Best Student Laptop: Top 10 options for school and university
Introduction
Laptops are condign but as important every bit pen and paper when it comes to schoolhouse and university, butt trying to find the right pupil laptop can be a bit of a nightmare with so many options.
Nosotros've reviewed endless laptops over the last few years, and have and then decided to make a superlative 10 ranking of the accented best student laptops you tin purchase.
Knowing the limitations of a student loan, we also made sure the majority of the laptops on the list are priced under £thousand, while also including options cheaper than £500 for those who don't want to approach their overdraft.
And if you tin can't observe the right laptop for you right now, then check out the upcoming MacBook Air 2022 and Dell XPS 13 Plus laptops instead. We besides expect there to be enough more than Chromebooks hitting stores this year.
Without further ado, hither's out Top ten list of the all-time student laptop options currently available.
How nosotros exam
Larn more about how we test laptops
Every laptop we review goes through a series of uniform checks designed to gauge key things including build quality, functioning, screen quality and battery life.
These include formal synthetic benchmarks and scripted tests, plus a series of existent globe checks, such equally how well it runs the most frequently used apps.
We also make sure to use every laptop nosotros review every bit our master device for at least a week to ensure our review is as accurate as possible.
Shop the range of AMD Ryzen™ Laptops at Currys
On the hunt for a meridian-notch laptop to assistance with your school or university work that's as well dandy for the odd spot of Netflix binging and gaming, just not sure which to get?
Nosotros'd recommend looking at ane with an AMD Ryzen™ 5000 Series Mobile Processor
MacBook Air (M1)
The all-time student laptop yous tin buy
Pros
- It's so fast cheers to M1
- Exceptional battery life
- Stiff app support
- Peachy keyboard
Cons
- Poor webcam
- Same design as before
- Poorly positioned (and only two) USB ports
The MacBook Air has shot right to the top of our Best Pupil Laptop listing thanks to the introduction of Apple tree'south M1 fleck.
This new processor non merely offers the fastest CPU speeds you can observe in an ultra-portable laptop, but also excels at graphics-based workloads such as 4K video editing, animation and game blueprint. Improved battery life performance is the ruby on height for the MacBook Air, making this 1 of the most capable and versatile laptops currently available.
Nosotros're disappointed that Apple tree hasn't refreshed the pattern, but it'southward however a adept looking laptop. The biggest upshot is the underwhelming webcam quality, specially since Zoom calls are so common at present. Merely if you lot can ignore those slight blemishes, this is admittedly the best student laptop for the majority, as long equally you're happy using macOS instead of Windows.
Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: MacBook Air M1 review
Surface Laptop Go
The best value Windows laptop you can purchase
Pros
- Incredible value
- Minor and classy design
- Fantabulous performance
- Comfortable keyboard
Cons
- Low-resolution display
- No keyboard backlight
- No fingerprint scanner on base configuration
The Surface Laptop Go is the ideal laptop for students who can't justify spending around £thou. Microsoft is offer this dinky 12.4-inch laptop at a cheaper price than the larger Surface Laptop 4, and it represents fantastic value considering the top-notice performance and comfortable keyboard.
There are a few compromises you lot'll take to accept though, including the low-resolution display and lack of a keyboard backlight, just it's easy to overlook such issues if you're looking something that prioritises productivity, whether that's bashing out essays or browsing the web for research. Students on media-savvy courses will need to await elsewhere though, as information technology lacks a decent GPU performance.
The biggest benefaction hither though, is that Microsoft offers a student discount on their online store. This makes the Surface Laptop Go the absolute best value choice for students of all ages.
Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: Surface Laptop Go review
Acer Chromebook Spin 513
Best value Chromebook for students
Pros
- Super-light and portable design
- Abrupt display with decent colours
- Outstanding battery life
- Whisper-quiet operation
Cons
- Flat speakers
- Mediocre functioning
- No keyboard backlight
The Acer Chromebook Spin 513 isn't one of the about powerful laptops on this list, only it's available at a very affordable price and tin practice the basics very well.
Yous're restricted to ChromeOS hither, so it may not be ideal if you lot need to download lots of obscure files and programs for university, merely its Snapdragon 7c processor is easily fast enough for the nigh common piece of work apps, also as for entertainment with the likes of Netflix and Spotify.
It'southward foldable design also gifts its superb versatility, while its plus 13-hr battery life will help it to power through the longest lecture hall session. If you want a laptop for under £400, this is our top recommendation.
