Best Computer For College Students in 2023 (Reviews)

best computer for college students

When choosing the best computer for a college student, you should keep a few things in mind. A good college laptop should not fail you during a critical work or study session, and it should have good battery life.

It should be slim and lightweight and have sufficient memory and processing power. It should also be suited to the area of study that you will be pursuing. For example, a liberal arts student may need a laptop with a lot of memory, while an engineering student may need something with more processing power.

If you want to skip the reviews, we say get the Acer Swift 5.

Best Computer For College Students Reviews

Product
HP Pavilion Aero
Best Price!
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14
MacBook Air Late 2020
HP Spectre x360 13.5
Our Pick!
Acer Swift 5
Preview
HP Pavilion Aero 13 Laptop, AMD Ryzen 5 5600U, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, 13” WUXGA IPS Display,...
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14" Convertible Laptop, FHD (1920 x 1080) Touch Display, Intel Core i3-1115G4...
Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
HP 2022 Newest Spectre x360 13.5" 60Hz Touchscreen FHD IPS 2-in-1 Laptop 12th Gen (Intel i7-1255U...
Acer Swift 5 Intel Evo Thin & Light Laptop, 14" Full HD Touch, Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe...
13.3 Inches
14 Inches
13.3 Inches
13.5 Inches
14 Inches
512 GB Storage
128 GB Storage
256 GB Storage
1 TB Storage
1 TB Storage
AMD Ryzen 5 5500U
Core i5
8-core CPU
Core i7
Core i7
8 GB RAM
8 GB RAM
8 GB RAM
16 GB RAM
16 GB RAM
Up to 10 Hours of Battery Life
Up to 10 Hours of Battery Life
Up to 28 Hours of Battery Life
Up to 15 Hours of Battery Life
Up to 15 Hours of Battery Life
Product
HP Pavilion Aero
Preview
HP Pavilion Aero 13 Laptop, AMD Ryzen 5 5600U, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, 13” WUXGA IPS Display,...
13.3 Inches
512 GB Storage
AMD Ryzen 5 5500U
8 GB RAM
Up to 10 Hours of Battery Life
Buy now
Best Price!
Product
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14
Preview
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14" Convertible Laptop, FHD (1920 x 1080) Touch Display, Intel Core i3-1115G4...
14 Inches
128 GB Storage
Core i5
8 GB RAM
Up to 10 Hours of Battery Life
Buy now
Product
MacBook Air Late 2020
Preview
Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
13.3 Inches
256 GB Storage
8-core CPU
8 GB RAM
Up to 28 Hours of Battery Life
Buy now
Product
HP Spectre x360 13.5
Preview
HP 2022 Newest Spectre x360 13.5" 60Hz Touchscreen FHD IPS 2-in-1 Laptop 12th Gen (Intel i7-1255U...
13.5 Inches
1 TB Storage
Core i7
16 GB RAM
Up to 15 Hours of Battery Life
Buy now
Our Pick!
Product
Acer Swift 5
Preview
Acer Swift 5 Intel Evo Thin & Light Laptop, 14" Full HD Touch, Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe...
14 Inches
1 TB Storage
Core i7
16 GB RAM
Up to 15 Hours of Battery Life
Buy now

HP Pavilion Aero 13

HP Pavilion Aero 13 Laptop, AMD Ryzen 5 5600U, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, 13” WUXGA IPS Display,...
  • LESS TO HOLD, MORE TO SEE – Stay portable with this laptop’s streamlined, remarkably lightweight...
  • WUXGA IPS DISPLAY – Become totally immersed in the superb color, flicker-free images, and wide-viewing...
  • AMD PROCESSOR AND GRAPHICS – Enjoy supreme performance and infinite possibilities, whether you’re...
  • MEMORY AND STORAGE – Work with several windows/tabs open without slow-down, thanks to your PC...
  • ALL-DAY BATTERY LIFE – Keep up the work or play from morning till evening with up to 10 hours and 30...

The HP Pavilion Aero is a great mid-range laptop that’s ideal for college students and business professionals. With AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors and Radeon graphics, it’s powerful enough for normal student tasks, yet still lightweight.

The HP Pavilion Aero’s battery life is excellent, with 10 hours of battery life on a single charge. Another great feature is the environmentally-friendly design, with ocean-bound plastics used to create the chassis.

