Best college laptops in 2022 | Laptop Mag

If you’re a educatee, you’ll desire one of the best college laptops so you lot can ace your exams then stream TV or play games when it’s time to relax. But with then many choices at so many different prices, finding the very best laptops for students can feel similar actress homework.

When you’re buying a laptop for schoolhouse, brand sure it has long battery life and fast CPU performance. You can find a lot of these units on our main all-time laptops page, which gives you a wide selection of the top notebooks to choose from. And if yous adopt to take notes by hand, purchase one of the best two-in-1 laptops. We’ve also ranked the best gaming laptops for those who like to unwind after the coursework is wrapped up. Nosotros’re withal in a process of reviewing some laptops that could find their fashion on this list, so exist sure to bank check back in regularly for the latest and not bad laptops for students.

Whichever laptop you become, you’ll also want to pick up a few extras, such equally a comfortable mouse, a well-appointed backpack, and peradventure a printer. Without farther ado, here are the best college laptops, including some budget picks for those dreading tuition payments.

• Hither are the best Apple laptops in 2022
• The best laptop deals in February 2022
• Here are the best thirteen-inch laptops in 2022

What is the best college laptop?

Nosotros feel strongly about the Green-eyed 13 and MacBook Air (M1, 2022) every bit the best laptops for higher students. Non everyone is on a budget, just nearly folks will want to save as much money as possible so they tin pay off educatee loans. If you lot’re in this group, the Envy 13 and MacBook Air deliver premium specs and features at a reasonable, sub-$1,000 toll.

The Envy 13 might be a mid-range notebook but it looks and feels like a more premium machine. The Green-eyed besides delivers fast functioning from 11th Gen Intel CPUs, it has a bang-up screen, and information technology’s portable enough to behave around campus. Then there’s the MacBook Air, which is powered past Apple’s M1 processor for solid performance with otherworldly battery life.

If you don’t accept a budget, consider the Microsoft Surface Pro Studio, the Dell XPS 15 or one of the xiv-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pros. You could also become large on the Dell XPS 17, the best 17-inch laptop around.

The best laptop for students is now better than ever. Refreshed with a new blueprint and a Thunderbolt iv port, the new HP Envy 13 is the best sub-$i,000 laptop for students or anyone who needs a portable machine with loads of power and long battery life (xi:15 on the FHD model).

With even slimmer bezels and faster functioning, the 2022 model shows that it can hang with much pricier flagship models. Combine those features with a sleek chassis, bright and brilliant 1080p display and plenty of performance from an 11th Gen Core i5 CPU, and information technology’south easy to run into why the Envy thirteen is the best college laptop for students. And frankly, given that this is a budget laptop compared to many of the others on this list, the Green-eyed 13 is an awesome choice. If you need a larger display, see our HP Envy 14 review.

See our full

HP Envy 13 (2021) review
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If you prefer macOS to Windows 10, then go with the Apple tree MacBook Air. The biggest comeback to this year’due south model is the new M1 chip, which delivers outstanding performance and first-class battery life, making the new MacBook Air the fastest ultrathin laptop ever.

Best of all, the MacBook Air still costs merely $999, and yet, you lot tin can unrivaled performance along with 14 hours and 41 minutes of battery life. This is a combination y’all’ll only find from the very best Windows 10 laptops, and even they tin’t compete in head-to-head performance.

So why buy the MacBook Air instead of the Pro? While the Pro has better sustained functioning, the MacBook Air is cheaper and is pivot-drop silent because it doesn’t accept a fan. And, of class, Apple tree’s to the lowest degree expensive 13.3-inch model is the most portable, coming in at only 0.six inches thick and two.8 pounds.

Simply now the MacBook Air is slower to parity with the MacBook Pro than ever earlier. It has like speed and battery life, the aforementioned 720p webcam, a comfy Magic keyboard and ii USB-C ports. Also, the xiii.3-inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel Retina display on the M1 model was improved with P3 color coverage, making it more vibrant than the previous panel.

See our full

Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2022) review
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The Dell XPS 13 is a serious workhorse and the best premium laptop for college students. Powered past an 11th Gen Intel Cadre i7 processor with integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, the notebook is ready for work or play. And with more than 11 hours of battery life, you’ve got plenty of time for both. The laptop consistently performed either better or on par with competing systems.

But residuum assured, the XPS 13 is just as pretty every bit it is powerful. The visitor managed to brand a laptop that’s smaller and lighter than previous models. Despite the smaller size, Dell added some big changes, including a larger trackpad and keyboard. Plus, you lot get a 13.four-inch, near-bezelless display on every side –– the first in the globe to practise so.

Information technology’s an exercise in patient restraint, improving the notebook in a bunch of small ways that add up to a big leap for the organization. If y’all’re looking for the total packet, the Dell XPS 13 is the laptop for you.

