5 Best Laptops for college In 2024

Choosing the right laptop to get your degree or diploma can make the difference between putting all your energy into your studies and spending half your time fiddling with sub-par equipment. From simple word processing and research tasks to more advanced work like graphic design, 3D modelling and video editing, Geekbuck has compiled a list of laptops to meet your needs. In this guide, we ranked and reviewed the 5 best laptops for college so you can pick the one that suits your unique needs.

What is the best laptop for college in 2024?

Here are the Top 5 Best Laptops for College:

Best Premium Laptop For College – Apple

No surprises here – one of the best laptops for college is the tried-and-true Apple Macbook Air 13. The 2024 model is a premium option for college students who need a slim, lightweight laptop for studying, writing papers and browsing the web.

Apple’s M3 SoC is a jack-of-all-trades CPU that can competently handle just about any task thrown at it, from audio production and writing to video editing and 3D graphic design. It is also one of the quietest laptops in it’s class, as it is designed without a traditional cooling fan.

It offers the kind of user comfort we have come to expect from Apple; the display is crisp and bright and the keyboard well spaced and ergonomic. The oversized touchpad avoids the cramped feeling that many competitors give the user. The battery may take longer than some to fully charge, but the Apple Macbook Air 13 can last an impressive 11 hours of intensive use on a single charge. Port selection is a bit of a weak point, with the Apple Macbook Air 13 sporting only two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Best Premium Laptop For College – Windows

For Windows users, the best premium option of 2024 is the HP Spectre x360 14. The build quality easily rivals the Apple offering, while offering the famous versatility associated with Windows machines.

The ultraportable HP Spectre x360 14 laptop boasts one of the largest screens in its class with a very impressive 14-inch 120Hz 2.8k OLED display. The Windows operating system needs no introduction, and with a powerful machine like the x360 to run on, there is just about nothing this laptop can’t do very well indeed.

The HP Spectre x360 14 features lightning-fast Wi-Fi 7 wireless connectivity, stunning visuals from its built-in 4k webcam and a 2-in-1 convertible screen that can be flipped into tablet mode for added versatility. Port selection is the area where this unit really shines above the Apple offering; it has one USB-A and two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports. With digital pen support, it has a lot to offer users interested in graphic design, architecture or engineering.

Best Mid-Range Laptop For College

Want something that brings the bells and whistles but won’t break the bank? Look no further than the Lenovo Yoga i7 16.

The Lenovo Yoga i7 16‘s Intel 13th Gen workhorse CPUs will keep up with day-to-day tasks with ease, and do a serviceable job at many more demanding tasks.

With a larger 16-inch display, this machine will appeal to those wanting a more spacious user interface. It’s the perfect option for users who spend a lot of time with multiple windows open, and has the added benefit of being a 2-in-1 convertible that can be quickly flipped into tablet mode.

The Lenovo Yoga i7 16 can be ordered with a choice of two displays: FHD+ and QHD+. While the FHD+ did a great job, the QHD+ display offered a much brighter and more defined picture. The laptop features a particularly powerful battery than can last a whopping 12 hours of intensive use.

Other features include speedy Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity, a fingerprint sensor, facial recognition and large selection of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4s and an HDMI.

Best Budget Laptop For College

The world of budget laptops has become a very competitive one, leading to many great options becoming available to consumers. In our tests, the Asus Vivobook 16 M1605 reigned supreme.

The Asus Vivobook 16 M1605 comes with a choice of either the AMD Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7 CPU. Both chipsets competently handle most day-to-day tasks such as word processing, media playback and web browsing. The 16-inch display makes it a friendly option for using multiple windows for studying and writing papers, but does not make the laptop feel overly bulky. Device memory comes in either 8GB or 16GB. We recommend the 16GB model, but the 8GB model can be easily upgraded. Battery life is weaker than others on this list, lasting around 8 hours of intensive use.

The laptop features a comfortable keyboard, relatively large touchpad and a serviceable 720p webcam. The display is reasonably crisp, thought the color reproduction and contrast is not as refined as pricier models on this list. The laptop also features fingerprint scanning, Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity and good port selection: three USB-As, one USB-C and one HDMI port.

Best Gaming Laptop For College

For students who want a laptop that can handle college tasks and run modern games during study breaks, look no further than the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is thin and light enough to be carried around a college campus with ease, while still having enough processing clout to run the most demanding AAA titles smoothly. Unlike many gaming laptops, it’s styling is muted enough to fit in in academic environments without drawing too much attention. It comes with either an AMD Ryzen 7 or 9 CPU, with a selection of NVIDIA GeForce graphics cars to choose from: RTX 4050, 4060, or 4070. The 4050 will deliver fantastic results in 1080p, while for higher resolutions the 4060 or 4070 may be your best choice. The best memory packages offer 32GB RAM and 1TB storage. An SSD can be purchased as a package, or installed later on.

The 120Hz 2.8k OLED display is a thing of beauty and the speaker system is one of the best currently on the market. The keyboard is fantastically ergonomic and the trackpad rivals Apple’s contemporary offerings. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 also features Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity, a facial recognition IR camera and a large port selection, including two USB-Cs and an HDMI 2.1.

As is to be expected from a high-performance machine, the battery life is lower than other items on this list at around 8 hours. It should be noted that gaming on battery life is not recommended, and will result in a significant performance drop.

Conclusion

Depending on your needs, the ideal laptop for college may be a no-nonsense workhorse like the Asus Vivobook 16 M1605 or a state-of-the-art machine like the Apple MacBook Air 13 or ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14. Additionally, there is also your budget to consider. Fortunately, the market for laptops has never been more broad and diverse, and there really is something out there for everyone.

Since your college laptop will be your best friend for a number of years, it is important to consider user comfort, battery life and features that may become important in the future as your student journey progresses.