The HP Pavilion Aero is a thin, lightweight PC that comes in a range of colors and finishes. It’s a nice 16:10 display, but the HP Pavilion Aero’s build is somewhat cheap-looking. It’s also nearly as expensive as premium PCs, so be prepared to spend some money. But like a high-end Toyota, the HP Pavilion Aero delivers a lot of bang for the buck.

HP Pavilion Aero 13 is a great all-around computer. Its magnesium chassis keeps it lightweight and provides a work-friendly 16:10 aspect ratio. It also features a bright, glare-free display with 400-nit peak brightness.

Take a look at our guide about the best Chromebook for elementary students.

Another good feature of the HP Pavilion Aero is its keyboard. It’s insanely light and feels good in the hand. It also comes with more than one USB-C port. The HP Pavilion power adapter is barrel-connected and charges the laptop through the USB-C port. However, it doesn’t have an F4 key, which would allow you to control the backlighting of the keyboard.

When choosing a computer, keep in mind what your student needs. Consider how long they plan to use it, and how much money they’re willing to spend. Some laptops come with special student purchasing deals. For instance, HP offers UNiDAYS, which offers discounts for students. In addition, a few schools work with HP to provide student discounts on laptops.

The HP Chromebook x360 is another great option for students. It runs on Chrome OS and features a fingerprint reader. It is light enough to take to class, and it comes with plenty of battery life. In addition, it costs under two hundred dollars.

MSI Katana GF66

The MSI Katana GF66 is the best computer for college students because it can play most AAA games with ease at 1080p resolution. However, it is not as powerful as more expensive laptops such as the Asus ROG Strix G15 and the Alienware M15 R6. It averages 42 to 60 frames per second when playing Red Dead Redemption 2. The stereo speakers give solid audio.

The MSI Katana GF66 weighs just 5 pounds and has solid battery life. It also offers upgradeable RAM. The screen resolution is high enough for gaming and it has a 144Hz refresh rate, which means you can see your opponents earlier and react quicker.

The laptop also comes with a decent processor: an Intel Core i7 with 16GB of RAM. It also comes with a year’s worth of Norton 360 deluxe antivirus for free.

MSI’s Katana GF66 is the most affordable Back-to-School PC. It comes in MSI’s signature core black color and has a 15.6″ FHD display with a 144Hz refresh rate. However, it doesn’t have a keyboard with RGB lighting.

For gamers, there are several alternatives to the MSI Katana GF66. Its RTX 3060 can handle triple-figure framerates, although most big esports titles are much less demanding.

However, if you want a gaming laptop, you can opt for the MSI Katana GF66, though it’s priced over a thousand dollars. However, you will have to compromise on battery life in addition to performance.

The MSI Katana GF66 is an excellent laptop for gamers, with a powerful processor and a quiet gaming design. Katana’s thermal management system makes sure the processor and GPU won’t overheat. It also features copper heat pipes on the CPU and GPU, which help keep the laptop cool.

The MSI Katana GF66 is a great option for college students, especially if you’re looking for an all-in-one system. It also comes with a 2.4GHz Intel Core i7 processor, a full-HD touchscreen display, a 512GB SSD, and a headphone jack. The battery life of the laptop is around 12 hours.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14' Convertible Laptop, FHD (1920 x 1080) Touch Display, Intel Core i3-1115G4...
47 Reviews
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14" Convertible Laptop, FHD (1920 x 1080) Touch Display, Intel Core i3-1115G4...
  • Combine performance, creativity, and entertainment! This 2-in-1 laptop has a 14-inch touchscreen, Intel...
  • A narrow bezel on 4 sides gives you more viewing area and less clutter to interfere with the task at...
  • With digital pen support (pen sold separately), the IdeaPad Flex 5i lets you capture moments of...
  • From zero to 360° in a flash – this touchscreen laptop is designed for you to keep your ideas flowing,...
  • A physical shutter on the webcam ensures you keep out unwanted attention when you are concerned about...

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 follows the same design as its predecessor, but with some new features. It has a fingerprint reader on the right side of the keyboard deck, and a privacy screen with a ThinkShutter that blocks the webcam lens. It also has a 52.5-watt-hour battery and a 14-inch Full HD display. It’s also powered by an AMD processor.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is a solid laptop-tablet hybrid. It’s lightweight and has a long battery life, but the display and trackpad are of middling quality. It’s a Windows 10-based 2-in-one convertible laptop with an Intel or AMD processor.

