Finding the Perfect Laptop for School:
Whether you’re a student or a parent, finding the perfect laptop for school is an important decision. In this guide, we’ll start with some quick tips to help you navigate this choice, and then we’ll dive into the best laptops you can buy. If you’re eager to skip to our recommendations, feel free to do so! As always, you can find links to all the laptops we recommend on our website and in the description below. Additionally, we’ve launched a comprehensive laptop buying guide for students on our website. This tool will help you quickly narrow down the vast selection of laptops to find the one that’s right for you. Since it’s on our website, we can keep it updated even after this article is published.
What to Look for in a School Laptop:
For school, we recommend buying a laptop that is portable yet has a screen larger enough for productive work. Students are often on the move, and nobody wants to lug around a heavy, cumbersome machine. Ideally, you want a laptop that is less in weight than arround 3 pounds, but certainly no heavier than 4 pounds. To get real work done, we suggest a laptop with at least a 14-inch display, but 14.5 inches is preferable. This size enables you to see a decent amount of content without sacrificing portability.
Screen size isn’t the only factor that determines how much you can see; resolution and brightness are also crucial. A higher resolution display improves clarity, making small text easier to read, while a brighter display enhances visibility in well-lit environments, such as classrooms with many windows. Aim for a laptop with a resolution greater than 1920 x 1200 pixels and at least 400 nits of brightness.
Choosing the Right Type of Laptop:
There are several different types of laptops available, each with its own set of pros and cons. Apple’s MacBooks are an excellent choice for students, thanks to their top-tier build quality. With Apple’s M-series processors, these laptops offer outstanding battery life, minimal fan noise, and stay cool to the touch while still providing powerful performance. Higher-end MacBook Pros come with robust graphics, making them suitable for disciplines that require powerful computing. However, MacBooks are quite pricey, especially with necessary upgrades, which many students will need, particularly those studying fields that demand high-performance computing. Some might worry about software compatibility with Macs, but Apple’s dominance in the market has minimized this issue, with only AAA games and Linux posing occasional problems.
If you’re looking for better value or need wider application support—or simply prefer Windows—a laptop with an Intel or AMD processor could be the way to go. These laptops support a broader range of software, including other operating systems like Linux, and are available at a variety of price points, from budget-friendly models to high-end ones with dedicated graphics. However, these laptops often suffer from issues like poor battery life, fan noise, and heat, particularly those with dedicated graphics.
For those wanting the best of both worlds, consider the new breed of laptops with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. While their battery life, heat, and fan noise are better than most Intel and AMD laptops, they’re not quite on par with MacBooks yet. Their value for money is comparable to traditional laptops, and their software compatibility is similar to Windows laptops. However, since this is newer technology, some specialized software may not work as well. Over time, this is expected to improve, but for now, wer recommend these laptops only if you use your laptop for basic tasks like web browsing, email, and Microsoft Office, or if you’ve confirmed that the software you need is compatible. For gaming, these laptops are not ideal due to their limited graphics capabilities and game compatibility.
Finally, Chromebooks and tablets are the most restrictive in terms of software compatibility. We, along with many universities, do not recommend them for school.
Matching the Laptop to Your Needs:
Choosing the right laptop depends heavily on your course requirements and the software you’ll need to run. It’s wise to consult an academic advisor, current students, or recent alumni for insights on the software you’ll use. However, be cautious about following their laptop suggestions, as they might recommend models that were good during their time in school but may no longer be the best options, or they might not have experience with the wide variety of laptops currently available.
Recommended Configurations:
Most modern processors are powerful enough for schoolwork, especially in the laptops we recommend. However, to ensure your laptop can handle four years of school and provide some flexibility for changing majors or new hobbies, we recommend a laptop with a minimum of 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. For students working with intense graphical tasks, we suggest at least an Nvidia RTX 4050 or an Apple M1 Pro chip.
Because your laptop will be your primary tool during school, it must be reliable. While some brands are more reliable than others—Apple’s MacBooks being a standout example—any laptop can have issues. Therefore, it’s crucial to have warranty coverage. Before spending all your money on the laptop itself, consider checking for extended warranty options and budgeting for it.
