
- A bit bulky
- No biometrics
- No SD or microSD card slot
- Low-rent webcam and speakers
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus (7610)
Best 15- or 16-Inch Desktop Replacement for College
Why We Picked It
Most laptops that earn the label “desktop replacement” have 15.6-inch screens. The Dell Inspiron 16 Plus has a slightly larger display with impressively sharp 3K resolution (3,072 by 1,920 pixels), plus a graphics card fast enough for gaming (Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3050) and a beefy eight-core Intel Core i7 processor, all for under $1,400 as tested. Like all desktop alternatives, it’s not ideal for toting around campus from dorm to classroom—it weighs 4.4 pounds—but it’s a sensational midrange value.
Who It’s For
We love 13- and 14-inch ultraportables as much as anybody, but when you’re logging lots of hours or pulling an all-nighter to finish a report, there’s no shame in giving your eyes a break with a bigger screen. The Inspiron 16 Plus is one of Dell’s best bargains and a great general-purpose PC.
PROS
- Powerful graphics and computing performance
- Compact chassis with easy access for upgrades
- Expansive 3K display
- Giant touchpad
- Reasonably priced
CONS
- No touch-screen option
- Blue chassis hue looks a bit dull
HP Laptop 17 (2022)
Best 17-Inch Desktop Replacement for College
Why We Picked It
When it comes to screens, 17 inches is the largest you’ll find in a mainstream system. The HP Laptop 17 (2022) is one of the best values we’ve seen in this larger size, combining a big screen with an AMD Ryzen 5 processor, a lighter-than-average design, and a big, comfortable keyboard. The design is simple but capable, and AMD-powered processing and graphics offer better performance than most budget systems can offer. The end result is a desktop replacement that saves you a few bucks.
Who It’s For
You won’t see a lot of 17-inchers brought to class, but the HP Laptop 17 (2022) is lighter than most, and it lasts more than 11 hours on a charge, making it pretty portable for a bigger laptop. The hardware is up to most taks, and the design gets the job done without being gaudy or cheap-looking. That’s a pretty big win for a big display at a smaller-than-expected price.
PROS
- Large, bright screen
- Comfortable keyboard with number pad
- Thin and light for its screen size
- USB-C port included
CONS
- No keyboard backlighting
- No webcam privacy slider
- No SD card reader
- 256GB SSD fills up fast
- Still heavy
Lenovo IdeaPad Windows Duet 5i
Best 2-in-1 Tablet for Note-Taking
Why We Picked It
Lenovo’s IdeaPad Windows Duet 5i is a fantastic option for college students looking for a versatile and affordable 2-in-1 laptop. With its sturdy build quality and detachable design, it’s ideal for on-the-go use. Plus, the included keyboard is a significant bonus for students on a budget. The device carries a sharp and bright 2.5K display, making it excellent for both entertainment and productivity tasks. While it lacks Thunderbolt support and has limited storage, it’s a well-rounded and less expensive alternative to premium 2-in-1 laptops, earning our Editors’ Choice award.
Who It’s For
The IdeaPad Duet 5i is a fine choice for college students who need a portable and flexible device for their daily tasks. The tablet-plus-keyboard concept offers wide versatility, allowing students to use it as a laptop for typing up papers or detach it to use as a tablet for note-taking or studying. Despite its modest processing power, it’s reliable for grab-and-go productivity, making it a fit for students who are always on the move.
PROS
- Sturdy build and intuitive detachable design
- Keyboard included
- Sharp, bright 2.5K display
- Decent performance even with Core i3 CPU
CONS
- Just 128GB of storage
- Only two USB-C ports with no Thunderbolt
Acer Chromebook Spin 714
Best Chromebook for College
Why We Picked It
If your course load lets you get by with Google Docs and other web-based tools, then there’s plenty to love about Chromebooks—including a price that lets you save some cash for important things, like textbooks and pizza. The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 is not only the best Chrome OS-powered laptop we’ve reviewed, it’s also one of the best 2-in-1 laptops around, competing with the top-most Windows convertible systems, with a new 16:10 touch screen, an included pen, and a sturdy-yet-stylish aluminum construction. This hybrid Chromebook is made for zippy performance with an Intel Core i5 CPU and a relatively large SSD, and it includes handy ports, like Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI output.
