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Best Laptops for College Students on a Budget [2024 Guide]
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Updated onSeptember 25, 2024
updated onSeptember 25, 2024
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This guide breaks down the best laptops for college students in various price ranges. If you’re one, don’t miss it!
To help you with your decision, we’ve assessed the features and user reviews of more than 50 models available on Amazon. After carefully considering everything from budget-friendly Chromebooks to powerful machines, we shortlisted only the seven best ones below. We also included extra options for engineering students and ones you can use for gaming sessions.
Best Laptops for college students under $300
Acer Aspire 3 A315-24P-R7VH– Best Slim Laptop
With up to11 hours of energy storagein its Li-ion battery pack, Acer Aspire 3 is the perfect notebook PC to go to college with style. Its sleek design makes it visually aesthetic and attractive. No matter what program you’re working on, your peers will definitely admire your laptop’s appearance.
It packs theAMD Ryzen 3 7320U Quad-Core CPUto power average to medium-level software packages. You can count on better performance than Intel CPUs. It also includes a128 GB NVMe SSDas the internal storage.
Although the storage capacity is on the humbler side, rest assured this technology greatly increases software performance. Moreover, the8 GB LPDDR5 memory moduleensures you can run multiple software simultaneously.
Get it on Amazon
HP 14 Laptop, Intel Celeron N4020– Best Lightweight Option
If you’re looking for a reliable laptop to run average software packages below the $200 mark, you can confidently go for this one. It includes anIntel Celeron N4020 CPU, Intel UHD Graphics, 64 GB eMMC storage, and 4 GB RAMconfigurations to run Windows 11 and Microsoft 365 apps smoothly.
You can also stream content in 4K thanks to theIntel UHD Graphics 600shared graphics processing capabilities and memory. The eMMC technology is one of the fastest embedded internal storage technologies. It can access and process large datasets, HD images for graphics design, and play 4K movies seamlessly.
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ASUS C423NA Chromebook 14″ HD– Best for Affordability
If you work mostly on a web browser, you can get an ASUS C423NA Chromebook available at a little over $100. It includeslifetime Google Chrome OSwith free features and security updates for up to 10 years.
The smart combination ofIntel Dual Core Celeron CPU, 64GB SSD, and 4GB DDR4 RAMmakes the device perfect for long-time offline use. The battery lastsup to 10 hours. Moreover, it includes all the latest connectivity modules, like Bluetooth 4.0, dual-band Wi-Fi, USB-C port, etc.
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Best Laptops for College Students Under $500
ANPCOWER 2-in-1 Laptop 2024– Best for Multipurpose Use
The ANPCOWER 2-in-1 Laptop boasts a3.4 GHz Intel processor, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB SSDfor smooth multitasking. It can also run demanding applications for graphic design, data analysis, big data processing, databases, etc. It features a14-inch 2K touchscreenwith vivid colors and a comfortable low-blue light mode.
Additionally, this versatile laptop weighs just 3.52 pounds, making it perfect for everyday carrying to college, library, and more. ANPCOWER offers a3-year warrantyand responsive customer support for superior after-sales support.
Get it on Amazon
Lenovo ThinkPad T14– Best for Mass Storage
If you’re looking for a notebook PC with largestoragespace as well as extended memory at an affordable price, you can check out the Lenovo ThinkPad T14’srefurbished unit.Its quality inspection and refurbishment process meets the stringent requirements laid down by the Amazon Renewed program. So, you can expect a perfect unit with no obvious signs of a second-user device.
The laptop includes theAMD Ryzen 5 PRO CPUalong with a1 TB SSD and 32GB RAM. Therefore, the device is suitable for mid to high-end software like Adobe Premier, Adobe Photoshop CS, AutoCAD, and more. Not to mention, you canrun most apps simultaneously and store thousands of HD images, videos, datasets,etc.
Get it on Amazon
Best Laptops for College Students Under $1,000
Apple 2024 MacBook Air 13-Inch– Best for Premium Computing
Apple 2024 MacBook Air is the best notebook computer you can get if your spending plan falls in this category. The device is well-suited for learning, work, productivity, business, and entertainment. Also, you can seamlessly run almost any video game titles available in the App Store and Apple Arcade.
You can also use the Apple 2024 MacBook Air inAI and machine learning development projectsthanks to its16-core Neural Engine technology.
Furthermore, it packs a powerful52.6-watt-hour Li-ion batterythat can power the entire device forup to 18 hoursif you just watch HD movies and TV shows on Apple TV in the offline mode. However, if you stream or work online continuously, the battery will last forup to 15 hours.
If you love to run and play Windows software and PC games, you canuse an emulator softwareon your Mac. So, besides the apps from the App Store, you can also use Windows programs.
Get it on Amazon
KingnovyPC Dual Screen Laptop 16-Inch– Best for Multi-Screen Use
KingnovyPC Dual Screen 16-inch comes with dual-screen display technology. You cankeep the auxiliary display foldedand use the primary screen along with the physical keyboard. Alternatively, you can open both displays and get the virtual keyboard on the auxiliary display. Both of these screens are also touch-enabled.
This device is great for digital painting, blueprint drawing, app UI/UX designing, visualizing product packaging media, and more.
In addition, KingnovyPC Dual Screen packs anIntel i7-12th gen CPU, 32 GB DDR4 memory, and 1 TB M.2 SSD internal storage. Its graphics processing is powered byIntel Iris Xe and Intel UHD Graphics systems.It also includes anRJ45 gigabit LAN or Ethernet portso you can connect your notebook to high-speed routers, servers, or laboratory equipment.
Get it on Amazon
Best Laptops for Engineering College Students
As an engineering or technology student, you’ll need a specialized laptop. These devices come with extended memory, storage spaces, graphics processing units, and CPU bandwidth. Not to mention, you’ll also require durability, touch capabilities, a long-lasting battery, and more.
Here are some options that will suit your needs:
Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Mobile Workstation
Lenovo ThinkPad P14s stands out for the following qualities:
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ASUS ExpertBook B2 Laptop
Here are the notable features that make ASUS ExpertBook B2 the best engineering laptop:
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Best Laptops for Gaming and College
Though these notebook PCs have agamingtag, they’re suitable for all sorts of high-end computing like big data processing, AI training, blockchain hosting, and more.
ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024) Gaming Laptop
Here are some of the top qualities of the ASUS ROG Strix G16:
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HP Victus 15 Gaming Laptop
Here are the prominent features of this budget-friendly gaming laptop:
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Acer Nitro V Gaming Laptop
You should get Acer Nitro V Gaming Laptop to enjoy these features:
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How I Chose the Best Laptops for College Students
During my selection, I prioritized the following qualities:
Summary
These are the best laptops for college students, depending on your spending plan, workload, extracurricular activities, and entertainment needs.
So, which one did you like the most from the list? You can share with other readers by commenting below. Also, if you’ve bought and used one mentioned in this list, share your first-hand experience reviews too.
More about the topics:laptop,review
Vlad Turiceanu
Windows Editor
Passionate about technology,Windows, and everything that has a power button, he spent most of his time developing new skills and learning more about the tech world.
Coming from a solid background in PC building and software development, with a complete expertise in touch-based devices, he is constantly keeping an eye out for the latest and greatest!
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Vlad Turiceanu
Windows Editor
Coming from a solid background in PC building and software development, he’s a Windows 11 Privacy & Security expert.