Student Discounts and Other Savings:
Students often have access to discounts, so take advantage of them. There are many ways to save money when buying a laptop. We have a full guide on this, which you can find on our website.
Our Favorite Laptops for Students:
Now, let’s dive into our top laptop recommendations for students. To help you understand who each laptop is best suited for, let’s introduce you to three student profiles: Harvey, Trinity, and Wade. Harvey represents students with light computing needs, such as those studying medicine, law, or business. Trinity represents students with more intense computing needs, like those studying computer science, data science, or cybersecurity. Wade represents students who need powerful graphics for tasks such as 3D modeling, architecture, or video editing. We also have Henry, for students who enjoy hardcore gaming.
Best Laptops for Light Computing Needs: The MacBook Air
If you want a high-quality laptop with minimal hassle, the MacBook Air is the one to buy. It feels premium, is lightweight, has long battery life, doesn’t get distractingly warm, and doesn’t have annoying fan noise—it doesn’t even have a fan. This laptop checks a lot of boxes. Its biggest downside is its price, particularly for the upgrades that most students will probably want. The base model only comes with 8GB of RAM and a small amount of storage, which is not ideal for many students. For those with basic computing needs like Harvey, the base model can work, but it’s far from perfect. Even if you’re designeng clothing, for example, you might use 3D modeling tools to visualize the designs. Without enough memory, your applications will run slower, or in rare cases, not open at all. If you’re considering the 8GB model of the MacBook Air, make sure you won’t have any intensive computing needs. If you’re on a budget, look into buying an older MacBook Air with the M2 or even the M1 chip from 2020—both are still excellent machines, especially if you can get them at a discount.
Best Budget Windows Laptop: ASUS ZenBook 14
If you’re on a tight budget—say, $800 or less—and you want more value or just don’t want a Mac, the ASUS ZenBook 14 is a fantastic choice. This laptop, from ASUS’s premium range, punches well above its price in terms of build quality. It comes with either an AMD or Intel Core Ultra processor, both of which are powerful enough for student needs. Unlike the MacBook Air at this price point, it comes with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage, making it better suited for students like Trinity and Harvey. Between the two models, the AMD variant is cheaper and offers better battery life, while the Intel version provides better graphics, making it suitable for light gaming. However, neither is suitable for more demanding gaming needs.
The main downside of both these laptops is that, at this price point, you’re likely getting a 1920 x 1200 resolution display. Although this helps boost battery life, you may find that the content on the screen isn’t as sharp as on other laptops. If this bothers you, consider the ZenBook 14X from last year, which has a larger 14.5-inch high-resolution display. However, its processor is less efficient, so expect worse battery life.
A Step Up: HP Spectre 14
If you have around $1,000 or more to spend and don’t want a MacBook Air, the HP Spectre 14 is a better buy than a high-end configuration of the ZenBook. Like the ZenBook 14X, it features a vibrant OLED display with a fast refresh rate, but it also offers a more comfortable keyboard, two-in-one tablet capabilities, and a premium build. Since the Spectre 14 uses Intel’s Core Ultra processor, it’s suitable for casual gaming. However, it does have some drawbacks. Its trackpad, though modern and accurate, has palm rejaction issues, so you might want to use an external mouse. It also has the usual issues associated with Intel processors: average battery life and occasional fan noise. Additionally, there’s a “screen door” effect on its OLED display, where you might see colored pixels breaking up the image, which is common in OLED displays on AMD and Intel laptops.
A Laptop for Tech Enthusiasts: Framework Laptop 13
If you’re a tech enthusiast like Trinity, we have a special recommendation: the Framework Laptop 13. This laptop has two unique traits. Firstly, it is completely upgradable—from storage to the processor to the ports—which gives you unparalleled future-proofing and flexibility. You can even repurpose your old Framework motherboard into a desktop using a Cooler Master case. Secondly, Framework laptops offer extensive Linux support. Its 13.5-inch screen may
