In the modern era, almost every field of study requires a laptop. Students need a laptop to perform different tasks related to their studies and as a student, you must be knowing the importance of a well-performing laptop. So if you are looking forward to purchasing a good laptop, I have compiled a list of some of the best laptops for students and explained their features in detail to make it easy for you to choose the laptop from a myriad of options that are available to you.
Laptops that are used for study purposes should offer a smooth and fast performance so that the student can stay more focused. A laptop offering poor performance can easily distract a student from their studies. Therefore, it is very important to choose a good laptop. In this article, I will be suggesting to you some of the best laptops for students which offer the user a combination of great performance, build, battery and so on. Read on to grab more details.
You may also like to read about Best Laptops under £750.
Our Top 3 Recommendations
MacBook Pro M2 (2022)
The MacBook Pro M2 (2022) is one of the best-performing laptops in the market and its smooth and fast performance definitely makes it a good choice for students. Students can multitask on this laptop without compromising on speed. The silent cooling system of this laptop is also an advantage. Furthermore, this laptop offers a very long battery backup which will last all day. It has a bright and colourful display and has a compact size to let you carry it conveniently.
Dell XPS 13 9315
The Dell XPS 13 9315 can be a pick for you if you are looking for a great performance and stylish look. It comes with a touchscreen display which is lined by thin bezels and offers impressive picture quality. The laptop is extremely compact and you can easily carry it anywhere easily. Thanks to the 12th Gen Core i7 processor and 16GB RAM, this laptop is not going to slow down on performance. Definitely, the Dell XPS 13 9315 is one of the best laptops for students.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro is also one of the best laptops for students. This laptop is going to offer you a smooth performance because it is loaded with one of the latest and most powerful processors. *GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage let you multitask and store a lot of data that too without compromising on speed. Furthermore, the display of this laptop not only offers a good quality picture output but also protects your eyes and keeps them away from getting strained.
How we picked the best laptops for students
I have shortlisted the best laptops for students from different categories of price and performance. I have made sure that all of these laptops offer features that are worth their price. I have jotted down certain important features that you must look for in a laptop before purchasing one. Let’s go briefly through them.
Performance:
First and foremost, the laptop that you purchase for study purposes must offer good performance. For that, it must be loaded with a powerful processor and a large RAM. The storage space must also be sufficient. Only then can you expect your laptop to perform smoothly even during multitasking.
Build:
The build quality of the laptop you purchase must be rigid and durable so that it can withstand daily usage. It should also be lightweight and compact which can be easily accommodated in a student’s backpack and carried along conveniently. It must also offer a comfortable keyboard and touchpad.
Display:
The display must offer a good picture quality which is clear and bright. A display which offers eye-safety features must be preferred to protect your eyes from strain. Some laptops also offer a touchscreen display which is a better option and least you use your laptop as a tablet as well as per your feasibility.
Battery:
A good student laptop should offer 8 to 9 hours of battery backup so that you can use it all day on a single charge. Some laptops also offer fast charging which is an advantageous feature. Laptops which do not have a good battery backup can unexpectedly run out of battery and interrupt your studies.
Connectivity:
Connectivity options can be wired or wireless. For wired connectivity features, check that the laptop you purchase offers ample useful ports like the Thunderbolt 4 port. For wireless connectivity, check whether the latest Bluetooth and Wifi versions are offered or not for establishing a stable connection.
These are the best laptops for students in the UK
| Laptops | RAM | Storage | CPU | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacBook Pro M2 (2022) | 8GB | 256GB SSD | M2 Chip | Current Price |
| Dell XPS 13 9315 | 16GB | 512GB SSD | Intel i7 12th Gen | Current Price |
| Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro | 8GB | 512GB SSD | Intel i7 12th Gen | Current Price |
| SGIN 15.6 Inch Laptop | 8GB | 256GB SSD | Intel Celeron | Current Price |
1. MacBook Pro M2 (2022)
One of the most student-friendly laptops is the MacBook Pro M2 (2022). This laptop gets the M2 chip which definitely offers flawless performance. Moreover, this laptop is offered almost at the same price as that of its previous version which features the older M1 chip. With the M2 chip, this laptop will not fail to meet your expectations performance-wise. You can open a number of applications and load numerous web pages without falling short on a lag-free performance.
The laptop gets a durable build quality but has an average look despite being slim and lightweight. The laptop gets a responsive touchpad and keyboard. Above the keyboard, a touch bar is also offered which shows buttons according to the content. Other than that, you also get a touch ID which lets you log in quickly using your fingerprint. You will not find many ports on this laptop but it does offer you two Thunderbolt ports and a headphone jack. Along with good speakers and mics, a 720p webcam is offered which lies on top of the screen and can be used for online classes. However, a 1080p webcam would have been appreciated.
You get an amazing display on this laptop. It has a Retina display which offers clear and colourful picture output. The viewing angles are wide and the brightness levels are impressively high. You can use this laptop all day long once fully charged because you get a long battery backup of around 15 hours on it which is exceptional. I also appreciate the extremely quiet cooling system provided on it. I highly recommend this laptop as it is one of the best laptops for students.
Pros:
- Excellent performance.
- Silent to use.
- Great battery life.
- Good quality display.
Cons:
- Few ports.
- Only 720p webcam.
