Finding the perfect laptop for you or your soon-to-be college student is no easy task, but we’re here to help.
Choosing a laptop to take to school is different from choosing a laptop for other uses. While technically any computer on ourbest laptops roundupwould work, carrying around some of the heavier laptops around campus all day won’t be fun, and other choices don’t have the battery life needed to go for so long without a charge.
Students need to look for a laptop that’s lightweight and has excellent battery life, so they don’t need to carry a power cord around and find a place to charge. Your choice should also have the specs you need to get schoolwork done—though how much power you need will depend on your chosen major. A future filmmaker will need something more powerful than a student going for a business degree, for example.
It’s overwhelming, but we’ve picked out five fantastic laptops for students to help make your decision easier. One of the choices below will no doubt suit your needs!
1Apple MacBook Air M4
Best for most
For a lot of people, you really can’t go wrong with a MacBook. These laptops are incredibly light and portable, have fantastic battery life, and tend to last a long time. It wouldn’t be surprising if something like the recently released MacBook Air M4 lasts through a four-year school stint.
Overall, the MacBook Air is just an outstanding laptop. We mention that it’s the best laptop for most people in ourMacBook Air M4 review, so it makes sense that it extends to most students as well. The price is right compared to the competition, too, with this model only costing $1,000. Best of all, there’s likely to be a good student discount you can take advantage of with your school to get a deep discount. You really can’t beat it.
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4, 2025)
The M4 MacBook Air retains its sleek design while upgrading to the M4 chip, enhancing performance for media and AI tasks. It also adds a 12MP Center Stage camera, support for two external displays, and Wi-Fi 6E, making it an even better consumer laptop.
2Surface Laptop 7
For your Windows needs
There are a few reasons you want to stay away from macOS and stick with Windows instead. The main reason is app compatibility—if you’re using special applications for a class or for your major, you need to make sure the laptop of your choice can run them. While it is possible tohave a MacBook launch Windows via Parallels, if you’re going to spend most of your time in Windows, you’ll want a native Windows laptop.
For students, the Surface Laptop 7 is the best pick. This model of the Surface line is built to be very light and thin, which is perfect for students running around campus all day. The battery also rivals the MacBook Air, which means you won’t need to carry a bulky charger or find an A/C outlet, either. Even the price is the same as the MacBook Air. So if you need Windows for your schoolwork, the Surface Laptop 7 will be the device to pick up.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
The new Surface Laptop is not just faster—it’s smarter. Get the most out of your day with accelerated performance that unlocks a new AI era to enable Copilot experiences that transform the way you work, enhancing productivity and creativity. Experience visuals like never before on its stunning and modern Razor-thin touchscreen display.
3Apple MacBook Pro M4
A creative powerhouse
The MacBook Air M4 is plenty powerful in its own right, but if you’re a creative arts major, upgrading to the MacBook Pro is a good bet. The Pro models offer upgraded specs to make running intensive video and photo editing software easy while retaining the same impressive battery life as the MacBook Air. If the M4 chip isn’t powerful enough, you can even opt for an M4 Pro or M4 Max chip and take your MacBook to the next level.
However, it’s important to think about what you need power-wise before spending the extra money on the MacBook Pro. The Air models will have enough power to handle most normal schoolwork, so getting the Pro M4 is overkill. But the extra few hundred dollars are worth it to creatives, so you don’t need to worry about programs hitching or lagging while trying to get work done.
Apple MacBook Pro (14-Inch, M4)
Powered by an impressive M4 chip, the 14-inch MacBook Pro starts with 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, a 10-core CPU, and a 10-core GPU, available in Space Black or Silver.
4ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
For work and play
Finding a gaming laptop that’s also good for taking around campus is not easy. Many gaming laptops can be loud, which isn’t ideal for taking notes in a classroom. They also tend to be heavy, which makes carrying them around all day a (literal) pain. There isn’t a lot of overlap between the two use cases, but if you’re willing to make a few sacrifices, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 will be the laptop for you.
The Zephyrus G14 weighs just over three pounds, around the same as a few of the other picks on our list. You’ll get a 1TB SSD, a dedicated GPU, and up to 10 hours of battery life—all really good for a gaming laptop built to be ultra-portable. The G14 only has 16GB of RAM, so you’re able to’t play every game at max settings, and no doubt playing modern games with high spec requirements will drain the battery a lot faster than 10 hours.
But really, not many laptops can straddle the student-friendly line that the Zephyrus G14 does, so for those who want both portability and gaming prowess, this is the laptop to buy.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
The ROG Zephyrus G14 has been redesigned with an all-new premium aluminum chassis for increased durability and elegance. At 0.63 inches thin and weighing in at just 3.31lbs, this gaming powerhouse combines portability with cutting-edge technology.
Just the basics
Not everyone needs a powerhouse laptop. For many, all you may need is something that’ll open a web browser and a word processor. After all, if you have a desktop at home or in the dorm room, you may not need a laptop that can do it all as well.
For these students, cheap and effective is the way to go, and the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i is precisely that. This Chromebook only costs $300, and you get all the basics you need covered when you’re on campus. Chrome OS can handle all the Google productivity apps, and since those all sync online to your Google account, you don’t need to worry about getting something from one device to another. But with only 4GB of RAM, don’t expect to be able to multitask or run any resource-heavy programs.
This is strictly a laptop meant for the basics—if you need something more, you’ll need to look into some of the options above.
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i Chromebook
Untether the limits of your study space with an agile IdeaPad Flex 3i Chromebook. Featuring an FHD IPS display and long battery life, your options stay wide open for web-browsing, study, or work, no matter where you go. Open your Chromebook to boot up in seconds, touch the screen to select and drag, and stay focused uninterruptedly and even into the night with a long battery life.
