Top 10 Laptops for College Students in 2021

Laptops have become a necessity nowadays. For a college student, a laptop has the same importance as textbooks and other college essentials. A laptop should be capable of handling different types of tasks. Nowadays technology is also a means of communication, entertainment, and also a mode of learning.

The current pandemic has made it all more essential for students to have a good working laptop. Since these laptops will be used on campus and off-campus. Most of the colleges are forced to provide a mix of online learning and campus learning.

The best laptop has to be capable of handling your online learning needs as well and should be suitable to be carried around on the campus or to the library. These laptops should be able to support communication, storage, graphics, and must have good battery life.

Not only that these laptops should be suitable for taking the exams online but must also be capable of streaming TV or playing games in their leisure time. There are many different types of laptops available in the market. Choosing a suitable laptop would be a daunting task.

Another factor which has to be kept in mind before buying a laptop is the price. The college-going student would not be able to fish out a lot of money. So, the laptop has to be within a certain price range. This price is cannot be too high as most of the students would be looking into paying student loans etc. Keep reading for more detailed information on each of the Laptops for College Students.

1. New Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip

Apple MacBook Air is super-thin and has premium portability. Apple has not changed the design to large degrees. The outer casing of the previous version and the new MacBook looks the same. It would be difficult to distinguish between the two from the casing. It is still offered in 3 colors Space Gray, Gold, and Silver. It comes in a strong and sturdy high-quality metal casing.

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2. Acer Swift 3 Thin & Light Laptop

Acer Swift 3 has done a great job by combining performance and style in a pocket-friendly laptop. It comes with a pretty long battery life. The battery life is 11.5hours which will keep you going the whole day. The performance has been supercharged with AMD Ryzen 7 4700 CPU. It is also a lightweight and compact laptop which is easy to carry.

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3. Google Pixelbook Go

Googles Pixelbook Go is a cool laptop. It has many good features, and it is also lightweight. For a collegiate, it should be a good choice. It has a good strong casing which is not plastic. It has a magnesium chassis. It has a long battery life which keeps you off the charger for 12 hours.

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4. New Apple MacBook Pro – Space Gray

It is no doubt one of the best and most powerful MacBook. As compared to its previous versions Apple has improved almost all aspects of this MacBook. It is now having a 16inch screen instead of a 15inch one. For the same price as the 2019 model of MacBook pro 15inch but has more power and punch.

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5. 2019 Flagship HP Spectre X360 15.6

It is one of the best in 2-in-1 laptops and tablets. It boasts a 10^th Gen CPU a very stylish modern design, the Spectre x360 has improved by leap and bounds from its predecessor. It has an amazing batter that will last a long time. The processor and performance are also fast.

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6. Dell XPS 15 7590 Laptop 15.6 inch

It is one of those laptops which is an excellent replacement for a desktop. It can perform all the tasks which a desktop computer performs. It boasts an Intel Core i9 CPU. It is a tried and tested laptop which is suitable for gaming as well. It is equipped with Nvidia GTX 1650 GPU.

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7. ASUS VivoBook S15 S533 Thin and Light Laptop

It is one of the eye-catching laptops. Usually, you would not find the casing to be very colorful. This ASUS laptop is having a green color which stands out from afar. This laptop is also available in many other colors. It is neatly priced and equipped with some great components.

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8. HP Envy X360 2-in-1 15.6 Inch FHD Touchscreen Laptop

It is another one of those laptops which supports AMD’s 4^th Gen Rayzen U series processor. The initial price of this stylish look. It has a privacy feature which is the automatic webcam filter. It is a midrange laptop belonging to the Envy line.

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9. Acer Swift 5, 14” Full HD Touch

This laptop is ultraportable with good power for a low price. It has a great and strong outer shell, and its weight is also very less. This makes it very easy to carry. It has an aluminum-magnesium alloy casing which is dark blue. Acer Swift has a clamshell design.

