The best student laptops: all the best options for school

School is expensive, no matter what level you’re at: tuition, books, food – it all adds up. Fortunately, with one of the best laptops for students, you can save some money. Not only will these budget minded laptops have great style and performance, but they’ll do it with an eye for value.

Trying to save up for a new laptop when you’re buying textbooks can be hard, so the best student laptops don’t need all the best processors and graphics cards. You won’t be limited to Windows 10, either – the best Chromebooks are among the best laptops for college students – as you’ll be able to get all your work done while saving a ton of cash.

We know that school gets stressful, but that’s why you should make sure you only have the best student laptop. No one wants the added stress of running around campus with a dying laptop – especially when you’re in the middle of a project. So, we gathered up some of the best laptops for students, because no one wants to limit themselves to an old clunker just to get schoolwork done.

Here at TechRadar, we love it when a laptop can perfectly balance price and performance without any compromises, and the Huawei MateBook 13 comes closer to hitting that perfect balance than anything in 2019 so far. Thin, light, quick and affordable, this beautiful 13-inch Ultrabook will let you get all your work done in style, without dragging down on your wallet. The battery life is a little weak, but that’s a worthy sacrifice to make here – just carry the charger around with you.

Read the full review: Huawei MateBook 13 

Once in a while, we’ll get our hands on a laptop that completely flips the script – the Huawei Matebook X Pro is one such laptop. Not only does it feature powerful, modern components like 8th-generation Kaby Lake R processors and 16GB of RAM, it’s also beautiful – incorporating all the latest trends in Ultrabook design. What’s more impressive, it manages to do all this while being much more affordable than the competition. This is what makes it one of the best laptops for students – you’re not going to get a more powerful laptop for less cash than the MateBook X Pro – at least until the MateBook X Pro 2019 gets here. 

Read the full review: Huawei Matebook X Pro 

• Australian readers, the Matebook X Pro has finally been officially released Down Under, but this Australian stock is only being sold via the Microsoft Store at present... and that limited availability means both models on offer (priced at $1,899 and $2,599) keep quickly selling out. If there's none available at the above link, we'd suggest checking back in one to two weeks.

The Dell XPS 13 has always been among the best laptops – for college students, professionals and even everyday users. But, now that Dell has brought back the entry-level option, it’s affordable for college students once more. Dell has also fixed the biggest bugbear – the webcam. Dell found a way to move the webcam up to the top of the display, so that your friends won’t have to stare up your nose when you’re in a video call. 

Read the full review: Dell XPS 13 

While the first Surface Laptop was already a great laptop for students, it was held back by sub-par performance, a lack of ports and Windows 10 in S Mode. With the Surface Laptop 2, though, everything is better – except for the ports. You’re getting quad-core Kaby Lake Refresh processors, full-fat Windows 10 Home and a sleek black color option. We wish it had even a  single USB-C port, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’ll be able to get all your work done in style with this laptop. 

Read the full review: Surface Laptop 2

The way we look at it, the best laptop for college students will strive to hit a golden balance between price and performance, without looking like you pulled it out of your dad’s study. The Microsoft Surface Go, then, isn’t just one of the best Windows tablets, but it’s one of the best laptops for college students, period. Don't’ be fooled by the low power components, either – Microsoft has engineered this 2-in-1 to be able to keep up with your schoolwork without breaking a sweat. You can’t do much better than the Surface Go, especially if you’re on a budget.

Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Go 

Dell’s XPS lineup has been among the best laptops for college students for years now, and the new XPS 15 is no different. Taking the approach of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, not much has changed year over year – but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. What you’re getting here is a reliable Ultrabook with enough horsepower to carry you through all of your coursework without costing an arm and a leg. While the entry level is perfectly fine for most people, you can configure this thing with up to a Core i9 CPU and 32GB of RAM, transforming the Dell XPS 15 into a killer media editing workstation. We just wish Dell would move that webcam.

Read the full review: Dell XPS 15 

The Microsoft Surface lineup has built a reputation for itself for being among the best Windows devices out there – gorgeous touch screens, incredible performance and long battery life. The Surface Pro 6 continues this tradition, even if it doesn’t bring anything new to the table. What you’re getting here is a speedy Windows tablet that can effortlessly turn into a laptop through the Surface Type Cover. You can get your work done and then effortlessly transition into break time.  

Read the full review: Surface Pro 6

College gets expensive – you can’t avoid it. That’s why the best laptops for college students will offer awesome performance at a decent price, much like the Lenovo Flex 14. At under a four-digit price, there’s something to be said about getting an Ultrabook that can handle anything the semester throws at you – and the Lenovo Flex 14 looks good to boot. You won’t find a better laptop at a lower price.

Read the full review: Lenovo Flex 6 14 

We were left waiting for Apple to renew the MacBook Air for years, as it languished with a 5th-generation Intel Core processor and an out of date, low-resolution display. Thankfully, those days are over. Apple has ushered the MacBook Air into the modern age, with 8th-generation fanless processors, a thinner and lighter design, and perhaps most importantly – a Retina display. No more do you have to compromise on modern features if you want an “affordable Mac”, and that makes the MacBook Air one of the best laptops for college students.

Read the full review: MacBook Air 

If you’re not too concerned with cash, and you’re a macOS addict (we get it), the 2018 MacBook Pro is the most powerful MacBook that’s ever existed. With its impressive hexa-core processors, and up to a whopping 32GB of memory, this cupertino workstation will get you through whatever you throw at it. It also includes the much-improved third generation Butterfly keyboard that will not only be less distracting to the students around you, but will be less prone to failure if some dust comes within 10 feet.

Read the full review: MacBook Pro 15-inch (2018) 

• Want more choices? Check out our list of the best laptop 2019
• Images Credit: TechRadar

Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article.