September is coming fast, and that means it’s time to start thinking about going back to school. Getting back to class also means choosing the right laptop. There are a ton of great options out there that fit different options and lifestyles.

The most important thing to consider when choosing a laptop for school is whether your college has any specific requirements for your computer. The school might want you to use a specific operating system whether it’s Windows, macOS or Linux. Some schools have IT repair on campus and may cater to a specific brand or operating system. There may also be discounts your school has with different vendors.

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Some other things to keep in mind when choosing a laptop are to make sure the laptop is light weight, it will travel with you all around campus and school. The laptop should be durable, it will be jammed into a back pack several times a day and will rumble around with your textbooks. Make sure you think about battery life as well, ideally you want the computer to stay alive through several classes.

Acer Chromebook 14

This is PC Magazine’s choice for the best laptop for students.

“The Acer Chromebook 14 has an expansive 14-inch screen that's easier on the eyes and likely to serve a wider audience. Add to this sturdy all-metal construction, almost 12 hours of battery life, a full HD screen, and above all that competitive price, and you have our top recommendation for chromebooks,” reported PC Magazine in their review last year.

This laptop’s suggested retail price is $279.99

Asus ZenBook UX330UA

This is Laptop Magazine’s top choice for a student laptop.

“Asus ZenBook UX330UA is one of the best laptop values you can get: It packs a speedy 256GB solid-state drive, a fast Core i5 CPU and a sharp, 1080p screen into a 2.7-pound package. To get a notebook with similar features at that size, you normally have to pay well over $900. Fortunately, Asus' 13-inch laptop looks good on more than just paper, as it provides over 10 hours of battery life, strong performance, and wide viewing angles,” reported Laptop Magazine in their February review. “The Asus ZenBook UX330UA gives you strong performance in a lightweight design for a great price. A colorful screen, accurate audio output and exceptional battery life round out the package.”

This laptop’s suggested retail price is $279.99

Dell XPS 13

This is Tech Radar’s pick for the best student laptop.

“The Dell XPS 13 continues to be a thoroughly impressive piece of computing machinery … With this update, Dell manages to either meet or beat the new MacBook Pro, spec-for-spec, for 100 bucks less. If you’re torn between this laptop and Apple’s latest, we hope we’ve now made that decision easier for you,” reported Tech Radar in their review last week.

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They also talked about the long battery life.

“But, even against the spate of Windows-bound laptops that have adopted burgeoning technologies whole cloth, the XPS 13 stands out with a healthy balance of old and new tech inside a device that’s comfortable to use for as long as it can last – a long time,” said the review.

This laptop’s suggested retail price is $999.99​

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