Best laptops for college students

With so many resources and so much of your course curriculum available online, it's next to impossible to get through college without a laptop. To make things easier, here are three of our top picks.

WHAT MacBook Air M1

THE COST $644.97

AVAILABLE FROM walmart.com

With the arrival of the M3 MacBook Air, Apple dropped the M1 model from its lineup and positioned the M2 MacBook Air as the new budget option. The M1 has a slightly smaller screen at 13.3 inches than the 13.6-inch display you get with the M2 and M3 models. The larger displays are also brighter at 500 nits compared to the 400-nit panel of the M1.  Otherwise, the M1 offers solid overall performance for most users and a long battery life of up to 18 hours. If you're a college student, it's hard to go wrong with the most affordable MacBook Air.

WHAT Microsoft Surface Laptop 7

THE COST $1,999

AVAILABLE FROM microsoft.com

The Surface Laptop 7 reverses earlier Arm-on-Windows efforts that were plagued by lackluster performance and limited compatibility, with many x86 apps unable to run on an Arm-based system. This time around, performance has improved, and so has compatibility. Strong overall performance from the Snapdragon X Elite processor and jaw-dropping battery life are great features. The Surface Laptop 7 ran for nearly 20 hours in testing — that's the longest runtime of any 13- or 14-inch laptop CNET has ever reviewed — including the M3 MacBook Air. The Surface Laptop 7 competes with the MacBook Air not only in performance and battery life, but also supplies a similarly sleek and solid build.

WHAT HP Pavilion 14 Plus

THE COST $850

AVAILABLE FROM hp.com

The HP Pavilion Plus is a good fit for students because it delivers a stylish and solid all-metal chassis, good battery life and numerous configuration options at reasonable prices. It's available in 14- and 16-inch sizes. The 14-inch model is better for students who will take it across campus each day. HP offers AMD and Intel processors, and it can be configured with entry-level discrete graphics too. There are also multiple displays to match your budget, including a beautiful OLED panel. The starting price is often discounted for hundreds less. We recommend getting that OLED screen if you can afford it. The higher-resolution OLED panel adds $150 to the package and is worth it.