Skip to content

Back to school live blog: Best laptops, backpacks and tablets for college

Refresh

Get a good keyboard and mouse for under $20!

Logitech Keyboard and mouse

(Image credit: Logitech)

Next thing after a monitor is a decent keyboard and mouse, so you’re not always relying on the touchpad and laptop keyboard deck.

That’s where this lovely combo of wireless keyboard and mouse from Logitech comes in — packing a year-long battery life and decent ergonomics with a tactile key snap on the board, it performs a lot better than that shockingly low $18 price tag suggests.

Get this Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse combo for just $18.48! (opens in new tab)

Get $90 off this amazing low cost LG monitor

LG monitor

(Image credit: LG)

If you want to transform the desk in your dorm into the ultimate low cost workstation, a monitor is a must. This 24-inch LG IPS panel offers a crisp 1080p picture and smooth 75Hz refresh rate to remain easy on the eyes (even in low light).

You can get $90 off at Best Buy, which brings this down to the crazy low price of just $109. With all the I/O you need to wire up your laptop and any gaming consoles, it’s a great addition to any student shopping list.

Buy this LG 24-inch monitor for just $109 right now! (opens in new tab)

Get $50 off the iPad Air (4th Gen)

iPad Air 5 vs.  iPad Pro (11-inch)

(Image credit: Apple/Laptop Mag)

Need an ultraportable note taker? The iPad Air is more than proving itself as a worthwhile workhorse for all your education needs!

Get $50 off the 4th Generation model, which is the one that packs an A14 Bionic chipset. Being honest, the M1 iPad Air is kind of pointless, and this does everything you need at breakneck speeds.

Get the iPad Air for just $549

Work without distractions — Get $70 off AirPods Pro

The AirPods Pro being held in hand

(Image credit: Future)

There are a tonne of amazing true wireless earbuds, but if you use an iPhone, none unlock the full potential of a hands-free life like AirPods. And out of all of Apple’s earbuds, the AirPods Pro still stand up as some of the best buds you can buy today.

Packed with power noise cancellation and a stellar sound quality, if you need to wire in and focus on some work without the distraction of chatter or that guy in your dorms who always plays music a little too loud, these are the optimal choice.

Get $70 off AirPods Pro at Amazon right now (opens in new tab)

Let’s talk Chromebooks

Lenovo Chromebook 3

(Image credit: Lenovo)

In some ways, Chromebooks are the ultimate combo breaker for students. The Cloud-centric OS means the requirements for top-of-the-range internals are far lessened, and the free Google Drive suite ensures you have a full work suite at no cost.

With that in mind, let’s pull out two that are well worth your money. Starting small, the 11.6-inch The Lenovo Chromebook 3 is just $89 (opens in new tab)which is crazy value for money if you just need something to get stuff done.

Acer Chromebook 315

(Image credit: Future)

If you want something that could also pair as a screen for falling down YouTube wormholes, that’s where the Acer Chromebook 315 (opens in new tab) come in — packing a large 15.6-inch display, which also means you get a full numeric keypad too (great for data entry). The best bit? It’s $120 off!

How to get Microsoft office for free (and save $10 on the Xbox Series S)

Microsoft Office Logo

(Image credit: Microsoft)

This is a Back to School live blog, so this update will only focus on the fact that you can get the entire Microsoft Office suite for free by entering your school email address here. (opens in new tab)

It would be very unprofessional of us to mention that you can also get $10 off the Xbox Series S (opens in new tab) — a banger of an affordable games console that will help you blow off some steam after those more intense days of study.

Gand the Xbox Series S for just $289 from Microsoft (opens in new tab)

Xbox Series S review

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

One of the best backpacks for your money just got a whole lot cheaper

Heaven's Gate Backpack

(Image credit: Travelers Choice)

The Heaven’s Gate backpack from Traveler’s Choice is a fantastic bag for its portability, comfort to carry, and effective use of space — splitting into plenty of pockets and even packing a useful portable battery compartment with a hole to feed a cable through and charge your phone on the go

And now, you can get 42% off the price at Nordstrom Rack, which brings the price down to below $40!

Get the Traveler’s Choice Heaven’s Gate backpack for just $39.97 (opens in new tab)

Get an M1 MacBook Air for its lowest price ever

MacBook Air (m1, 2020)

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

The world loves MacBooks, and this deal offers the best price-to-performance ratio on an Apple laptop! Sure, you can snag an M2 MacBook Air, but the M1 processor offers more than enough horsepower for all your working needs.

Get on over to Best Buy to snag $150 off this ultrabook — packing Apple’s top notch silicon, 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD, alongside some surprisingly powerful speakers for your binge watching needs.

Plus, this is actually a better deal than Apple offers through its student program!

Get the M1 MacBook Air for just $849 from Best Buy