These days, computers are often essential parts of the learning process, and you want to make sure you have one that can handle the things you need them to do. There are a lot of fantastic laptops out there, and in this article, we're highlighting some of the best laptops you can buy for students.

Students are likely to be using their laptops for a lot of similar things — reading, writing documents and assignments, and browsing the web. But even within that context, everyone is different. Younger students may not need the fastest and most capable laptops around, while college students might appreciate the faster speeds that come with a higher-end laptop. And of course, not everyone has the same budget or needs. Let's take a closer look.

The best laptops for students in 2023

Front view of the HP Spectre x360 13.5
HP Spectre x360 13.5 (2023)
Best overall laptop for students

Checking all the boxes

The HP Spectre x360 (2023) is one of the best overall laptops for students to consider in 2023. This laptop has a little bit of everything you need, from a really great 13.5-inch screen to speedy fast Intel CPUs, and a great 5MP webcam.

Pros
  • Great performance and battery life
  • Tall 3:2 screen is great for productivity
  • Lightweight and portable enough to take to school
  • Great webcam for remote students
Cons
  • Somewhat expensive to start with
  • It's hard to compete with the MacBook Air on battery life

HP's Spectre lineup is very popular and for good reason. The latest model, the Spectre x360, is a phenomenal choice for almost any kind of student, though it may be a little too expensive for younger children.

First off, the performance is top-notch. This 13.5-inch model has up to an Intel Core i7-1355U which has 10 CPU cores (2 performance 8 efficient). Additionally, the Spectre x360 can be configured with up to 32GB of RAM on, so it can easily handle all kinds of school projects and store all the documents you could ever need.

That 13.5-inch display onboard has a tall 3:2 aspect ratio that's perfect for getting work done. This taller format makes multitasking that much easier. Some models come with a 1920x1280 resolution display but if you have the money you also can upgrade to a 3000x2000 resolution OLED display for more accurate-looking images. Above that display is a 5MP webcam and that makes this a fantastic option for remote learning, too, since you'll look great during online classes.

This laptop also looks fantastic in its dual-tone Nocturne blue with Celestial blue color options. There's still a silver model if you want something more subdued, too. The laptop comes in at just 3.01 pounds of weight, so while it could be lighter, it's still far from heavy. For ports, it includes Thunderbolt 4, USB Type-A, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader.

It's not perfect, but the HP Spectre x360 is definitely one of the best laptops you can buy if you're a student, especially for an older one going into college or even in high school.

Angled view of the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 in stand mode
Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2023)
Best for middle-school

Everything a younger student needs in an affordable package

The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 is a very capable ChromeOS laptop for middle school that delivers fantastic performance and a great display for a very affordable price. It has a full range of connectivity, too, and for a younger student, it's a fantastic way to get work done.

Pros
  • Fast 13th-generation Intel processor is fantastic for a Chromebook
  • Premium and durable build quality
  • Versatile form factor with a touchscreen
Cons
  • ChromeOS has some limitations not everyone will like
  • It may still be a bit expensive

Chromebooks are increasingly popular among students, especially younger ones. They don't have all the same capabilities as Windows laptops, but for younger children, they're fantastic options, and the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 is arguably the best of the bunch, though it may be a bit too expensive for a middle-schooler.

Starting with specs, the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 comes with a 13th-generation Intel Core i5-1335U processor, a CPU with 10 cores and 12 threads. It also comes with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for storage, more than enough for a younger student using ChromeOS. This is a lightweight, cloud-based operating system, so performance will be excellent with these specs.

On top of that, the laptop also has a very good display. It's a 14-inch panel and it comes in the 16:10 aspect ratio, with Full HD+ resolution (1920 x 1200), and it covers 100% of sRGB, so the visual experience on this laptop.Plus, this is a touch screen, and the laptop even includes a stylus you can use to draw or write on the screen. You even get a Full HD 1080p MIPI webcam for online classes or other video calls with family or friends.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 comes with an aluminum chassis, and it meets MIL-STD-810H standards for durability, but it weighs just 3.09 pounds. This is a big part of why it's good for a younger child, since it can survive clumsy hands. It comes in a Slate Blue colorway that's subdued but still fairly unique, and it looks quite nice. As for ports, you get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, USB Type-A, HDMI, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

There really aren't many laptops that offer what this one offers for such a low price, so this is a fantastic choice. The official MSRP of $600 is probably too high for a young child's laptop, but you can often find it discounted to a much lower price. If you want something a bit cheaper, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 may also be a good option.

