8 Best Laptops for Students of 2026

The MacBook Air with M5 ranks first because it is the laptop on this list most likely to still feel quick at graduation. Apple's base 13-inch model now starts with 16GB of unified memory and a 512GB SSD, which is double the memory of the MacBook Neo and the base Windows laptops here. The M5 chip has a 10-core CPU and Neural Accelerators in each GPU core, and Apple lists up to 18 hours of video streaming and up to 15 hours of wireless web from a 53.8-watt-hour battery. The 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display runs at 2560 by 1664 and 500 nits, and the whole machine weighs 2.7 pounds with no fan. Ports are two Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3 and a headphone jack. The catch is price: $1,199 with Apple education pricing and $1,299 at the regular store. Nothing inside can be upgraded later, so buy the storage you need at checkout.

The MacBook Neo is Apple's answer to students who wanted a Mac but not a MacBook Air price. With education pricing it starts at $649, and the regular store lists it at $699. Inside is the A18 Pro chip with a 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU, paired with 8GB of unified memory and a 256GB or 512GB SSD. Apple rates the 36.5-watt-hour battery for up to 16 hours of video streaming and up to 11 hours of wireless web, and the 13.0-inch Liquid Retina display reaches 500 nits. It weighs 2.7 pounds and comes in silver, blush, citrus and indigo. The compromises show in the details. Memory is fixed at 8GB, one of the two USB-C ports is limited to USB 2 speeds, and the 256GB model skips Touch ID. For notes, papers, research and streaming those limits matter little, but heavy creative work fits the MacBook Air better.

The XPS 13 used to be a premium buy, but Dell's US store listed it from $699.99 when we checked, with student pricing from $599. Dell calls it the thinnest and lightest XPS laptop yet, at 0.50 inch and 2.2 pounds, the lightest on this list. Even the base model has a 13.4-inch QHD+ touch display at 2560 by 1600. The entry configuration uses an Intel Core 5 320 with 8GB of LPDDR5X memory and 256GB of storage, and Dell lists configurations up to a Core Ultra 7 355 with 32GB and 1TB. Dell quotes up to 17 hours of battery life, measured on a Core 5 320 model with 16GB and a 512GB SSD at 150 nits. The base memory is the main concern for a four-year laptop, and moving to 16GB and 512GB costs $999.99 at the regular price. If your budget reaches that far with student pricing, it is a strong Windows alternative to the MacBook Air.

The Zenbook 14 is the pick for students who want an OLED display without paying flagship prices. ASUS lists the Zenbook 14 from $799.99 at its US store, and notes that the starting price may not match every configuration. This version runs a Snapdragon X X1-26-100 processor with an NPU rated up to 45 TOPS, making it a Copilot+ PC, with 8GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X memory and a 256GB or 512GB SSD. The 14-inch WUXGA OLED screen covers 100% of DCI-P3 and is TÜV Rheinland certified for low blue light. ASUS rates the 50Wh battery for 30+ hours, and the chassis is made of Ceraluminum and metal at 2.87 pounds. The port selection is generous: two USB-C, USB-A, HDMI 2.1 and a headphone jack. As on other Snapdragon laptops, some Windows programs run in emulation, so check that any required course software supports Windows on Arm.

The Chromebook Plus CX34 is the budget pick for students whose schoolwork lives in a browser. Google's Chromebook store page listed it from $369 when we checked, the lowest price on this list. ASUS sells it in many configurations, with Intel Core i3, Core i5, Core 3 or Core 5 processors, 8GB or 16GB of LPDDR5 memory and 128GB or 256GB of UFS storage. The 14.0-inch anti-glare display comes in touch and non-touch versions. It has a camera privacy shutter, a backlit keyboard on some models, Wi-Fi 6 or 6E with Bluetooth 5.4, two USB-A ports and a headphone jack, and it charges over USB-C with a 45W adapter. At 3.17 pounds it is the heaviest laptop here. The real limit is ChromeOS: it runs web apps rather than full Windows or Mac programs, so it suits Google Classroom schools better than specialized college courses.

Microsoft describes the 13-inch Surface Laptop as its most portable and affordable option, and calls it ideal for students. It runs a 6-core Snapdragon X2 Plus processor and has the longest battery rating on this list, up to 22.5 hours of video playback. The 13-inch PixelSense touchscreen runs at 1920 x 1280 and 60 Hz in a taller 3:2 shape that shows more of a document at once. It weighs 2.7 pounds and has two USB-C ports at USB 3.2 speed, a USB-A 3.2 port and a headphone jack, plus a fingerprint reader for Windows Hello. The problem is value. At $1,199.99 when we checked, it costs as much as the MacBook Air with education pricing while offering a 60 Hz screen, and the 120Hz display, USB4 and face sign-in are kept for the 13.8-inch and 15-inch models. As with other Snapdragon laptops, check that required course software supports Windows on Arm.

The Framework Laptop 13 is the long-term pick for students who would rather fix a laptop than replace it. Framework says every part can be repaired, the processor can be upgraded generation over generation, and memory and storage can be added whenever you need them, with support for up to 96GB of DDR5 on the latest generation and standard M.2 SSDs up to 8TB. The Expansion Card system lets you choose exactly which ports you want and where. The 13.5-inch screen has a taller 3:2 shape, and Framework says the 61Wh battery keeps 80% of its capacity after 1,000 cycles. It is 15.85mm thick and under 1.3kg. You can order it pre-built with Windows 11 or as a DIY Edition with your own OS, including Linux. The trade-offs are ease and cost: the DIY Edition takes some assembly, and we could not confirm a US price from here, so check Framework's store directly.

The Dell 14S is the budget Windows option on this list, at $649.99 on Dell's US store when we checked. Dell pitches it as a lightweight 14-inch laptop with fresh colors and long-lasting battery life. The base model pairs a Series 3 Intel Core 5 320 processor, which has a 16 TOPS NPU and six cores, with 8GB of LPDDR5x memory and a 256GB SSD. The 14-inch display runs at 1920 x 1200, 60Hz and 300 nits with 100% sRGB. Dell fits a 61.2 Whr battery, larger than the MacBook Air's, and lists a starting weight of 2.53 pounds. The savings show in the details: the base memory is single-channel, the keyboard is not backlit, and the HDMI port is version 1.4. Upgrading to 16GB adds $200, which brings it close to the XPS 13 with student pricing. For most students that makes the XPS 13 the better Dell, but the 14S is a fair choice when the budget is firm.