Best College Laptops

We’ve spent time using this HP 14″ Ultralight laptop, and it’s clear it’s aimed at students and budget-conscious users. The slim profile and light weight make it easy to carry around campus or to coffee shops. We found the battery lasted through a full day of classes or work without needing a charge.

The Intel Celeron processor handled basic tasks like web browsing, word processing, and video streaming without much trouble. But we noticed some lag when trying to run multiple apps at once. The 8GB of RAM helped, but don’t expect to do heavy multitasking or run demanding programs.

We weren’t thrilled with the 720p display. Text and images looked a bit fuzzy, and colors weren’t very vibrant. The 64GB of storage filled up fast, so we had to rely on cloud storage and the included microSD card. Windows 11 S mode was limiting, but we were able to switch out of it easily to install non-Microsoft Store apps.

After testing this HP laptop, we found it handled basic student tasks well. The 32GB of RAM let us keep lots of browser tabs and apps open without slowdowns. The roomy 1TB SSD provides ample space for files and boots up quickly.

We liked the responsive touchscreen, which came in handy for scrolling and tapping on-screen elements. However, the 1366×768 resolution looks a bit fuzzy on the 15.6-inch display. Text and images aren’t as sharp as we’d prefer for long study sessions.

The Core i3 processor works fine for everyday use, but struggles with more demanding tasks like video editing. Battery life was average at around 6 hours in our tests. While not a powerhouse, this laptop should meet most students’ needs for taking notes, writing papers, and web browsing at a wallet-friendly price.

The Acer Aspire 3 impressed us with its sleek design and portability. At just under 4 pounds, we found it easy to carry around campus all day. The 15.6-inch Full HD screen looked sharp and clear, making it great for writing papers or watching videos between classes.

We liked the comfortable full-sized keyboard, which includes a number pad. The large touchpad was responsive and made navigating Windows 11 a breeze. In our tests, the laptop handled everyday tasks like web browsing, word processing, and video streaming without any hiccups.

Battery life was a pleasant surprise. We got through a full day of classes and studying on a single charge. The AMD Ryzen 3 processor and 8GB of RAM kept things running smoothly for basic multitasking. But the 128GB SSD filled up quickly, so extra cloud storage or an external drive might be needed. While fine for schoolwork, this laptop isn’t ideal for gaming or heavy creative work due to its basic integrated graphics.

This HP laptop surprised us with its generous 16GB of RAM and spacious 1TB solid-state drive. We found it zipped through basic tasks like web browsing, word processing, and light photo editing without issue. The extra memory let us keep lots of browser tabs and applications open at once.

We appreciated the long battery life, which lasted through most of a school day in our tests. The full-size keyboard felt comfortable for typing papers, though the keys lacked backlighting. While the 15.6-inch screen is roomy, we wish it had a sharper resolution than 1366×768.

For students who just need a reliable machine for classwork, this HP laptop fits the bill. But those wanting more power for demanding programs or gaming should look elsewhere. The Intel Celeron processor handles everyday tasks fine, but struggles with intensive applications. Still, at this price point, we think it’s a good value for budget-conscious students.

We tested the Dell Inspiron 16 5635 and were impressed by its audio quality. The up-firing speakers sent sound right to our ears, making music and videos come alive. We liked how we could connect our phones via Bluetooth to play podcasts through the laptop’s speakers.

The 16-inch screen felt huge compared to typical 15-inch laptops. We had plenty of room for documents, web pages, and video chats. The taller 16:10 aspect ratio gave us more vertical space, which was great for reading and writing papers.

We appreciated the FHD camera for video calls. The privacy shutter was a nice touch for peace of mind. The AI noise reduction worked well, cutting down background noise during our chats. While 8GB of RAM might be tight for heavy multitaskers, we found it adequate for everyday college tasks.

We tested the Acer Swift X and found it packs a lot of power into a compact package. The AMD Ryzen 7 processor and NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti graphics card handled our photo editing tasks with ease. We could even play some modern games at medium settings without issues.

The 14-inch screen impressed us with its bright, colorful display. Text looked crisp and images popped nicely. At just over 3 pounds, we had no trouble carrying this laptop around campus all day. The metal body feels solid and well-built.

Battery life was good in our tests, lasting around 8-9 hours of regular use. The keyboard is nice to type on, though we noticed the backlight was a bit uneven. The webcam is basic but works fine for video calls. While it has USB-C, we wish it had more ports overall. The fans can get noisy when pushing the system, but that’s expected given the powerful components inside such a thin chassis.

The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 surprised us with its value. We found its 12GB of RAM handled everyday tasks smoothly. Switching between browser tabs and basic apps felt snappy. The 512GB SSD paired with 128GB eMMC gave us plenty of space for documents and media.

We liked the 15.6-inch Full HD screen for homework and streaming videos. While not the brightest, it worked well in most indoor settings. The anti-glare coating helped reduce eye strain during long study sessions.

Battery life impressed us. We got through a full day of classes without needing to plug in. The laptop’s lightweight design made it easy to carry around campus. Windows 11 ran smoothly, and we appreciated the included year of Office 365 for schoolwork.

The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 packs a lot of value into an affordable package. We were impressed by the generous 32GB of RAM, which is rare at this price point. It made multitasking a breeze when we had dozens of browser tabs and applications open.

The 1TB SSD gave us plenty of fast storage for all our files and programs. The 15.6-inch Full HD display looked crisp and bright for taking notes and watching videos. We liked the anti-glare coating, which helped reduce eye strain during long study sessions.

While the Intel i3 processor isn’t the fastest, it handled basic college tasks just fine. Don’t expect to do heavy video editing or gaming, but for writing papers, research, and light photo editing it works well. The included Microsoft Office license is a nice bonus that saved us some money. Just be aware you may need to buy a Windows activation key separately.

We tested the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 and found it works well for everyday student tasks. The 20GB of RAM lets us keep lots of browser tabs and apps open at once without slowdowns. We like the roomy 1TB SSD, which gives us plenty of space for files and loads programs quickly.

The 15.6-inch full HD screen looks crisp and clear for watching videos or working on assignments. Its anti-glare coating helps reduce eye strain during long study sessions. The keyboard feels comfy for typing papers, though the plastic chassis flexes a bit.

While fine for basic use, the Intel Celeron chip isn’t great for demanding programs or games. Battery life is decent – we got about 6 hours of real-world use. For the price, this IdeaPad offers good value if you need an affordable laptop mainly for writing, web browsing, and light multitasking.

The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 surprised us with its responsive touchscreen at this price. We found it handy for quickly scrolling through web pages or tapping on-screen buttons. The laptop felt light in our backpack, making it easy to carry around campus all day.

While using it, we noticed the Intel Core i3 processor handled basic tasks well. We could write papers, browse the web, and stream videos without much lag. The 8GB of RAM let us keep several browser tabs open at once. But when we tried more demanding tasks like photo editing, it started to slow down a bit.

The 256GB SSD isn’t huge, but it’s enough for most schoolwork and loads programs quickly. We liked the variety of ports – it was nice to plug in our phone, mouse, and external hard drive all at once. The battery lasted us through most of a school day, but we needed to recharge before evening study sessions. Overall, it’s a good value for students who mainly need a laptop for writing, research, and web browsing.