Front view of the HP Pavilion Aero 13 2023 laptop
HP Pavilion Aero 13 (2023)
Best for high school

Portability and performance in an affordable package

The HP Pavilion Aero 13 is a very capable laptop with solid performance and a good display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. It's also very lightweight and easy to carry, plus it has a good range of ports available.

Pros
  • Latest AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors offer great performance
  • Under 2.2 pounds of weight make it extremely portable
  • Tall 16:10 aspect ratio display
Cons
  • Battery life may not be amazing
  • 720p webcam

While premium laptops are great, younger students may not be able to afford an expensive laptop. The HP Pavilion Aero offers a great balance of performance, portability, and affordability, making it great for high school students and even college students on a tighter budget.

The latest model of the HP Pavilion Aero comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 7535U processor, with 6 cores, 12 threads, and speeds up to 4.55GHz. It should deliver a big performance boost over the previous generation, especially in terms of the GPU thanks to the integrated Radeon 660M Graphics. That may come at a cost in battery life, though, since this processor can use more power than previous models. It also comes with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, though that's just the configuration available right now. More will likely be coming soon.

The display is a 13.3-inch panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio, and it comes in Full HD+ resolution with 100% of sRGB coverage. More options will likely be launched later, too. A big downside of this laptop is the webcam, which is only a 720p sensor and lacks Windows Hello facial recognition support.

On the flip side, portability is a major win, with the magnesium chassis allowing this laptop to weigh under 2.2 pounds. Any student can easily take this laptop with them. As for ports, we're looking at USB Type-C, USB Type-A, HDMI, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, so all the basics are covered, too.

We've reviewed a previous iteration of the Pavilion Aero and loved it, so this new model with extra performance can only be better. If you don't need a great webcam, it's very easy to recommend.

MacBook Air M2-1
MacBook Air (M2)
Best for college

A very fast laptop with outstanding battery life

Apple's 2022 MacBook Air is a powerful and efficient laptop, ideal for almost anyone who has the budget for it. The Apple M2 chip delivers strong performance for daily tasks and the best battery life of any laptop on the market. Plus, you also get a great display and a premium design.

Pros
  • Apple M2 processor is fast and offers incredible battery life
  • Very sharp display with vibrant colors
  • One of the lightest aluminum laptops on the market
Cons
  • You may not like the notch
  • Not every Windows app exists for macOS

MacBooks are very popular with college students, and with the latest MacBook Air, it's easy to see why. This is a fantastic laptop in almost every way.

Starting with performance, Apple is using its own M2 chipset, based on Arm technology, and it delivers phenomenal performance and battery life, making for a laptop that you basically never need to charge throughout the day. The 8-core CPU is also very fast and paired with up to a 10-core GPU, lighter graphics workloads are no problem either. Rounding things out, you can get up to 24GB of unified memory and 2TB of SSD storage.

The display has been upgraded from previous MacBook Air models, ad there's now both a 13-inch and a 15-inch option. 13-inch models measure 13.6 inches diagonally, mostly because it's slightly taller. It also has a very sharp 2560 x 1664 resolution on 13-inch models or 2880×1864 on the 15-inch model and it supports P3 Wide Color. More importantly, the screen is brighter now, reaching up to 500 nits, so it's even easier to use it outside. There's a slight downside in that this screen has a notch, but at least it houses a new 1080p webcam, another big upgrade. No facial recognition support is offered, however, so you have to rely on Touch ID.

This MacBook Air is also completely redesigned with a more balanced look, and it now comes in four color options, including two new ones, Starlight and Midnight. This new design is just 11.3mm thin and weighs 2.7 pounds, so it's extremely portable. For ports, you get two USB4/Thunderbolt ports, a headphone jack, and MagSafe for charging makes a return.

