Best laptops for college students 2025: 7 picks for every budget

Who should buy the Asus Zenbook?

If you want a laptop that delivers fast performance, long battery life, and a screen that’s genuinely good, this is the one to go for. The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED checks all the right boxes. It’s got an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS CPU, 16GB RAM, and a speedy 512GB SSD, so it can easily handle essays, Zoom calls, and all those open browser tabs. Plus, it’s light enough to carry around campus without being a pain in the (literal) neck.

The 14-inch 1920×1200 OLED touchscreen really steals the show, though. Movies, photos, and even spreadsheets look sharp and colorful. And with a 75 watt-hour battery, you’ll easily get a full day (approx. 16 hours) of use without hunting for an outlet in the library.

Asus Zenbook 14 OLED: Further considerations

This laptop isn’t built for heavy gaming or 3D work, but does great with pretty much everything else. The keyboard is fine, but not mind-blowing. It doesn’t have tons of ports, but covers what you really need — USB-C with DisplayPort and power delivery, HDMI, and a headphone jack.

The real win here is the balance. Long battery life, gorgeous screen, decent build quality, and smooth performance — all wrapped up neatly in a portable package. At around $850, it’s tough to beat, which is why it’s our best overall laptop for students this year.

Who should buy the Acer Aspire Go 15?

If you’re on a limited budget and just need a laptop that gets your homework done without any fuss, the Acer Aspire Go 15 is the right pick. It’s not the most premium laptop out there, but it works great whether you’re streaming lectures or typing up papers.

The hardware is pretty good for the price, too. You get an Intel Core i3 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage, which is plenty for most students. The battery lasts about 12 hours, so you won’t be stuck hunting for an outlet all day. The 15.6-inch screen is actually pretty roomy, so it’s great for cranking out essays or just kicking back with a Netflix show.

Acer Aspire Go 15: Further considerations

This laptop keeps things simple, and that’s its charm. No touchscreen, no backlit keyboard, and the screen is just okay. But you get good performance, reliable battery life, and a laptop that can handle most college tasks without headaches.

Who should buy the Asus Chromebook Plus CX34?

If you’re heading to college and want a Chromebook that looks good and runs well (as long as you don’t mind Google’s ecosystem), this one’s it. The Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 is fast enough to keep up with your daily stuff — think Zoom, Google Docs, Spotify — and it won’t freeze up when you’ve got a bunch of tabs open. (I see you, serial tab opener.)

It’s got a 14-inch 1080p screen that looks pretty clear. The webcam’s actually really solid too, so you won’t look like a blurry mess on video calls. And yeah, the whole laptop looks great. It’s got that clean, modern vibe that doesn’t scream budget.

Asus Chromebook Plus CX34: Further considerations

Now, it’s not perfect. The battery lasts around 13 hours, which is fine, but other laptops in this class go longer. There’s also no touchscreen, so if you’re a big fan of tapping around instead of mousing, you’re out of luck. And if you’re trying to do anything like video editing or heavy design work? This probably isn’t the machine for you.

But for school notes, research, and lectures? It’s exactly what you need.

Who should buy the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1?

If you need a laptop with ridiculously long battery life, the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 simply blew us away. We got 25 hours on one charge–that’s insane! That’s a full day of study sessions and classes right there. It’s also fairly lightweight at just under 3 pounds so it won’t weigh your backpack down, and the 360-degree hinge lets you use it like a tablet and take handwritten notes. Plus, the keyboard is comfy enough to type on for hours, which is awesome for cranking out papers.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1: Further considerations

It’s definitely on the pricey side. Our review model was over $2,000, though prices vary by configuration. You’re paying for things like premium build materials and future-proof connectivity like Wi-Fi 7. Also, it doesn’t have a built-in SD card reader, so if you’re into photography, you’ll need a dongle. While this is a good machine for day-to-day tasks like writing essays and streaming, we noticed the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V chip struggling with heavier stuff like intensive multitasking.

Who should buy the MacBook Air?

If you want something with crazy-good battery life and a gorgeous Liquid Retina display, the MacBook Air M3 is a fine choice. It’s got an 8-core M3 CPU and a 10 core GPU, plus two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a 66.5 watt-hour battery. Performance is pretty much on par with the MacBook Pro M3, so it can handle all your school stuff and everyday use, no problem. The big bonus here is that the Air doesn’t have any fans, so it stays super quiet and it lasted 19 hours on a single charge in our tests. That’s awesome if your days are packed and you don’t want to be hunting for outlets.

MacBook Air: Further considerations

If you prefer MacOS, this one’s for you. It’s light too, just a bit over 3 pounds, so it’s easy to carry around. The $1,299 price feels fair for what you get. Just remember 8GB RAM is on the lighter side compared to some Windows laptops.

Who should buy the Microsoft Surface Pro (2025)?

If you’re always on the go (running between classes or working from coffee shops), the Surface Pro 2025 is kind of perfect. It’s super light (barely over 1 pound), so you can toss it in your bag and forget that it’s even there. It handles all the usual stuff like Zoom, notes, email, and watching shows. The Snapdragon chip inside keeps things running smooth, and you can use it like a laptop or flip it into tablet mode if you like doodling or taking notes by hand. It’s great if you hate carrying a heavy laptop, but still want something that feels like a real computer.

Microsoft Surface Pro (2025): Further considerations

Couple things to know. The screen’s not huge, so if you’re someone who operates in a sea of open tabs, it might feel a little tight at just 12 inches with an aspect ratio of 3:2. And yeah, it only has two USB-C ports, so if you’re always plugging into peripherals like peripherals or storage, you’ll probably need a little dongle or dock.

Battery life’s kind of a mixed bag. If you’re just typing or watching stuff with the brightness turned down, it’ll last a good while. But if you’re cranking everything up and bouncing between apps, it could drain faster than you might expect.

Still, if most of your school stuff is in the cloud and you just want something super light that gets the job done, this laptop totally delivers in that regard.

Who should buy the Acer Nitro V 16?

If you’re after a gaming laptop that can handle those late night gaming marathons (schoolwork, too!), the Acer Nitro V 16 is an excellent pick. The 16-inch 1920×1200 IPS display is colorful, and the 165Hz refresh rate makes gameplay look buttery smooth. 4060 graphics also means you can run most games on Medium or High graphics.

Battery life isn’t great though, you’ll get around four hours unplugged. That’s normal for gaming laptops, but just something to remember if you’re going to be using it away from a charger.

Acer Nitro V 16: Further considerations

This laptop is perfect if you want affordable gaming power and don’t mind the plastic build. It’s also good for heavy work stuff thanks to that GPU. Just know it’s not the lightest or fanciest-feeling laptop out there.