The Best Budget and Long-lasting Laptops for College Students

If you’re soon off to college, then you (and your parents, since they’re buying) need to realize that a laptop in college is as essential as your textbooks and grades. Half of the time you’ll be doing your schoolwork and research on it while half the time you’ll be on social networking, watching movies, listening to music, posting photos, maybe gaming, and video chatting with the parents back home. Also, though affordable, the best laptops for college students need to last the long haul, maybe 4 years of undergrad and maybe a year of grad work (5 years if it’s an engineering course).

When considering a list of affordable but long-lasting laptops for college, always consider the specific system requirements of your college or university, how light the laptop is (you’ll be lugging it in your backpack most of the day), how much power and storage solutions there is, the battery life, and if the warranty is good.

Acer Chromebook 14

This Chromebook 14 gives you just about all the features and quality you need from a basic laptop, plus really nice extras like a metal body and almost 12 hours of battery life (how’s that for long life?).

Dell Inspiron 11 3000 Series (3162)

This affordable Dell Inspiron is a competent performer with all the basic features and functionality you want in a budget ultraportable laptop, plus 64-bit Windows 10, long battery life, and a sturdy build.

Dell Inspiron 15 3000 Series (3558)

It’s not surprising that Dell has two models featured on this list. The Dell Inspiron 15 3000 Series (3558) is a capable desktop-replacement laptop with solid specs, plenty of storage, and long battery life-all that comes at an affordable price.

Lenovo Idea Pad 100S-11

The Lenovo Idea Pad 100S-11 is a well-built ultraportable laptop that features a lightweight design, competent performance, and more than 11 hours of battery life, at a very low price. Lenovo has always been a reliable favorite with college students.

Asus VivoBook E403SA-US21

The Asus VivoBook E403SA-US21 is an inexpensive yet fully featured laptop with lots of extras. It has brushed aluminum on visible surfaces and plentiful flash storage.

CTL J5 Chromebook

Built for school use, the CTL J5 Chromebook is a fine choice for students or anyone who needs a simple, inexpensive, and sturdy 2-in-1 laptop for use around the house. This specific Chromebook is also made for small mobile businesses due to its durability.

HP Chromebook 14

The HP Chromebook 14 is no performance powerhouse, but the Chrome OS fast speed, combined with a funky blue case, makes this one fun notebook to use. For classwork, this laptop is ideal for those pursuing degrees in liberal arts because of its low cost and simplicity in its use and maintenance while providing the access to nearly every major app and service an undergrad would need.