Trusted Reviews is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.Learn more.
Best Student Laptop 2024: Excel in your studies with these top performers
In This Article
It doesn’t matter if you’re in secondary school, university or looking to tackle a PhD – no student can get by without a great laptop to back them up.
This is where we come in. We review a large number of laptops every year, so we’ve been able to determine which are the best picks for your studies. We also know that every university/college course is different, so we’ve made sure to select a variety, from simple portables for bashing out essays, to more powerful options for the creatives out there.
We’ve also tried to keep budgets as low as possible to ensure you’ve got enough money in the bank for as many Pot Noodles as possible. There are a few pricey laptops here for those who want them, but also some budget buys for those happy to sacrifice performance or make use of ChromeOS instead of Windows and macOS.
Our team of experts have fully reviewed every single laptop on this list, so you can feel rest assured that you’re getting a high-quality PC that’s been thoroughly tested.
Can’t find a laptop that takes your fancy? Then make sure to check out our other guides, includingbest budget laptops,best laptops for video editingand thebest laptopsoverall. Otherise, keep scrolling down to find the best student laptop for your studies.
Best student laptops at a glance
How we test
Every laptop we review goes through a series of uniform checks designed to gauge key things including build quality, performance, screen quality and battery life.These include formal synthetic benchmarks and scripted tests, plus a series of real world checks, such as how well it runs the most frequently used apps.We also make sure to use every laptop we review as our primary device for at least a week to ensure our review is as accurate as possible.
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 (2024)
Pros
Cons
TheDell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 (2024)is our top recommendation for a student laptop thanks to its fantastic performance, solid display and excellent battery life.
The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 (2024) has a well-made brushed aluminium design and is reasonably slender at 14.69mm. It’s on the heavier side for an ultrabook, but still more than portable enough to slot into a bag without much thought.
One benefit to its slightly larger size is the well-rounded selection of ports. This includes two USB 4 Type-C ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, a 3.5mm jack and a MicroSD reader.
We found the keyboard to be solid, offering snappy travel and a fingerprint reader for Windows Hello integration.
The 14-inch IPS touchscreen display has a QHD+ resolution and offers sold contrast, deep blacks and perfect temperature. The screen is vibrant and colour accuracy is decent, though below the level required for some creative workloads.
Performance from the 10-core Snapdragon X Plus chip is surprisingly brisk and the 1TB SSD is great too, offering some of the best and fastest speeds of any laptop we’ve tested. Windows 11 comes with minimal bloatware and there are some nifty AI features baked into some apps courtesy of that Snapdragon X Plus SoC. There’s also quick access to Microsoft’s AI assistant via the Copilot key.
The battery life here is excellent. We were able to get nearly two full working days out of the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 (2024) before reaching for the charger. Charging is decently fast too, with a full charge possible in about 75 minutes.
Reviewer:Reece Bithrey
Full Review:Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 (2024)
Apple MacBook Air (M3)
Pros
Cons
Few laptops, if any, have been the quintessential “student laptop” purchase as often as the MacBook Air, and it is no different in 2024 with theMacBook Air M3 13-inch.
The new model doesn’t switch much up when compared with the previous M2 model, beyond the chip itself. But, it offers a solid jump up in performance across the board if you want the cutting edge of fanless MacBook power.
What you get is whisper-quiet power in a chassis that can tackle serious productivity with ease along with plenty of light to middleweight editing workloads. It’s a package that is a delight to use with a bright LCD display, top-notch keyboard along with a big and responsive trackpad. Now, with MagSafe added last year, you get that and a handy set of Thunderbolt ports as well
Despite its thin, light and luxurious design that’s tremendously portable, you still get a stunning amount of battery life for those long study sessions. With up to 15 hours of battery life in our testing.
Reviewer:Max ParkerFull review:Apple MacBook Air M3 13-inch review
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED
Pros
Cons
TheAsus Zenbook 14 OLEDis one of the best laptops we’ve reviewed in recent months. Costing just above £1000/$1000, it’s an expensive option for students, but offers such a well-rounded package that it’s worth stumping up the cash if your budget can stretch so far.
