Choosing the perfect laptop as a student can be a daunting task. Whether you’re juggling coursework, creative projects, or just looking to unwind with some entertainment, your laptop needs to offer a balance of performance, portability, and value. In October 2024, the market offers a variety of laptops, each suited for different student needs. Here’s our curated list of the best laptops for students available this month:
The MSI Modern 14 is an exceptional blend of portability and performance, designed to cater to the needs of professionals and students alike. Weighing just 1.4kg, this laptop is feather-light, making it perfect for those constantly on the move. Despite its slim and compact form factor, it is equipped with the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), which offers significant power for everyday tasks. The Ryzen 5 7530U features 6 cores and 12 threads, allowing for seamless multitasking across various applications, from basic productivity tools like MS Office to more demanding software like Canva or video streaming platforms like Amazon Prime.
The laptop boasts a 14-inch Full HD display with a 1920×1080 resolution, which delivers clear and sharp visuals, ideal for presentations, media consumption, and light creative work. The display’s 60Hz refresh rate may not be as high as gaming-focused laptops, but it’s more than sufficient for typical daily tasks. What sets the MSI Modern 14 apart is its performance efficiency. The processor can clock up to 4.5GHz, ensuring that even more intensive applications run smoothly, making this device a productivity powerhouse in its weight class. Paired with 16GB of DDR4 RAM, users can expect smooth, lag-free performance across multiple programs.
The 512GB SSD storage provides ample room for documents, media, and software, and significantly improves load times for applications and boot-up speed. However, the integrated graphics may limit the laptop’s potential for heavier tasks like 3D rendering or modern gaming at higher settings. The build quality, while sleek, doesn’t scream luxury, but it remains durable enough for daily use.
In terms of battery life, the MSI Modern 14 offers decent longevity, lasting around 6-7 hours on moderate use, which is sufficient for a full day of work or study without needing to stay tethered to a power outlet.
USP: The MSI Modern 14 excels in providing a balance of performance and portability, making it an ideal laptop for professionals, students, and digital nomads who require a lightweight yet powerful machine for on-the-go productivity.
Verdict: Overall, the MSI Modern 14 is an excellent choice for anyone needing a lightweight laptop that doesn’t compromise on performance. While it may not be ideal for intensive gaming or graphics-heavy applications, it shines in everyday productivity tasks, offering smooth performance in a highly portable package.
The ASUS Vivobook Go 15 is all about offering superior visual experiences at a reasonable price. What truly sets this laptop apart is its stunning OLED display, a feature typically found on more premium laptops. The 15.6-inch Full HD OLED display offers exceptional brightness, vibrant colors, and deep blacks that significantly outshine traditional IPS LCD screens. This makes the laptop ideal for creative professionals such as photographers, graphic designers, and video editors, who will benefit from the accurate color reproduction. Moreover, even for general users, the vivid display elevates the experience of watching movies, browsing photos, or simply working on everyday tasks.
Powering the Vivobook Go 15 is the AMD Ryzen 3 7320U processor, a competent chip that can handle light to moderate tasks such as document editing, web browsing, and streaming with ease. While it’s not the most powerful processor on this list, it is well-suited for users who prioritize display quality over raw computing power. The processor is supported by 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM, which is more than adequate for typical usage, though power users who frequently run many applications simultaneously might find the RAM limiting. A 512GB SSD ensures fast boot times and quick access to files and applications.
The laptop also includes a variety of connectivity options, including USB-C, which makes it future-proof to a certain extent. However, as with most OLED screens, there are some drawbacks. OLED displays, while offering unparalleled visual quality, can be prone to burn-in, where static images left on the screen for extended periods might leave a permanent mark. Additionally, the OLED panel adds a premium to the price, making the Vivobook Go 15 slightly more expensive than other laptops with similar internal specifications.
