Top 5 Best Laptops for College Students

It’s pretty much impossible to have a successful college career without a reliable computer. Whether you’re heading off for your first semester, or looking for a replacement for the laptop you used last year, a solid computer can help you turn in assignments on time. Here are five of the best laptops for college students.

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1. MacBook Air

There’s a lot about the MacBook Air that’s ideal for students. It’s extremely lightweight, making it great for students who need to lug an already-heavy backpack all over campus. It also has some great productivity tools that can help you make stunning presentations for your courses. On top of all that, it’s reliable. It might be expensive for some student budgets, but it’s worth investing a little more upfront to have a reliable laptop.

Buy it here.

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Pros:

All day battery life

Lightweight

Has a “cool factor” other laptops don’t

Recently got a price cut

Can last your whole college career if treated right

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Cons:

Expensive

Design is alarming thin to some users who prefer a machine with more heft

May be hard to learn for Windows users making the transition to Mac

Not touchscreen enabled

Peripherals can sometimes be more expensive

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2. ASUS Transformer Book 2-in-1 Touchscreen Laptop

Can’t decide between a tablet and a laptop? With this ASUS Transformer Book, you can have both. This 2-in-1 design is ideal for working on collaborative projects, or for those days when you need to pack light before trekking into campus. This laptop works great for students, business, or just personal use around the house. For such a light device, it has surprisingly great battery life (up to 11 hours).

Buy it here.

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Pros:

Preinstalled with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013

Zippy, 64GB solid state storage

Converts quickly from laptop to tablet

Weighs under 2.5 pounds

“Reading mode” feature automatically adjusts screen settings to reduce eye strain

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Cons:

Some user reviews complain about lack of touchpad sensitivity

Construction may feel cheap to some

Some users have complained of issues after updating

Battery takes a long time to charge

Dock with caution: some users have accidentally broken the screen during docking

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3. Alienware 17

If you’re planning on starting an MMORPG guild with your dorm friends this year, a gaming laptop might be quite appealing. This 17-incher’s best feature is its built-in Killer Gigabit Ethernet NIC, which prioritizes your games over other applications. Additionally, the Visual Bandwidth Control center helps you to visualize how your bandwidth is being divvied up. If you have a light course load this semester, an Alienware laptop will help you make the most of your down time.

Note: this item is no longer available. Click the link below to see a comparable Alienware model.

Buy it here.

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Pros:

16 GB of RAM

7200 RPM hard drive

Very cool “stealth” design

Display has been given an anti-glare treatment

Great “command hub” for gamers

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Cons:

Depending on whether you like Windows 8, the presence of Windows 7 here could be either a pro or a con

Weighs nearly 10 pounds

Somewhat hard to take apart if you want to mod or upgrade

Some users have complained about issues with the graphic drivers

Some users have complained about issues with getting laptop to recognize peripherals

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4. Samsung Chromebook Notebook Exynos 5250

Looking for a simple Chromebook? One model that is worth considering is this attractive unit from Samsung. Boasting a screen that’s nearly a foot wide, this big laptop feels expansive, despite some of the limitations that come with relying on ChromeOS. While it has just a 16 GB solid state drive and 2GB RAM, you can get more storage through Google Drive.

Buy it here.

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Pros:

Attractive design

Fast setup

Very thin, weighs under 2.5 pounds

Quick boot time

User-friendly

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Cons:

Battery life only around six hours

Lightweight design may seem flimsy to those used to heftier laptops

Keyboard lacks some shortcut keys found on desktop keyboards

Some user reviews suggest cord is flimsy and will not stand up to much abuse

May not be compatible with all software you need to use, depending on your major

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5. Acer Aspire 13.3-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook

For the college student who is taking a heavy course load and trying to graduate early, the Acer Aspire Ultrabook is a great laptop. It boasts a great blend of zippy performance and vast onboard storage. The graphics card is nothing to sniff at either, which means you can use your laptop during your downtime. The multi-touch support is a nice addition to the computer, and will definitely come in handy after an all-nighter when your brain is a little bit slow.

Buy it here.

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Pros:

256 GB Solid-State Drive

Ample RAM

Beautiful design

Keyboard auto-illuminates

HD webcam is great for working on projects or papers with classmates

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Cons:

Pretty pricey for a Windows machine

Screen may feel too small for some users

Some users may prefer Windows 7 over Windows 8

Battery life around seven hours

Some users reviews indicate keyboard layout may not be comfortable for all

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Considering getting someone an electronics gift? Check out our Gifts section for tons of great gift recommendations, or visit our ultimate guides to the best gifts for women and best gifts for men.

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