Specifications:
| Display: | 13 inches QHD |
| CPU: | M2 Chip |
| GPU: | Apple Integrated Graphics |
| RAM: | 8GB |
| Storage: | 256GB SSD |
| Weight: | 1.4 kg |
2. Dell XPS 13 9315
The Dell XPS 13 9315 is a very attractive-looking laptop and is among the best laptops for students. This laptop gets the Evo-certified Intel i7 12th Gen processor which is one of the most powerful processors. This gets coupled with a large 16GB RAM and you also get Intel Iris Xe graphics on it. You can store a lot of data on this laptop, thanks to the 512GB SSD storage. So this laptop is set to offer you great performance at fast speeds while you study using it.
The design of this laptop easily catches my eye. Not only does it have a premium look but it also has a rigid aluminium chassis which adds to durability. On the downside, opening the lid of this laptop is not something that you can do with one hand. However, it then reveals the display which is lined by thin bezels from all sides. The keyboard has well-spaced keys which have a short key-travel distance. Being backlit, you can use the keyboard in low light or dark.
The laptop has a 13.4-inch display which comes with a UHD+ resolution and you can have an immersive viewing experience on this screen. The display is touchscreen so you can also use it as a tablet too. This feature adds to feasibility particularly when you are studying. Unfortunately, this laptop does not offer you a lot of ports. Only two Thunderbolt 4 ports are offered for charging as well as for data transfer. But the latest wireless connectivity features are offered.
Pros:
- Features 12th Gen i7 processor.
- Large 16GB RAM.
- Thin and compact design.
- Comfortable keyboard.
Cons:
- Lid is difficult to open.
- Limited ports.
Specifications:
| Display: | 13.4 inches UHD+ |
| CPU: | Intel i7 12th Gen |
| GPU: | Intel Integrated Graphics |
| RAM: | 16GB |
| Storage: | 512GB SSD |
| Weight: | 1.17 kg |
3. Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro
I next suggest the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro laptop for students. This is because this laptop is equipped with a strong processor and its RAM and storage specs suit study purposes. You can surf the net, watch videos, and even multitask without slowing down on speed. The cooling system of this laptop handles temperature well so that the laptop does not get uncomfortably hot. Moreover, it is not very noisy and will not distract you from your studies.
If I talk about the connectivity, this laptop supports Bluetooth and Wifi 6. Full-sized ports are not offered but you do get a USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, a Headphone/microphone combo jack, and two Thunderbolt 4 which support data transfer, Power Delivery 3.0, and DisplayPort 1.4a. What I do not like about this laptop is that it gets an average keyboard and trackpad. Also, the battery backup does not last long enough. Luckily, it does not take very long to charge.
This laptop gets an amazing display which is loaded with features. Lined by narrow bezels, you get a large viewing space on the 14-inch display. Moreover, it has a 2.2K resolution to deliver crisp and clear images. Its colour palate is impressive and thanks to the Dolby Vision technology which completely immerses you in whatever is playing on the laptop. Moreover, the display also offers a number of eye-safety features like anti-glare technology and low blue-light emission.
Pros:
- Comes with a strong processor.
- Impressive display.
- Ergonomic build.
Cons:
- Average keyboard quality.
- Battery should last longer.
Specifications:
| Display: | 14 inches 2K |
| CPU: | Intel i7 12th Gen |
| GPU: | Intel Integrated Graphics |
| RAM: | 8GB |
| Storage: | 512GB SSD |
| Weight: | 1.32 kg |
4. SGIN 15.6 Inch Laptop
For those of you who are looking for an affordable laptop for study purposes, this laptop from SGIN is my recommendation. This laptop may not have a very powerful processor and may not offer exceptional performance, but taking into consideration its price, it performs fairly well. Particularly, if you are going to use this laptop for study purposes, this laptop can take the load. The processor it offers is from the Intel Celeron series and you get a large 8GB RAM.
256GB of SSD storage is offered on this laptop. Don’t worry if you feel that you might fall short of storage since this laptop supports expansion up to 1TB. This laptop gets a 15.6-inch display in case you are looking for a large screen but that might make it quite bothersome to carry along with you. However, the lightweight of this laptop makes it portable. The display offers a decent picture quality but its brightness falls short in outdoor and bright light conditions.
The battery backup offered is ample and will last around 8 hours on a single charge. Ample ports are offered on this laptop which includes two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, a Micro SD card Slot and a 3.5mm jack. You also get a full-sized keyboard on this laptop which comes with a separate number pad and is comfortable to use. However, the webcam offered on this laptop is of poor quality and you may need an external webcam for clear video conferencing.
Pros:
- Affordable.
- Decent battery life.
- Ample ports.
Cons:
- Poor webcam quality.
- Low display brightness.
Specifications:
| Display: | 15.6 inches HD |
| CPU: | Intel Celeron |
| GPU: | Intel Integrated Graphics |
| RAM: | 8GB |
| Storage: | 256GB SSD |
| Weight: | 1.63 kg |
FAQs about the best laptops for students
Which are the best laptops for students?
The best laptops for students include the MacBook Pro M2 (2022), the Dell XPS 13 9315 and the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro. If you are looking for a budget-friendly option, then the SGIN 15.6 Inch Laptop is also a good choice.
Does the Dell XPS 13 9315 offer a touchscreen?
Yes, the Dell XPS 13 9315 offers a touchscreen and can be used as a laptop as well as a tablet.
Which is a good but affordable laptop for students?
You can go for the SGIN 15.6 Inch Laptop if you are looking for one of the best laptops for students that is affordable.