Best College Laptops: Tested Picks for Research, Writing, Gaming and More

For a college student, there is no more important tool than a laptop. It’s a catch-all for note taking, studying, homework, collaboration, procrastination (don’t tell your professors) and extracurricular activities. When you pick one, you’re likely choosing a tool for at least four years of education, if not further studies or just life afterwards.

Picking a college laptop can feel like homework in itself. There are so many on the market, so we recommend focusing on portability, battery life and then performance based on the recommendations of your school or department.

Going into the Fall 2022 semester, the latest parts in laptops include Intel’s 12th Gen CPUs, AMD’s Ryzen 6000 processors (although these have been difficult to find) and GPUs, Apple’s M2 chips and Nvidia’s RTX 30-series GPUs.

Tech products are easier to find now than they were earlier this year, but there may be some items that are still hard to come by. So keep that in mind while shopping. Also, be on the lookout for student discounts.

• Consider your major or specialization: Science majors and liberal arts majors may have different needs. An engineering major working with computer-aided design software might want a notebook with a discrete graphics card, while students who primarily do research and write papers might be fine with a thin ultrabook. Your school or department may also have recommended specifications, so be sure to check those out.
• Learn if your work will live locally or in the cloud: Find out if your school or department uses cloud storage, such as Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive. If they do, you may be able to get by with less internal storage. Of course, if you want your own copies of your work or would like to keep personal files as well as school files, budget for a bit of extra space.
• Weight and battery life matter: After all, you’ll be carrying this laptop around all day in a backpack as you move from class to class. Lightweight and long battery life can both save your back and leave more room for books.
• Consider how you take notes: A good keyboard is always important, especially when you’re writing papers. But some students still prefer to take notes by hand, and those people will want to consider a convertible or detachable 2-in-1 with a stylus.
• See if you can get a student discount: Some stores will offer you a discount with your proof of affiliation with a university or college. It’s also possible that your school will have a relationship with a vendor for deals on certain models. Others may just throw in a gift card or some free earbuds. If you can find a deal, great; school is expensive enough.

Best College Laptops You Can Buy Today