The latest MacBook Air upgrades Apple's most popular laptop in almost every way, and it's perfect for a college student, or any student that can afford it. You can also look to the 2020 MacBook Air if you need something cheaper, though you'll miss out on some big upgrades.

Angled front view of Surface Laptop 5 facing left
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
Best for home schooling

Premium design and great performance

The Surface Laptop 5 is a sleek Windows laptop that's great for home schooling with 12th-gen Intel Core processors and other premium specs. It comes in a clean and modern-feeling chassis that's also lightweight and easy to carry.

Pros
  • Premium and relatively lightweight design
  • Very sharp display with 3:2 aspect ratio and touch support
  • 12th-generation Intel Core processors offer good performance and battery life
Cons
  • 720p webcam
  • A bit expensive

If you're looking for the Windows equivalent of the MacBook Air, the Surface Laptop 5 is the closest you're going to get. This a premium, sleek laptop with high-end specs and a great display, making it great for home schooling.

Starting with those specs, the Surface Laptop 5 comes with up to a 10-core, 12-thread Intel Core i7-1255U, which is the only option in the 15-inch model. Performance and battery life are both great on this laptop, and it also includes Intel Iris Xe graphics, so it can handle some lighter games if you want to wind down. The laptop can be configured with up to 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

The Surface Laptop 5 also has a great display, which is an IPS panel. The 13.5-inch model has a resolution of 2256 x 1504, while the 15-inch variant has 2496 x 1664 pixels. That means these two panels have exactly the same pixel density and they also have the same 3:2 aspect ratio, so they're both very sharp and great for productivity. The screen also supports touch and the Surface Pen. Unfortunately, the webcam is still a 720p sensor, though at least it supports Windows Hello facial recognition.

Design-wise, the Surface Laptop 5 is just like previous models, so it looks sleek and premium with its aluminum build, with an optional Alcantara fabric cover for the base. The laptop weighs 2.8 pounds for the smaller model, so it's very portable, and the 15-inch version is also relatively light, at 3.44 pounds. Both models have the same ports, including Thunderbolt 4, USB Type-A, a headphone jack, and a Surface Connect port.

If you like the clean look of Apple's laptops but not macOS, the Surface Laptop 5 is the perfect replacement, and it's a fantastic laptop for students and for everyday use in general.

Angled front of the Lenovo Yoga 7i 14-inch laptop in stand mode facing left
Lenovo Yoga 7i (14-inch, 2023)
Best for online schooling

A great convertible laptop with high-end specs

The 2023 Lenovo Yoga 7i packs great specs and a sharp display in a reasonably-priced package, making it an excellent choice for online schooling and anyone who wants a touchscreen laptop.

Pros
  • 13th-generation Intel Core processors offer great performance
  • Sharp 14-inch display with OLED option
  • Premium and versatile design
Cons
  • A little on the heavier side

If you want a laptop for online schooling you're going to need something versatile. So, you'll need a laptop you can use as a tablet. The Lenovo Yoga 7i for 2023 is a terrific option, bringing the latest specs, a sharp display, and great build quality for a relatively affordable price.

Powering the Lenovo Yoga 7i are 13th-generation Intel Core processors, up to a Core i7-1355U, though we should get options up to a Core i7-1360P if you want faster performance at the expense of battery life. The laptop also comes with up to 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, so you have all you need here.

The display on the Lenovo Yoga 7i is also pretty good. The base model comes with a 2.2K IPS panel, which is already very sharp and covers 100% of sRGB. However, there's also an OLED model planned with 2.8K resolution, more vibrant colors, and a higher refresh rate, which is even better. Above that display, you get a 1080p webcam with Windows Hello facial recognition, rounding out a great experience overall.

The Lenovo Yoga 7i looks quite good with its curved edges, even if the Storm Grey colorway is potentially a little boring. A Tidal Teal option does exist, but it's not available to buy, at least for now. Starting at 3.28 pounds for the OLED model makes this a heavier laptop than we'd like, but it's still fairly portable. In exchange for the heavier design, you get a solid supply of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4 ports, USB Type-A, HDMI, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader, so you're not missing out on much here.