Thanks to the inclusion of the Intel Core Ultra processor, it offers one of the faster performance available at this price point. In fact, it aced our benchmark tests, surpassing the vast majority of Windows ultrabooks from 2023.
Despite its powerful performance, the laptop only weighs 1.29kg, making it portable enough to lug between lecture halls without back strain. It’s got a gorgeous OLED screen too, which will come handy when watching movies/TV shows during your downtime. Even battery life is impressive, lasting just shy of 13 hours during our tests.
The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is such a well rounded laptop that it’s hard to look past it unless you prefer macOS or need extra graphics power if you’re on a creative course. And if the price is too high, it’s worth checking out theAsus Vivobook Go 15 OLEDfurther down this list.
Reviewer:Stuart AndrewsFull review:Asus Zenbook 14 OLED Review
Asus Vivobook Go 15 OLED
Pros
Cons
When opting for a budget laptop for your studies, roughly around the £500/$500 mark, you’ll be forced into making numerous compromises – but not so with theAsus Vivobook Go 15 OLED.
This laptop has a well-built plastic design that’s light enough to carry around on the regular, and to our great surprise, a lovely OLED screen that makes movie marathons an absolute delight. The large 15-inch should also make it easier to fit more text on your screen, which should be helpful for both essay typing and scanning documents.
The biggest issue with this laptop is that it’s not very powerful, falling behind the likes of theSurface Laptop Go 3in our tests. But during our time with the laptop, we found it perfectly adequate for browsing the web, writing up essays and watching videos. As long as you’re not going to push it too hard – such as photo/video editing – the performance should be fine.
So if you’re looking for a supremely cheap Windows laptop with a top-notch screen, you’ll struggle to do better than the Asus Vivobook Go 15 OLED. TheSurface Laptop Go 2is another great cheap Windows laptop worth considering, but Microsoft is sadly phasing it out of stores, so you may only be able to pick it up second-hand in the coming months.
Reviewer:Josh BrownFull review:Asus Vivobook Go 15 OLED review
Asus Chromebook Plus CX34
Pros
Cons
TheAsus Chromebook Plus CX34is an evolution of the ChromeOS formula. Not only does it represent a device that students can be safe in the knowledge that will help them get their essays written, but it now wields added creative chops and specs too.
Chromebook Pluslaunched last month as Google’s new initiative for products using its ChromeOS. The standard requires a minimum specs and Asus was quickly on the bandwagon. The Chromebook Plus CX34 we tested simply met that minimum spec, nothing more and nothing less. That means 8GB RAM and an Intel Core i3 processor. The latter part of that may scare you but, with the 8GB RAM and lightweight ChromeOS, the CX34 performed in a breezy fashion. This is a great device for essay writing, web browsing and media consumption.
But, the creative capabilities that a Chromebook Plus device brings with it means that this Asus is capable of running Adobe Photoshop for the web and wielding the power of Google’s Magic Eraser to swiftly tidy up your photos.
Outside of the performance and software, the Chromebook Plus CX34 helps with essays by having a keyboard that’s a joy to type on while helping you get easily connected to whatever peripherals you need for your course, due to the pleasing range of ports. Battery life won’t hold you back either, with this device managing over one day’s work.
Reviewer:Reece BithreyFull review:Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 review
Huawei Matebook 14 (2024)
Pros
Cons
When you think about great laptops that pack in tons of eye-catching specs into a fairly portable chassis, usually it’s theMacBook Air M3that first comes to mind but if you’re not a big fan of MacOS and would rather stick with Windows then theHuawei Matebook 14should be your next port of call.
For starters, if you can pick up the Matebook 14 in its lovely green version (as seen in our review), then please do so. It’s a sleek colour option that just helps to give the laptop some flair, and it’ll certainly make it stand out in a library filled with grey laptops.