USP: The ASUS Vivobook Go 15 OLED is the perfect laptop for creative professionals or anyone who prioritizes visual quality. Its stunning OLED screen offers colors and contrast unmatched by traditional LCD displays.
Verdict: If your primary focus is on display quality, the ASUS Vivobook Go 15 OLED is an excellent choice. While it may not pack the processing power of more expensive laptops, its visual experience is top-notch, making it great for content creators or anyone who values an exceptional display for media consumption.
The Infinix INBook X2 Plus presents itself as a strong contender in the under Rs 50,000 price bracket, offering a balance of power and versatility. At the heart of this laptop is the Intel Core i7-1195G7 processor, a high-performance chip that can tackle a wide range of tasks, from basic web browsing to more intensive applications like video editing or even light gaming. The processor, coupled with 16GB of DDR4 RAM, ensures that multitasking is smooth and efficient, whether you’re switching between applications or working on multiple projects simultaneously.
The 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display provides clear visuals, though it doesn’t offer the same punch as an OLED panel. However, for users looking for a more affordable option that still offers a large screen for productivity, the INBook X2 Plus does the job admirably. It’s equipped with a 512GB PCIe Gen 3 SSD, providing fast data access and ample storage for files, videos, and other media.
Where the Infinix INBook X2 Plus shines is its I/O versatility. The laptop supports charging via a 65W USB-C charger, meaning you can use the same charger for your phone and laptop, which is incredibly convenient for travelers. Moreover, the range of ports, including USB-A, HDMI, and a microSD card slot, ensures that you have plenty of connectivity options, whether you’re giving a presentation, connecting external drives, or working with peripherals.
USP: The Infinix INBook X2 Plus is ideal for users who require strong performance, a larger display, and versatile connectivity options, all within a budget-friendly package.
Verdict: For its price, the Infinix INBook X2 Plus offers excellent performance, especially with its Intel Core i7 processor and ample 16GB of RAM. While it may not be the most portable laptop on this list, it is a solid choice for users who need a high-performing device for demanding tasks, whether for work or entertainment.
The ASUS Vivobook Flip 14 stands out as a versatile 2-in-1 laptop, offering the flexibility of a traditional laptop and the convenience of a tablet in one device. Powered by an Intel 11th Gen Core i3-1115G4 processor, the Flip 14 handles basic computing tasks like browsing, document editing, and media consumption with ease. While the processor is a dual-core chip, its hyper-threading capabilities (up to 4 threads) allow it to manage moderate multitasking, though it may struggle with more demanding software like video editing tools or modern games.
The 14-inch Full HD touchscreen display is responsive and vibrant, making it a pleasure to use in tablet mode. The 360-degree hinge allows you to flip the screen fully around, transforming the laptop into a tablet or propping it up in tent mode for easier media viewing or presentations. This flexibility makes it a great choice for users who need a device that can adapt to various usage scenarios, whether that’s taking notes, drawing with a stylus, or giving presentations.
The Vivobook Flip 14 also impresses with its build quality. The hinge has been tested to withstand over 20,000 rotations, ensuring long-term durability, an important consideration for a convertible laptop. Battery life is decent, offering up to 8 hours of use on a single charge, making it suitable for a full day of work or study without needing to recharge frequently. However, with only 8GB of RAM, heavy multitaskers might find it limiting, especially if they’re running multiple apps at once.
USP: The ASUS Vivobook Flip 14 is a versatile 2-in-1 device, perfect for students and professionals who need flexibility in their computing experience, from note-taking to presentations.
Verdict: The Vivobook Flip 14 is an ideal choice for those who value flexibility and portability. While its processor and RAM may limit its capabilities for high-end applications, it excels as a daily driver for students, professionals, or anyone who needs a convertible laptop for light productivity and entertainment.
If you’re a student on a tight budget but don’t want to compromise too much on performance, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is a solid contender. This laptop is powered by the Intel 11th Gen Core i3-1115G4 processor, which, while not as powerful as some of the more expensive options, is more than capable of handling basic tasks such as word processing, web browsing, and even light content creation. It comes with 8GB of DDR4 RAM, which is expandable to 12GB, offering some flexibility for future upgrades.
