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When you’re in college, you definitely need a good laptop. It’ll help you immensely when you’re studying or pretty much whenever. Here are some characteristics of a suitable laptop for your specific needs as a student:
Size and weight – It should be portable enough to tote around campus easily It should also fit nicely on a small desk, like the ones that are connected to classroom seats. At the same time, it needs to be big enough for you to work comfortably on.
Specs and features – Is it all you ever wanted in a laptop? Well, maybe it doesn’t have to be the most amazing thing you can get, but it must be satisfactory as far as your expectations are concerned. How’s the battery life? Is the screen bright enough? Does it have a backlit keyboard? How are the speakers? If you happen to want a touch screen, you should check if it has that too. Does it have a disk drive? USB 3.0 and if so how many? Solid state drives are much faster than hard drives and can really boost the performance of your computer, so you might want to pick something that includes an SSD. You should make sure your laptop has enough memory, otherwise you’ll need to get an external hard drive just to fit all your files. Cloud memory has come a long way these days, but it would be less than ideal if you had to depend on it due to lack of sufficient hardware. Make sure it has enough RAM for you to have a bunch of research windows open while fact checking and gathering data. Also, does it have a fast enough processor for video editing if you need that?
Value – Are you getting the most bang for your buck, and can you effectively afford the laptop you want?
Warranty – Will the manufacturer have your back if it stops working properly, and for how long?
There are countless options to peruse through, but if you’re looking for the best deal in terms of value, we have got you covered. The laptops below should tick all your boxes, and each of them will cost less than a grand to get your hands on. *Drumroll*
Macbook Air
You might not be surprised to see a Macbook Air as our number one pick. They’re very reliable, durable and efficient. It’s all metal shell will protect it while it’s in your backpack or if you accidentally drop it. If you’re used to Windows already, it will be an adjustment—not because Macs are complicated, but because they’re overly simple. You may find yourself looking for settings you don’t need or don’t have access too. But all in all, Mac rules.
Dell XPS13 Ultrabook
Dell has really come a long way with their laptops. Dell is kind of known for basic-looking computers that are reliable. Dell computers are like the Toyota Corollas of the tech world. But the XPS 13 is a far cry from the blandness we’re used to seeing from Dell. This laptop has a fantastic screen with an extremely thin bezel. It looks great, and is a pleasure to use. It has a 2.2GHz 5th generation Intel Core i5-5200U, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 128GB SSD, 13.3-inch full HD WLED backlit Infinity screen and comes with Windows 8.1 which is of course upgradable to Windows 10. Though this one might not have a surplus of internal storage space, the perks of having an SSD should outweigh the minor inconvenience of having to either use cloud storage or an external hard drive.
Check Current Price on AmazonLenovo G50 2015
The newest version of the G50 has a nice 15.6-inch full HD display, an Intel Core i7-5500U (3.0GHZ), 16GB RAM, a 1TB HDD and comes with Windows 8.1. This notebook’s inclusion of a massive amount of storage space and RAM and a very fast processor will give you plenty to work with. It’s a good computer all across the board. It might not be as fancy looking as the previous two mentions, but it is still sleek. Considering its specs, the G50 a great option for the price.
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (128 GB, 4 GB RAM, Intel Core i5)
The Microsoft Surface is the first of a slew of popular new gadgets. This is actually a tablet and not a laptop, but it has the ability to replace your laptop. It’s nifty like that. It’s available in a few different versions, so take your pick of processor and internal storage space. The smart keyboard is sold separately, so you may have to stretch your budget a bit for that, or get a slightly lesser model than this one. The Surface pen is included though. The Surface Pro 4 is very light and thin with an HD 12.3” screen. What is probably the coolest thing about the Microsoft Surface is that you can take notes in class using the surface pen or by typing, or both!
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