Beyond the aesthetic, it’s the bright and gorgeous 2.8K OLED display that will probably lead to fellow students crowding around you to get a better look for themselves. Not only is this great for reading documents and watching films at the end of the day, but the 3:2 aspect ratio is brilliantly suited for multi-window working.
If you do need to head to the front of the lecture hall for a presentation then don’t worry, you’re more than covered where ports are concerned. On this laptop you get two USB-A ports, one for USB-C, a 3.5mm headphone jack and crucially, a HDMI port.
While the laptop doesn’t quite meet Huawei’s claim of a 19-hour battery life, we were still able to get through 10-hours of use when looping simulated productivity workloads, which certainly isn’t bad as a means of getting you through the day.
Reviewer:Ryan JonesFull review:Huawei Matebook 14 (2024) review
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
Pros
Cons
Given that the version of theMicrosoft Surface Laptop 7we tested has a £2149/$2099.99 price tag, it’s fair to say that the device simply won’t be for most students, and if you’re tied to a budget then there are tons of great alternatives found within this very list. However, because of its inclusion of a Snapdragon X Elite chipset, 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD, it is the best option for those who need a powerful laptop for power intensive courses.
For instance, if your chosen course involves working with AI models then the ARM-based Snapdragon chipset can give you far more room for exploration thanks to its onboard neural engine that’s designed around delivering AI capabilities.
In our benchmark testing via Geekbench, Cinebench and 3DMark, the Surface Laptop 7 performed incredibly well, and even beyond that it was able to perform in almost total silence, which underlines the efficiency of the latest ARM-based chipsets.
The other benefit of this SoC processor comes in the form of an elongated battery life, and in our testing the Surface Laptop 7 was able to run for 22 hours and 20 minutes which was unthinkable only a generation ago. So long as you’ve got the budget to cover it, the Surface Laptop 7 is a must-buy for power-hungry users.
Reviewer:Reece BithreyFull review:Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 review
Asus Vivobook Pro 15 (2024)
Pros
Cons
For the longest time it was the excellentLenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16that held this spot, but with tons of power and far more ports to boot, theAsus Vivobook Pro 15was able to swoop in and take the win.
Operating as a powerhouse laptop for both creatives and gamers, the Vivobook Pro 15 has some impressive specs under the hood. The model we tested came with a powerful AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU, alongside a modern RTX 4060 graphics card.
With that kind of power at your disposal, you won’t have any issues with diving between a bit of Photoshop and video editing during the day before switching things up by diving into your Steam library after your to-do list is done.
If you fancy hooking up an external monitor or bringing your favourite wired gaming mouse into the equation then you won’t have to prioritise one accessory over another here. On the port selection you’re absolutely spoiled for choice with three USB-A ports, a solitary USB-C and an ever appreciated HDMI out.
Knowing that all of this would amount to some heavy taxation on battery life, Asus has made sure to embed this thing with a whopping 70Whr cell. Under our battery tests, we were able to make the Pro 15 run for a total of eight hours and 30 minutes which is some impressive longevity and more than enough to get you through a day’s worth of lectures.
It’s not a perfect laptop by any means – the trackpad could easily do with being a bit bigger and the display a tad brighter, plus at over £1000 (depending on where you shop) the Vivobook Pro 15 will be too out of budget for plenty, but creatives who love to game on the side, it’s a fantastic choice.
Reviewer:Reece BithreyFull review:Asus Vivobook Pro 15 review
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360
Pros
Cons
If you’re a student that needs a laptop with a big display that will go all day and beyond, theSamsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360is the answer.
We tested the 16-inch model and it managed to pack in a stunning stamina of around 15 hours of maximum battery life. Even under intensive productivity, it got comfortably beyond a working day.
But, one of the key highlights is the well-sized display, which offers up a high 3K resolution, 120Hz refresh rate and uses AMOLED technology. The size means it’s great for multitasking with multiple windows, while offering a large screen experience when it comes to watching movies and the like. The strong colour accuracy means this big screen is great for creative work too, and you get the excellent S Pen for all your drawing work.
