Buying a laptop for a college student is a little different than buying one for everyday use. There’s a good chance you’re not buying for yourself; your needs will differ based on coursework and hobbies; you’ll probably want to choose a thinner and lighter device; and the laptop will need to last through four years and hundreds of assignments.
Not every laptop is equally up to the task, but below, you'll find seven that are—they're my favorite options worth considering, and one of them is likely a good match for any college student's needs.
For Apple users, there’s no device more synonymous with college than the MacBook Air. It’s thin, light, has the same user friendly operating system as the MacBook Pro, and is great for tasks that rely primarily on your internet browser.
But with the upgrade to Apple’s M-series chips, Macs from 2020 on also got a big power boost, freeing the Air from a reputation of being a glorified Chromebook while leaving the pricing pretty much untouched. Now, MacBook Airs are also great for more intensive tasks, like light video editing, even if their lack of a fan can make extended work sessions tricky. Previously, older M-series chips used to be so good that I recommended sticking with them over newer models to save a buck, but that has changed.
Instead, Apple's MacBook Air with the M4 chip, its current generation, is now the one to get. That's because, no matter which configuration you buy, you'll get at least 16GB of memory. That wasn't guaranteed on earlier iterations, and as internet apps become more complex, having this extra leeway is more important than ever.
You can get the MacBook Air with either a 13 or 15 inch screen, but to make shuffling from class to class easier, I suggest getting the smaller model.
Now that Dell's XPS line has been redesigned and subsequently discontinued, Microsoft’s Surface Laptop has succeeded it as the go-to MacBook lookalike for PCs. And with Microsoft's continued investment into Qualcomm's CPUs, the Surface Laptop is even more Mac-like than before.
Now, all Surface laptops use Qualcomm’s recent laptop CPUs, which run on the same ARM architecture as Apple’s M-series chips. While these CPUs aren’t the best when it comes to compatibility or power, they do exceed in battery life, which can be a key factor when you’re constantly moving from class to class. (I say this as someone who had to pack my gaming laptop’s charging brick in my bag every day back in undergrad.)
The Surface Laptop isn’t the only one to start using these CPUs, but it does come with some extra peace of mind, as it's made by the maker of Windows itself. It also has a very familiar layout for anyone just now coming to PC. If your kid just needs a long-lasting Windows laptop, this is a solid pick. There's three sizes to pick from, although I think the 13.8-inch model makes for a good compromise.
The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED has always been a personal favorite of mine, acting a bit like the PC’s answer to the MacBook Air. It’s thin and light, strong enough, and gorgeous.
The real winner here is that OLED display, although it does make this option a bit pricier. While this laptop has a similar sleek build and chiclet-style keyboard to a Mac’s, it’s that screen, with its vivid colors and high contrast ratio, that makes it stand out. College students tend to only have their computer and their phone to watch content on, which means they’ll probably spend a lot of time around that screen. If you think your kid will host the occasional movie night in their dorm, this laptop’s display will impress more than most.
Still, the Zenbook 14 OLED is more than just a screen, and its power is adequate enough. You can get the most recent Intel laptop chips with the Zenbook, up to the Ultra 9.
So far, I’ve been comparing a lot of the laptops on this list to MacBooks. That stops now. I’ve been a proud PC user my whole life, largely because of the variety you get outside of the Apple ecosystem. Case in point: The Lenovo Yoga 7 (or 7i if you choose an Intel model).
If you’ve got a kid heading off to college in 2025, there’s a good chance that they need a laptop, but grew up on tablets. The Lenovo Yoga 7 is the best of both worlds, and one of the best examples of a convertible—a laptop with a lid that can flip 360 degrees to turn into a tablet. That's a trick Apple has yet to replicate.
This is great option to keep clutter in a dorm room down and prevent the need to buy multiple devices. Convertibles have been around in the PC space for a while now, but Lenovo's cleverly named Yoga line is one of the most tried-and-true, plus it comes in multiple sizes.
You’ll have to pay a bit more to get a chip on par with non-convertible laptops, but if you were already planning to supplement your laptop with a tablet anyway, this could still end up being a better deal.
If your kid is a gamer, you should send them off to college with a gaming laptop. It’ll help them make like-minded friends, should eliminate the need to find space in their dorm room for a console and TV, and will also give them a more powerful computer than most of their peers, which could be helpful for some classes.