Who It’s For
If Chrome OS meets your student’s needs (and your school’s software requirements), then the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 is pretty much the perfect campus companion. With almost 13 hours of battery life, a 2-in-1 design with a stylus, and an expanding collection of apps and capabilities, this Chromebook is a smart choice for freshmen and grad students alike.
PROS
- Roomy 14-inch, 16:10 display
- Durable all-metal chassis
- 1080p webcam with physical cover
- Garaged pen included
CONS
- Latest model drops the microSD card reader
- Still a bit heavy
Buying Guide: The Best Laptops for College Students in 2023
How do you narrow down the list above, let alone other laptops not mentioned here, to find the right one to be your college colleague? Some of the questions to ask apply to all laptop shoppers, whether families with kids or corporate executives; others are specific to higher education. Let’s run down what you need to know.
Check With the School: Do College Students Get Laptop Discounts?
The first, and most important, thing to do is check with your school for specific system requirements and negotiated discounts. They may have hard-and-fast hardware recommendations available at special prices from vendors. (Or not.)
Some colleges and universities want their students equipped with Windows-based laptops, to cut down on software incompatibility issues or to keep technical support concentrated on one platform. Others don’t care which operating system you use, whether it’s Windows, macOS, or even Linux if you’re a hardcore type. Some institutions have onsite computer repair centers that service only laptops purchased from the university or an affiliated computer store on campus. Using one of these facilities, the turn-around time will be much quicker than if you were to send it overnight to the original manufacturer.
Most schools do offer price breaks for particular vendors and include extensive software bundles, which can shave off a good amount from your laptop purchase. So you might want to look into the campus store as a first shopping destination, before you hit your local superstore or favorite online seller.
How Heavy Should a College Laptop Be?
Not every student will agree, but depending on how far you’ll haul it every day, a big-screen notebook may not be such a good idea.
It’s nice to have a mini home theater in your dorm room or play the latest games in big-screen glory, but a 5-pound-plus laptop with a 15-inch or 17-inch screen will be a chore to haul across campus while you’re running from class to class. You’re better off with something that’s light: If screen size matters less to you than convenience, a super-thin ultraportable might be the way to go.
(Credit: Molly Flores)
For most people, a 13- or 14-inch widescreen panel is ideal, as it will make room for other items in your backpack and minimize the weight burden. Depending on your tolerance level, a smaller display works as long as you understand that full web pages and productivity applications will involve more scrolling, and fonts will appear smaller than they do on larger screens, assuming the same resolution and zoom level.
Essays, research papers, and chatting online with your classmates will take up most of your computing time, so a full-size keyboard and a comfortable touchpad are crucial. Also know: When you venture smaller than a 13-inch-class laptop, you run the risk of not getting the same typing experience. The easiest way to ensure that you have the best keyboard is to stop by a brick-and-mortar store and spend some time typing on prospective choices of different size classes.
If you do decide to buy a smaller, less expensive laptop, it’s probably worth investing in a standalone keyboard you can keep at home or in the dorm for when you need to do a lot of typing. A desktop monitor you attach via HDMI could be a nice complement, too.
What Processor to Get in a College Laptop?
Laptops offer a wide selection of processors across both budgets and usage cases—you can choose one that maximizes performance, or one that favors battery life. Or you can select one that plays to both strengths: Intel’s Core CPUs confer the benefits of both power and battery efficiency. AMD’s Ryzen mobile chips are less common but have also emerged as viable picks for ultraportable laptops.