Reviewer: Reece Bithrey
Full review: Acer Chromebook Spin 513 review
Lenovo Yoga Slim seven
Best mid-range student laptop
Pros
- Neat value toll
- Fantastic bombardment life
- Speedy operation
- Nice Total Hard disk drive screen
Cons
- Bones design
- No Thunderbolt
- No fingerprint scanner on select models
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 is a skilful compromise if y'all want something more powerful than the Surface Laptop Become, simply don't fancy spending a grand. Featuring AMD'due south Ryzen 4000 processor, the Slim vii can power through productivity tasks with ease, making it a good option for students who continue multiple spider web browser tabs open simultaneously.
The Ryzen processor also ensures a lengthy bombardment life, equally the laptop lasted fourteen hours and 39 minutes on a single charge during our benchmark tests. This means you won't need to worry about beingness in achieve of a power supply when taking the laptop to a lecture hall or library.
The Slim 7 does unfortunately miss out on a few noticeable features such as Thunderbolt and a fingerprint scanner (on select models) for hassle-free logins, but they're minor omissions when you tin get this excellent laptop for a few hundred quid less than a MacBook Air.
Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: Lenovo Yoga Slim seven review
Award MagicBook 14 (2020)
Most affordable AMD laptop
Pros
- Student-friendly premium mode
- Superb value
- Pleasant typing experience
- More than capable productivity operation
Cons
- Webcam positioned on keyboard
- Beneath average display
The Honor MagicBook fourteen (2020) was the all-time value Windows laptop around until the Surface Laptop Go turned up. The arrival of Microsoft'southward small laptop has dulled the entreatment of the MagicBook to some extent, but it's still a worthy purchase.
The biggest benefit of the MagicBook fourteen over the Go is the bigger display and Full HD resolution, making it a better option for Netflix and YouTube video content. Plus, Honor can go toe to toe with Microsoft for performance and keyboard quality, so it really is a tight contest between the two.
So what's the grab? The popular-up camera is unfortunately located below the display, giving the classroom a adept await upwards your nostrils on Zoom. But if you're willing to ignore that flaw, this is still a fantastic value student laptop worth because. And if yous fancy an even bigger 16-inch screen, you've also got the option of the Honor MagicBook Pro at a slightly more expensive toll.
Reviewer: Adam Speight
Total review: Honor MagicBook 14 (2020) review
Lenovo Chromebook Duet
Best student tablet with clip-on keyboard
Pros
- Very affordable price
- Bundled keyboard offers versatility
- Superb screen for video content
- Excellent battery life
Cons
- Lack of headphone jack
- Poor speaker quality
- Keyboard is uncomfortably small
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet is arguably more of a tablet than a laptop, but since it comes arranged with a magnetic prune-on keyboard, you're able to easily turn it into a makeshift clamshell when you need to get some work done.
This is arguably a ameliorate selection for school students rather than those attention university, as you'll want a better keyboard and performance when tackling a 10,000 word dissertation, just the Duet'southward versality makes it a not bad option if you similar the thought of watching Netflix and YouTube in bed.
The lack of headphone jack is a major effect hither for those who haven't made the move over to Bluetooth buds. Alternative options include the iPad 7 and the Surface Go 2, although you lot'll have to buy the attachable keyboard separately which pushes the prices up considerably.
Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: Lenovo Chromebook Duet review
Apple MacBook Pro xvi-inch
A high-end laptop ideal for creative-focused courses
Pros
- Incredibly powerful
- Bigger display still looks stunning
- Scissor keyboard a huge improvement
- More stylish with smaller bezel
Cons
- Very expensive
- Stingy port offering
- Lack of Wi-Fi 6
The Apple tree MacBook Pro sixteen-inch is easily the nearly expensive laptop on this list, and is therefore but recommended to those who require a powerful functioning. The MacBook Pro packs a loftier-terminate processor and GPU, helping it to excel at the likes of photo and video editing.
Such power is wasted if you're only going to exist browsing the spider web and typing out essays, so make sure you actually do need the actress grunt before purchasing. Even if money is no issue, the extra power means the laptop is lumbered with actress heft, making it more than difficult to lug around.
Information technology's also worth remembering that Apple is in the process of adding Apple Silicon to its entire Mac range. If y'all can look a few months more, it's likely Apple will launch the MacBook Pro 2021 with significantly improved functioning power and battery life.
Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: MacBook Air M1 review
Acer Chromebook 314
The best upkeep student laptop
Pros
- Great value for coin
- Sturdy construction
- Good port selection
- Fantastic bombardment life
Cons
- Apartment colours and dim brandish
- No touchscreen
- ChromeOS could provide some limitations
The Acer Chromebook 314 is the cheapest laptop on this list, and for expert reason. With Intel'south Celeron N4000 chip under the hood, it doesn't offering a fantastic performance, with noticeable slowdown for simple tasks such every bit browsing the web. Yet, information technology'due south simply about snappy enough for the states to recommend this laptop for mean solar day-to-twenty-four hours tasks and video streaming.
