What are the best laptops for students in 2024?

The laptop is now an inseparable companion of the modern student. Whether for taking notes, writing homework, or following video courses, a practical laptop is essential to support higher education. We have chosen the best laptops for students.

If there is one essential product for students, it is the laptop. Having a laptop is essential for studying, whether to take classes, type homework, do research, or participate in video lessons. Here is our complete selection of the best laptops for students.

Choosing the right laptop for studying is not as easy as it seems. You have to deal with several sometimes incompatible criteria, notably performance and price. Having to be carried around constantly, a good laptop for students must also be light, offer good battery life, and finally, be affordable. This laptop PC will not only be used in a lecture hall: it will also potentially be your main computer, for watching series or communicating with your family at home.

That said, we still advise you not to go as cheaply as possible. A student's PC will be used every day and put to the test. Paying a little more for it now will save you from having to buy one again in two years. Instead, think of this purchase as an investment in the future.

We have therefore chosen for you the best laptops for students of the moment, under macOS, under Windows, or under ChromeOS.

To accompany your computer, also consider getting a PC backpack so you can transport it without worry. And if your budget is larger, you may be interested in our overall comparison of the best laptops.

The best laptops under 600 euros

For this price range, it's all about compromise.

The ideal inexpensive student laptop

Honor has done well with its latest MagicBook 14, delivering a balanced ultraportable, both in terms of performance and price. The aluminum chassis is appreciable in this price range, as is a sober design. The keyboard is wide, the keys spaced apart, with a very short travel, which will probably not please everyone, but remains pleasant. The Full HD LCD panel has the good taste of having a matte coating that does not catch reflections.

With its 1.38 kg, it is not one of the lightest – but we must not forget that it is a 14-inch PC. Inside, it's a bustling AMD Ryzen 5 5500U, coupled with 8 GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 256 GB of NVMe PCIe 3.0 storage. In use, the PC does not heat up and remains rather silent, a good point. And in terms of autonomy, it is far from disappointing, with 13 hours away from a socket, a great performance.

We will regret the presence of a single USB-C port, and the absence of a card reader. A good USB-C hub will probably be necessary. If the Honor MagicBook 14 is sold at 749 euros, it often benefits from discounts which can drastically lower its price and make it all the more desirable. This is especially our recommendation if you are looking for a laptop for studying.

The very affordable 2-in-1 solution 

Is your budget tight? Chromebooks have you covered. The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet is a 2-in-1 device, which can be used as a tablet or as a PC when connected to its keyboard with a trackpad. The system itself switches between tablet mode and laptop mode as soon as you plug in the keyboard.

It runs under ChromeOS, with a MediaTek P60 chip that powers everything. The Chromebook will be sufficient for light office use and, therefore ideal for taking notes in class. Another advantage is its autonomy, of around 8 hours. However, don't plan on typing your memoir on it. Its 10-inch Full HD screen will be enough to re-read your lessons, the press, or consume some video content. With its keyboard, the whole thing weighs around 900 grams and can therefore be transported without worry.

It is an auxiliary device, versatile in its type, and above all sold at an unbeatable price, around 300 euros following current promotions.

The reference PC for students

It's impossible not to mention the MacBook Air M1, which is undoubtedly the best-known ultraportable. The first edition of Apple's flagship computer with an ARM processor is, indeed, simply unmissable. A new model, the MacBook Air M2, has now succeeded it. We recommend the 2020 M1 model here because its price has fallen and it is now regularly found for less than 1000 euros. It is sometimes sold for around 1050 euros – if this is the case at the moment, we advise you to wait a bit for its price to come down.

Under the hood, the M1 chip is a real revolution. The new in-house processor does better than an Intel Mac, with the bonus of extremely low consumption. As a result, the MacBook Air no longer even has fans (and is therefore perfectly silent) and the autonomy reaches around fifteen hours without flinching.

The rest of the machine is to match, with a perfect finish, a good keyboard and trackpad combo, as well as a quality screen. In terms of portability, it is quite correct, with 1.29 kg on the scale. The only criticism we can make is limited connectivity which makes the use of a USB-C hub almost obligatory.

Apple scores a big blow here and offers by far the best performance/price ratio at the moment. If you have the means, this is the ideal laptop in every way for a student. As a bonus, it will last you for years, firstly thanks to the quality of the components and the chassis, but also because the software support by Apple is excellent. By purchasing it now, you can enjoy macOS updates for years to come. This is the best laptop for students if you want to invest for the long term.

