2024 Best Laptops For College

If you’re a student, one of the finest college laptops may help you pass your tests and classwork while also allowing you to relax by streaming entertainment or playing games. However, with so many options at such disparate pricing, locating the finest laptops for students might feel like extra effort.

The school year is just starting, so if you’re looking for a mid-year upgrade, we’ve got you covered with a constantly updated list of the best college laptops.

What should you check for when purchasing a school laptop? Check for a long battery life and a quick CPU performance. Many of these units may also be found on our main best laptops page, giving you a diverse range of top notebooks to pick from. If you prefer to take notes by hand, invest in one of the finest 2-in-1 computers for a hybrid laptop/tablet experience. We’ve also selected the best gaming laptops for individuals who want to unwind after finishing their homework.

Because of the price-to-performance ratio and outstanding support, we believe the HP Notebook Laptop, 15.6″ HD Touchscreen, Intel Core i3-1115G4 is one of the finest laptops for college students in 2024.

Do you require enhanced performance or a bigger display? Think about the MacBook Pro or the HP Victus 15 Gaming Laptop.

Without further ado, here are the finest college laptops, including some budget options to ensure you can still afford your tuition.

1. HP 255 G8 Laptop

The best overall laptop for college students

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SPECIFICATIONS

CPU: Intel Core i5-1135G7 Processor (4 Cores, 8 Threads, 8MB Intel Smart Cache, Base Frequency at 2.4 GHz, Up to 4.2 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology)

Memory: Up to 32GB RAM

Hard Drive: Up to 2TB PCIe M.2 Solid State Drive

Operating System: Windows 11 Home

Graphics: Intel Iris Xe Graphics

Display: 15.6″ FHD (1920 x 1080), IPS, Anti-Glare WLED, 250nits eDP micro-edge, 45% NTSC

Ports:

1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C 5 Gbps signaling rate

2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 5 Gbps signaling rate

1 x HDMI v1.4b

1 x RJ-45

1 x Headphone/Microphone Combo

Optical Drive: None

Media Drive: Multi-format digital media reader

Audio and Speakers: Integrated stereo speakers

Camera: HP HD Camera

Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Combo

Height: 0.78″

Width: 14.09″

Dipth: 9.53″

Weight: 3.84 lbs

Color: Silver

REASONS TO BUY

+

Bright, vivid display

+

Attractive design and clicky keyboard

+

Core i5 CPU is speedy

+

11+ hours of battery life

REASONS TO AVOID

Plastic touchpad

No IR camera option

2024 Best Laptops For College

The HP Envy x360 2-in-1 15.6″ FHD Touchscreen Laptop is the finest laptop under $1,000 for students or anybody who wants a portable machine with plenty of power and a long battery life (11 hours and 15 minutes on the FHD model).

With thinner bezels and quicker speed, the 2023 model may compete with far more expensive laptops. When those capabilities are combined with a sleek body, a bright and colorful 1080p display, and plenty of speed from an AMD Ryzen 7 5825U Processor CPU, it’s easy to understand why the HP Envy x360 is the finest college laptop for students.

And, given that it is a cheap laptop in comparison to many of the others on our list, the HP Envy x360 is an excellent all-around option for anyone who does not require gaming capability.

FIND BEST DEAL

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The best Mac for students

Brand Apple

Model Name MacBook Air


Screen Size 15.3 Inches


Color Starlight


Hard Disk Size 256 GB


CPU Model Unknown


Ram Memory Installed Size 8 GB


Operating System Mac OS


Special Feature Apple M2 Chip, Liquid Retina display with True Tone, Solid-state drive storage, Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, Unified Memory Apple M2 Chip, Liquid Retina display with True Tone, Solid-state drive storage, Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, Unified Memory

BEST DEAL

SPECIFICATIONS

CPU: M1
GPU: M1 (integrated)
RAM: 8GB/16GB
Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB
Display: 13.3-inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel
Size: 11.9 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
Weight: 2.8 pounds

REASONS TO BUY

Breathtaking performance

+

Outstanding battery life

+

Slim unibody aluminum chassis

+

iPhone and iPad app support

+

Great speakers and Magic Keyboard

 

REASONS TO AVOID

Limited ports

If you prefer macOS over Windows 11, the Apple MacBook Air is the way to go. While the MacBook Air M2 is now available, many users will be quite content with the MacBook Air M1, which costs less than $1,000 and is accessible to students for $899 even when not on sale.

That low price, along with its excellent performance and 14 hours and 41 minutes of battery life, makes it difficult to match for college students trying to get the most bang for their dollars.

Why should you buy a MacBook Air instead of a MacBook Pro? While the Pro offers superior, sustained performance, the MacBook Air is less expensive and completely quiet due to its lack of a fan. And, of course, Apple’s most affordable 13.3-inch model is also the most portable, being only 0.6 inches thick and 2.8 pounds.

The MacBook Pro is a solid alternative as well, and it appears further on this page, but when all aspects of a college laptop are considered, the MacBook Air is the best choice for most macOS lovers seeking their ideal college laptop.

The best premium Windows 11 laptop

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SPECIFICATIONS

CPU: Intel Core i3/Core i5/Core i7 (11th Gen)
GPU: Intel Iris Xe
RAM: 8GB/16GB
Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB
Display: 13.4-inch, 1920 x 1200 or 4K
Size: 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches
Weight: 2.8 pounds

REASONS TO BUY

+Attractive, premium chassis

+Powerful performance

+No bezels whatsoever

+Excellent battery life

REASONS TO AVOID

Lacks legacy ports

The Dell XPS 13 is a powerhouse of a laptop and the finest premium laptop for college students. The notebook is equipped for work or play, thanks to an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU with integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics. And with a battery life of more than 11 hours, you’ll have plenty of time for both. The laptop routinely outperformed or was on par with competitive devices.

But don’t worry, the XPS 13 is as attractive as it is powerful. The business created a laptop that is both smaller and lighter than earlier generations. Despite the lower size, Dell made significant modifications, such as a bigger touchpad and keyboard. In addition, you get a 13.4-inch near-bezelless display on all sides, the first in the world.

It’s an exercise in patience, enhancing the notebook in a variety of modest ways that build up to a significant improvement for the system. If you want the whole deal, the Dell XPS 13 is the laptop for you.

Best thin-and-light college laptop

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SPECIFICATIONS

CPU: Intel Core i7-1260P
GPU: Intel Iris Xe
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB SSD
Display Size: 14-inch, 2560 x 1600
Size: 12.2 x 8.4 x 0.59 inches
Weight: 2.65 pounds

REASONS TO BUY

+Attractive design

+Rival-beating performance

+Ultra-fast SSD

+Zippy video transcoding

+Fast file transfer rates

 

REASONS TO AVOID

Annoying bloatware

Speakers could be louder

The previous-generation Swift 5, equipped with an 11th Gen Intel CPU, blew us away with its 13-hour battery life, great performance, elegant design, and reasonable pricing. The current-generation Swift Swift Edge 16 costs $200 extra, although the tiny price increase is justified. It has a faster SSD, better performance, amazing video transcoding, and lightning-fast file transfers — and it still manages to be lightweight and visually appealing with an appealing dark-green-and-gold color scheme.

The Swift Swift Edge 16 inherits some of the same issues as the previous generation, such as intrusive bloatware apps and poor speakers. The first is just uninstalling the bloatware, and the second is that you’ll probably want a nice pair of Bluetooth headphones, but generally, this is one of the finest laptops of 2024 and an ideal match for a college student looking for strong performance in a thin-and-light form factor.