Many college students use laptops as their primary computing devices, as opposed to a desktop PC or smartphone. However, some students prefer a desktop PC, especially if they are studying in a demanding field. For example, architecture and engineering students may want a high-performance workstation. An artist might prefer a 2-in-one laptop instead.

Another laptop designed for college students is the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5. This lightweight computer is capable of multitasking with an optional stylus pen. It’s also affordable, has an excellent keyboard and trackpad, and runs Android apps. The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i is great for schoolwork but doesn’t offer enough power to be an image editor.

For many college students, a 13-inch laptop will meet their needs. It’s large enough to handle most work but light enough to fit in a backpack. It’s also small enough to fit comfortably on a crowded study table. Almost all models from Lenovo include a port to connect an external monitor.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 features a 360-degree convertible hinge. It also has a keyboard designed for comfort. It features a fingerprint scanner, which is located under the touchscreen. It has a gray plastic design and a big vent for airflow. Its display is bright, with 300 nits brightness.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 has 4GB of RAM, but its trackpad is small for its class. The sound from the integrated speakers is subpar. It also has a barrel-type charger instead of a USB-C. But these small flaws aside, the Flex 5i 14 is still a solid computer for college students.

Asus VivoBook 17 M712

ASUS VivoBook 17 M712 17.3” FHD Laptop Computer - AMD Ryzen 5 5500U 6-Core up to 4.0 GHz...
  • AMD Ryzen 5 5500U Hexa-Core 2.10 GHz Processor (8MB Cache, Turbo Boost up to 4.00 GHz), Windows 11 Home
  • 16GB DDR4 3200MHz Memory, 2TB PCIe NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive + 2TB SATA Hard Drive, Integrated AMD...
  • 17.3 Inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS 4-way NanoEdge Bezel Display with 85% Screen-to-Body Ratio, Wi-Fi...
  • 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, 2x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio...
  • 2-Year Warranty by Techno Intelligence & Free Tech Support, 720p HD Camera, SonicMaster Audio, Built-in...

When it comes to compact laptops for college students, the Asus VivoBook 17 M712 stands out. It boasts a thin bezel design and an 85% screen-to-body ratio, allowing for comfortable typing and viewing.

This laptop also features an ErgoLift hinge, which allows you to tilt the keyboard to your preferred position. This model is also powered by an AMD Ryzen(TM) 7 3700U processor and has dual storage drives.

The Asus VivoBook 17 M712 is a powerful, yet affordable laptop. Its m-Series processor and excellent battery life make it a great choice for college students. Another budget-friendly option is the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (m-series).

Its thin design, high-quality performance, and long battery life make it an excellent choice for students. The ASUS VivoBook F510UA-AH51 is another excellent option for college students, featuring a stylish design, sleek build, and stunning display.

Its 8th-generation processor and good price tag make it a standout among the other options for college students.

The battery life of a laptop is another important factor, particularly for portable use. A good laptop should be able to last at least eight hours on the Laptop Mag battery test. The best ones will last more than 10 hours. While laptop specs can be complicated, it is best to choose a model with a Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and a 1080p screen.

The Dell Inspiron 16 Plus is another option for college students who are on a tight budget. It costs less than $1,400 as tested, and has a larger panel and a 3K resolution. It also has a graphics card that’s quick enough to play modern games.

Although it weighs more than four pounds, the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus is a great middle-of-the-range option, offering a sleek chassis and great value.

The Asus VivoBook 17 M712 is also a lightweight convertible with an excellent display. It has a surprisingly bright screen and is easy to carry around.

Its touchpad acts as a second display, allowing you to multitask while you’re watching an online lecture or taking notes on Microsoft Word. Its battery life is also very impressive, as it will hold up for up to nine hours of use. It’s also lightweight and compact and will fit easily into your favorite bag.

MacBook Air Late 2020

Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
481 Reviews
Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
  • Apple-designed M1 chip for a giant leap in CPU, GPU, and machine learning performance
  • Go longer than ever with up to 18 hours of battery life
  • 8-core CPU delivers up to 3.5x faster performance to tackle projects faster than ever
  • Up to eight GPU cores with up to 5x faster graphics for graphics-intensive apps and games
  • 16-core Neural Engine for advanced machine learning

If you’re a college student looking for the best computer for college students, the MacBook Air is an excellent option. It has an M1 processor and is equipped with a powerful SSD and 8GB of RAM.