The 14-inch Full HD display offers crisp visuals and is perfect for everyday tasks like watching videos, browsing the web, or working on documents. Though the display is not as vibrant as some of the OLED or high-end IPS panels on other laptops, it performs well for its price range. The IdeaPad Slim 3 also includes a 256GB SSD, providing quick boot times and fast access to files, though the storage capacity may feel limiting if you frequently work with large files like videos or high-resolution images.
One of the key advantages of the IdeaPad Slim 3 is its battery life. Lenovo claims that the laptop can last up to 10 hours on a single charge, which makes it a great companion for long study sessions or workdays without needing to constantly look for a power outlet. It also includes a quick charge feature that gives you up to 2 hours of usage from just a 15-minute charge. The laptop’s build quality is decent, though the plastic construction feels less premium than higher-end models. However, for students or budget-conscious buyers, the design is functional and lightweight enough for daily commuting.
USP: The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 offers an excellent balance between price and performance, making it a top choice for students who need a reliable, budget-friendly laptop for everyday tasks.
Verdict: The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is a great option for students or anyone looking for a budget-friendly laptop that still offers reliable performance. While it lacks some of the more advanced features of higher-end models, it’s perfect for everyday tasks like browsing, streaming, and document editing, with the added benefit of good battery life.
For students who need a laptop that can handle more graphically intensive tasks, such as gaming or video editing, the Acer Aspire 7 is an excellent choice. Powered by Intel’s 12th Gen Core i5-12450H processor, this laptop delivers exceptional performance for both productivity tasks and gaming. The H-series processors are built for high performance, meaning this laptop can handle more demanding applications than your typical U-series processor found in most ultrabooks. Whether you’re editing videos, designing graphics, or playing the latest AAA games, the Aspire 7 has the power to keep up.
What really makes the Aspire 7 stand out, however, is its dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 graphics card. This makes it one of the few laptops in this price range that can handle graphically demanding applications and games with ease. Whether you’re working on 3D rendering, running design software, or playing the latest games, the Aspire 7’s RTX 2050 provides a substantial boost over integrated graphics.
The laptop features a 15.6-inch Full HD display, which delivers sharp visuals, though its color accuracy and brightness could be better. For gamers or content creators, the display performs well enough, but it’s not the best for color-sensitive work. In terms of storage, the 512GB SSD ensures that you’ll have plenty of space for games, videos, or work files, and its fast read/write speeds help reduce load times.
USP: The Acer Aspire 7 is a budget-friendly gaming laptop that offers excellent performance for both work and play, thanks to its powerful processor and dedicated graphics card.
Verdict: If you’re a student who needs a laptop capable of handling more graphically intensive tasks, such as video editing or gaming, the Acer Aspire 7 is an excellent option. Its powerful hardware makes it one of the best laptops in its price range for gaming and creative work.
Choosing the right laptop as a student in October 2024 depends heavily on your specific needs, preferences, and budget. If you’re seeking a lightweight, portable powerhouse, the MSI Modern 14 is an excellent option. For those who prioritize display quality, the ASUS Vivobook Go 15 OLED delivers stunning visuals. Meanwhile, the Infinix INBook X2 Plus is perfect for multitasking on a budget, while the ASUS Vivobook Flip 14 is ideal for students who need flexibility with a 2-in-1 design. If you’re budget-conscious, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 offers reliable performance at a very affordable price. Lastly, the Acer Aspire 7 is a fantastic choice for students looking for a laptop that can handle gaming or graphics-intensive tasks.
No matter your academic focus or personal needs, these laptops each offer a unique set of features that cater to different types of students. Whether you prioritize performance, display quality, portability, or value, there is a laptop on this list that will meet your needs in 2024.