If you desire all-day battery life, and spend almost all of your time in a web browser, you might want to consider going with a Chromebook. These typically run on low-powered processors (Intel Celeron and Pentium chips, in most cases), but these CPUs suffice for the kinds of workaday online tasks that Chromebooks excel at. (More about Chromebooks in a bit, below.) If performance, on the other hand, ranks high on the list, a Mac with an Apple M1 or M2 chip, or a Windows laptop with at least an Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5, gives you the most oomph. (If you want to dig deeper, our guide to laptop processors gets into lots more detail on understanding CPUs for laptops.)
(Credit: Kyle Cobian)
If you like playing games in your downtime, you might want to splurge on a more expensive gaming laptop. Most general-purpose machines, especially at under-$800 prices, won’t have the kind of discrete graphics chip (GPU) necessary to make the hottest AAA game titles look good and play smoothly. But if you hunt around a little, you can find gaming laptops these days starting at around $700 tp $800 with a decent Nvidia GeForce GTX or (less commonly) AMD Radeon RX GPU for playing games at 1080p and moderate or better settings. (See our guide to the best cheap gaming laptops for lots more about budget GPUs, and about how to buy just enough gaming machine for your needs.) A powerful GPU can also help in certain high-end and scientific applications that can benefit from GPU acceleration, but, like a high-powered processor, they also feast on the battery.
The good news is that, in most other cases (unless, say, you’re an architecture major with a heavy reliance on CAD software), integrated graphics solutions should suffice for the day-to-day tasks you’ll face. This is the graphics silicon built into the processors of most budget and midrange laptops. Today, that overwhelmingly means some form of Intel integrated graphics: Intel HD Graphics, Intel UHD Graphics, Intel Iris/Iris Plus graphics, or Intel Xe Graphics. Our reviews will detail their comparative performance levels, but none is a match for even a moderate dedicated GPU. (Read more about limits of gaming on the integrated graphics processors in mainstream laptops.)
SSDs Are Top-Tier: How Much Storage to Get in a Laptop for College?
With the increasing prevalence of cloud storage and web applications, having plentiful local storage space is somewhat less vital now than it used to be, but you should still make sure that your laptop meets your needs. If you plan to install a lot of programs or want to hang on to lots of large media files, you’ll need 500GB of space or more. If you don’t foresee needing all that local storage, or are content with leaving a lot of your work online, you can get by with a laptop with less space.
(Credit: Kyle Cobian)
Whichever way you go, remember that storage affects speed, too. If you go with one of the increasingly uncommon budget laptops that uses a hard drive, because you get more storage for less money, know that it will be noticeably slower than a snappy-feeling solid-state drive (SSD). The higher cost and lower capacity of a faster SSD is a trade-off that some students are willing to make, and most should. We strongly recommend SSDs for laptops that are carried around campus a lot, since the SSDs (if not the laptop itself) are impervious to drop damage. Plus, being a lot faster than hard drives, they give a laptop a much snappier perceived feel.
The good news is that by plugging an external hard drive or external SSD into one of your laptop’s USB ports, you can add more space whenever you need it. Although you probably won’t have to do this unless you’re a video junkie or an aspiring filmmaker, it’s a good option to have.
Gamers may want to take an altogether different view. With many AAA game installations topping 40GB or 50GB each, a small SSD can get eaten up fast. You’ll want to think about that before you buy a machine, say, with a 256GB SSD alone, or at least be prepared to swap games on and off the drive as you tire of or complete them. You really need to insist on at least a 500GB SSD in a gaming laptop.
What Kind of Battery Life to Expect From a College Laptop?
A sizable battery can be your biggest ally on a day filled with classes and extracurricular activities. A few school-oriented laptops come with multiple battery options. Most, though, have only one—and it’s not removable.
In this case, figure out where battery life ranks in the grand scheme of things. If removable batteries are an option (most of the time, they are not, alas), it might be a good idea to get a second one, or a larger “extended” one if available, at the time of purchase. The more “cells” the battery contains within a given model line, the better the battery life, all else being equal.
