When it comes to laptop selection, there’s never been a better time to be a student. From sub- US$300 Chromebooks to Windows 8 touch-screen convertibles, there’s a breadth of options for meeting your specific needs. Many of the latest notebooks feature Intel’s 4th-generation Haswell processors, so you’ll be able to use your machine throughout the entire school day, and still have enough juice for a late-night cramming session. Plus, budget systems have become much more attractive, so students looking to save some cash don’t have to compromise when it comes to looks. Here’s our list of the 10 best student notebooks for 2013.
1. Apple MacBook Air 11 and 13
Whether you’re looking to travel very light or you want a bigger screen, both the 11- and the 13-inch MacBook Air deliver epic battery life. Thanks to Intel’s 4th-generation Haswell processor and Apple’s own engineering, we saw nearly 9 hours of runtime on the 11-inch Air, and 12 hours on the 13-inch version. That’s truly all-day endurance. Otherwise, these are the same Airs we’ve come to know and love: an iconic aluminium wedge design, excellent backlit keyboard, and massive touchpad. This fall, the notebooks will be updated with OS X Mavericks, which features Finder Tabs, a more social Safari, and better multi-display support. Price: US$999 to US$1,099.
2. Acer Aspire M5-583P-6428
With a brushed aluminium lid and deck, backlit keyboard and all-day battery life, the Acer Aspire M5-583P-6428 looks every bit the premium system for just US$699. This Best Buy exclusive packs a 15.6-inch touch screen, fourth-generation Intel 1.6GHz dual-core i5-4200U processor, 8GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive. The Aspire M5 has a spacious touchpad that performed gestures well, but is a bit too far to the left. One compromise you don’t have to make is endurance: Intel’s more power-efficient Haswell CPU helped nudge the Aspire M5’s battery life to nearly 9 hours. Price: US$699.
3. Lenovo Yoga 11S
The Yoga 11S offers all the portability, flexibility and touchability of the Yoga 11, but eschews the limited Windows RT OS for Windows 8, making this an Ultrabook you can actually use. You can use this convertible as a notebook, tablet or in tent mode for watching movies or giving presentations. Inside this 11-inch, 3-pound system is an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. As a result, our configuration costs US$999, but the 11S starts at a more affordable US$749. Lasting nearly 6 hours in our Battery Test, the Yoga 11S should see you comfortably through all your classes, too. Price: Starting at US$749.
More: Lenovo Yoga 11S Reviewed
4. Samsung Chromebook Series 3
Great for grade-school children and students who live their life in the cloud, a Chromebook is an inexpensive alternative to Windows laptops and MacBooks. While it’s been out for a while, the Samsung Chromebook Series 3 gets our nod, as its 1.7-GHz Samsung Exynos 5 Dual core processor provides enough power for writing papers and surfing the Web. Its low-power consumption also enables the Series 3 to last 7.5 hours on a charge, making this 11.6-inch, 2.4-pound notebook truly portable. You’ll have to live with just 16GB of storage, but for US$249, that’s a compromise worth making. Price: US$249.
5. ASUS X550CA-DB31
This sub-US$500 ASUS X550CA-DB31 notebook will fill the needs of most students who require a notebook for writing papers, doing research on the Web and even jamming to music. While it lacks a touch screen, the X550CA’s large touchpad makes it easy to perform Windows 8 gestures, and the laptop has a capable third-generation Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive. The mix of patterns - circular on the lid, checkered on the palm rest - is a nice contrast, and give the X550CA a premium look. The battery lasted just 4 hours on our test, but some trade-offs are expected at this price. Price: US$449.
6. Dell Latitude 3330
The Dell Latitude 3330 packs the performance students need in a durable 13-inch notebook. This laptop features an aluminium lid, accurate touchpad, superb keyboard and wide viewing angles. The Latitude 3300 runs Windows 7, but not every student needs Windows 8 or a touch screen. Our review configuration also lasted more than 6 hours on a charge. You can get this laptop with a cheaper Celeron processor, but we’d step up to a Core i3 CPU. Price: US$539.
7. Sony VAIO Pro 13
Thanks to its sturdy carbon fibre chassis, the 2.4-pound Sony VAIO Pro 13 is the lightest and thinnest 13-inch notebook with a touch screen. This Ultrabook’s 1080p touch-screen display uses the same technology as Sony’s Bravia TVs to produce rich colours, and sound was impressive for a laptop this thin. The Pro 13 boasts Intel’s 4th generation 1.8-GHz Core i7-4500U Haswell processor, and its 256GB SSD broke our speed record. On its own, the VAIO Pro 13 saw about 7.5 hours on a charge, which doubled when we added the optional sheet battery (US$149). While our US$2,219 review model is best suited for trust fund babies, the VAIO Pro 13 starts at US$1,249, with a Core i5-4200U CPU, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. Price: Starting at US$1,249.
8. Razer Blade 14
School isn’t just about work. For those off-hours between classes, the Razer Blade 14’s Nvidia GeForce GTX 765M graphics and 4th generation Intel quad-core processor will let you frag away. While we wish its 14-inch screen had a higher resolution than 1600 x 900, we love this rig’s ultra-slim 0.66-inch thick aluminium chassis. We also appreciate the green glow of the keyboard, and the ability to create custom keyboard profiles for different games. Weighing just 4.2 pounds, you can carry the Blade 14 to class easily, and its 8-hour battery life means you can leave the charger in your dorm room. Price: Starting at US$1,799.
More: Razer Blade 14 Reviewed
9. Toshiba Satellite P55t-A5202
A Best Buy exclusive, the Toshiba Satellite P55t-A5202 is a real steal. Not only does it have a premium aluminium lid, but beneath it is a 15.6-inch 1080p touch screen, Harman/Kardon speakers and DTS Studio Sound, as well as a backlit keyboard. Under the hood you’ll find a 4th- generation Intel Core i5-4200U processor, 8GB of RAM and a 750GB hard drive. This 5.3-pound notebook is also packed with two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, HDMI, VGA and a DVD burner. Not bad at all for US$779. Price: US$779.
10. HP g6t-2000
The venerable HP g6t-2000 hasn’t changed much since its introduction last fall, but it’s still one of the best bargains for students. The starting US$479 configuration of the g6t has a second-generation Intel Core i3 processor - which means no DirectX 11 support - but you can upgrade to a third-generation CPU for US$95 and AMD graphics for US$75, which would give the system a little more kick. The 15.6-inch 1366 x 768 display lacks a touch screen, but you don’t need one to run Windows 7. Our review unit lasted nearly 5 hours on a charge, a decent amount of time for a 15-inch budget laptop. Price: Starting at US$479.
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