Starting at $945, the Lenovo Yoga 7i is a really good laptop for the price. The Yoga 9i is obviously better, but it starts at $1,700, which makes it hard to stomach for a student.

Angled view of Surface Laptop Go 2 facing left
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Best for grade school students

A relatively cheap laptop with a modern and lightweight design

The Surface Laptop Go 2 is an affordable and lightweight Windows laptop for grade school students that still offers solid performance. It has a modern and lightweight design, and the tall 3:2 display makes it more suitable for work.

Pros
  • Tall 3:2 display helps with productivity, even for this size
  • Lightweight plastic and aluminum design
  • Comfortable keyboard
Cons
  • 11th-gen Intel processor is a bit old at this point
  • 720p webcam
  • Display resolution isn't very high

If you're looking for a laptop for a grade school student, the latest and greatest specs aren't always important, as you might be looking to save some money while still getting a solid experience, Microsoft's Surface Laptop Go 2 may just be the way to go. Officially costing just under $700, this is a relatively affordable machine that still gets a lot right.

Performance-wise, the Surface Laptop Go 2 gives you an Intel Core i5-1135G7, a quad-core, eight-thread processor that still has very good performance today, despite being a couple of years old. That's paired with up to 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, delivering a very solid experience all around.

The display on the Surface Laptop Go 2 is a 12.4-inch panel, which is smaller than most, but it has a 3:2 aspect ratio that still makes it great for productivity. The resolution is 1536 x 1024, so it's not super sharp, but it's still good for a screen of this size. You also get a 720p webcam, which is still very common with cheaper laptops like this. There's no facial recognition, but most models have a fingerprint reader.

Microsoft uses a blend of plastic and aluminum for this laptop, and it allows the Surface Laptop Go 2 to weigh just under 2.5 pounds, making this a great laptop if you want something that's easy to carry wherever you go. In this compact design, you get a USB Type-C port, USB Type-A, a headphone jack, and a Surface Connect port, which should be enough for most students.

While it's not a perfect laptop, the Surface Laptop Go 2 nails the basics and offers a solid experience and it's a unique take one an affordable laptop, prioritizing a sleek and modern design for a great overall experience. If you can find it discounted, it's even more enticing.

Front view of the Lenovo LOQ 15i
Lenovo LOQ 15i (2023)
Best for gaming and school

Great performance at a relatively low price

The Lenovo LOQ 15i is a relatively affordable, yet capable gaming laptop with great performance for gaming and school thanks to 13th-generation Intel processors and Nvidia RTX 40 series graphics. It's somewhat heavy, but it makes sense for this performance.

Pros
  • 13th-gen Intel processors and Nvidia RTX 40 series graphics
  • 1080p webcam, rare for budget gaming laptops
  • Lots of ports
Cons
  • No Thunderbolt support
  • Pretty heavy

A hobby many students have is gaming, and there's a good chance you can't afford a laptop for school and one for your games. The Lenovo LOQ 15i is a relatively recent laptop that should do a great job in both situations without being overly expensive.

You can go up to an Intel Core i7-13700H CPU inside the Lenovo LOQ 15i, which gets you 14 cores and 20 threads, but even the lower-end models are already plenty fast. You can pair that CPU with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, which can run just about any modern game without any problems. The laptop also has an AI chip to improve performance further over time. Add up to 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, and you're all set for a great gaming experience.

The 15.6-inch display starts at Full HD resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate, but you can upgrade to a 144Hz panel, or go all the way to Quad HD and 165Hz, though you'll want the top-tier GPU option to match that display; otherwise, you won't make much use of it. A highlight of the Lenovo LOQ 15i is the 1080p webcam, something that's not very common in budget-oriented gaming laptops. Sadly, there's no Windows Hello support, however.

