Picking a college is hard enough, so you don’t need to spend extra time worrying about which laptop to get you through the next four years. To help you save time (and hopefully money), we searched for the highest-rated laptops under $1,000 that are good for college students. From Macs to PCs to a bendy tablet/laptop hybrid, we broke it down a number of top-rated picks, giving you a rundown on each as well as a review from a college student or parent of a student.
Each model has multiple reviews relating to its use for college, so you can look around to see which is the best for you. Whether you’re a business student, an art history major or taking a couple courses at a community college, these computers will help you take notes, write essays and watch presentations. They’ll also work for streaming, playing games and scrolling social media — after all your homework is done, of course.
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Amazon rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars A new MacBook for under a grand? Yes, please. For a lightweight computer with up to 18 hours of battery life, the MacBook Air is calling.
With Apple M3 processing, this laptop is great for working across apps and running mulitple programs at the same time. This model has a fanless design, meaning your machine will stay quiet even when you have a ton of tabs open. It boasts 8G RAM, 256G SSD storage, a backlit keyboard and an HD camera that you can use for FaceTime and Zoom.
If you already have an Apple ID, the MacBook will seamlessly sync with your contact and profile, allowing you to stay connected with ease. Promising review: "Bought this one on a deal and as a present for my son. Looked at several laptop and this one was his choice amongst the other.
I know that this would last him through his college days and will serve him well. Quality built is top notch and fast processing power." — Jeremy Rating : 4.
7 out of 5 stars Consider the MacBook Air with M2 chip on Amazon your new productivity workhorse. Its ultra-thin, lightweight design makes it excellent for travel. The claimed 18 hours of battery life on a single charge means you won’t have to hover near an outlet while browsing the ’net and banging out documents.
Promising review: "This computer is great! I bought it for some heavy duty college work and I have to say I am impressed. The Air is usually meant for low maintenance tasks like watching videos, Facebook , the web and school work but I find myself doing MacBook Pro work on it with no trouble at all. MacBook Air doesn't have fans so I expected it to run slower than my Pro but it runs about the same and crushes any editing tasks that I throw at it.
Its a small powerhouse compared to its Pro versions and continues to get the job done." — Angela Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars Clocking in at just 2.
44 pounds, this 12.4-inch touch-screen laptop is super easy to carry around. It has a 10th Gen Intel Core processor allowing you to have multiple tabs open and a 720p HD camera to make you look sharp on video calls.
Its hard disk is 128G with 3.6 GHz cPU speed and 8G computer memory. Promising review: "Compact.
Smooth and slick looking computer. The touch screen worked well and the battery lasted a long time. Very lightweight and easy to use.
" — Robertson15 Still looking? Check our recent roundup of even more laptops under $1,000. This laptop option has a processor meant to help you work with speed while you answer emails, stream your favorite shows and whatever else you've got on your to-do list. Its battery is designed to keep up with you for 12 hours and even if it dies, you can get it to 50% in just 45 minutes.
When you're occupied and can't use your hands, this compact Chromebook will still move at your voice command thanks to Google Assistant. If you're an Android user, you can transfer stuff from your phone to the computer and vice-versa with the Nearby Share feature. It also has an HD camera perfect for taking video calls with loved ones or for work — and it's got a visible privacy shutter that'll cover the camera when it's not in use so Big Brother will just have to watch someone else.
You can get the regular HP 14" or the slightly higher-priced touchscreen option . If you need power, this Lenovo laptop has plenty. It's got 16 GB of RAM for quickly jumping between apps and browsers and 1 TB of internal storage in case you need to save large files, like videos or high-resolution photos.
Also, like the name suggests, it's slim for easy carry. Normally over $1,000, Walmart has it on sale at over $100 off. Related From Our Partner.
