Navigating the sheer amount of laptop options available to users can be daunting for college-bound students. The right choice will ensureseamless integration of work and play, supportingburgeoning software needsand enabling morepower-intensive activities, like streamingand competitive gaming.
Researching this can be tedious and often requires users to either have hands-on experience or rely on 3rd-party reviews to make an informed buy. This guide aims to address this by handpicking some of the best laptops that should see students through college with ease and address the multifaceted needs of university life in a variety of use cases.
ASUS Zenbook S 16 (UM5606) OLED Laptop
Zen With A Few Upgrades In Tow
The ASUS Zenbook S 16 is a laptop that excels at productivity, bringing a gorgeous 3K OLED display, a lightweight design, and AMD’s latest deca-core Ryzen™ AI 9 365 CPU to the mix.
The ASUS Zenbook S 16 is a laptop that excels at productivity, bringing a gorgeous 3K OLED display, a lightweight design, and AMD’s latest deca-core Ryzen™ AI 9 365 CPU to the mix. This laptop aims to be a staggeringly capable, if slightly pricey, all-rounder that offers a new gold standard of what a 16-inch productivity-centric laptop should look like in 2024.
It comes with a dedicated neural processor with up to 50TOPS in performance for AI use cases, 24GB of fast LPDDR5X RAM under the hood, 1TB of PCI-E storage, and a backlit chicklet keyboard in addition to a capable iGPU under the hood for light gaming needs.
All of this makes it an excellent contender for the MacBook’s vaunted position in classrooms, offices, and homes alike, as it doubles down on aesthetic, portability, and performance to score a win for ASUS as its most general-purpose laptop entry to date.
Razer Blade 18 (2024)
No-Compromise Desktop Replacement
The Razer Blade 18 2024 edition brings the latest flagship Core i9 mobile CPU to deliver unparalleled performance in CPU-intensive operations, while also maintaining its hold on gaming through the RTX 4090 GPU. From its configuration to its display, every feature ventures into overkill territory, making sure no stone is left unturned.
For users who need a no-compromise laptop that can handle everything that college throws at them from a performance standpoint, the Razer Blade 18’s highest-end SKU stands head and shoulders above the competition.
It offers plenty of horsepower under the hood for the most demanding use cases, including design applications, modeling, and simulation, as well as casual gaming. The laptop manages to address one’s need for a desktop replacement in college without taking up as much space.
While it has an excellent QHD MiniLED display that refreshes at 300Hz, the Blade 18 does cost a significant amount more than its peers with similar internals, pushing nearly a $1000 premium on average versus most other contenders. Despite not being the most portable of laptops at 18 inches, for users who want the best and can pay a premium, the Blade 18 is one of the best gaming laptops out there that can double as a great college companion in 2024 and beyond.
Dell XPS 13 (Intel Core Ultra 7 155H)
13 Inch Powerhouse
The Dell XPS 13 is a thin and light premium-looking laptop that has a unique design that stands out even more with its Platinum color variant. The laptop is powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, Intel Arc graphics, 16GB LPDDR5X RAM, and 1TB PCIe SSD for storage. It comes with a 13-inch FHD+ (1920x1200) 120Hz display, and two Thunderbolt 4 (Type-C) ports.
For casual users and those who need a portable laptop for their college needs as a priority, the Dell XPS 13 above is well-endowed, offering a capable CPU and a large SSD while clocking in a weight class that makes it easy to move between classrooms easily.
The XPS 13 also comes with dual Thunderbolt 4 ports that allow for a slim chassis but plenty of I/O bandwidth should users need it (with separate adapters). While other XPS 13 models do come with a 4K display, the battery power savings of an excellent FHD display that has a 120Hz refresh rate might be better than the higher resolution 13-inch display that its peers offer.
At the same time, the XPS 13 has limited GPU throughput, even as the integrated ARC GPU is a step-up versus previous generation Intel offerings. However, students may not be thrilled about the RAM not being user upgradeable in a world where web browsers can easily eat up 16GB of RAM on a short notice.
