Aug 11, 2023 8:00 AM

The Best Laptops and Tablets for College Students

Whatever your higher-ed goals, these campus-ready computers will help you crush them.

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4 / 10

The perfect college laptop may not exist. But somewhere between performance, size, weight, and price, there's a machine that will make you (and your parents) happy. We test dozens of laptops and tablets every year. The choices below are our favorite picks for students headed back to school this year. Whether you're attending classes in person or online—or doing some of both—there's something here for every student and every budget.

Be sure to check out our other back-to-school guides, including the Best Laptops, Best Tablets, Best Laptop Bags, Best Student Email Discounts, and Best Dorm and College Gear.

Updated August 2023: We've revamped all our picks to include the latest models with the most up-to-date specs.

Photograph: Asus
Best Windows Laptop
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED
The Asus Zenbook 14 is a unique combination of performance, great battery life, and an OLED display—all for $700 (8/10, WIRED Recommends). The model we like uses an AMD Ryzen 5 7530U CPU, with 8 GB of RAM and a 256-GB SSD. That may not sound like much, but we were impressed with the performance, especially given the price. That said, if you're heading to film school or plan to spend your nights gaming this is not the laptop you want (see our gaming pick below). Battery life is outstanding though, clocking in at 12.5 hours (measured looping a YouTube video at full brightness), which is helpful for the long days on campus.
This is a small, portable machine too (3.1 pounds and 19 mm thick), and it manages to pack in plenty of ports despite the slim form. There are two USB-C ports (one of which is needed for charging), one full-size USB 3.2 port, a full-size HDMI output, and a microSD card reader. If you want something just a little more powerful, you can bump the specs to 16 GB of RAM and a 512-GB SSD for not much more money.
Specs to look for: AMD Ryzen 5 7000 series, 8 GB RAM, 256-GB SSD
$699 at Walmart
Photograph: Lenovo
Best Budget Laptop
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5
Lenovo's AMD-based IdeaPad 5, which comes with a Ryzen 5 processor, is a great laptop for students. There's plenty of power, a very nice 14-inch IPS display, 16 GB of RAM, and a 256-GB SSD. The 360-degree hinge converts it to tablet mode or stand mode for watching movies in your dorm. To take full advantage of the 2-in-1 design, be sure to grab the digital pen ($40). Another reason we like the IdeaPad is the plethora of ports: You get two USB-A ports, an HDMI, an SD card reader, one USB-C, a headphone jack, and a charging port (though you can use the USB-C to recharge the laptop too). If you're a computer science major or plan to do some video editing, the more powerful Ryzen 7 version can be had for just a little more.
Specs to look for: AMD Ryzen 5, 16 GB of RAM, 256-GB SSD
$611 at Amazon (14 Inch, 5000 Series)
~~$850~~ $698 at Amazon (16 Inch, 7000 Series)

Photograph: Apple
Best Mac for College
Apple MacBook Air (13 and 15 Inch)
Apple's M2-powered MacBook Air (7/10, WIRED Recommends) comes with a ton of upgrades on both the inside and out. It's boxier than the old version and comes in a couple of new colors—midnight and starlight—in addition to the traditional space gray and silver options. The display is bigger (you can choose between a 13-inch and 15-inch model) and the webcam is a little better. There are still only two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, but at least you can charge it without using one of them via the MagSafe charger.
Apple’s M2 chip offers decent performance on typical college workloads, running apps like Slack, Spotify, Telegram, and Pages alongside a browser, though we did experience some slowdowns with a lot of tabs open. If you can, upgrade the unified memory to 16 gigs for a smoother experience. Also, Remember, you can take $100 off if you use an education email and buy the MacBook through Apple's Education store. If you want a cheaper MacBook the M1-powered Air is still a good choice for less than $800.
Specs to look for: Apple M2 processor, 8+ GB of RAM, 256-GB SSD
$1,099 at Apple (13 Inch)
$1,099 at Best Buy (13 Inch)
$1,299 at Apple (15 Inch)
$1,199 at Amazon (15 Inch)
Photograph: Framework
Best Linux Laptop
Framework Laptop 13 (2023)
Framework's 13-inch laptop is a good choice for budding programmers and sysadmins. The 13-inch model (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is available with either Windows or Linux, but I much prefer it with Linux—a DIY laptop needs a DIY OS. The hallmark of this laptop is how you can repair and replace components down the road, making it more environmentally friendly and cost-effective.
Right now you can get an Intel Core 13th-gen series system with 32 GB of RAM, a 2-TB SSD, and whichever mix of ports suits your needs for around $1,400. That will ship with no operating system. When it arrives you can install Linux yourself (or opt to ship it with Windows if you need to dual boot). See our Best Linux Laptops guide for more options.
Specs to look for: Intel Core i5, 16+ GB of RAM, 250-GB SSD
$978 at Framework