Being a powerful laptop, the most obvious downside to the LOQ 15i is portability, with it measuring up to 25.2mm in thickness and weighing 5.28 pounds in the base model. That's not unexpected, but it's worth keeping in mind. This beefy design does allow for a lot of ports, though, including two USB Type-C and two Type-A ports, HDMI, Ethernet, and a headphone jack.

The Lenovo LOQ 15i isn't perfect, but it's a great budget-oriented laptop and it's easy to recommend for any younger gamer without an unlimited budget.

Front view LG Gram 17 2023
LG Gram 17 (2023)
Best 17-inch laptop

A large screen and great performance

The 2023 LG Gram 17 is a large laptop with powerful performance that still manages to be somewhat portable. With 13th-gen Intel processors and Nvidia graphics, it can handle any task you throw at it, and the sharp Quad HD+ display looks great, too.

Pros
  • Great performance thanks to the latest Intel processors
  • Nvidia GPU allows you to run some games or edit videos
  • Sharp Quad HD+ display with 99% DCI-P3
  • Surprisingly light for the size
Cons
  • Quite expensive (though the price matches the specs)
  • It doesn't feel very premium

Portability is very important for students, but some may still want a large screen. The LG Gram 17 (2023) is the perfect device to satisfy these specific needs.

Inside the latest LG Gram 17 is an Intel Core i7-1360P processor with 12 cores and 16 threads, boosting up to 5.2GHz. It also includes an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU. It's not incredibly powerful, but this GPU makes it possible to run some lighter games, or it can be useful if you need to edit some videos for school. You also get up to 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD.

As the name suggests, the LG Gram 17 has a 17-inch display, and it comes in a tall 16:10 aspect ratio and very sharp Quad HD+ resolution. It even covers 99% of DCI-P3, so it's great if you're studying something media-related. Above that display, there's a 1080p webcam with Windows Hello support, adding up to the overall great experience on this machine.

Even with its large display and powerful specs, the LG Gram 17 comes in at just 3.2 pounds of weight to start, and it's thanks to the magnesium chassis. It can feel a bit cheap, but magnesium is extremely light, and it makes this a very portable machine. You still get a ton of ports, too, including two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB Type-A ports, HDMI, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader.

The $2,000 price tag for the LG Gram 17 is definitely steep, but LG only offers this laptop in very high-end configurations. That price tag already includes a Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and the Quad HD+ display. Considering all that, it's not a bad price at all — it's just still a lot of money.

Helpful information for students

If you're a student looking to make the most of your school year, we have a few more tips for you. Having a great laptop is only half the story.

Microsoft 365 student discount

First off, you probably know that Microsoft Office (or Microsoft 365) is a pretty important tool for school and college. Thankfully, you can actually get a nice discount on Microsoft 365 if you're a college student, paying just $2.99 per month for Microsoft 365 Personal, instead of $6.99. That gives you a full year of Office apps for just over $35, and that's very hard to complain about. It's definitely something you should look at if you need to write up reports, make presentations and more.

Some colleges and schools also just give students Microsoft 365 subscriptions for free as long as they're enrolled, so you can always try to contact your school to see if you have that option. If not, you can also use Microsoft Office for free on the web, and Google has its own equivalent of the Office apps with Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

Note-taking apps and other apps for students

In addition to Office, there are a lot of apps out there that can help you make the most of your school experience. Here are a few apps you might want to check out for all your school needs:

