Best laptops for students: See where the MacBook falls on our list

Share This Post

Best laptops for students: See where the MacBook falls on our list

If you’re a student, your laptop is your toolbox, your textbook, your everything — and you need a solid machine that’s going to last you from orientation to graduation. It’s an essential tool, and you need one that you can rely on: No one has the extra cash to be replacing a subpar laptop halfway through school, and you don’t want to be dealing with unexpected repairs when you have papers to write and parties to attend. 

Memory and processors are important when you’re looking for a laptop, especially for classwork: You’ll want something that can handle a ton of tabs and simultaneous programs, as well as enough storage to save downloaded lectures, textbooks, films, the dreaded term project, and other study materials. Here are a few other factors to consider:  Read more…

More about Laptops, Mashable Shopping, Tech, and Consumer Tech

1c66e03e 5a3a 4199 9ad7 da01461937af



IMAGE: Amazon


BEST OVERALL

Apple MacBook Pro

A classic from Apple with the highest specs of any MacBook ever built and ideal for photo and video editing.

  • Storage: 256GB SSD
  • RAM: 8GB
  • Battery life: Up to 20 hours
  • Features: Apple-designed M1 chip, 8-core CPU, 2560 x 1600 HD Retina display, 2 Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, headphone jack, Touch ID


$1,299 from Amazon

E7d0ad97 bddf 4269 9918 9cdd9af94c3d



IMAGE: Amazon


THE BUDGET 2-IN-1

Asus Chromebook Flip

A well-reviewed and sturdy 2-in-1 for under $500 with specs that blow others in this price range out of the water.

  • Storage: 64GB
  • RAM: 4GB
  • Battery life: Up to 10 hours
  • Features: 1920 x 1080 FHD display, Intel Core m3-8100Y Processor, two USB-C ports, micro SD slot, USB-A port


$486.99 from Amazon

Abc80002 84b4 480f b9d9 ac5e3a0e22b1



IMAGE: Amazon


BEST FOR NOTE TAKING AND DRAWING

Samsung Notebook Pro 9

A 2-in-1 showoff with an included stylus for drawing and note taking, but also ideal for movie-watching and traveling.

  • Storage: 512GB SSD
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Battery life: Up to 14 hours
  • Features: Full HD 1920 x 1080 touchscreen display, Intel Core i7-8565U up to 4.6 GHz, 1 USB-C and two Thunderbolt 3 ports, media card reader, Intel UHD Graphics 620


$1,099 from Amazon

D2041324 fb03 4b81 9451 aed16b5ecccf



IMAGE: Amazon


BEST FOR GAMING AND MULTITASKING

Acer Aspire 5

This is a powerful machine with a fast processor — and it won't break the bank.

  • Storage: 128GB SSD
  • RAM: 8GB
  • Battery life: Up to six hours
  • Features: AMD Ryzen 3 3200U processor, up to 3.5 GHz, bonus HDD storage, 2 USB 3.1 ports, 1 USB 2.0 port, HDMI port


$479 from Amazon

065b1fe8 d89d 494a a852 98d932ef76eb



IMAGE: Amazon


BEST COMPACT LAPTOP

Dell Inspiron 11 3195 2-in-1

At 11 inches, this 2-in-1 laptop is super compact and portable — but you’ll have to sacrifice some power.

  • Storage: 128 GB
  • RAM: 4GB
  • Battery life: Up to five hours
  • Features: 1366 x 768 resolution, AMD A9-9420e Processor (Dual Core, 2.6Ghz, 1MB Cache, 15W) and Radeon R5 graphics, 2 USB 2.0 ports, USB 3.1 port, HDMI port, microSD reader


$335 from Amazon

E8d18d7b 57fa 4e67 baab 2c80d09759df



IMAGE: Amazon


MOST STYLISH OPTION

ASUS VivoBook

A portable, stylish laptop that doesn’t skimp on components or features.

  • Storage: 512GB SSD
  • RAM: 8GB RAM
  • Features: AMD Ryzen 5 3500U 4 Quad-Core Processor (2.1 GHz base frequency up to 3.7 GHz, 4 Cores, 6MB L3 Cache), Radeon RX Vega 8 Graphics, USB 3.1 Type A, USB 3.1 Type C, two USB 2.0, HDMI, 1920 x 1080 FHD display


$599.99 from Amazon

54748cbd d30a 4420 9fa1 73e2ebf390ff



IMAGE: Amazon


BEST MACBOOK PRO ALTERNATIVE

Huawei MateBook X Pro

If you can ignore the webcam placement, this laptop's 3K touchscreen and stellar speakers make it a powerhouse for studying (and playing).

  • Storage: 512 GB SSD
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Battery life: 15 hours
  • Features: USB-C ports, 3K touchscreen, second-generation Dolby Atmos speakers, Intel i7-8550U processor, one-touch power button with identity authentication, NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics card, no SD card slot


$1 from Amazon

Subscribe The Newsletter

Get updates and learn from the best

More To Explore

Do You Want To Stay Connected?

drop a line and keep in touch