Best back-to-school laptops: I review laptops for a living and these are the top 3

Finding the best back-to-school laptop for students can be taxing, to say the least. With so many different brands to choose between and different spec configurations to compare, it can quickly become overwhelming. Luckily, I’m here to make your back-to-school laptop search a little easier.

I’ve been reviewing laptops for years, so you could say I know my way around a laptop. At this point, I’ve scrutinized keyboard comfortability, personally run battery and performance tests, and compared specs vs. value for almost 20 different laptops.

In other words, I know my way around a laptop.

I chose these three laptops because they’re portable enough to slip into your backpack between classes and deliver enough battery life to last an entire 8-hour day — and then some. If you’re searching for a MacBook, a Snapdragon X Elite-powered machine, or a classic Intel-based Windows laptop, one of these laptops is bound to jump out at you as the perfect pick.

1. Microsoft Surface Laptop 7

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Pros: The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7’s shining feature for students is its battery life. In our 1080p video test to run down battery life, the Surface Laptop 7 lasted a staggering 22 hours and 50 minutes. That’s the longest battery life we’ve ever seen for a Windows laptop — and it’s largely thanks to the unit’s Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite CPU.

Under the balanced default power mode, the Surface Laptop 7 delivered a multi-core score of 11,875 on the Geekbench 6 performance test. Bumping it up to “best performance” power mode, that score jumped to 14,586, which is on par with what Qualcomm promised and certainly enough oomph for students.

Students will also be happy to know the Surface Laptop 7 is incredibly light, weighing in at just 2.96 pounds. And with slim dimensions of 11.85 x 8.67 x 0.69 inches, it fits nicely inside a backpack.

Cons: Unlike an Intel- or AMD-based Windows laptop, this Windows-on-ARM PC currently has compatibility issues with some apps, like Apple Music, and games, like Fortnite and Dirt 5. But for most students, these minor compatibility issues won’t be an issue. Many apps have native versions for Windows-on-ARM PCs, including Chrome, Zoom, Spotify, Photoshop, and Dropbox. And over the next few years, more apps will develop native versions to accommodate ARM chips.

Where to buy: Grab a Surface Laptop 7 via Amazon for 1,399.

2. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 9

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Pros: If you want to ensure compatibility with all your favorite Windows apps, you can’t go wrong with the Intel-based Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 9. 

For those with long commutes or packed days of classes, this laptop’s impressive battery life will be a strong selling point. When looping a 1080p video at 50% brightness, the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 lasted 14 hours and 21 minutes until turning off.

On top of solid performance and a lengthy battery life, the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 comes with a touch display with anti-glare, matte finish, a welcome feature when you’re spending a lot of time staring at a screen. With the laptop’s 2-in-1 functionality, you can flip it into tablet mode to finish your nightly reading from the comfort of your bed.

Cons: The ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 is a bit pricey, but for students, it’s worth it for that 14+ hour battery life. Plus, the laptop boasts a plethora of ports, a comfortably springy keyboard, and surprisingly great under-keyboard speakers.

Where to buy: Snag Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 9 via Amazon for 1,899.

3. Apple 15-inch M3 MacBook Air

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Pros: Apple’s 15-inch M3 MacBook Air is the obvious pick for students who want a MacBook. Whether you plan on vlogging, editing, and uploading your college experience, or you just love the sleek aesthetic MacBooks promise, this laptop offers the best bang for your buck.

You’ll get strong performance, thanks to Apple’s M3 chip. The 15-inch M3 MacBook Air earned a Geekbench 6 score of 12,057, and in practice, our reviewer said it provided “ample ‘oomph’ for creatives, professionals, and students who need robust performance that can handle their multifaceted workflows.”

The 15-inch M3 MacBook Air offers equally impressive battery life. On a single charge, the laptop lasted 10 hours and 52 minutes while looping a 1080p video. This laptop will last all day as your trusty note-taking companion in class, and still have juice leftover to study at a coffee shop before heading home.

In true MacBook fashion, this laptop excels at more than just performance and battery life. Almost every little feature meets or exceeds expectations, including the exquisite, clicky keyboard, an angelic six-speaker sound system, and a bright, crisp 15.3-inch, 2880 x 1864-pixel display.

Cons: There’s really only one reason not to buy the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air: lack of ports. If you’re looking for USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a SD card slot, or anything other than two USB-C ports and an audio jack, you won’t find it in this MacBook Air. That said, you can connect displays with the USB-C (Thunderbolt 3) ports and many peripherals connect via Bluetooth, so lack of port variety won’t be a dealbreaker for many students.

Where to buy: You can pick up a 15-inch M3 MacBook Air via Apple, starting at $1,299 for the base model.