What Makes the Best Laptops for College Students?

By Thomas Hart on June 21, 2020

Laptops come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, with different internal specs, different operating systems, and a lot more. Since the laptop is the most trusted weapon in the college student’s arsenal, picking a good one can be a chore. What do college students really need in a laptop? To me it comes down to three factors:

The Power

The “power” of any computer can depend on a lot of factors, but I mainly want to focus on the CPU, graphics card, and internal fans of a device. This is the variable that will depend on what the college student does, for example, graphic design students will need more power than English majors. Depending on what kind of programs your computer needs to run it may need more or less power. More power comes at a cost: higher specs bring higher prices and better fans in a device will increase the weight. If you are unsure of how much power you’ll need, think of what kind of programs you will need to be using the most. If it is anything more complicated than the standard Microsoft or Google programs, then check the system requirements/recommendations for that program. If you still are not sure, going with a middle ground option such as an i5 CPU with a standard Intel graphics card will likely work for most people. If you find yourself needing more power later on, many laptops, especially Windows laptops, can be upgraded with better hardware.

Picking the right laptop for you will depend a lot on how much power you really need, but if you’re unsure picking the standard fare will get you far enough in the majority of cases. Image taken from Pexel.com.

The Form

What is the form? The laptops size, weight, and basic external design. A college student’s best functioning laptop is one that is easy enough to carry around, durable enough to survive the journey, and with a design that works in a variety of places. What sizes and weights are comfortable is largely going to depend on the student carrying it, but I would say 13/15-inch laptops for size and 3-4 pounds in weight is the sweet spot. When it comes to durability and design, I have a few tips. Laptop sleeves are your ally. They are cheap and usually not super bulky, and most of them are padded pillowcases with zippers to protect your device from scratches and drops. Some of them may also have pockets to bring extra accessories in such as chargers or flash drives. As for design, your best option is likely going to be the most basic ones. Clamshell laptops are the easiest to tote around and are the most adaptable, so go for those rather than a 2-in-1 or a tablet that converts into a laptop like the Microsoft Surface Pro.

The Battery

Sure, you can lug a charger with you all of the time, but the most convenient laptops are the ones with enough battery to last you through the day, or longer. Looking at the specs of any laptop will give you an average life span of its battery, so look at that when considering what you want to buy. Also, keep in mind that no matter what the lifespan of your battery is, you can improve it by keeping your laptop in battery saver mode most of the time. Depending on what kind of classes you have you may need the extra power that battery saver cuts off, but I find that the majority of the time I can leave my laptop on full battery saver mode without any issues, which gives me a good chunk of extra battery.

A small thing to consider is the various ports you may need. Most laptops nowadays are not going to come with built in USB type-A ports or SD card trays, so if you know you will need those then look for devices that have them or consider buying an external dock.

Picking the best laptop for you will come down to balancing out these factors and choosing the best hybrid of power and battery with a light enough form to be carried around. Consider what it is that you really need in a laptop and how much you’re willing to spend to find the best options for you. However, in most cases the best laptops for college students are going to be clamshell designs with i5 or i7 processors and a large battery, since that will provide the best balance of power and battery without weighing them down too much.

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