Carefully selected models with a good balance between price and function [Summer 2021]
Pencil, eraser, and PC. It’s such an era.
Even for college students, an excellent computer is now an indispensable item. Furthermore, with the introduction of GIGA schools and the promotion of online classes, laptops (notebook PCs) that are reasonably priced and easy to carry for high school and junior high school students are becoming a must-have item. So, for students and parents who are considering purchasing a new laptop, we would like to introduce ” Recommended PCs for students ” carefully selected by the Wirecutter editorial department!
College life costs money, doesn’t it? Textbooks for tuition, rent for living alone, food expenses … Therefore, college students want to choose a reliable and reasonable notebook PC. There are many uses, such as taking notes during class, writing reports at 3 am, editing slides for seminar group projects, and more. It’s just “easy to say,” and finding the right laptop for college students can be more difficult than writing a 4,000-character report.
Wirecutter tests a number of laptops each year. In this guide, we have selected and summarized the recommended models for college students and high school students! As a selection criterion, we first emphasized the balance between performance as a PC and price. Then check battery life, size and weight, keyboard and trackpad, and full functionality. Introducing a well-balanced notebook PC that incorporates all elements and can be used perfectly for both remote lessons and classroom lectures.
In addition, we have carefully selected and posted models that are a little expensive and highly portable, as well as more reasonable models. The latter is also recommended for elementary and junior high school students who study remotely. However, cheaper models have shorter battery life, larger sizes, limited functions, and lower performance, and the life of the PC itself tends to be shorter.
Table of Contents
Excellent laptop with excellent balance. Yoga is the best laptop available at this price. It’s as good as an expensive ultrabook, but it’s lightweight and compact and has shorter battery life.
■ Recommended specifications
Processor Intel Core i5-1135G7
display 14 inch 1,920 x 1,080, with touch screen
weight 1,400g
storage 256GB SSD
memory 8GB
Battery life 13 hours
Recommended point: Speaking of low-priced ultrabooks, it is a model that even students can easily reach. It has more limited specs and additional features than the high-end Ultrabook, but it’s still relatively thin and light and has long battery life. Despite its drawbacks, it’s far superior in performance and quality compared to low-end laptops.
For high school and college students who want to buy a laptop and keep using it until graduation, Lenovo Yoga 7i is for you. Powerful and easy to carry, the keyboard and trackpad are sturdy and stable. Prices start at $ 899.99 on the Lenovo website. It also has a fingerprint authentication and USB-C type charger, which are often omitted in low-priced ultrabooks. The C-type charger is convenient because it can be shared with other devices.
Of course, there are higher-end models (such as the Dell XPS 13) that are more compact and have better battery and keyboard performance, but the price is higher than the Yoga 7i, so there may be little merit for students to use normally. ..
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Superlative ultrabook. The Dell XPS 13 is thin and light and has long battery life. It features an excellent keyboard, a reliable trackpad, and a spacious display.
■ Recommended specifications
Processor Intel Core i5-1135G7
display 13.4 inches 1,920 x 1,200
weight 1,197g
storage 256GB SSD
memory 8GB
Battery life 12.5 hours
Recommendation: If you can afford it, consider a full-fledged ultrabook. A high-quality keyboard, display, long-life battery, and plenty of power. It’s thin, light, and portable. It’s expensive, but it’s sturdy, long-lasting, and offers a better experience than low-end PCs. However, you may find that you lack the processing power when playing the latest games and for tasks such as video editing and 3D modeling.
The Dell XPS 13 (9310) is lightweight and compact. It has a battery that can be used all day, an excellent keyboard, and a trackpad. The performance is fast and the spacious display is ideal for web browsing and treatise writing. Equipped with two Thunderbolt 4 ports used for data transfer, connection with an external display, and charging of the main unit. I would like a USB-A port if possible, but it comes with a USB-C and USB-A conversion adapter, so it’s acceptable. If you want more ports, buy a USB-C hub or dock.
The best-balanced MacBook. The MacBook Air is equipped with a comfortable keyboard and boasts high performance and ample storage that is a bit different from the MacBook Air of the past.
■ Recommended specifications
Processor 8-core Apple M1 CPU
display 13.3 inch 2,560 x 1,600 with IPS technology
weight 1,290g
storage 256GB SSD
memory 8GB
Battery life 14.5 hours
Recommended points: MacBook is recommended for those who love macOS or who want technical support that sets them apart from other companies. Among them, the 13-inch model is the best considering the balance of size, weight, and speed. He is active in all academic fields such as document creation, research, basic video and image editing, and coding. Apple also has a discount service for students, so if you spend about 100,000 yen, you should get one with sufficient specifications and storage. Of course, you can use it until graduation.
MacBooks are generally more expensive than Windows Ultrabooks. You need to have a budget, especially if you’re upgrading memory or storage. Apple’s SSD upgrades can be quite expensive, so it’s probably better to consider cloud storage or an external SSD for your wallet. The latest MacBook has a new keyboard and more storage, making it easier to use than previous versions.
The 13-inch MacBook Air with Apple’s M1 processor is fast enough for web browsing, document creation, and simple image and video editing, and also supports specialized tasks such as 3D rendering and code editing. It also features a great keyboard and trackpad with a long-life battery that’s rechargeable all day long.