A big battery can mean some heft, but the weight gain is well worth it if it means leaving the system unplugged from dawn until dusk. This is where our reviews come in especially handy; we’ve tested every laptop that passes through our labs for battery runtime with nonstop video playback, so you can get a good idea of relative endurance between models.
Are Chromebooks Good for College?
In the past several years, we have seen a strong push by Chromebook manufacturers into the education market. Chromebooks themselves have gone from being glorified netbooks running Chrome OS to laptops that are still web-centric but have a relatively full feature set. If, like many schools, the one you’re attending puts its coursework in the cloud, a Chromebook can offer you much of the functionality of a regular laptop, and it may deliver longer battery life.
It will also likely cost you a lot less than other types of notebooks. Prices for basic Chromebook models typically run between $200 and $400 (although higher-end models can go for as much as $1,000). Just be sure you have ready access to constant, stable Wi-Fi, as there is scant local storage on these systems, and you have to plan ahead to use them effectively offline.
(Credit: Molly Flores)
PC gamers, of course, won’t find much use for one of these laptops; they only run Chrome OS apps and Android apps from the Google Play store. But a Chromebook can also be a good, inexpensive second laptop you carry around campus to take notes, while your beastly gaming rig (or desktop gaming PC, for that matter) hangs back at the dorm or at home. (In the market for a Chrome OS laptop? We’ve rounded up today’s best Chromebooks.)
Are 2-in-1 Laptops Worth It for College?
In recent years, a new category of laptop has emerged. Hybrids, also known as 2-in-1s, are capable of functioning as traditional clamshell-style laptops when you need them to, but can transform into tablets when that’s a more convenient form for what you’re doing. Some (generally called convertibles) sport a folding design that flips the keyboard out of the way, usually by rotating all the way around its hinge. Others (“detachables”) allow you to dock a tablet/screen portion of the PC with an accessory keyboard for laptop-like functionality.
(Credit: Molly Flores)
A budget 2-in-1 might be just what you need to fill a number of roles. One thing to be mindful of: If you are considering a detachable 2-in-1 design, make sure the keyboard base is included in the price. In some cases, it is; in others, it is an added-cost accessory that will bump up the price, sometimes by more than you’d expect. (See how we test laptops.)
How Long a Warranty to Get in a College Laptop?
Almost every laptop you might buy today is backed by at least a one-year warranty on parts and labor. Extended warranties are also available, but whether they’re worth it depends on who you are as a user.
For starters, know that the standard warranty doesn’t cover accidents that stem from a spilled drink or a drop on concrete. Most manufacturers sell accident coverage as a separate plan, on top of extended warranties that supplement the standard one, so you might end up spending close to $300 for three years of coverage. Apple offers a maximum extended warranty of three years, while some makers of Windows laptops will offer up to four years.
(Credit: Molly Flores)
In our opinion, if the warranty costs more than 15% of the total laptop price, you’re better off spending the money on backup drives or services that minimize downtime in case something does go awry. Of course, you can’t put a price on peace of mind. In rare instances, the logic board or the display—the most expensive pieces of a laptop—can fail and cost you in repairs half or more of what the laptop is worth. Faulty inner components (excepting the battery) usually break down during the first year, though; anything after that is probably more about regular wear and tear.
This again, though, is a case where the college itself may be an X-factor. Some schools have special arrangements with specific vendors for onsite service of their laptops, so it could pay, once again, to check with the college’s bookstore or computer store to see if any such special circumstances apply. It’s possible, say, that you could get parts and repairs for your Lenovo ThinkPad done overnight.
So, What Are the Best Laptops for College Students?
As with so many things…it depends. True, there are ever more choices on the market today, and slogging through them can be daunting. No worries, though: We did the work for you.
Scroll or swipe down for detailed specs on the hottest laptops to grace the dorm room, college classroom, and campus quad for this school year. And if you or the person you’re shopping for is closer to graduation than freshman year, you should check out our guide to the best laptop for each type of graduate, which offers better choices for career-specific options. For more general factors to look for when shopping, check out our overall top laptop picks, as well as our favorite budget notebooks.
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