5 Best Laptops for College in 2020

It’s back to school season, which means college students are looking for the best laptop for college. Well, you’re in luck cause we have the 5 best laptops for college students in 2020 here for you.

No need to waste your summer days researching and stressing out trying to figure out which laptop is the best for you. Our simple guide will highlight the pros and cons of each laptop listed to make it easy to pick the perfect laptop for you.

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1. Apple MacBook Air (2020) - Best All-Around Laptop

Who is this laptop for?

The college student who prefers macOS, owns other Apple products, and stays on campus 5 hours or more.

Pros/Cons

The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a couple of upgrades from the previous models that make it better than ever. With upgrades like the Magic Keyboard, 10th Gen Y-series processors, and double the base storage size, the MacBook Air (2020) makes it the best laptop from the MacBook line to date for college students.

Overall, the MacBook Air (2020) is the best all-around laptop for college that is lightweight, easy to use, has a long battery life and is budget friendly for an Apple product.

Tip: Currently, Apple is offering college students a free pair of 2nd-gen AirPods with a purchase of a MacBook Air starting at $899 instead of $999. Save $100 and get a free pair of AirPods from the Apple Education store.

Best Accessories for MacBook Air (2020)

2. Dell XPS 13 (2020) - Best Performance Laptop (Windows)

Who is this laptop for?

The college student who is looking for a powerful Windows laptop where you can watch an episode of Community on Netflix while studying with 20 tabs open on Google Chrome.

Pros/Cons

The Dell XPS 13 (2020) is the best premium windows laptop for college students in 2020. With huge upgrades from the previous model, this laptop is powerhouse that is ready for work and play.

The biggest improvement in the laptop for me is the subtle upgrades. In the 2020 model, you can now open the laptop with one hand. As a college student juggling multiple items, this is a huge improvement that may go unnoticed.

If you have no budget, I highly recommend the Dell XPS 13 (2020) as this laptop is the total package with the bells and whistles for any college student in 2020.

Best Accessories for Dell XPS 13 (2020)

3. Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020) - Best Performance Laptop (macOS)

Who is this laptop for?

The college student who prefers macOS, but wants a laptop with more performance than the MacBook Air 2020.

Pros/Cons

The Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020) has undergone some subtle improvements that was much needed in 2020. Apple has finally removed the Butterfly keyboard and replaced it with the Magic keyboard. In addition, Apple has doubled the maximum storage and ram.

Despite a huge upgrade from the previous model, Apple has listened to customer concerns with their previous models and made those subtle changes that makes the MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020) an amazing choice for any college student who is looking for total package laptop that is running macOS.

Tip: Currently, Apple is offering college students a free pair of 2nd-gen AirPods with a purchase of a MacBook Pro starting at $1199 instead of $1299. Save $100 and get a free pair of AirPods from the Apple Education store.

Best Accessories for MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020)

4. HP Envy x360 13 (2020) - Best 2-in-1 Laptop

Who is this laptop for?

The college student who is looking for a budget friendly laptop that is under $1000, but still is one of the top laptops on the market.

Pros/Cons

College is expensive and for most of us, we cannot afford to drop $1000 or more on a laptop. Well, this is where the HP Envy x360 (2020) comes in.

With the AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, this makes the HP Envy x360 13 (2020) the best price to performance laptop on the market. Despite not having a Thunderbolt 3 port, it comes with an assortment of ports that may be more beneficial for college with two USB 3.1 Type-A ports, a microSD card slot, a power connector, and a USB Type-C port.

The HP Envy x360 13 (2020) is the best 2-in-1 laptop that will satisfy your needs of performance and battery life while keeping your wallet happy.

Best Accessories for HP Envy x360 13 (2020)

5. Microsoft Surface Go 2 - Best Laptop under $500

Who is this laptop for?

The college student who is on a tight budget and only has around $500 to spend, but would still like a reliable laptop.

Pros/Cons

The Microsoft Surface Go 2 is a great 2-in-1 laptop and tablet for under $500. A great budget laptop that can handle the most basic productivity tasks for college while being a great media tablet to watch Netflix.

The biggest feature of the Microsoft Surface Go 2 is the webcam. With the transition of online learning, you will need a reliable webcam to get you classes via Zoom.

Keep in mind that the Microsoft Surface Go 2 does not come with a keyboard, so you will have to purchase the Surface Go Signature Type Cover separately if you want to use it as a laptop. Despite the additional $100 for the keyboard, the Microsoft Surface Go 2 with the Surface Go Signature Type Cover is still a great budget option starting at $500 for the base model.