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Title: The best laptops for college students

Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2025 09:00:38 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/be...

There's arguably no piece of tech more important for a college student than a
good laptop. Whether youΓÇÖre working on an essay, doing research for a paper
or just need some downtime streaming your favorite show, a solid laptop for
college is an investment that can (and should) last you for years. While the
best laptops come in all shapes and sizes and range in price, college
students donΓÇÖt need a power-hungry machine or a notebook with the latest
graphics card to get things done. For most, the best laptop for college is
ideally thin and lightweight, and provides enough battery to last all day
without having to be tethered to the wall. No matter what youΓÇÖre studying,
weΓÇÖve researched and tested a range of laptops for you to consider as you
decide which is the best laptop for college for you.

What to consider in your next laptop for college

ItΓÇÖs important to consider your major and what you need your laptop to do
before deciding on the best laptop for college. For example, if youΓÇÖre a
liberal arts major and will mostly be writing or making presentations, you
donΓÇÖt need an expensive system with a discrete graphics card.
Alternatively, if youΓÇÖre a film major who might need to render videos on a
regular basis, having a beefy PC can significantly reduce the time it takes
to finish a project. YouΓÇÖll also want to take a look at any guidelines
provided by your college or your specific program, as you may need required
software or apps that only run on a specific OS.

Some other things to consider are if you want a more portable 13 or 14-inch
machine thatΓÇÖs easier to carry around, or if you prefer something with a
larger screen. On top of that, if you are doing tasks like photo or video
editing, youΓÇÖll probably want to go for a system with a high-resolution
display (1440p or 4K), so it's easier to see details. As for other specs,
ideally youΓÇÖll want 16GB of RAM (though you can go down to 8GB on a
Chromebook) and at least 512GB or 1TB of storage. Most newer laptops now come
with SSD storage, too, which means you can store and transfer data much
faster.

Finally, while your budget ultimately will determine how powerful of a laptop
you can get, well-equipped ultraportables will generally cost between $1,000
and $1,400, with prices going up from there for systems with discrete GPUs.
Budget Windows laptops and Chromebooks can be affordable alternatives though,
with many going for just $500 to $700. But again, remember to check your
schoolΓÇÖs requirements because itΓÇÖs not worth saving a few bucks only to
find out that your notebook canΓÇÖt run the app you need for all your
homework.

See Also:

Best Laptops for 2025

Best Gaming Laptops

Best 2-in-1 Laptops for 2025

Best Chromebooks

Best Cheap Windows Laptops for 2025

The best laptops for college students

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/be...
130054631.html?src=rss

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