The 7 Best Dell Laptops for Students in 2024

• Buy the

  for the best all-round Dell laptop experience.

• Buy the

  if you just want a basic Dell laptop.

• Buy the

  for a large 2-in-1 experience.

• Buy the

  for content creation.

• Buy the

  for the best screen quality.

• Buy the

  for light gaming.

• Buy the

  if you plan on gaming as well as studying.

Best overall Dell laptop for students

Best budget Dell laptop

If you’re on a tight budget, the Dell Inspiron 15 will still give you good quality without breaking the bank. While its hardware isn’t the fastest, it’s encased in a well-thought-out lineup. That includes enjoying roomy keycaps and a spacious touchpad so it feels good to type up your reports on.

Its low price doesn’t mean you miss out on extras like a built-in HD webcam and you also gain tiny rubber feet and bumpers on the hinge to keep it stable on any surface. The Dell Inspiron 15 is the laptop for those keeping costs down but it’s an ideal entry point for students who don’t plan on spending any more time around their laptop than they need to.

Best large 2-in-1 laptop

If you can’t decide between buying a tablet or a laptop, you can enjoy the best of both worlds with the Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1. Due to its 360-degree hinge and 16-inch touchscreen, you can easily move it around to use as a tablet before switching back to laptop mode.

It’s also pretty speedy for all your important tasks like typing up notes, writing reports, or conducting research. Fantastic battery life of up to 19 hours makes this a great deal for anyone prone to forgetting to charge their devices, while there’s Dolby Atmos spatial audio for taking in your shows or favorite music.

Best for content creation

Best OLED Dell laptop for students

Best budget gaming laptop for students

Just because you’re studying doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. Sometimes, you might want to play some games so the Dell G15 gaming laptop is a great way of doing that while also having all the benefits of a laptop for school. While its graphics card is a little older than others, it’s still fine for the vast majority of games without a hitch.

The laptop has a stylish aesthetic to it that will appeal to gamers and those looking to be more subtle. It also has a one-zone RGB keyboard which can be managed through the Alienware Command Center, while a Game Shift macro button boosts your performance as needed. It’s ideal for gamers keeping costs lower.

Best premium gaming laptop for students

If you’re an avid gamer but trying to keep vaguely to a student budget, the Alienware m18 gaming laptop could be just about affordable depending on your needs. Crucially, while it isn’t exactly portable, its huge 18-inch screen means it’s perfect for keeping in your dorm as an entertainment setup.

It’s rare to see laptops with displays this large which is what makes it so enticing. It also has an advanced cooling system while Dolby Vision support is useful for better quality viewing. You can even overclock your hardware via the Alienware Command Center.

Picking a Dell laptop to take to school with you can feel overwhelming. With so many options to choose from, where do you begin? We considered a few elements that were most important so we’ve listed our criteria below to help guide you to the best purchase.

What’s your budget?

Everything comes down to how much you can afford. In an ideal world, we’d all spend thousands on a new laptop but in reality, few of us can do that. Instead, it’s important to consider if your budget is $500, $750 or much more. Plan accordingly and expect to temper some expectations depending on your budget.

Think about how you plan on using it

Some students just need to be able to type up reports sometimes. Others may wish to play games or at least watch shows on a great screen. Think about where your priorities lie so you can focus on these. There’s no point paying extra for features that you have no plans on using, such as a powerful GPU when you don’t game.

Do you need to be portable?

All these laptops are portable in terms of battery life but you do need to think about how light they are. If you’re carrying your laptop all day long, a huge system with an 18-inch screen isn’t exactly practical. Alternatively, if it’s sitting in your dorm all day, you don’t have to worry about going small.

This article is managed and created separately from the Digital Trends Editorial team.

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