It has a basic clamshell design with no 2-in-1 hinge or touchscreen and its rather hefty at 1.7kg, but it'due south the closest matter y'all're going to get to a traditional laptop design as this price point.
Its fantastic 13-hour battery life is the laptop'southward best aspect, comfortably getting you through a schoolhouse twenty-four hour period without a recharge. Is it a flashy or powerful laptop? Nope. Just it'southward still one of the best options available if you're on a tight budget.
Reviewer: Reece Bithrey
Total review: Acer Chromebook 314 review
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2021)
Best gaming laptop for students
Pros
- Splendid CPU and GPU functioning
- Very portable design for a gaming laptop
- Quad Hard disk drive screen selection now bachelor
- Great battery life compared to rivals
Cons
- No webcam
- Mediocre Quad Hd performanc
- Lack of RGB keyboard lighting
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2021) is currently i of the all-time gaming laptops you can buy, and it'south also a expert pick for students with its lightweight build and decent 6-hour battery life for day-to-twenty-four hour period piece of work.
This is absolutely far more expensive than most of the other laptops on this list, simply it'south a skilful option if you're a gaming who'south going to university and doesn't fancy ownership a PS5 or Xbox Serial X.
Aside from its gaming prowess, it has near everything you need for schoolhouse piece of work, with a great keyboard, lovely screen and speedy CPU performance. It does lack a webcam even so, so y'all'll need to buy an external one to join in on classroom Zoom calls.
Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: Asus ROG Xephyrus G14 (2021) review
Acer Aspire Vero
The best eco-friendly educatee laptop
The Acer Aspire Vero looks like your average mid-range laptop at first glance, but information technology's actually partially made up of PCR (post-consumer recycled) plastics rather than the more conventional aluminium. This makes this laptop more environmentally friendly than most rivals.
It besides packs an 11th Gen Intel Cadre processor to ensure a snappy performance, and a sizeable 15.six-inch 1920x1080p screen ideal for video streaming. Y'all also get a fingerprint sensor here, making it far easier and quicker to boot up the laptop.
At that place are a few issues though. We found the 7.5-hour battery life to be underwhelming and the screen is dimmer than the boilerplate laptop display. And since information technology's quite big and weighs i.8kg, it may not be the most ideal option for students who demand to carry it from lecture hall to lecture hall. Simply those flaws can easily be overcome if you really want a laptop that's doing its bit for planet Earth.
Reviewer: Reece Bithrey
Total review: Acer Aspire Vero review
We also considered…
FAQs
What should a pupil look for in a laptop?
A practiced keyboard, long battery life and snappy functioning are all primal things to consider when purchasing a educatee laptop. Y'all'll also want to make sure it isn't besides heavy, with 1.3kg and under being an ideal heft. Screen quality is worth thinking virtually if you lot plan on using the laptop for Netflix and YouTube.
Do students need a laptop with a GPU?
A dedicated GPU is only worth considering if your a creative/design student who who volition be doing lots of video editing, 3D modelling or blitheness. Gamers will also benefit from a powerful GPU. But be warned, a GPU volition crank up the toll, make the laptop heavier and shorten the battery life, so only go a laptop with 1 if its essential.
How much RAM does a student laptop demand?
Honestly, nearly people will be fine with 4GB RAM, but for a speedy performance, nosotros advise aiming for 8GB and over if possible.
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Specs compared
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CPU
Manufacturer
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Storage Capacity
Front Camera
Battery
Battery Hours
Size (Dimensions)
Weight
ASIN
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Kickoff Reviewed Appointment
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Trusted Reviews test information
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PCMark 10
Geekbench five unmarried core
Geekbench 5 multi core
3DMark Time Spy
CrystalDiskMark Read speed
CrystalMarkDisk Write Speed
Brightness
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White Visual Color Temperature
sRGB
Adobe RGB
DCI-P3
PCMark Battery (office)
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Battery recharge fourth dimension
Borderlands 3 frame charge per unit (Quad HD)
Borderlands 3 frame charge per unit (Full HD)
Horizon Zero Dawn frame rate (Quad Hard disk drive)
Horizon Zippo Dawn frame rate (Full Hd)
Dirt Rally (Quad HD)
Clay Rally (Full Hard disk)
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Source: https://www.trustedreviews.com/best/best-student-laptop-3444216
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