Top 10 Best Laptops for College Students in 2024: Top Budget Laptops for Students

Laptops available in the market are with different features and specifications. You need to choose a laptop based on your task load. I have specified here 10 best laptops for college students in 2024.

For college students, having a laptop is not a part of luxury anymore but has become necessity. So many tasks, like creating a program, testing any software, etc are a part of their study that will not be possible without a laptop. However, difficulty arises while choosing the best among the thousands of laptops currently available in market. Before you decide which laptop you are going to buy, it is important to understand your budget and requirement. In this article, a list of 10 best laptops for college students has been provided.

List of 10 Best Laptops for College Students 2024

A list of top 10 laptops for college students has been provided below. Depending on their budget and requirements, the students can get these laptops for their day-to-day college-related tasks (gaming and watching movies included). We have also tried to list few budget laptops for students.

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Here is the list of 10 must-buy laptops for college students:

1. HP Chromebook 14a

HP Chromebook 14a is one cheap and best laptop for college going students that has HD+ display and quad-core 1.1 GHz with Turbo Boost Upto 2.8 GHz Intel Celeron dual core processor. The laptop is really light weight and has quite satisfactory performance and speed. Chromebook is good for daily use and has nice performance in case of heavy use too, although occasionally. Battery life of this laptop is also not bad and can last for up to 8 hours after a single charge.Check out some basic specifications about this laptop below:

• CPU: Intel Celeron N4500 (up to 2.8 GHz burst frequency(2c), 4 MB L3 cache, 2 cores, 2 threads)
• RAM: 4GB LPDDR4
• Screen: 14-inch 1920 x 1080 display
• Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics
• Storage: 16GB eMMC
• Size: 13.54 x 9.45 x 0.7 inches (344mm x 240mm x 18mm) (W x D x H)
• Weight: 1 kg 460 g
• Ports: 1 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, HDMI, MicroSD slot, headphone jack
• Purchase Link – Buy Now on Amazon

2. Apple MacBook Pro (13inch, M2)

• CPU: 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
• RAM: 8 GB RAM
• Display: 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560×1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch
• Graphics: 8-core GPU
• Storage: 256 GB & 512 GB SSD
• Size: 1.56 cm x 30.41 cm x 21.24 cm (0.61 inches x 11.97 inches x 8.36 inches) (H x W x D)
• Weight: 1.4 kg (3.0 pounds)
• Ports: Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40 Gbps), USB 4 (up to 40Gbps), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps)
• Purchase Link – Buy Now on Apple’s Official Website

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3. HP Envy x360

A laptop with optimum performance that is rigidly built and comes within budget as well is the HP Envy x360 laptop. HP Envy x360 is a perfect match for the college-going students who can get all the necessary features like good battery life, light weight, etc with this laptop. The laptop has Full High Definition (FHD) screen with resolution of 1080p and works on 13th Gen processor. Check out some basic specifications about this laptop below:

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• CPU: 13th Gen Intel® Core™ i5 processor
• RAM: 16 GB
• Display: 15.6″ diagonal FHD, IPS, BrightView, micro-edge, WLED-backlit (1920 x 1080)
• Graphics: Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
• Storage: 512 GB SSD storage
• Size: 357 x 236 x 18.4 mm
• Weight: 2.14 Kg
• Ports: One USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps) Type C, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type A, audio jack
• Purchase Link – Buy Now on Flipkart

4. Lenovo Yoga 7 OLED AMD Ryzen 7 (14-Inch)

Elegant design, high speed, optimum performance and great display are only a few characteristics of Lenovo Yoga 7 laptop. This Lenovo laptop with 360 degree hinge is the best choice for college students, especially those studying, fashion, automobile or other. It provides a natural feel of pen and paper owing to its highly sensitive and accurate pen. Check out some basic specifications about this laptop below:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 Octa Core 7735U
• RAM: 16GB LPDDR4
• Display: WUXGA, OLED 400nits Glossy, 100% DCI-P3, 60Hz, Dolby Vision, TÜV Low Blue Light, DisplayHDR True Black 500, Glass, Touch
• Graphics: AMD Radeon 680M
• Storage: 1 TB SSD
• Size: 317.87 x 222.50 x 16.49mm
• Weight: 1.49
• Ports:2 x Type-C Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, Audio jack
• Purchase Link – Buy Now on Flipkart

5. Acer Swift 5 (11th Gen)

Acer brings this high-performance, top-speed laptop Acer Swift 5 that is one of the top laptops for college students in India. Whether talk about price, weight or battery life, this laptop tops in all these categories. However, there is one similar alternative to this laptop Acer Swift 6 AMD Ryzen 5 4500U that is more or less similar in terms of technical specification with the type of CPU and GPU being the main difference and is cheaper too. Check out some basic specifications about the Intel processor laptop below:

• CPU: 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5 Processor
• RAM: 8 GB LPDDR4X RAM
• Display: 14 inches
• Graphics: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
• Storage: 512 GB SSD
• Size:12.7 x. 8.6 x 0.6 inches
• Weight: 1.05 kg
• Ports:One USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 with DisplayPort, one USB 3.2 Gen 1, one USB 2.0, one HDMI, one audio jack
• Purchase Link – Buy Now on Amazon

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6. Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14