See our full

Dell XPS thirteen (Model 9310, 4K) review
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Need a screen upgrade for video or photograph editing? Encounter our total

XPS 13 OLED review
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The HP Envy x360 xiii is the all-time laptop for nether $1,000 and ane of the best Ultrabooks on the market. While it doesn’t come with a stylus (neither does the Surface Pro), the Envy is a 2-in-ane, which lets you flip it into tent or tablet mode. What makes this such a fantastic value is its entirely aluminum blueprint and Herculian AMD Ryzen processors.

In our testing, nosotros institute that an Green-eyed x360 13 with a Ryzen five 4500U CPU can outperform laptops with 10th Gen Intel chips. This specific Green-eyed costs just $800 and can outmuscle laptops that cost well over $1,000, including the exorbitant MacBook Pro. Moreover, the Envy x360 13 has a bright, brilliant 13.three-inch display and a comfy keyboard.

At that place is very little we don’t similar virtually the Envy x360. If you tin can get over the lack of a Thunderbolt three port and IR photographic camera, then it is the ultimate money-saving laptop.
If you adopt a larger display, come across our

HP Envy x360 xv review
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Encounter our

HP Green-eyed x360 13 (2020) review

This is the huge leap forward nosotros’ve been waiting on. It is all thanks to the new M1 fleck, Apple’s offset-ever custom SoC for laptops. With the all-time ability-per-watt performance of whatever processor, the M1 brings the MacBook Pro’due south performance and battery life to the next level.

More specifically, the MacBook Pro is more powerful than nearly every PC on the market place, including some workstations. And despite cramming so much power into such a slim and sleek chassis, the Pro lasted for an outstanding 16 hours and 32 minutes on our battery test, which simulates existent-earth testing.

With an image processing unit, the webcam (sadly, withal 720p) is better than before and since it runs on Apple’s ARM-based architecture, iPad and iPhone apps are now available on Mac. Yes, you can run all your favorite iOS games and apps on your laptop now.

Rounding out the numerous enhancements found in the latest MacBook Pro is Big Sur, the latest version of macOS. The largest update since Bone 10 launched a decade ago, Big Sur is a beautiful redesign of the desktop Bone.

See our

MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2022) review

The Spectre x360 14 is the best 2-in-1 laptop always. Newly released for 2022, the 13.5-inch model builds upon its predecessors simply adds useful new features including a iii:two aspect ratio display and 11th Gen Intel CPUs with Iris Xe graphics. Highlights of this laptop include a stunning blueprint, bright and vivid 1920 x 1280-pixel IPS and 3K2K OLED brandish options, epic 12+ hour bombardment life and fast overall functioning.

Add together to that a generously sized touchpad that is silky to the bear on as well as a comfortable (admitting shallow) keyboard, excellent security options (fingerprint sensor and facial recognition) and a good selection of ports, and well, it’south easy to see why we similar this laptop so much.

We recommend buying the Spectre x360 14 over the Envy 13 if you accept the coin, specially if yous need the flexible design. In fact, the Spectre x360 14 is the all-time laptop if yous desire a convertible notebook, catamenia. Sure, information technology has a few faults, simply those are easily forgotten once you get this beauty in your hands.

See our

HP Spectre x360 14 review

If you want to salvage some money, consider the excellent

HP Spectre x360 13
.

If you want baking functioning at a budget price, look no further than the Acer Swift iii with AMD Ryzen CPUs. This $649 laptop tin can outperform the Dell XPS xiii and fifty-fifty brand a run at the MacBook Pro. Information technology’s really all nigh the Ryzen 7 4700U CPU within, which trounces its Intel opposites in raw operation.

We as well like the Swift 3’s clicky keyboard, which was comfortable to type on thanks to the springy feedback. You as well get a fingerprint reader on the deck for quick login and the chassis is made of aluminum and magnesium, non plastic. Our biggest beefiness with the Swift iii is the dim and slow display. If that isn’t a business organization for you, the Swift 3 is an excellent choice at a reasonable price.

Encounter our full

Acer Swift 3 (2020, AMD) review
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Lenovo made several welcome changes to the 9th Gen edition of its flagship business laptop. Along with fast performance from 11th Gen Intel CPUs, y’all get longer battery life (xv hours!), powerful quad speakers, a new xiv-inch brandish with a 16:10 aspect ratio, and plenty of ports, all in an impossibly lightweight chassis (2.5 pounds).

Just information technology’s however those archetype ThinkPad features —  a durable design (with MIL-STD-810G forcefulness), best-in-class keyboard and stealthy black/ruby-red aesthetics — that carry the X1 Carbon to greatness.

Yes, we wish the ThinkPad X1 Carbon had a better webcam and hadn’t ditched the SD bill of fare reader in the previous. Also, top configurations tin can go very expensive; still, you lot’d be hard-pressed to discover a better business laptop for students going to college. If you lot want a 2-in-1 laptop with business concern features, consider the ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Gen 6).