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10. Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – 12.3” Touch-screen Intel Core i3

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is not a new design rather the design has been repeated as it is time tested. It is one of the most favored detachable 2-in-1 tablet and laptop. This is a completely detachable Surface Pro. Since it is detachable therefore it has proved to be easily transferable from one place to another.

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Which Laptop Is Best for College In 2021?

Before going out to buy a laptop collegiate must check with the college if they have any special requirements. Is the college requiring students to buy a Windows OS laptop or do they want any other special requirement to be fulfilled? Read About Best Budget Laptops under $1000

The college may have a hardware or software-specific requirement. To ensure that all the students have compatible equipment or maybe the college is providing technical assistance for one specific operating system. Some colleges provide an on the campus computer repair center.

Therefore, it is best to check if the college wants the students to buy a laptop with certain specifics. On-campus repair and maintenance will reduce the time taken for a laptop repair. Some institutes offer a discount if you buy a certain prescribed laptop. Since the college has a relationship with the vendor so the vendor offers a discount.

Not only does the student get a discount but they might receive additional software at no extra cost. There are certain things to consider before buying a laptop for college use.

What to Consider Before Buying A Student Laptop?

There are certain aspects that one must consider before buying a laptop for a college-going person. If one becomes wishful and desirous then he/she would choose a laptop with amazing features. But for a college student, many things have to be considered before making the purchase.

It is just like you desire to buy a Lamborghini, but the purpose of the car is to run errands and going to places that are not suitable for a Lamborghini. Like going downtown or going to the outskirts of the city, hitting the dirt road once in a while. I believe you get the idea of what I am trying to say.

Similarly, there are many things to consider before buying a laptop for a college student. Below we will look into some of the factors which one must consider before buying a laptop.

1. Why Weight Is to Be A Consideration?

Without being wishful and macho, if we think about it carefully then weight should be a consideration before buying a laptop. Now, what makes me say that we should consider weight.

It would be fun to have a 17inch full HD state-of-the-art gaming machine, but it would be a task to carry it around the campus and run from class to class. Even if the student is attending online classes and has used the lap for the laptop then a big bulky machine would be problematic in attending long-duration classes.

For many people, a screen size of 13inch or 14inch is ideal. Since you can easily fit such a laptop in your backpack. Larger the screen heavier the laptop. The downside of a small screen is also to be kept in mind.

The smaller the screen of the laptop, the more you will have to scroll the webpages. Other applications will also require more scrolling, fonts will crop up smaller. But this minor issue can be overcome by adjusting the zoom on the screen.

When buying a less extravagant, small laptop it might be beneficial to invest in a standalone keyboard. You can keep it in the college dorm or at your home if a lot of typing has to be done.

2. Powerful CPU vs Powerful Battery

In the world of laptops, there are hundreds of options to choose from. To choose the right laptop you have to narrow down your options based on your requirements. Again, in the market, you will find laptops for high power usage, maximum performance, and bigger, better processors.

As a college student do you need a high-power processor, or do you require more battery life? Generally, a college student would prefer a laptop that runs all day long without the need to recharge. Reason being that students would be taking notes, browsing the internet for relevant material, or accessing the shared drives for their needs.

If you are looking for all-day battery life and are using the laptop for mostly browsing the web you might choose a Netbook. The Netbooks run on low-power processors. These laptops are sufficient for one’s daily tasks.

If on the other hand, your work requires a high CPU power laptop. Then you need an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPU-equipped laptops. You can also go for AMD Ryzen 5 or 7 to get your tasks done.

If you are into gaming, then you would need to spend more funds and buy an expensive laptop. The budget-friendly laptop will not have a dedicated graphics chip to be able to play the top hot games without a lag. A laptop with Nvidia GeForce or AMD Radeon RX GPU will cost a minimum of $700.

Such a laptop will also be useful for scientific high-end applications. But the downside is that such high-powered CPUs and GPUs also extract battery juice. For general use and completion of day-to-day tasks, an integrated graphics solution is enough to get the job done.