This machine is great for lightweight tasks such as typing papers and editing photos. Its battery life is great, too. The screen is 2K with vibrant colors and 400 nits brightness, and it has two Thunderbolt 4/USB Type-C ports.

The 12-core Intel Core i5-1240p processor allows it to perform at high speeds and lasts for up to 18 hours. While it’s not the most portable laptop on the market, it weighs just over three pounds. The laptop also comes with a NumberPad 2.0 keyboard, which doubles as a numeric keypad. However, it is not very smooth and can be turned on or off accidentally.

The new M2 MacBook Pro features the same design as the M1 model, but with a faster processor and Touch Bar. It’s as powerful as the MacBook Air and comes with fans inside to keep the system cool. It’s also a great choice for creative students. It is also priced below $1000.

If you’re a college student, you may be looking to purchase a new Mac. However, you should remember that the purchase of a laptop is a personal decision and depends on your budget and your needs for your specific course of study.

So, before making a purchase, check with your school to see if it has any system requirements. This will help you decide which model to buy and what specs your new computer should have.

If you’re a college student, the new MacBook Air is a good option. It has a great battery life and weighs just over three pounds. It’s perfect for writing, researching, and basic video editing. It also has a webcam, which is great for remote learning programs.

When it comes to performance, the MacBook Air is a top contender. It has an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a solid-state drive. It’s also lightweight and compact, with a thin and stylish body.

Dell XPS 13

Dell XPS 13 (9310), 13.4- inch FHD+ Touch Laptop - Intel Core i7-1185G7, 16GB 4267MHz LPDDR4x RAM,...
169 Reviews
Dell XPS 13 (9310), 13.4- inch FHD+ Touch Laptop - Intel Core i7-1185G7, 16GB 4267MHz LPDDR4x RAM,...
  • 13.4" FHD (1920 x 1200) InfinityEdge Touch Anti-Reflective 500-Nit Display
  • 11th Generation, Intel Core i7-1185G7 Processor (12MB Cache, up to 4.8 GHz)
  • 16GB 4267MHz LPDDR4x Memory Onboard, 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
  • Intel Iris Xe Graphics with shared graphics memory
  • Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 (2 x 2) and Bluetooth 5.1

The Dell XPS 13 is one of the most powerful and stylish laptops available on the market today. With an 11th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and Intel Iris Xe graphics, the Dell XPS 13 is an ideal choice for students.

It also comes with a 256GB solid-state drive (SSD) for storage, allowing you to store your school year’s documents and other important information. In addition, the Dell XPS 13’s express charge feature enables you to boost your laptop’s battery life from zero to 80% in less than an hour.

The Dell XPS 13 is a good choice for college students looking for a premium windows laptop. It is capable of handling both academic and casual tasks, making it an ideal computer for most college students. It also has a long battery life, with a lifespan of more than 11 hours.

As far as performance goes, the Dell XPS 13 is one of the most reliable laptops available today. Its carbon fiber and milled aluminum body are both sturdy and durable. It also has a large touchpad and a great battery life.

Other features include a Windows Hello webcam, Thunderbolt 4 ports, and microSD card slots. However, the laptop’s one drawback is that it doesn’t have a full-sized USB port.

Another laptop that can easily convert from a notebook to a desktop is the HP Envy 5. It can be converted into a desktop and has a screen that can be connected to multiple displays. Another great feature of this computer is its instant-on feature.

It charges up to 80 percent in just an hour. For a relatively affordable price, this laptop is perfect for students. Furthermore, it’s upgradeable if you need to meet higher performance requirements.

When it comes to choosing a computer for college students, the first thing you should consider is what you’ll be using it for. You don’t want to buy a computer that will break down during a crucial study or work session. Also, make sure it has plenty of battery life and is slim. It should be comfortable to use and have a good keyboard.

HP Spectre x360 13.5

HP 2022 Newest Spectre x360 13.5" 60Hz Touchscreen FHD IPS 2-in-1 Laptop 12th Gen (Intel i7-1255U...
  • 【Upgraded】 Seal is opened for Hardware/Software upgrade only to enhance performance. 13.5" Full HD...
  • 【Powerful Performance with Intel Core i7-1255U Deca Core】 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1255U 1.70GHz...
  • 【High Speed and Multitasking】 16GB OnBoard RAM; 65W Power Supply, 4-Cell 66 WHr Battery; Nightfall...
  • 【Enormous Storage】 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD; 2 Thunderbolt 4 (Type-C), Micro SD Reader, No Optical Drive,...
  • Includes Dockztorm USB Hub(Special Edition Portable Docztorm Data Hub;Super Speedy Data Syn Rate upto...