See our full

Lenovo ThinkPad Carbon X1 (Gen nine) review
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The Google Pixelbook Go is a fantastic laptop for students because you get the same sleek elegance as the Pixelbook merely at a much lower cost. Starting at $649, the Pixelbook Go is among the cheapest laptops on this list, withal it delivers a lightweight chassis, fast performance and epic battery life.

More classrooms are shifting to Chromebooks, and then the Pixelbook Go should feel familiar to students. It’s an like shooting fish in a barrel-to-use, lightweight operating system centered around the Chrome browser. What makes the Pixelbook Go such a good choice is that information technology’s durable and powerful plenty to survive for several years, so buy information technology for your freshman kid and it should last him through high school graduation and into college.

Meet our full

Google Pixelbook Go review
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Lenovo’s Legion 5 Pro proves what’s possible when ii opposing forces come together for the greater good. Those forces are AMD and Nvidia, and the greater adept is the gaming community. Armed with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800 CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 graphics, the Legion 5 Pro gives gamers the ability they need to run the latest AAA titles at Ultra graphics settings.

What information technology lacks in flashy aesthetics, it makes up for with a gorgeous 16-inch QHD display, an exceptional keyboard and touchpad, plenty of ports, and outstanding performance from the one-two punch of an AMD CPU and Nvidia GPU. And despite harnessing then much power, the Legion 5 Pro delivers respectable battery life.

Encounter our full

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro review
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Productivity, multimedia and even a bit of gaming — the Dell XPS 15 can do it all and do it well. The XPS 15 offers an attractive, slim design that’s bursting with power. While that might seem minor, the four-border InfinityEdge bezel has made possible i of the highest resolution displays on the marketplace, and at present it comes with gorgeous OLED technology for those who don’t need the longest battery life.

And if that isn’t enough, check under the hood and yous’ll find an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 Comet Lake H-Series processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti. The laptop dominated all of our criterion tests including our graphics exam. That means y’all could get a solid gaming session going in a compression. It’south a jack-of-all-trades system that excels at just near everything.

If you lot like what the XPS 15 offers but need an even larger brandish, consider the

Dell XPS 17
.

See our

Dell XPS xv OLED (2021) review.

Microsoft has struck the correct 2-in-1 residual. Instead of having a detachable chapeau like the Surface Book information technology replaces, or an attachable keyboard like the Surface Pro 8, the Surface Laptop Studio employs a unique hinge that allows the display to exist pulled forward and positioned into different modes.

Not only can the Surface Laptop Studio be transformed into a digital drawing board, merely it does so without compromising the standard laptop mode. This flexibility, along with first-class functioning and long battery life, makes the Surface Laptop Studio a compelling option for creative professionals. Add in a fantastic keyboard/touchpad philharmonic, powerful speakers, and a 1080p webcam, and the Surface Laptop Studio finds its place as one of the best college laptops.

See our total

Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio review
.

The Acer Swift v is a pint-sized powerhouse of a laptop that shows off the new Intel Evo Platform, which combines an Intel 11th Gen Core i7 CPU with Intel Iris Xe graphics. While it isn’t going to supplant an actual gaming laptop, it is considerably more powerful than most annihilation else in its weight form.

At 2.iii pounds, the Swift feels preternaturally calorie-free in your easily yet it manages to offering over thirteen and a half hours of battery life on a charge, and then this should tick all the boxes for frequent travelers. The 14-inch, 1080p touchscreen has minimal bezels and gets vivid enough to hold up in nearly environments.

The keyboard is a pleasure to type on despite its relatively minimal key travel and the touchpad is reasonably big and handles Windows 10 gestures well. If you are looking for a phenomenally portable laptop without giving upwardly besides much functioning, the Acer Swift 5 is an excellent choice.

See our full


Acer Swift five (Intel 11th Gen, 2022) review

If you’re a Chrome Bone users who want more than flexibility than what the Google Pixelbook Go offers, then don’t hesitate to buy the Acer Chromebook Spin 713. This excellent ii-in-ane laptop costs merely $629 all the same information technology delivers a gorgeous xiii.5-inch display and fast performance thanks to its Intel Cadre i5-10210U CPU.

Better yet, with a battery life of nearly 12 hours, the Chromebook Spin 713 will terminal you an entire school day as you bounciness from one class to the side by side. The laptop’south flexible design means you can use information technology to draw, take hand-written notes, or quickly share a project with a classmate by folding the display back.

Given its flexible design, fast performance, gorgeous display and outstanding battery life, the Chromebook Spin 713 is a tiptop laptop for all students from Thou-12 and into higher.