Like other Apple laptops, it has a small number of ports (two Thunderbolt 2 / USB-C ports), so you might want to have a USB-C hub or cable. Still, the lightweight design, rugged build, and industry-leading support are attractive. Especially for those who have an Apple device such as an iPhone, it is an excellent laptop.
The best Chromebook. Lenovo Flex 5 is a highly recommended Chromebook with a lightweight body that offers impeccable performance at a low price and a great keyboard and trackpad.
■ Recommended specifications
Processor Intel Core i3-10110U
display 13.3 inch 1,920 x 1,080 touch display
weight 1,347g
storage 64GB SSD
memory 4GB
Battery life 10 hours
Recommendations: Chromebooks are perfect for students who don’t need Windows or macOS-specific programs. A good Chromebook can do anything you can do on a regular laptop, such as writing documents, making video calls, and streaming videos. However, it is assumed that it will be via a web browser or Android application.
The appeal of Chromebooks is that they are reasonably priced. A $ 400 Chromebook is faster and lighter than a $ 500 Windows laptop, moves smoothly, and has longer battery life. Another advantage of Chromebooks is that they are safe and easy to maintain. You may not be able to connect well to your school printer, you may not be able to play Windows games, and you may not have access to Mac or Windows image/video/audio editing apps or specialized software such as MatLab.
If you like the Chromebook even considering the disadvantages mentioned above, please refer to the Chromebook guide article. Again, the recommended number one model is the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 (13 inches). Equipped with a keyboard and trackpad with excellent high-speed performance, a compact and lightweight body with a bright and bright touch screen of 1,080p. Besides, it is speedy in the Chromebook of this price range. The battery has enough capacity for daily work and lessons, but I feel a little uncomfortable, so if you want a little more room, please consider other recommended models.
Best Windows laptops under $ 500. The Acer Aspire 5 features the best screen for an inexpensive Windows laptop, a comfortable keyboard, and a reliable trackpad. Launching multiple apps at once will slow down the movement, but you can easily and inexpensively add memory.
■ Recommended specifications
Processor Intel Core i3-1005G1
display 15 inches 1,920 x 1,080
weight 1,900g
storage 128GB SSD
memory 4GB
Battery life 6.5 hours
Recommended point: It is a reliable notebook PC at a price that is easy to reach even for those who want a Windows laptop but cannot afford it. This model is more suitable for students who do not need multitasking and for younger students under junior high school. When it comes to “cheap and light PCs” in the same price range, the speed tends to be sacrificed, and conversely, if you stick to high speed, you have to compromise with other specifications. For a low-priced laptop with acceptable specs, the display is 15 inches, weighs around 2,500g, and has a shorter battery life than expensive ultrabooks. Even with the same processor and memory, SSD-equipped models are faster than cheaper HDD-type models.
The Aspire 5 features a 15-inch 1,920×1,080 IPS LCD panel with a comfortable and reliable keyboard and trackpad that looks great compared to other cheap Windows laptops. However, the 4 GB of memory limits the number of programs and browser tabs you can open at one time, and the battery doesn’t last a day (memory can be easily upgraded). As with many low-cost Windows laptops, it’s a good idea to use Microsoft’s Refresh Windows tools to remove unwanted preloaded apps.
Also, you can switch from the default Windows 10 S mode (a mode that specializes in reliable security and fast boot performance) to Windows 10 Home for free, so if you are interested, check this procedure Please try (Please note that once S mode is canceled, it cannot be restored). In the version of Windows 10, only apps from the Microsoft store are restricted, and the browser is Edge only.
With dozens or even hundreds of PC components, it’s actually hard to choose a really affordable laptop in a limited amount of time. Prices fluctuate constantly, and models are released or discontinued without notice. If you cannot get this recommended model, please try to find your favorite laptop based on the following specifications.
・ 8th or 10th generation Intel Core i5 processor (model name starts with “i5” and ends with “8xxx” and “10xxx”)
・ SSD
-Screen resolution 1,920 x 1,080 display (1,080p, full HD).
A recommended tablet that everyone will say “the best”. With a large screen, fast processor, Apple Pencil, and smart keyboard, the 8th generation iPad delivers all the features tablet users want.
Recommended point: iPad is a reliable tablet in the 30,000 yen range. Windows PCs and Chromebooks in the same price range tend to be dissatisfied with the usability because the display is unclear and the performance is not good. Of course, programming classes and image and video editing using Photoshop and Premiere can be done on a PC, but tasks such as web browsing, report writing, video viewing, drawing, and handwriting memo creation are fully supported by a reasonable iPad. Possible. It should be a practical and inexpensive laptop replacement.
There is also a sense of speed, and the App Store has a large collection of games (including productive apps). It’s lightweight, so it’s perfect for relaxing on your bed or sofa. Of course, please do your homework first.
The 10.2-inch Apple iPad (8th generation) isn’t as fast as the more expensive iPad Pro, but it’s responsive and comfortable to use, and the display is bright and colorful. It has a long battery life and is compatible with Apple Pencil, which is convenient for taking notes. In addition, the keyboard and mouse, which was one of the drawbacks of the iPad, has been greatly improved as a result of Apple’s efforts, and it can be stored in a special case and paired with the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse (or Apple’s Magic Trackpad). For example, it is as comfortable to use as a laptop. If you can afford it, we recommend upgrading from 32GB to 128GB version. You can secure space for apps and various files without relying on cloud storage.
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