The HP Spectre x360 13.5 is a solid performer in terms of price and features. The laptop comes in several configurations.

In addition, it comes with Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity and Bluetooth 5.2. It also supports two-way audio and has an HDMI port.

The HP Spectre x360 13.5 is equipped with a powerful quad downward-firing speaker system. It uses Bang and Olufsen software to optimize audio quality. This allows for comfortable music and movie listening. The speakers have crisp and clear sound, but there isn’t a lot of bass.

The HP Spectre x360 13.5 is well-built, with modern components and a one-year warranty. The laptop also has a long battery life and a great OLED display. It’s also a green model with a sustainable design and an Intel(r) Evo-certified platform.

The HP Spectre x360 13.5-inch laptop has an Intel 11th-generation processor and an ultra-vivid screen with adaptive color technology. It also comes with a backlit keyboard and a responsive HP imagepad with multitouch gesture support. Its battery life is impressive for a Chrome OS laptop, and its ports are solid. It has two USB-C 3.1 ports and a microSD card reader. It doesn’t support Thunderbolt 3.

The Dell XPS 13 offers more power and performance than the HP Spectre x360. The HP Spectre x360 features an integrated Intel HD graphics 620 GPU, with a base frequency of 300 MHz and a maximum frequency of 1100 MHz.

However, Dell XPS 13 comes with a touchscreen display with an FHD+ resolution, which is significantly better for viewing videos and images.

Another important consideration for college students is battery life. The average battery life of a laptop battery is approximately 11 to 14 hours, but battery life can vary widely between brands. As a rule of thumb, a smaller computer can last longer than a higher-performance laptop.

The HP Spectre x360 is very light and thin. Its dimensions are only 306 x 218 x 13.6 mm. It weighs about 1260 grams. The Dell XPS 13 is slightly heavier and feels more solid than the HP Spectre x360. Both laptops offer decent key travel and a good balance of rigidity and flexibility.

Acer Swift 5

Acer Swift 5 Intel Evo Thin & Light Laptop, 14" Full HD Touch, Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe...
  • Get high performance, responsiveness and long battery life with the Intel Core i7-1165G7 Processor - up...
  • 14.0" Full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen LED-backlit IPS Corning Gorilla Glass display with integrated...
  • 16GB Onboard LPDDR4X Memory and 1TB NVMe SSD
  • 1 - USB Type-C Port USB 3.2 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps) DisplayPort over USB Type-C, Thunderbolt 4 & USB...
  • Windows 10 Home, Corning Gorilla Glass, Touchpad, Wi-Fi 6, Up to 15 Hours Battery Life

The Acer Swift 5 is an affordable laptop that is equipped with a fast SSD and a large touchpad. It offers a 1500:1 contrast ratio and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It also has a backlit keyboard, which is ideal for students who need to type for hours. In addition, the laptop features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The Swift 5 is a great value for the money, with an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and over 1 TB of SSD storage. Its 14-inch screen is also compact and lightweight. It also weighs less than 3 pounds, which is a great feature for students.

If you’re a college student, you’ll need a reliable laptop for the school year. This computer should be lightweight, easy to carry from class to class, and have long battery life. A strong processor and plenty of RAM will help you complete your work and stay afloat through the four years of undergrad.

You can find student discounts online. Stores such as Apple and Walmart offer special student deals. It’s also smart to check your school’s requirements. For instance, some colleges require students to have a Windows laptop if they want to install specific software. Check with your college about their requirements so you can avoid problems with software compatibility.

The Apple MacBook Air is a fantastic everyday computer that is both lightweight and powerful. The MacBook Air has an impressive battery life, a Force Touch trackpad, and supports iOS apps. Compared to the Swift 5, the MacBook Air has more powerful hardware, including a high-resolution screen and a faster processor.

The Acer Swift 5 best computer for college students has the latest features that make it a great option for students. It also comes with a high-quality keyboard and a screen that is bright enough for college students to do their work. This laptop also comes with a 720p webcam and has two USB-C ports.

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