Photograph: Asus
The Best Chromebook
Asus Chromebook Flip CX5
The Asus Chromebook CX5 is a good choice for students who are all-in on Google services. It strikes a great balance between price, power, and features, with a 2-in-1 design that lets you seamlessly switch between laptop mode for homework and stand mode for late-night binges. The keyboard is excellent. Typing is often the first to get trashed when manufacturers seek to save money, but Asus has clearly focused on this area—there's a ton of travel and a satisfying click.
The 16 GB of RAM and 11th-Gen Intel Core i5 chip is possibly overkill for a Chromebook, but if you're going to have hundreds of tabs open doing research, this won't let you down. The display is 1080p and gets bright enough for most typical conditions, though there's nothing special about it. The port selection is better, there are two USB-Cs, a USB-A, a headphone jack, a microSD, and even an HDMI. See our Best Chromebooks guide for more.
Specs to look for: Intel Core i5, 16 GB of RAM, 128-GB SSD
$850 at Walmart (Core i3)
$1,095 at Amazon (Core i7)
Photograph: Apple
A Fab Tab
Apple iPad Air (2022, 5th Gen)
Do you really need a laptop? Really really? Only you can answer that, but if your requirements revolve around taking notes, doing research, reading textbooks, and other knowledge-related tasks, then you might be able to get by with a much lighter tablet like the iPad Air (8/10, WIRED Recommends). The Apple Pencil ($129) is a must-have. Using it on the iPad's screen feels close to dragging a real pencil across a piece of paper. You'll also want a Bluetooth keyboard for typing those papers and emails. We like the Logitech Folio Touch or Apple’s own Magic Keyboard ($299), both of which add trackpads to the mix for a more computer-like feel. Check out our Best iPad Accessories guide for more options.
That said, it's not as easy to multitask on an iPad as it is on a laptop, and by the time you get a keyboard, pencil, and whatever else you need, it can become just as expensive as a laptop.
Specs to look for: M1 processor, Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi+cellular, 64 GB of storage
★ An Android alternative: If you don't want to buy into Apple's ecosystem, the OnePlus Pad ($479) (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great alternative. You need to add the $149 magnetic keyboard cover to make it a productivity machine (OnePlus sometimes has an offer that bundles it for free), but you can use split-screen mode to run apps side by side and have a third app floating on the side for easy access.
$559 at Amazon
$599 at Apple
$600 at Best Buy
$600 at Target

Photograph: Microsoft
A Windows Tablet
Microsoft Surface Pro 9
If you want a tablet but aren't sure if Apple's iPadOS or Android can do everything you need, then the Surface Pro 9 is your next-best bet. Its lightweight tablet design is easy to carry, and the 13-inch 120-Hz hi-res touchscreen with a document-friendly 3:2 aspect ratio makes it nice to stare at and use. With 12th-gen Intel chips, you get pretty great performance too. It also runs Windows, which nets you access to all the desktop-class software you're likely to need. For college use, you definitely want the Type Cover keyboard. This accessory is essential, but it adds an extra $140.
The most affordable, smallest member of the Surface lineup is the 10.5-inch Surface Go 3 (8/10, WIRED Review). If your needs are minimal, or you prefer tiny computers, this is what you should buy. Despite its slower Intel chips, it's more than capable of handling most college-related tasks.
Specs to look for: Intel Core i5, 8 GB of RAM, 256-GB SSD
$950 at Amazon
$1,100 at Microsoft
Photograph: Acer
Game Time
Acer Nitro 5
The Acer Nitro 5 is a stealth gaming machine, the kind of boring-looking laptop you might convince your parents to buy. This isn't a top-of-the-line gaming rig, but it's a solid, powerful-enough machine. The display won’t blow you away, but at 15.6 inches (Full HD) and with a fast 144-Hz refresh rate, it is a great choice for gamers. The standout keyboard has a surprising amount of travel and feedback for such a low-cost device.
The base model is the cheap one, but you can get up to 16 GB of RAM, a 1-TB SSD, a Ryzen 7 chip, and an RTX 3070 GPU. If you've got the cash for a high-end gaming rig, check out our Best Gaming Laptops guide.
Specs to look for: AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor or Intel Core i5, Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card, 16 GB of RAM, 512-GB SSD, 15.6-inch 1080p display with a 144-Hz refresh rate
$874 at Amazon (RTX 3060)
$799 at Walmart (RTX 3050 Ti)
$800 at Best Buy (RTX 3050 Ti)