That doesn’t mean you need to go all out: Going too hard on gaming specs will actually make the laptop a little worse for coursework, since it’ll be too heavy and power-hungry to be convenient during a long day of classes.
The Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 10 is a great middle ground here. Its unassuming body will help it fit in with the other laptops, as it’s not too thick or heavy, and it still has enough power for most games—assuming your kid is OK with lowering the settings in some of them.
It might sound counterintuitive to send your kid off to get their degree with a gaming tool, but trust me: Some of my favorite memories from college are of LAN parties and other events I couldn’t have attended with a Chromebook.
If your kid is going to end up doing most of their coursework in Google Drive, consider getting them a Chromebook instead of a full laptop. It’ll be cheaper for the same effect, and if they grew up using a Chromebook for high school, they’ll already be used to the operating system.
My pick is a little on the expensive side for a Chromebook, but the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i has many of the same benefits as Lenovo's Windows laptops at a fraction of the cost, and the screen can flip around to give it some extra value by turning the device into a tablet. You’ll lose out on the OLED screen and you’ll have a much less powerful chip, but from the comfortable keyboard to the decent speakers, there’s still a lot to love in this little hybrid. It’s also still plenty cheap by laptop standards, and is worth the small premium over other Chromebooks if your student also wants a tablet but can’t find space or budget to bring two devices with them.
Also, as a Chromebook Plus model, it gets access to some extra Google AI, like the Pixel’s Magic Editor.
The Microsoft Surface Pro is another good pick for a student who can’t choose between a laptop and a tablet, since it’s a tablet that uses a full version of Windows 11 instead of a stripped down mobile variant. Your student will have extra versatility when they need it, but will be able to rely on simple touch commands when they're just trying to kick back.
You will need to get your own keyboard and mouse for it, but unlike laptops where the screen flips around to become a tablet, your student won’t have to worry about touching a keyboard when using the device in tablet mode. The Surface Pro also uses Qualcomm’s newest laptop chips, and while they aren’t the most powerful and do have some compatibility issues, they are great for battery life. There's two size options to pick from, and while the 11-inch model is no longer being made, the 12-inch one should still suit you just fine.
Buying a laptop for college is a bit tricky, since every student’s needs are different. Depending on the coursework and hobbies involved, you could get away with something as cheap as $500, or end up spending two or three times as much.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for a college laptop.
Questions to consider before buying a laptop for college
Is the student going to need any specialized programs? If they’re in film school or computer science classes, for instance, they may need a computer with a bit more "oomph." If they’re going to spend most of their time in a web browser, not so much.
Is the student a gamer? It might sound counterintuitive to send your kid off to college with a gaming laptop instead of one purely for study, but half of college is about making friends and contacts you’ll treasure forever. Giving them the tools they need to meet students with similar interests or attend events like LAN parties could be a great way to help them out their social life.
How portable does it need to be? If they’re going to be schlepping their device around for miles, they’ll thank you for going thinner and lighter. A longer battery life will help them out here, too.
What are the minimum specs? As for specs, you’re going to want to go for something recent, since this laptop will have to last four years (at least). For gamers or any students who need some extra horsepower, try to get something with a GeForce RTX 5000 series graphics card. For all types of students, make sure the CPU is either an Intel 14th-gen or Ultra series, or AMD 8000 series or above. A Qualcomm Snapdragon X CPU will also work in some situations. RAM should be 8GB minimum, or 16GB if your student will need more power. Storage space can be as low as 256GB depending on how much they’ll be using the cloud, but to be safe, try to get at least 512GB of storage if you can.
Windows, Mac, or maybe a Chromebook? Finally, Mac and Windows will offer the best compatibility with any programs your student might need, although a Chromebook could suffice if they do most of their work in a word processor. Steer towards Windows for gamers, but otherwise, just ask your student what their preference is. You could even get away with a tablet paired with a mouse and keyboard, although both Android nor iPadOS will face compatibility issues. Stick to a more traditional operating system if you can.
And that’s it! I still think back very fondly on getting my college computer and setting it up to my liking. There’s something special in owning a device that’s truly yours like that, and hopefully, you’re now set to give the student in your life their own happy memories.
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