How To Pick a Laptop for Students

Whether you're taking notes, writing papers, or watching a YouTube video during study breaks, you need a laptop that's reliable and ready to go. With so many options out there, finding the right one can be challenging. That's why we're here to help! Before you decide which laptop is right for you, there are several important things to consider.

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Portability

Learning can happen anywhere, so you'll want a laptop you can easily travel with, yet still have a spacious enough screen and the performance to get real work done. You may think that a laptop's screen size determines how much content you can see, and it is indeed a key factor, but size isn't everything.

Display

There are two other factors that come into play. The first is the display's pixel density, which determines the sharpness. The second is the screen's brightness. Typically, you should aim for a resolution higher than 1920x1200 for a 14-inch laptop. Bigger displays between 15 to 17 inches need a higher resolutions to retain the same level of sharpness. For brightness, 400 nits is a good baseline. A bright screen will keep content visible in a bright environment, like near a window.

Specifications

You'll want the laptop to last you through your school years without slowing you down. That means choosing the right internals to get the performance you need.

There's no one-size-fits-all solution here. Business, humanities, language, and other text-heavy majors can easily get by with a mid-range processor. However, design, engineering, and architecture students have much higher computing needs. Ultimately, the performance you need will be dictated by the requirements of your most demanding use case. Make sure your device can do what you need it to do, lest you end up buying it twice.

Regardless of what you're studying, you should try to get a laptop with at least 16GB of RAM in 2024. Some manufacturers like Apple still only offer 8GB in many of their base models, which is an absolute disgrace for the price they charge. When it comes to storage, 512GB should be the minimum unless you're starting something storage-intensive like film. In this case, you'll probably want 1TB instead.

In terms of reliability and post-purchase support, you should buy your laptop from a reputable brand, especially one that offers the ability to purchase an extended warranty. Some manufacturers, like Dell, even have an upgrade where someone will meet you within the next business day to fix your laptop. Make sure you leave money in your budget to ensure your laptop has a warranty that is long enough to cover your time at school.

Battery Life

You'll also want to make sure your laptop has good battery life. The last thing you want is your laptop dying in the middle of typing notes during a lecture. While outlets are often available in most classrooms, they may not be at every coffee shop or cafeteria.

In this regard, ultraportables usually have the longest battery life. Designed for general productivity on the go, these devices usually have a power-efficient mobile processor and forego dedicated graphics. Big, bulky gaming laptops usually have much more robust hardware at the expense of battery life. If you need the latter, you'll just have to make sure you're always working next to a plug.

Heat and Fan Noise

You won't find fan noise listed on the spec sheet, but there's a reason why it's mentioned in almost every independent review. It's distracting for both the user and the people around them. Additionally, choose a laptop with good heat dissipation. You don't want to singe your finger while working on an essay.

Tablet vs. Laptop

Chromebooks and tablets may be tempting. You can often find them for cheap, and they seem to check all the boxes we've mentioned so far. However, they often use a mobile operating system, which may not be compatible with all the software needed for your curriculum. We still believe that tablets are complementary gadgets (yes, even Apple iPads), not primary devices. While a Chromebook might suffice for middle school, you'll definitely want a Windows or Mac device for university.

Pricing

Lastly, make sure to use the discounts that are available to you. Reach out to your school to find out what discounts they offer on certain brands or at specific stores. Or, if you're strapped for cash, we recommend buying a returned laptop from a reputable seller. Best Buy has excellent open-box laptops, Apple has a refurbished program, and Dell has an outlet store. Rather than buying from eBay or Craigslist, we suggest you buy from the places previously mentioned because these laptops will come with warranties and return policies. If something doesn't work, or you simply don't like the laptop, you can give it back. Plus, you may be able to stack discounts on top of these already reduced prices. Keep an eye on our website to stay updated on the best prices for all the laptops we recommend. We regularly update it with the latest deals and where to find them.

Conclusion

Choosing a laptop can be a difficult prospect if you don't know what to look for. Depending on your individual use case, whether it be typing notes or editing videos, a specific laptop might be great for you but not for others. By taking into consideration your portability needs, minimum specifications, and overall functionality requirements, finding the right laptop for you will be a much simpler task.