Whether you’re entering a new school or just starting a new semester, a reliable laptop is one of the most important companions you can have. In this buying guide, we’ll go over some of the things you should consider before making your decision, with some purchase recommendations from us.
Best laptop for students: Shopping consideration list
Apple MacBook Air M4 13-inch.
Before you actually start looking around and shortlisting laptops, here are some things that you should consider.
- Size & weight: Display sizes for laptops generally range from 13 to 16 inches. As a rule of thumb, the larger the display, the more you can see and the higher the price. A 13 or 14-inch laptop generally strikes a good balance between usability and portability since these will be lightweight. If you’re working on creative stuff like photo or video editing, however, the extra screen real estate from the 16-inch display might be worth the extra weight and price.
- Form factor: Traditional clamshell laptops tend to be the slimmest and lightest, but they don't offer as much versatility as 2-in-1 or detachable-style laptops which can often work like large tablets. These often come with styluses that can be useful for taking notes during classes. Also, their ability to act as tablets can be useful for reading notes or watching videos.
Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus processor. Photo: Qualcomm.
- Specs: It can be hard to figure out the difference between different processors, RAM, storage and other technical specifications, but fret not, that’s why we are here. Keeping it simply, there are a few processor options from Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and Apple. Each have their own advantages, and we’ll speak a little more about it under each recommendation below.
RAM and storage requirements are dependent on your needs, but we recommend a minimum of 16GB to keep applications running smoothly and to give yourself some headroom for the future. If you run lots of apps simultaneously, edit videos, or are involved in intensive tasks like 3D modelling or coding, you should consider getting more memory. As for storage, 512GB is generally sufficient for most users, and it might even make more sense to consider cloud storage or an external drive instead of paying for a storage upgrade.
- Ports & connectivity: You’ll want to pay attention to how many ports a laptop has, and more importantly, what type of ports they are. Are they USB-C and do they support the latest Thunderbolt standard? Do you need a USB-A port to work with older peripherals? And if you’re planning to use your laptop with an older external monitor, you might want a dedicated HDMI port. When it comes to wireless connectivity, look out for laptops that support the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard (read our Wi-Fi 7 guide here).
Mac computers only run MacOS. Photo: HWZ.
OS choices: There are just three options here. You can pick either a Windows laptop, a Chromebook laptop, or a laptop from Apple that runs MacOS. Each of these operating systems have their own advantages, but you’ll want to find out what sort of applications you’ll need to use for your course. Some applications require Windows so a Chromebook or MacBook is out of the question.
Other use cases: If you’re a gamer, you might also want to use your laptop to play games in your free time. This will affect your choices slightly, since you’ll want to get a laptop that ideally has a discrete GPU instead of relying on the integrated graphics from the CPU. Additionally, it will also affect your choice of laptop since some games might not be playable on Chromebooks or MacBooks.
Best laptop for students: Some options to consider
Apple MacBook Pro M4 14-inch
S$2,049 (Education pricing)
Apple MacBook Pro M4 in 14-inch and 16-inch. Photo: Apple.
The MacBook Pro is Apple’s most powerful laptop, and it’s even more capable thanks to the new M4 chip inside (read our review here). For most people, the top-of-the-line model won't be required unless you’re a creative professional who can really take advantage of it. The 14-inch model comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and the Liquid Retina XDR screen displays content beautifully. It also comes with a built-in SD card reader, which is handy for photo and video projects.
Apple is running a back-to-school sale until 30 September, so you’ll be able to snag a nice discount on this laptop in addition to getting either free AirPods or accessories. Read our review of the MacBook Pro M4
Apple MacBook Air M4 13-inch
S$1,349 (Education pricing)
Apple MacBook Air in 13-inch and 15-inch. Photo: Apple.
If you don’t need all the processing power of the MacBook Pro, the 13-inch MacBook Air M4 (review here) is an excellent lightweight option that weighs just 1.24kg. You’ll be able to get the model with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for S$1,499 thanks to the education savings. Battery life is tremendous, so it'll last a day of school with little issues. Read our review of the MacBook Air M4
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Snapdragon X
$1,007.01 $1,301.01 22% off
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Snapdragon X. Photo: Lenovo.
Looking to spend around S$1,000? Well, the 14-inch Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Snapdragon X is a great choice with 16GB of fast LPDDR5X RAM, 512GB of storage, and the Snapdragon X Plus processor. It has a bunch of ports, from USB-C to USB-A, an HDMI port, and even a card reader. The laptop also supports Wi-Fi 7 so you’ll be able to take advantage of faster Wi-Fi speeds if there’s a Wi-Fi 7 router around.
Acer Swift Go 14 AI Copilot+ PC Laptop
$1,099 $1,449 24% off
Acer Swift Go 14 AI Copilot+ PC Laptop. Photo: Acer.
This Acer laptop might be slightly more expensive than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x, but it also comes with some upgrades. The 14-inch display has a faster 120Hz refresh rate, and it has a larger 65Wh battery. This should mean better visuals and a longer battery life. Aside from that, it also comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, as well as the Snapdragon X Plus processor.
LG gram 14-Inch Lightweight Laptop
LG gram 14-Inch Lightweight Laptop. Photo: LG.
If weight is a big concern for you, the LG gram series has always been one of the best options for lightweight laptops. This particular model comes in a 14-inch size with the latest Intel Core Ultra 5 225H processor, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and 512GB of storage. It's also one of the lightest laptops available at just 1.12kg.
Acer Chromebook Plus 514 Touch Screen
$898.00 $1,098.00 18% off
Acer Chromebook Plus 514. Photo: Acer.
Chromebook laptops are an excellent choice if you don’t have to use any specialised apps. If you mainly rely on Google's suite of apps and other web apps, you can get away with the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 Touch Screen. It's under S$1,000, yet it comes with a touch screen and it’s rocking a relatively new Intel Core 5 120U processor along with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
HP Envy x360 14 inch 2-in-1 Laptop PC
$1,499.00 $1,699.00 11% off
HP Envy x360 14 inch 2-in-1 Laptop PC. Photo: HP.
This HP Envy x360 14-inch 2-in-1 laptop offers great value since it’s currently on sale. For S$1,499, you not only get the laptop and the Rechargeable MPP2.0 Tilt Pen, you also get a free backpack, a wireless mouse and a 12-month Microsoft 365 Personal subscription. The HP Envy x360 can be used like a tablet, folding the keyboard back to leave just the touchscreen available for taking notes or watching videos.
More than that, it’s also one of the more powerful Windows options on this list, with the Intel Core Ultra 7 155U processor, 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. It’s also supports the newer Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 wireless standards.
ASUS Strix G16 G614 (2024)
$1,999.00 $2,399.00 17% off
ASUS ROG Strix G16 G614. Photo: ASUS.
If you need your laptop to pull double duty as a gaming device, the ASUS Strix G16 might be a good choice. Even though it uses an older Intel Core i7-13650HX processor, it still has a discrete NVIDIA RTX 4050 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage to store your games. The 16-inch display also provides enough screen real estate for gaming and schoolwork.
Editor's note and disclaimer: The deals are not an endorsement or recommendation of the product from the editorial team. Instead, the listed items present themselves as a good deal based on the novelty factor and how much of a discount it is being offered from standard retail pricing at the time of publishing. Please note that we are not responsible in any way if you're unable to secure the listed offer due to errors on our part or should the offers expire by the time you've checked them.
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