If you want to treat yourself and have the latest model, opt for the MacBook Air 13 M2. Sold at 1,300 euros, the latter, released in 2022, notably features a modernized chassis and the M2 chip, a little more powerful. With the price drop announced by Apple, it is just as interesting as the model mentioned above.

Take off

Ejected from the smartphone market in our region, Huawei still sells interesting laptops, like the MateBook D 16. Equipped with a large 16.1-inch screen, its extremely thin edges give it the measurements of a 15.6-inch screen. Despite this large display, it remains portable, at 1.8 cm thick and 1.7 kg on the scale.

Although it looks like a MacBook, this PC nevertheless offers a plastic finish, fortunately quite neat. The keyboard is nice to the touch, but surprisingly small and lacking a number pad. The connectivity is well provided, with 4 USB ports (including 2 USB-C) and an HDMI output. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 complete the wireless rating table.

Unsurprisingly given the price, the screen is average, with well-calibrated colors, but the contrast and brightness are weak. The integration of the webcam under a key on the keyboard produces angles that are still unflattering in the video, with a beautiful low-angle view.

The Ryzen 5 4600H processor and its 8 GB of RAM are more than sufficient for any office task and even allow you to try out some low-power games. The battery life of 9h10 is more than satisfactory and we appreciate the small size of the charger.

The MateBook D 16 is therefore a must-have for those looking for a big screen in a still portable package. 

Note that there is also a 14-inch version, unfortunately often out of stock. On the other hand, you can find the 15-inch version, equipped with an Intel i5-10210U and sold below 600 euros.

Laptops over 1,000 euros

If your budget is higher, you will be able to treat yourself and enjoy a quality ultraportable, which can accompany you for many years.

The Windows alternative

Omnipresent on our smartphones, OLED screens are rare on laptops and this is why seeing them at an attractive price makes certain PCs stand out from the crowd. However, this is what Asus achieved with its ZenBook 14 OLED.

The machine turns out to be thin (16 mm) and rather light (1.39 kg) while remaining solid and offering an elegant design. The keyboard offers a fairly long travel which is very pleasant for those who type a lot. It comes with a large, very precise touchpad, which can be transformed into a numeric keypad by pressing one corner.

But it is above all the superb 14-inch OLED screen that makes this student laptop stand out from the crowd. The infinite contrast and vivid colors are a delight for the eyes. And if the calibration is not perfect, it is more than sufficient for the vast majority of users. The definition of 2880 x 1800 pixels is pleasing to the eye. What about performance? The Intel Core i7-1260P processor will be suitable for most tasks, coupled with no less than 16 GB of RAM. In terms of autonomy, this ZenBook does very well with around 9 hours away from an outlet, and practical USB-C charging.

The connectivity is very well provided: an HDMI port, two USB-C ports, but also a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, or even a microSD card reader. We will also welcome the presence of Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2.

In short, the new Asus ZenBook model will be perfect for those looking for versatility: a durable ultraportable, perfect for classes as well as multimedia content.

The powerful student laptop

If you have the budget, you might as well invest in a powerful PC. Microsoft Surface Pros have some advantages for a student. Thanks to its hybrid nature, the latest Surface, the Pro 9, is very versatile. It can either take the form of a large 13-inch tablet, or a laptop PC when connected to its keyboard. From year to year, Microsoft has refined its hybrid PC, with ever thinner borders, an improved hinge, and even a 120 Hz screen (for the Intel version, not for the ARM version).

Therefore, the Surface, which is at the crossroads between the tablet and the laptop, can adopt three positions: laptop, tablet, or an intermediate mode, perfect for watching a film. The quality of the hinge is always there. Not to spoil anything, but the finishes are always premium. The Surface does not come natively with the keyboard and its Surface Slim Pen 2 stylus, which nestles in a dedicated slot, where it can be recharged. You will have to add 179 euros for these almost essential accessories. With a 12th-generation Intel Core i5 and 8 GB of RAM, the Surface Pro 9 is priced at 1,200 euros. The performances, with such a SoC, are there.

In terms of autonomy, the Intel version disappoints somewhat with 8 hours of maximum autonomy. However, it is the ideal tool for those looking for flexibility and performance.