For power, it’s got Intel’s latest Core Ultra chips. These offer solid productivity performance along with enabling the odd dabble in creative work.
Reviewer:Adam SpeightFull review:Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360 review
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2023)
Pros
Cons
Being both a gamer and a student can be a pricey affair, as you’ll likely need a console, laptop and TV to survive the semester. So how about combining all of those devices together to save on money? TheAsus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2023)is the perfect remedy, capable of doubling up as both your gaming rig and workstation with very few compromises.
Firstly, the G14 is shockingly lightweight for a gaming laptop, hitting the scales at just 1.7kg. Most gaming laptops are significantly heavier, making them unideal for porting around university. The optional Mini LED screen ensures fantastic picture quality too, which is important for watching movies and playing games.
Performance is plenty powerful enough to play all of the latest games. The intense graphics power here also opens up the opportunity for more creative pursuits such as editing video/photos and graphics design. The biggest issue here is battery life, with our tests seeing a result of just 3 hours and 20 minutes for productivity work. That could be a big issue if you’re working on the go away from a power mains.
Nevertheless, if you fancy the idea of owning a laptop that can fulfil the duties of both gaming and student work, then we strongly recommend the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2023). Or if you want something cheaper, make sure to check out ourAsus TUF Gaming A15 (2023)review as an alternative option.
Reviewer:Ryan JonesFull review:Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2023) review
MacBook Air (M1)
Pros
Cons
If you’re wanting a MacBook on a budget, theMacBook Air M1is a fantastic option. Though no longer available through Apple, the laptop remains available through a range of retailers for just £799, making it the perfect MacBook for any student.
The standout feature of the MacBook Air M1 is itsApple M1chipset. The M1 took over the Intel Core i3/i5 in this laptop, enabling faster performance beyond what you might expect from Apple’s cheapest laptop. We found the laptop to be snappier even than newer laptops such as theMicrosoft Surface Laptop 5and theDell XPS 13 Plus.
The four-year-old laptop has since been outpaced by theMacBook Air M2andAir M3, but you won’t find either at quite as low a price as the 2020 M1 model.
The design also feels a little outdated compared to the Air M2, though the display is sharp and bright enough for most use cases and the Magic Keyboard feels fantastic to type on.
App support is strong, with a growing number of native M1 apps available and Rosetta 2 ready to translate any stragglers from the x86 platform. We found that mainstream apps ran with no issue and you can even install apps from the iOS App Store.
Finally, the MacBook Air M1 has an impressive nine to 11-hour battery life with looped 1080p video lasting up to 12 hours on a single charge. This is another major upgrade granted by the custom M1 chipset and the laptop’s standby time is excellent, too.
If you’re searching for the perfect laptop to take to university lectures or complete schoolwork at home, the MacBook Air M1 delivers fantastic performance, battery life and app support without breaking the bank.
Reviewer:Max Parker
Full Review:MacBook Air M1
We also considered…
No longer the best option for students on a budget
An intriguing yet imperfect device
How does the M1 MacBook fare two years after release?
We’ve reviewed
FAQs
A good keyboard, long battery life and snappy performance are all key things to consider when purchasing a student laptop. You’ll also want to make sure it isn’t too heavy, with 1.3kg and under being an ideal heft. Screen quality is worth thinking about if you plan on using the laptop for Netflix and YouTube.
A dedicated GPU is only worth considering if you’re a creative/design student who will be doing lots of video editing, 3D modelling or animation. Gamers will also benefit from a powerful GPU. But be warned, a GPU will crank up the price, make the laptop heavier and shorten the battery life, so only get a laptop with one if it’s essential.
Honestly, most people will be fine with 8GB RAM, but it may be worth investing in 16GB of RAM or beyond for heavier workloads such as content creation and gaming.
You might like…
Specs compared
Trusted Reviews test data
After graduating with an MA in History from University College London and cutting his teeth for several years as a journalist in the film and TV industries, Tom joined the Trusted Reviews team as a Co…
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Why trust our journalism?
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
