You won't mistake it for a deluxe workstation or a gaming rig, but as budget laptops go, it's kind of a big deal if you need the biggest screen possible but don't have the room for a desktop monitor. The VivoBook's seven-hour battery life is disappointing, but 17.3-inch laptops are rarely seen hauled around campus (and seven hours is enough to get through two or three classes in a day if you do decide to take it with you). Part of its low price comes from an AMD Ryzen 3 processor that's a couple of generations older than the latest and greatest, but its performance is perfectly adequate for everyday apps, and its matte-finish screen kills glare without killing color brilliance. The Asus VivoBook 17 M712 not only weighs less than most machines its size-five pounds, which may be a chore to carry to class but sure beats the seven- and eight-pounders we've seen-but costs considerably less, with our test unit only $550 at Amazon. Speaking of giving your eyes a break, there's no mainstream laptop display larger than 17.3 inches diagonally. The MacBook Air remains a great grab-and-go productivity partner for almost any around-campus computing task short of hardcore gaming. Who It's ForĪpple still insists touch screens are only for tablets and phones, but otherwise it's hard to find fault with the system that invented the ultraportable category. Weighing a trim 2.8 pounds, it offers a sharp 13.3-inch Retina display elegant unibody metal construction in Space Gray, Gold, or Silver one of the best keyboards and arguably the best touchpad on any laptop snappy performance and unbeatable integration with the iPhone and phenomenal battery life (29 hours in our video-playback test). But the M1 version of Apple's lightest portable is still a highly capable, lovable laptop for $999. To get the obvious out of the way, the new-for-2022 MacBook Air with Apple's more powerful M2 processor is a faster, more desirable machine if you can swing its $1,199 starting price or a costlier upscale configuration, don't look back. Check them out, then keep reading to learn the details of what to look for while shopping. Lucky for you, we've collected our favorites from recent reviews-notebooks that not only fit the above criteria but (for the most part) are priced under $1,000, so they won't replace tuition as the biggest threat to your bank account. With more colleges and universities mixing on-campus and remote learning, a laptop you can use wherever you are is essential.Ī college laptop must also respect your budget while lasting through four years of undergrad and maybe a year or two of grad school. It also needs to handle your extracurricular activities, from streaming movies and music to keeping up with your social networks, posting photos, gaming, and video chatting with the 'rents back home. Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. ( See how we test everything we review (Opens in a new window).)įor students, a laptop is as essential as textbooks and a school ID-and not just for taking notes and writing papers. How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac. How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.
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