GIGABYTE 15.6" G5 Gaming Laptop
A No-Nonsense Value Player
The GIGABYTE 15.6" G5 Gaming Laptop comes packed with a mix of old and new in a potent combination that is hard to beat in terms of value for money especially when on sale.With a powerful Intel Core i7 13th generation CPU, an Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, and an FHD 144Hz display in addition to 1 TB of NVME storage paired with 16GB of DDR5 memory, the G5 gaming laptop delivers on multiple fronts while also being focused on connectivity with plenty of ports on offer.
For users lookingto work and playat the same time while sticking to a sub-$1000 budget, the GIGABYTE 15.6" G5 Gaming Laptop delivers on all fronts. Offering either an RTX 4050 or an RTX 4060 GPU under the hood, along with an Intel Core i7 CPU from the 13th generation Raptor Lake lineup, it balances performance fairly well while throwing in a large SSD, making for a well-rounded option for students.
It offers a mid-range FHD 144Hz display, 16GB of upgradeable DDR5 RAM, and an acceptable, if slightly heavy form factor for most university and college students. Its battery life, however, is not very impressive, and the larger 150W power brick might be a sore point as a result for students needing an all-day battery, a compromise that may be necessary, especially for more intensive use cases.
ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024) Gaming Laptop
ROG Premium For Less
If you’re after a laptop that runs games well but doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, then the ASUS ROG Strix G16 may be the best choice for you. This mid-range modern gaming laptop boasts an impressive 14-core Intel i7 processor and a dedicated RTX 4060 GPU that is capable of handling most modern games on medium to high settings. Also included is a whopping 1TB of SSD storage, meaning you will experience faster start-up and load times on all installed games and programs. The 16GB of DDR5 RAM also helps to keep programs smooth and consistent, creating a luxurious experience that isn’t absurdly expensive.
Users needing something more mid-range in terms of design and performance versus the Gigabyte G5 Gaming Laptop above can opt for what is one of the hottest selling gaming laptops of the year: the ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024) Gaming Laptop in Core i7 13th gen trim.
It comes with better thermals thanks to an additional fan and liquid metal under the hood, while also offering an RTX 4060 GPU to those who game or will need AI functionality down the line. It also packs in an impressive 1TB SSD and a 165Hz refresh rate display that isn’t a game-changer, but a step in the right direction. Plus, the laptop comes with a steep discount versus its previous asking price on Amazon, at the time of writing.
Users will, however, have to deal with the added heft of the G16, which clocks in at approximately 5.5 lbs, something that could mean limited portability for those who need to walk around frequently on campus between classes. However, ASUS’s Gigabyte G5 makes up for it with a focus on value, aesthetics, and performance in a neat 16-inch form factor, while additionally offering gaming capabilities that most ultra-portable alternatives lack.
Alienware m16 Gaming Laptop
A Worthy Adversary
The Alienware m16 (AMD) is powered by the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX CPU and the Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU with 12GB of VRAM. The gaming laptop features a 16-inch QHD+ (2560x1600) 240Hz, 3ms, 100% DCI-P3 coverage display. There are two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports with DisplayPort support as well.
For those who know they need a capable gaming laptop or a productivity user that needs the extra cores the Ryzen 9 CPU offers, the Alienware m16 Gaming Laptop comes well-equipped on both counts, throwing in a powerful RTX 4080 GPU into the mix.
With 32GB of fast DDR5 RAM, a gorgeous 240Hz display that maxes out at a QHD resolution at 16 inches, and a design that prioritizes thermals, the m16 has plenty of impressive specs in play albeit at the cost of portability, clocking in at a mammoth 7.2lbs for a 16-inch form factor gaming laptop.
It does, however, get you some of the best build quality on Game Rant’s list above and a capable gaming machine that doubles as an all-purpose desktop replacement for students that should outlast their college years in terms of durability and performance alike. Overall, the Alienware m16 Gaming Laptop is a great school device to pick up, especially when it is on sale at Best Buy.
Finding the Right Laptop for College
When choosing the ideal laptop for college, one should consider the following factors:
FAQ
Q: How important is battery life for a college laptop?
Extremely important; a long battery life ensures students can attend classes and work on assignments without the constant need for a power source.
Q: Do I need a lot of storage on my college laptop?
Sufficient storage is recommended for college tasks, but cloud services and external drives are handy to extend a laptop’s capacity.
Q: What’s the best screen size for a college laptop?
A screen size between 13 to 15 inches is ideal for balancing usability and portability for college students.
