What makes a great laptop for college students?
A great laptop has great specs for several main features including battery life, storage, type of keyboard, and more. Below are our recommendations for great laptop features if your primary purpose for using the laptop is for college classes.
Recommended laptop features for college students
Storage:These days, at least 250GB is ideal. If you travel a lot, you may want to look into an SSD drive upgrade.
Webcam:Historically webcams were not as much of a concern unless you wanted to Skype mom. Nowadays, a webcam is a must for all virtual classes. All of the laptops on this list have built-in webcams included.
Battery Life:Most laptops these days have plenty of battery life, but we recommend looking for one with at least 4 hours of battery life. This is especially important if you plan to take your laptop to class. Older classrooms don’t usually have enough outlets.
Keyboard: The most important factor for a keyboard is comfort. The amount of click is personal preference so you may want to try a few to see which ones make typing easiest. We highly recommend getting a backlit keyboard so you can continue using your laptop while your roommate is sleeping.
Weight: You’ll likely be lugging your laptop from class to class, so choose something lightweight (less than 4lbs) so that your back doesn’t hurt.
Touchscreen/Writing Tablet: If you plan to take a lot of handwritten notes, you may opt for a writing pad or touchscreen instead of writing with pen and paper. Some schools, especially art and engineering programs, require a touchscreen of some kind.
RAM:Buy at least 4GB, but more than 8GB is preferred.
Software:Buy Windows or Mac OSX. Your school may have a requirement for this.
Processor: You should get an Intel i5 or better these days.
Graphics: Getting a discrete is recommended, but not necessary.
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