Encounter our full

Acer Chromebook Spin 713 review
.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable is, in short, a better version of the Surface Pro 7. It has the same detachable class factor and uses a kickstand that can rotate to well-nigh the same 160-degree bending. The 12.iii-inch display is almost identical to the one on the Surface and, like the Pro seven, the detachable keyboard is fantastic. You lot fifty-fifty get military machine-form durability from its rigid chassis.

Why is it meliorate than the Surface Pro vii and Pro 7+? Because the ThinkPad X12 Detachable lasts longer on a charge, enduring for more than xi hours, and it weighs slightly less than its magnesium alloy competitor.  Better yet, the X12 Detachable comes arranged with the keyboard and pen, although you’ll demand to spend a pretty penny on this business concern-focused detachable.

If you need good speakers or a USB Blazon-A port, and then yous might go with the Surface Pro 7, otherwise, we prefer the X12 Detachable. If y’all adopt something less business-focused, consider the excellent Microsoft Surface Pro eight.

See our

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable review

The MacBook Pro 14 combines a little bit of sometime with a whole lot of new for a tantalizing product that MacBook fans have been waiting years for — especially content creators and consumers. For the average pupil this is massive overkill, simply if you lot demand this kind of performance and either prefer or require macOS software, information technology’southward difficult to beat.

The notebook’southward design is lightweight and sleek with plenty of room for a full HDMI and an SDXC card reader. And the M1 Pro chip brings even more ability, battling some of Intel and AMD’s heavyweights and winning handily. Plus, it’south serving up over 14 hours of battery life with a formidable quick accuse, a prove-stopping display, a super comfortable keyboard and an excellent audio system.

What’s the catch? As per usual with Apple tree it’s the toll tag, $2,899 is a lot to swallow, even with merchandise-ins and payment plans. And that $1,999 starting cost isn’t much better. It would have been dainty if Apple tree would have offered a lower-end option, maybe one with last year’s M1 bit packed into the new hardware. Simply for everything the MacBook Pro 14 is bringing, it’s a worthwhile investment.

If battery life is your biggest business organisation the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro will outlive annihilation in its course with remotely similar performance. For those that need every last bit of processing ability they can get their hands on the M1 Max in either the fourteen-inch or sixteen-inch MacBook Pro is equally practiced equally it gets short of an even pricier workstation or desktop.

See our full
xiv-inch MacBook Pro review

How to choose the all-time higher laptop for you

In that location are a number of factors students should consider before buying a laptop for college.

The first is portability, which goes hand-in-hand with screen size. thirteen-inch laptops are popular among higher students because they offer a adept balance between screen existent estate and portability. The Dell XPS xiii is a great example. It weighs around 2 pounds and is simply 0.5 inches thick, yet you get a 13.iii-inch edge-to-edge display.  We’re likewise seeing more and more than 14-inch laptops, like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, which is remarkably portable for the screen size.

Battery life is another fundamental component of any good college laptop. If you plan to take the notebook to grade or the library, don’t count on there beingness an outlet!  Consider a laptop that gets at to the lowest degree ix hours of battery life, which should be enough to get you lot through a couple of classes with plenty juice for studies.

When it comes to specs, nosotros recommend buying a laptop with an Intel U-serial or H-serial Core i5 CPU, at least 8GB of RAM (16GB is great) and a minimum of 256GB of storage. AMD’s chips are potent contenders in this loonshit as well, annihilation with a 4000-series or newer processor is going to be a great fit. Apple’s M1 or newer M1 Pro and M1 Max naturally fit the bill likewise, although the latter push the price upwardly considerably. On the budget end, Chromebooks like the Pixelbook Get offer splendid value for higher students.

Other things that will assist yous punch up a successful study or enquiry complex topics include a comfy keyboard and sensitive touchpad. And when information technology’s time to relax, be certain to go a laptop with a vivid and bright display (similar whatsoever of those listed hither).

How we test laptops

We put each laptop through extensive benchmark testing — both synthetic and real-world — earlier they end upwardly in the easily of our reviewers. We evaluate each attribute of the laptop, including its functioning, battery life, brandish, speakers and estrus direction.

In our benchmark testing, we utilize a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the effulgence and the sRGB and DCI-P3 color gamut of the laptop’s display. For operation testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench five.four and 3DMark professional graphics tests.

To decide real-globe performance, we chore the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and to indistinguishable a 4.97GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is the Sid Meier’s Civilization Half-dozen: Gathering Storm benchmark with medium settings at 1080p and 4K resolution.

We also run heat tests by playing a fifteen-infinitesimal total-screen video and measuring temperatures in unlike areas of the laptop. Terminal but non least, our battery examination consists of continuous spider web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows ten laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a good result whereas gaming laptops and workstations that tin stay powered for longer than 5 hours deserve praise.

These tests are complemented with extensive hands-on testing from our reviewers who critique everything from the laptop’s materials to the feel of its touchpad.