  • OneNote (or other note-taking apps): OneNote is technically part of Microsoft 365, but it's an app that's available fort completely free, and it's perfect for a student. This is essentially a digital notebook, which you can organize to your heart's content. You can have multiple notebooks, each with multiple sections, and then multiple pages in each section. Each page can scroll almost infinitely, too, so you have a ton of space for notes under a given topic, and a great way to keep it all organized. One Note is available for Windows, Android, and iOS, as well as on the web, and your content syncs across all your devices. If you don't like OneNote, Evernote is another popular alternative, and Apple's Notes app is also very capable. Alternatively, Google Keep is a nice, simpler option for small notes.
  • SimpleMind: If you want an intuitive way to organize your thoughts or notes, a mind map can be a very helpful tool. SimpleMind is a free app with a premium option and it does just that. The free version only works on phones, but it's already pretty useful there. It lets you create a never-ending number of mind maps, with collapsible items so you can more easily navigate the specific information you're looking for at any given time. SimpleMind lets you add pictures and videos to your maps, or even turn them into checklists so you can organize and keep track of a project. You can download the app for Android and iOS to see if you find it useful and if it's worth paying for a desktop version.
  • Microsoft 365 (on mobile): We've already mentioned Microsoft 365 a couple of times, but the mobile app is free and it has a specific feature that makes it totally worth it, which is called Scan. This was part of the Office Lens app in the past, and it basically lets you take a picture of any physical document and crop it so that it looks like a proper scan. The cropping tool and the image enhancements it make for a fantastic way to convert your physical notes into a digital format. You can download the Microsoft 365 app for Android or iOS to use this feature alongside the rest of the Office apps. There's also a great alternative in Adobe Scan.
  • A to-do list/project management app: Anyone who has assignments and tasks to keep track of will likely see the value in having a to-do list app, and there are a few great options to choose from. personally, we use Microsoft To Do, which lets you create multiple lists of tasks, so you can organize your due tasks by class, for example. You can have recurring tasks, or even share the list with someone else to cooperate on a project. Microsoft To Do is one of the more basic options for task management, though, and you can go even further with an app like Any.do or even Notion, if you have the need for more advanced features. Microsoft To Do is available for Windows, Android, and iOS, as well as on the web.
  • Photomath: A lot of students have trouble with math in school, and you can tell by the abundance of math solving apps you can find for smartphones. Photomath is a great example of one, and it lets you take a picture of a math problem and instantly get a solution, complete with the steps necessary to get there. With a premium subscription, Photomath even adds detailed explanations for the problems being solved, but the free plan alone can already help a lot if you're stuck with a specific problem. This is a mobile app, so it's available for Android and iOS.
  • Grammarly: Grammarly is a very useful tool for students and writers in general, as it can provide guidance to improve your writing on all fronts. It can detect and fix typos, suggest fixes for incoherent sentences, or help make your text more concise and easy to read. Some features are paid, but the free version already goes a long way in improving your writing, and it works with your desktop apps thanks to the Windows app, as a browser extension, and on Android or iOS via a keyboard app.

Plagiarism checkers

An important tool to use as a student is a plagiarism checker, which lets you see whether the work you've written plagiarizes other people's work, intentionally or otherwise. Plagiarism is obviously frowned upon by teachers, so you want to make sure your text is as original as possible. A popular option would be Grammarly's plagiarism checker, which is already a great writing tool as we mentioned above. It isn't very useful if you don't have Grammarly Premium, however, since the free version only tells you whether any issues were found, and it doesn't say anything about where they are.

Another option that works for free (with limitations) is Quetext, though it can only check up to 500 words per search. There's also Duplichecker, which serves a similar purpose. Again, the free version of these services is limited, so you may need to pay for a plan either way, but if you just need a quick check every now and then, these may do the trick for you.

Best laptops for students in 2023: The bottom line

We're confident in saying that the HP Spectre x360 is the best laptop you can buy for a student right now, thanks to the top-tier combination of high-end specs, a fantastic display, and a premium design. It's portable enough to be taken anywhere, and with the 5MP webcam it's also great for remote learners. There really isn't much more you can ask for with it. There are other excellent contenders, but our overall recommendation has to be the Spectre x360, which is arguably the best HP laptop overall.

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HP Spectre x360 (2023)
Best overall laptop for students

Checking all the boxes

The HP Spectre x360 (2023) is one of the best overall laptops for students to consider in 2023. This laptop has a little bit of everything you need, from a really great 14-inch or 16-inch screen to speedy fast Intel CPUs, optional Intel Arc graphics, and a great 5MP webcam.

If you want to save some money, however, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is also a great laptop considering the price. The specs aren't really as impressive, but you do get solid performance overall and the sleek design language that Surface devices are known for. Plus, the 3:2 aspect ratio display is great for getting work done.