The gaming laptop for students

Advising you on a gaming laptop in a student selection may seem cavalier. However, machines with such a solid configuration can prove useful for design or even architecture students. This is the case of the Asus TUF Gaming A15 which presents a good technical sheet for an attractive price. If you're just taking notes, it's not worth the investment.

This laptop PC integrates an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS, an 8-core and 16-thread SoC. It is coupled with 16 GB of DDR5 RAM and above all a GeForce RTX 4060 with 8 GB of GDDR6 video memory. This set ensures excellent performance if you require somewhat demanding software. The cooling system is efficient for the power deployed, although the fans are noisy.

The screen installed on this laptop PC is primarily designed for gaming. The 15.6-inch LCD panel is in 16/10 format. Our measurements revealed a maximum brightness of 299 cd/m2 with a contrast ratio of 1566:1. For the gaming aspect, you are entitled to Nvidia G-Sync certification and a refresh rate of 144 Hz.

In terms of autonomy, it is equipped with a large 90 Wh battery. The latter is recharged using a 240 W power supply. The laptop is also compatible with the Power Delivery standard. Allow only 5 to 6 hours of battery life in office use, a rather low average. If our tested configuration is displayed at 1,499 euros, it is possible to find it on sale.

What is the best laptop to choose for a student?

Chromebook, Windows, macOS: which choice of laptop for university?

While some would love to continue the eternal Mac VS Windows war, we are not one of them. Both OSes are mature and generally pleasant to use.

MacOS still has the advantage in terms of ergonomics and the quality of the apps, but the latter are more expensive and fewer in number than on Windows. The iWork office suite is, however, pleasant to use and will be sufficient for the needs of a student. Microsoft's system has the great advantage of being more versatile and less locked in than its competitor - but also of being able to run all video games.

Chrome OS and its Chromebooks have also made progress in recent years and are now completely usable for the vast majority of users who will not need more advanced software than office automation.

There remains the question of Linux. The open-source operating system now works without hacking on the vast majority of laptop PCs. It is therefore easy to install the distribution of your choice on your machine, whether to replace Windows or use it as a dual boot.

Can you benefit from student prices for your laptop?

Some manufacturers like Apple or Dell offer discount offers for students. These are generally around 10% and require a recognized student email address to be used.

If you can often find more interesting with our good deals, these offers have the great advantage of being available all year round and are a reliable way to save money if you don't have time to wait for the next one. promo. Do not hesitate to contact the administration of your university or school to find out if partnerships with software manufacturers or publishers have been signed.

Be careful though: some unscrupulous establishments may insist on the purchase of a specific model provided by them or a partner seller. These machines are rarely interesting and it will often be more interesting to make your purchases yourself.

iPad, tablet, or laptop for students: which product to choose?

With tablets becoming more and more powerful and now equipped with accessories such as keyboards, we may ask ourselves the question of using them in class. They are very practical for reading documents and annotating them.

However, in our opinion, this advantage does not compensate for the loss of comfort that you will experience in terms of the quality of the keyboard and touchpad. In the vast majority of cases, a classic computer will be more suitable for student use.

If you are interested, you can still invest in an iPad and add a suitable keyboard.

What accessories for your student laptop?

To accompany your student laptop, you may need a USB-C hub, especially for ultraportables. An external hard drive or USB key for backups or large file transfers will also be useful.

And for those who will be working from home a lot, a suitable workstation is a must. Writing a dissertation will be much more comfortable with a large screen, a quality keyboard, a mouse, and an office chair.

How to properly back up your student PC?

We save the best for last with one essential piece of advice: back up your data regularly.

You don't want to be that person who loses months or even years of work by forgetting their bag on the RER, after a system crash or having your bag stolen at the university restaurant. And who will also have to rewrite 50 pages of memory in 3 days?

So use at least one cloud backup solution, whatever it may be, and store all your school documents in it. We recommend Dropbox (2 GB free) for its versioning capabilities which will allow you to turn around if you get confused. If you have a Macbook, iCloud is ideal.

To this, add a physical backup, in the form of an external hard drive where you will save your important data very regularly. And there's no question of taking it everywhere with you or lending it to friends: it will have to stay in a safe place.

We repeat one last time: take your backups seriously, it requires very little attention and will save you a lot of trouble.