An IdeaPad over a laptop is undoubtedly a good choice, especially for college going students. This Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 laptop is a 360-degree flexible laptop that comes with digital pen support. Speed, performance, battery life, everything about this IdeaPad is appealing that makes it one of the best laptops for college students. Check out some basic specifications about this laptop below:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen™ 7 5700U Mobile Processor
• RAM: Up to 16GB LPDDR4x
• Display: 5.56cms (14) WUXGA (1920 x 1200), IPS, Touch, 300 Nits
• Graphics: Integrated AMD Radeon™ Graphics
• Storage: Up to 1TB PCIe SSD
• Size: 17.8-19.3mm x 313.1mm x 224.9mm / 0.7″-0.75″ x 12.32″ x 8.85″
• Weight: Starting at 1.55 kg
• Ports:2 x USB 3.1 (Gen 1), USB-C (Gen 1 with PD), HDMI 1.4b, 4-in-1 card reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC), Headphone/ mic combo
• Purchase Link – Buy Now on Lenovo’s Official Website

7. Acer Chromebook 514

Another budget-friendly alternative to laptops is the Acer Chromebook and since it is a Chromebook that uses cloud for storage, it is relatively faster and does not become slow with time. Apart from being fast, light-weight and super sleek, the keyboard of this Chromebook is also super comfortable making it the ideal choice for students who got to type a lot. Check out some basic specifications about this Chromebook below:

• CPU:Intel® Celeron®, N3450, 1.10 GHz, Quad-core (4 Core™)
• RAM:4 GB, LPDDR4
• Display:35.6 cm (14″), LCD, ComfyView, HD Screen, Resolution 1366 x 768
• Graphics:Intel® HD Graphics 500, LPDDR4, Shared Accessibility
• Storage:64 GB
• Size:16.95 mm x 323 mm x 232 mm (H x W x D)
• Weight: 1.5 kgs
• Ports:USB 3.1 Gen 1 (up to 5 Gbps), DisplayPort over USB-C, USB charging 5/9/15/20 V; 3 A, DC-in port 20 V; 45 W
• Purchase Link – Buy Now on Acer’s Website

8. Dell Inspiron 13 7000 (7378)

Dell Inspiron 13 7378 form the 7000 series is one good-looking, high-performance laptop for college students. Audio quality, video clarity, battery life, everything about this laptop is at its best in view with the need of college students. Keyboard and touchpad of this Dell Inspiron is designed in a way that makes long-hour writing comfortable. Check out some basic specifications about this laptop below:

• CPU:IntelCore i3-7100U, 2.4 GHz
• RAM:8 GB, DDR4
• Display:13.3 inches, 1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
• Graphics:Integrated Intel HD Graphics 620
• Storage:128 GB
• Size:38.4 x 34.2 x 7.5 cm
• Weight:2.41 Kilograms
• Ports:USB Type-C port, one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port, one HDMI output port, and a microphone-in/headphone-out combo jack
• Purchase Link – Buy Now on Amazon

9. Lenovo ThinkPad E14

Lenovo ThinkPad E14 is one great alternative of laptops and has many features that makes it ideal for college students, not to mention is excellent ThinkPad for professionals as well. If this laptop makes out of college in good working condition (it is definitely very sturdy), you can use if for office work as well. This long-lasting laptop is budget-friendly as well and therefore is a preferred choice for college going students with limited resources. Check out some basic specifications about this laptop below:

• CPU: Up to 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7
• RAM: Up to 16GB DDR4
• Display: 35.56cms(14) FHD (1920 x 1080), TN, antiglare
• Graphics: Integrated Intel® UHD
• Storage: Up to 1TB SSD, Up to 2TB HDD
• Size: 32.5 x 23.2 x 2.1 cm
• Weight: Starting at 1.69 kg
• Ports: USB 3.1 Gen 1 (USB-C, with Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alt Mode), USB 3.1 Gen 1, USB 2.0, HDMI 1.4b, RJ45, Headphone / mic combo
• Purchase Link – Buy Now on Lenovo’s Website

10. Asus VivoBook S15 (S533)

Last but not the least comes this fast-speed, high-performance laptop that is definitely one good choice for college students. From comfortable viewing angles to smooth keyboard, this laptop is ideal for someone who need to work on laptop for long duration. Build quality and design of this laptop are praiseworthy too making it one of the top laptops for students in India. Check out some basic specifications about this laptop below:

• CPU:Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7 Processor 2.4 GHz (8M Cache, up to 4.2 GHz, 4 cores), Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7 Processor 2.8 GHz (12M Cache, up to 4.7 GHz, 4 cores)
• RAM:8GB DDR4, 16GB DDR4 on board
• Display:15.6-inch, -, FHD (1920 x 1080) 16:9, IPS-level Panel, Anti-glare display, LED Backlit, 250nits/ 300nits, NTSC: 45%/ sRGB: 100%, Screen-to-body ratio: 86%
• Graphics:Intel® Iris Xe Graphics, NVIDIA® GeForce® MX350, 2GB GDDR5
• Storage:512 GB/ 1 TB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 3.0 SSD or SSD with 32GB Intel® Optane™ Memory
• Size:35.98 x 23.38 x 1.61 ~ 1.61 cm (14.17″ x 9.20″ x 0.63″ ~ 0.63″)(W x D x H)
• Weight:1.80 kg
• Ports:1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 2x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x Thunderbolt™ 4 supports display / power delivery, 2 in1 card reader SD/MMC, Micro SD card reader.
• Purchase Link – Buy Now on Amazon