Your laptop should make a positive contribution to your studies. Ideally, it should be lightweight yet sturdy enough for all-night library study sessions while handling heavy loads without becoming an inconvenience.
Creative students might require a computer with powerful processors and dedicated graphics in order to tackle intensive work loads and play the latest PC games.
1. Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023)
The MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) is one of Apple’s best laptops ever produced. It provides desktop-like power in a thin, lightweight package, featuring stunning display and ample ports for expansion. The build quality is superb while both its keyboard and trackpad stand out as industry leaders. Space Black colour remains relatively fingerprint free even after oil stains, coffee smudges or fingerprints get spilled across it.
Intel Core M3 processor delivers improved CPU and graphics performance than its predecessor model, outshouting many Windows-based laptops in our Geekbench benchmark tests with 3,184 for single core performance and 15,704 multicore. While battery life may have taken a hit from prior generations, still excellent.
The laptop offers multiple configurations, beginning with a 14-inch version with the M3 Pro chip for $1,599 that provides excellent performance in a small footprint and boasts HDR display quality. Upgrading to a higher-spec version with M3 Max chips starting at $3,499 offers even greater power, perfect for photographers, videographers and musicians who pursue their passions while on the road for serious work – or businesspeople needing serious work done on-the-go – as well as businesspeople needing serious work done remotely – or businesspeople needing serious work done remotely – creatives who require top performance from both performance and design alike will find this ultimate laptop very satisfying indeed!
2. ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023)
ASUS’ affordable workhorse features an expansive 16-inch display paired with an AMD processor and Radeon graphics, performing beautifully during our tests – handling daily tasks such as emails, browsing the web, light multitasking and casual gaming at low settings with no difficulty at all.
The Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) is equipped with an Intel Core i5 8250U CPU with 15W TDP, as well as AMD Radeon integrated graphics. In our stress tests, this laptop performed admirably; finishing our 10 minute Cinebench R23 run with 1601 points scored across individual cores and 7571 across multiple cores, as well as scoring an impressive 3400 score on Geekbench 6.
ASUS’ IceBlade fan and dual air vents work to accelerate heat transfer, keeping your laptop cool under pressure. By staying steady all of the time and avoiding throttling altogether.
The Vivobook 16 M1605 boasts a strong build for its price point, being certified US military grade MIL-STD 810H to withstand extreme temperatures, shocks, and vibrations. It features a full-sized keyboard with 1.4mm key travel and adjustable white LED backlighting along with an expansive touchpad which supports Windows Hello for biometric authentication as well as an HD webcam that captures stunningly rich audio as well as two decent stereo speakers which produce impressively full sound output.
3. Dell Inspiron 15 5000 Series
The Dell Inspiron 15 5000 Series strives to be an all-round contender with its 12th-gen Intel Core processors, Iris Xe graphics and up to 16GB RAM paired with plenty of storage space. While Lenovo’s Y50 still outpaces it in our tests, this Dell model manages to compete well against HP Laptop 17 and IdeaPad Flex 5i models.
The 15.6-inch display on the Inspiron 5000 may not be as vivid or vibrant, but it still provides an enjoyable viewing experience. Its widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio makes it suitable for watching video content, while its 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate makes it suitable for gaming as well.
The Inspiron’s design may be chunky, but it feels solidly built, with little flex when grasping screen corners or keyboard deck. It features a silver plastic shell with faux-brushed metal finish, while its keyboard has black island keys. Two fairly hefty hinges support its display, which has bezels which may not be quite as thin as those seen on Acer Swift 3 and LG Gram 13 but don’t offend too heavily either. Powered by an Intel Core i5-1035G1 CPU offering impressive quad core performance at its price point, RAM storage options as well.
4. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 11) ultraportable laptop stands out as one of our favorites among business ultraportable laptops, thanks to its excellent keyboard and trackpad, long battery life, and ability to be upgraded with touch displays. Though slightly heavier than other slim and light notebooks, its construction feels sturdy enough for occasional scratches or dents while offering plenty of ports and built-in security slots – though some might find its mechanical pointing stick instead of standard touchpad hindering some touch apps.
This year’s model features Intel’s Core Ultra processors, offering a small performance increase over last year’s models. Our test unit finished first in Geekbench 5 single and multithreaded tests; narrowly beating out an older Asus ZenBook S 13 OLED using Intel Core i7 CPUs while outpacing Dell XPS 13s featuring more powerful but less efficient Core i5 chips.
The X1 Carbon offers five screen options, starting with a 1920 x 1200 IPS non-touch panel rated for 400 nits; our test model had a 500-nit panel with Lenovo’s ePrivacy feature ($164 upgrade on customizable models). Dual array microphones equipped with Dolby Voice make for excellent video calls; other notable features include two Thunderbolt 4 ports – both supporting USB-C charging capability as well as HDMI support – two Thunderbolt ports (both supporting charging), HDMI output as well as Kensington Nano security slots.