3. What Should Be the Memory Size?

Storage nowadays is not a very big problem as compared to what the situation was 10 years back. Nowadays cloud storage has made life much easier. If you require to have large files at hand most of the time, then you would require large storage space for example 500GB.

But if you do not need to store a lot of large media files then you can settle for less. You can utilize the cloud storage facility offered by all the big names in the computing industry. Whatever you will choose will have an impact on the performance of the laptop.

You may choose a laptop with a large built-in hard drive. Its downside will be slower performance as compared to a solid-state drive. Solid-state drives are higher in cost but are a lot faster and for this reason, many students prefer them. Another good thing about SSD is that it is resistant to drop damage.

You can extend the memory by plugging in an external hard drive. But this would only be required if you are fond of storing large media files, or you are into filming yourself. But gamers would require a large built-in memory because many AAA games require more than 40 – 50GB of the hard disk. So, a small built-in memory will be utilized very quickly.

4. Battery Life: How Long Must the Battery Last?

A powerful battery that could run the whole day with recharging would be your biggest friend in college. Some laptops which are built for college students come with multiple battery solutions.

Most of the laptops only have one non-removable battery. In such a situation you need to clearly understand your requirement. If you settle for a removable battery laptop, then you can buy a spare battery and keep it at hand in case the first one runs out of charge.

A battery that contains more cells the longer its battery life. A bigger battery means more weight, but it is worth it if you do not need to charge it during the day.

5. Two in One Hybrid Laptop

Just recently we have seen the development of a hybrid laptop. These hybrid laptops are also known as 2-in-1s. These laptops are accomplished in working like the traditional laptops. But if the need arises, they can also be transformed into a tablet. Some of these are commonly known as convertible laptops because they have a folding design.

Some of these laptops completely fold by rotating on the hinges. Yet others allow you to detach the keyboard and use the screen portion of it as a tablet.

A pocket-friendly 2-in-1 might be the one you need to get the job done. If you plan to buy a detachable 2-in-1 design, then you need to ensure that the keyboard price is included in the laptop’s price.

6. Using A Laptop with Windows 10 S Mode

Windows 10 S mode enabled laptops are another good option for students. The reason being that it is a locked version of Windows 10. The purpose and aim of such a locked version are to stop malware from being unknowingly downloaded. It supports all the apps which are available on the Window Microsoft Store.

But the locked-down version of Windows 10 does not allow you to install any third-party Windows programs. To install third-party Windows compatible software, you need to convert Windows 10 S to Windows 10 Pro or Home. By using Windows Microsoft Store you can convert your Windows 10 S to Windows Pro or Home, but you will not be able to revert.

One more feature of Windows 10 S is that it only supports the Microsoft Edge browser. If you are a chrome fan or fan of some other browser, you would need to get used to Microsoft Edge.

7. Do Not Forget to Consider the Warranty

Every electronic item that you buy nowadays comes with a standard 1year warranty. This warranty is provided for parts and labor. You can also purchase an extended warranty, but do you feel it worthwhile or not to purchase an extended warranty is totally up to you.

As a beginner, you need to understand what a warranty covers and what it does not cover. The warranty does not cover an accident that has taken place due to spillage of drink on the laptop. It also does not cover the dropping of the laptop onto a hard surface.

Manufacturers are selling accident cover plans separately. This is an extra amount apart from the extended warranty. If you plan to purchase an accident cover plan, an extended warranty alongside your standard one-year warranty may cost you from $200 – $300.

Final Word: Which Laptop Is Suitable for College Students?

There are a lot of options available in the market. Going through each one by one is an intimidating chore. Do not worry when we are here. We have compiled a list of the top 10 Laptops for you to checkout.

Conclusion

As we have explained in detail what factors and features should be kept in mind when buying a laptop. The laptop for college-goers should be easy to carry, should have long battery life, should not be very expensive, a strong outer casing will be a plus, RAM and Disk size should be considered.

All in all, you can say it comes down to one’s choice and preference when buying a laptop but this article is going to narrow down the list and assist in making an easy choice.

FAQ’s