Photograph: Raspberry Pi
Tinker Toy
Raspberry Pi 4
It's not a laptop or tablet, but the Raspberry Pi 4 has education written all over it. This hackable, programmable micro PC is a great option for anyone—computer science major or otherwise—who wants to tinker and experiment with software or hardware. They're also just fun to build projects with. You can automate your dorm coffee maker, make a beetbox, or create a network-wide content filter. If the Raspberry Pi doesn't grab you, have a look at our guide to some alternative small board options.
$62 at Amazon
Photograph: SolStock/Getty Images
How to Choose the Right Laptop for College
How to Pick a Laptop for College
The important thing to remember is that there is no single correct choice here. The laptop that's best for your college experience depends on what you're doing at college. An English major with long reading lists and many papers to write might do better with an iPad and a nice accessory keyboard. A computer science major who needs to compile software or run Linux will need a laptop they can tinker away on. That said, here are some basic metrics to keep in mind for laptops:
Processor
Windows: If you're getting a Windows machine, your main options for the processor are Intel and AMD. Both will work, but each has its strengths and weaknesses. For a more complete guide to the differences, see our full guide to buying a laptop.
Chromebooks: These browser-based machines use half a dozen different processors, most of which you've probably never heard of. There's a reason for that: Those processors are slow. My recommendation when buying a Chromebook is to go with a more powerful processor if you can afford it. The Core m3 chip is the best choice for most students. If you want a more powerful, future-proof machine, get a Core i3 or i5 chip. There are also ARM-based Chromebooks, like the Lenovo Duet. They aren't quite as speedy as the Intel Core chips, but in most cases, they're just fine for college workloads.
MacOS: Apple is making its own processors now, notably the M2 chip found inside the MacBook Air showcased above. More powerful models like the MacBook Pros feature the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. Our MacBook buying guide can help.
RAM
Regardless of which OS you choose, the minimum amount of RAM you want in your laptop is 8 GB. That's enough memory to keep your computer feeling snappy even if it's running under load. That much RAM will also keep the machine feeling spry longer into its lifespan. If you can afford it—especially if you plan to edit photos or videos as part of your coursework—go for 16 GB.
Screen
Screens vary tremendously but don't settle for anything less than 1080p. For a 13-inch laptop, 1080p is sharp enough. If you're going with a bigger laptop, 2.5K or even 4K screens will really improve the viewing experience. If you're trying to play games as well, be sure to get something with a higher refresh rate—120 Hz or 144 Hz will more than satisfy.
Weight and Battery
Don't forget you'll be lugging this thing around campus. It may well be tugging on your back for eight hours or more. One pound may not seem like much, but at the end of a long day of walking, you will notice the difference between a 3-pound laptop and a 4-pound laptop. Trust me. Also, maybe pick out a nice bag to carry your computer.
Similarly, battery life is very important when you're (potentially) away from a wall outlet for extended periods. Whatever you end up getting, make sure it's capable of lasting at least eight hours under real-world use—browsing the web, editing documents, writing emails, and taking notes. Even then, you might want to consider a portable battery charger.

Scott Gilbertson is a senior writer for WIRED. He was previously a writer and editor for WIRED’s Webmonkey.com, covering the independent web and early internet culture. He studied at the University of Georgia. You can reach him at luxagraf.net.

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TopicsShopping laptops tablets back to school Computers