10 Best Laptops for Students

The Dell XPS 15 is positioned at a midrange price level, offering a substantial balance between performance and cost. For storage, it comes with a decent size, accompanied by a sizeable amount of RAM for multitasking. It is powered by a modern Intel processor, alongside an Intel Arc GPU which makes it suitable for general usage and some more intensive tasks like light engineering work, but it might struggle with very demanding 3D or machine learning tasks. You'll find the battery life suited for a full day's work. Its 15.6-inch display is an IPS type with a good resolution, although it's not a touchscreen. Portability is good, not too heavy nor too bulky, making it a solid choice if you need to move around with your laptop. There are multiple USB-C ports, including Thunderbolt 4, enhancing connectivity and data transfer speed. The laptop has a backlit keyboard and a fingerprint reader for extra convenience and security, an excellent build quality, and manages heat well. Overall, the Dell XPS 15 is versatile and well-rounded, fitting for general use, professional work, and some creative tasks, yet not the ultimate choice for high-end gaming or very demanding computational tasks.

The HP Envy x360 15" is a versatile laptop with a convertible 2-in-1 design, which allows it to be used as both a laptop and a tablet. It has a lower midrange price and offers an OLED touchscreen with a standard resolution, suitable for general use and media consumption. The AMD Ryzen 7 processor coupled with ample RAM makes it a good candidate for everyday tasks and can handle some more demanding applications. Its portability is considered good, given its reasonable weight and battery life, which supports typical usage for a decent duration. Additionally, this laptop features a backlit keyboard and a number of USB-C ports, enhancing its functionality and ease of use. However, it may not be the best option for intensive gaming or heavy engineering tasks, as it lacks dedicated high-performance graphics capabilities. Overall, the HP Envy x360 15" could be a good fit for users seeking a combination of performance in everyday tasks with the flexibility of a tablet.

The HP Spectre x360, a 2-in-1 convertible, can serve as both a laptop and tablet and sits at an upper midrange price. It has a solid combination of a large screen, significant storage, and ample RAM, paired with an Intel i7 processor and integrated graphics, making it capable for general use and multitasking. Its higher battery capacity should offer long hours of typical usage, but the weight is a consideration for portability. Its assortment of ports, including USB-C and Thunderbolt, adds versatility for connecting peripherals. The build quality and display are noted for being high-quality, with a bright screen that supports touchscreen interaction. Its performance is sufficient for general work and some engineering applications, though dedicated gaming or intensive 3D rendering may be limited due to the absence of a discrete GPU. The keyboard and speakers are highly regarded, ensuring a comfortable typing experience and good sound quality.

The Acer Swift Go 14 offers robust performance with its Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and Intel Arc graphics, suited for general use and capable of handling some engineering and creative tasks. The OLED display is of high quality, boasting a high resolution and color accuracy, which is great for visual work but not touch-enabled. This laptop is lightweight and thin, enhancing its portability, but the tradeoff comes in battery life, which is moderate. There are ample ports, including Thunderbolt, for connectivity, and features such as a backlit keyboard and fingerprint reader are present for convenience. It's described as having a lower midrange price, indicating a balance between affordability and features. Overall, it's a versatile choice for everyday use, with some capacity for more demanding applications.

The Dell XPS 13 is positioned at a lower midrange price with a solid build quality and is highly portable due to its light weight and compact size. Featuring an Intel i7 processor, integrated Iris Xe graphics, and ample memory and storage, it delivers good performance for general use and fair capabilities for more demanding tasks such as 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering software. With a decent battery life, it allows for mobility without frequent charging. The laptop has an excellent keyboard and a good quality webcam which enhances the user experience during typing and video conferencing. It comes equipped with a 13.4-inch IPS display with good color coverage, suitable for tasks where color accuracy is important but may not be optimal for intensive gaming. The Dell XPS 13 runs on Windows 11 Home and has multiple USB-C ports, including Thunderbolt 4 support, ensuring high-speed connectivity and data transfer but lacks a dedicated number pad, hardware ray tracing, and DLSS features. If you prioritize portability and build quality over gaming or intensive engineering tasks, the Dell XPS 13 may be a suitable choice.

The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is considered to be at a midrange price level and offers 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM. It's powered by the Apple M1 chip, which includes a 7-core GPU. The battery capacity is strong, supporting up to 15 hours of typical usage, which, alongside its weight of 2.8 pounds, makes it very portable. The 13.3-inch screen is an IPS panel with a resolution of 2560 x 1600, not a touchscreen, and has good color accuracy with full coverage of the sRGB space and almost full coverage of the DCI-P3 space, enhancing the display quality. It doesn't have a number pad but features a high-quality backlit keyboard and fingerprint reader for security. Connectivity includes two USB-C ports that support Thunderbolt and charging. The MacBook Air is fanless, thus operates silently, and is well-regarded for its build quality and heat management. Its performance is good for general use scenarios and fair for 3D/machine learning and engineering tasks, so while it's not tailored for intensive gaming, it's a reliable choice for everyday productivity and entertainment.

The MSI Prestige 15 is a premium business laptop with a lower midrange price. It features an Intel i7 processor, an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti graphics card, and comes with ample storage and generous RAM. It boasts a good-sized battery, a 15.6-inch IPS display, and a full high-definition resolution. While it's not touchscreen, it does cover a broad range of the color spectrum, making it good for tasks that require color accuracy. The laptop is fairly light and slim, contributing to its portability, and includes modern connectivity options such as Thunderbolt 4 and USB-C charging, but lacks an Ethernet port and isn't ideal for intensive gaming. The keyboard includes a number pad, is backlit, and the laptop has a fingerprint reader for security. It's suitable for engineering, 3D rendering, and machine learning, with good overall build quality, heat management, and performance for general use, although heavy 3D and machine learning tasks might not perform as well as on more specialized hardware. Its battery life is adequate for typical use.