Once a luxury, laptops are now required by all university students to work on assignments, study online and even complete tests digitally.
Most university students require a light laptop that has all-day battery life, can do heavy software work, store their schoolwork without slowing the system down and look chic enough to impress their friends.
Fret not, here are 5 laptops that might assist you in your education without breaking the bank.
Read Also: University Laptop Buying Guide 2021: 5 Laptop Recommendations Under $2,500 For University Students
Top 5 Laptops Comparison Table
| Brand/Model | Battery Life (Video Playback) | Weight | Screen Size | Starting Price |
| Microsoft Surace Laptop 5 | Up to 18 hours | 1.27kg | 13.5″ | $ 1,588.00 |
| HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 Laptop | Up to 22 hours | 1.36kg | 13.5″ | $ 2,499.00 |
| Aftershock Forge 15S | Not Available | 1.99kg | 15.6″ | $ 1,850.00 |
| Dell XPS 13 Plus | up to 13 hours | 1.23kg | 13.4″ | $ 2,299.00 |
| MacBook Air M2 (2022) | Up to 15 hours | 1.24kg | 13.6″ | $ 1,699.00 |
#1 Surface Laptop 5
An incredible lightweight laptop with Intel’s new 12th Gen i5/7 processors. It comes equipped with a 10-point multi-touch PixelSense™ display.
Starting from $1,588, it is an affordable yet powerful laptop for most everyday tasks, such as using the Microsoft suite of apps, browsing the web, or watching videos. Coupled with an all-day battery life of 18 hours, you can now sit through back-to-back lectures without plugging in.
Price: $1,588
Pros:
[+] Inexpensive
[+] Light and highly portable.
[+] Amazing battery life – 18h
Cons:
[ – ] No external GPU (Only onboard GPU)
[ – ] Limited ports – 1 Audio Jack, 1 USB A, 1 USB C, 1 Microsoft Connect Port
Great For: Students who only require everyday use (browsing, typing, researching)
#2 HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 Laptop
Coming in as the priciest laptop on this list, the HP Spectre 2-in-1 laptop mashes the flexibility of a tablet yet with the full functionality of a laptop.
It comes equipped with some powerful specs, like a 1Tb SSD storage and an Intel Core i7-1255U, without the need for additional add-ons. Its 3K OLED screen with a 3:2 ratio and writing ability with the bundled stylus also mimics the experience of writing on an A4 piece of paper.
The HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 also has a foldable screen that can be folded from front to back – or just in about any angle that you want. This allows you to let it sit on the table at an angle which enables you to write more comfortably.
If prying friends or strangers annoy you, the HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 also has a few privacy features built right into it. You have the “HP Sure View Privacy Screen” and the “Webcam kill switch” functions. With the flick of a switch, you get to enjoy higher levels of privacy.
Price: $2,499
[+] Tactical Keys
[+] Light and small, highly portable.
[+] Highest battery life – 22h
[+] Beautiful and sleek design
Cons:
[ – ] Higher price tag
[ – ] No external GPU (Only onboard GPU)
Great For: Students who require the full functionality of a laptop with the ability to use it as a tablet
Read Also: 5 Ways To Improve Your Work-From-Home (WFH) Experience Without Overspending
#3 Aftershock Forge 15S
This Singaporean company took the capabilities of a gaming laptop and downsized its price. Sitting at a price point starting from $1,850, it is considered a relatively affordable option.
The Forge 15S comes equipped with the latest 3050Ti graphics card that is great for playing AAA game titles during your break and running heavy engineering software like Matlab or AutoCAD.
It might be the heaviest laptop on this list, but it packs one of the heaviest punches in terms of processing and graphical power. Its 15.6” screen is large enough for multitasking work.
Price: $1,850
[+] Tactical Keys
[+] Dedicated External GPU
[+] Highly customisable
Cons:
[ – ] Heavy
Great For: Students requiring heavy processing & graphical power
#4 Dell XPS 13 Plus
Coming in as the lightest “non-tablet” laptop, the Dell XPS 13 Plus is a great companion for any student. Its sharp 4k OLED screen will be perfect for those needing bright attention to colours for design and photography/video edits.
With its sleek design and lightweight features, it does come at a higher cost of $2,298.99. However, with its lightweight (1.23kg), and immersive speakers (studio quality tuning with Waves MaxxAudio®Pro and Waves Nx®3D audio), it does prove to be a tough contender with its versatility for most students.
Compared to the HP Spectre – a pricier option, it is slightly lighter with a smaller footprint, while having better base specs. The Dell XPS 13 Plus performs exceptionally within a smaller package.
Price: $2,299
Pros:
[+] Large keycaps for easier typing
[+] Highly customisable
Cons:
[ – ] Higher price tag
[ – ] No external GPU (Only onboard GPU)
Great For: Students who require portability and only require everyday use (browsing, typing, researching)
Read Also: 5 Factors To Consider If You Are Buying A Laptop For Your Child’s Home-Based Learning (HBL)
#5 MacBook Air M2 (2022)
The updated MacBook Air M2 has the latest Apple silicon that boasts up to 15 hours of battery life. Its most affordable option starts at $1,699 with a lower storage space of 256Gb. What the MacBook Air M2 does best is in performance-to-power and battery-to-performance ratios.
It uses lesser battery power for the same amount of performance and does not throttle its CPU whilst doing heavy multi-tasking work. It can even handle heavier software like Photoshop and video editing work for a “light” laptop.
However, the 256Gb version also has a slower read/write than the 512Gb version. It may also be insufficient if you expect to store a lot of media files internally. However, you can mitigate this limitation with an external hard drive.
Upgrading it to its next level of 512Gb better future-proofs your laptop and greatly improves the read/write capability, thus speeding up your laptop and your work. It does cost an additional $450 to upgrade, bringing the total price to $2,149. This upgrade puts it past Aftershocks Forge 15s in price and graphical performance.
The $1,699 Macbook Air M2 is a very no-frills laptop for everyday usage rather than for specific professional use. However, the upgraded $2,149 version may be even suitable for students requiring heavy processing & graphical power without the excess weight.
Price: $1,699
Pros:
[+] Best battery-to-power laptop
[+] Lightweight
[+] Future-proof design and performance
Cons:
[ – ] Some windows applications might not work
[ – ] Limited ports – 2 x thunderbolt (USB 4), 1 3.5mm Audio jack
[ – ] Base model has a low storage capacity and slow read/write speeds
Great For: All round best use for most students
Worthwhile Accessories To Add On For Students
Most students are fine with whatever they get out of the box that their laptops came in. However, a few accessories might go a long way in reducing hindrances and improving productivity.
The first is external ports. These ports add additional port functions like HDMI, extra USB C, and even micro-SD card slots. Super handy for graphic and design students and especially so for MacBook Air users.
A laptop case or sleeve protects your laptop from any unwanted dents or scratches, thus leaving your device with a higher resale value.
Finally, get a mouse. Not only does it make using heavy software like SketchUp and Photoshop much easier to use, but it also makes it a whole lot of fun when you are off gaming to put your worries away.
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