The top 7 devices for university and school

Apple decided to boost its 13-inch student-friendly laptop and introduced the MacBook Air 15-inch (2023). Little changes from the smaller model other than an, expectedly, larger frame, larger display and a slightly higher price. Though, you do get a boosted speaker setup too.

We were already big fans of the MacBook Air, with the 13-inch model getting a 4.5-star review. The 15-inch version brings that same excellence along for the ride. What you get is a wondrously powerful productivity and student-friendly machine that, with its fanless design, is ideal for using in almost any workspace.

The 15-inch display gives this laptop a key edge over the 13-inch version when it comes to multitasking, a key component of any student’s workflow when it comes to referring to notes while you write an essay, or sneakily catching up on your favourite show alongside creating that all important presentation. The larger display just makes this a whole lot easier.

Along with its productivity capabilities, the M2 chip supports basic editing and the crisp 15.3-inch 2880 x 1864 LCD is great for watching video too. Media consumption is enhanced by even better speakers in the new 15-inch version, sporting a six-speaker system, up from four on the smaller model. MacBook laptop speakers are already some of the best on the market and the 15-inch Air provides surprisingly good bass for such a thin device, as well as clear vocals.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (2023) review

If you need a laptop for school or university, there’s a good chance you’ll be on a tight budget and can’t justify spending over a grand. If that’s the case, we recommend checking out Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Go 2.

This is one of the most affordable Windows laptops on the market, and yet still offers excellent build quality and is portable enough for frequent trips to the library.

Its processor is slightly out of date compared to more expensive laptops, but our tests proved it’s still perfectly speedy enough for day-to-day tasks such as web browsing, opening emails and hammering out essays. We’d only advise opting for a more powerful option if you need a laptop for gaming or content creation.

Our only major concern with this laptop is the poor screen resolution. At just 1536×1024, we found that video doesn’t look as sharp as it does on a more conventional 1080p laptop display. That dinky 12-inch screen isn’t ideal for video streaming either, proving problematic if you want to view multiple web browsers and apps simultaneously.

But if you don’t need a laptop for video streaming, or simply don’t care about crystal clear picture quality, then the Surface Laptop Go 2 remains one of the best student laptop options for your studies.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review

Students shouldn’t feel pressured into spending this much on a laptop, but the MacBook Air M2 (2022) is a great pick for those who can afford it and want a reliable machine that can tackle tasks tougher than simple browsing and word processing.

The M2 chipset at the heart of this machine not only chews through everyday tasks, but it’s more than fast enough for photo editing, 4K video editing and even some gaming. During the review process, our reviewer spent (far) too long playing Football Manager 2022 – for testing purposes, of course.

If your day mainly consists of typing, then the MacBook Air M2 (2022) is one of the best machines on this list. Our reviewer found the keyboard a joy with just enough travel and big function keys. Below the keyboard sits a huge trackpad that’s very responsive, and while this particular MacBook doesn’t feature a Touch Bar, it offers simple function keys in its place like pre-2016 MacBooks.

Battery Life is strong enough to make it through a full day of work. During our testing, the M2 MacBook Air lasted for 14 hours in a video loop test (two hours longer than the previous model). In addition,  the display is great for bouts of Netflix after class, and while it isn’t Mini LED like with the new MacBook Pro, the 13.6-inch IPS LCD panel here is still more than serviceable for work as much as it is for play.

If you don’t need the extra graphics firepower that the latest Air offers, it’s also worth checking out the more affordable MacBook Air M1 laptop. It may be a couple of years older, but it still provides a stellar productivity performance.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) review

The Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 is an evolution of the ChromeOS formula. Not only does it represent a device that students can be safe in the knowledge that will help them get their essays written, but it now wields added creative chops and specs too.

Chromebook Plus launched last month as Google’s new initiative for products using its ChromeOS. The standard requires a minimum specs and Asus was quickly on the bandwagon. The Chromebook Plus CX34 we tested simply met that minimum spec, nothing more and nothing less. That means 8GB RAM and an Intel Core i3 processor. The latter part of that may scare you but, with the 8GB RAM and lightweight ChromeOS, the CX34 performed in a breezy fashion. This is a great device for essay writing, web browsing and media consumption.

But, the creative capabilities that a Chromebook Plus device brings with it means that this Asus is capable of running Adobe Photoshop for the web and wielding the power of Google’s Magic Eraser to swiftly tidy up your photos.

Outside of the performance and software, the Chromebook Plus CX34 helps with essays by having a keyboard that’s a joy to type on while helping you get easily connected to whatever peripherals you need for your course, due to the pleasing range of ports. Battery life won’t hold you back either, with this device managing over one day’s work.

Reviewer: Reece Bithrey
Full review: Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 review

Few powerhouse laptops can stand toe-to-toe with the 16-inch MacBook Pro in all areas, but the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 is that device. It’s an all-rounder that shines as a high-end creative device but can comfortably reside in the gaming arena too.

The raw power of this laptop is provided by an Intel Core i9-13905H chip and an RTX 4070 GPU alongside 64GB RAM. That’s a mammoth trio which will comfortably deal with intensive 4K editing workloads. It provides the colour accuracy you’ll need as well, with a Mini LED panel that scored highly in our colour gamut coverage benchmarking. The rest of the display specifications come in at 16 inches, 3.2K resolution and 165Hz refresh rate. All of that adds up to a screen that offers plenty of real estate, bags of detail and a smooth speed that’ll serve you well for gaming. You won’t have to worry about using this device in awkward lighting either, with up to 594nits SDR brightness and 1048nits HDR.

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i keeps pace with its Apple rival in an area in which many don’t, and that’s with its speakers. Many typically fall foul but the Lenovo provides a six-speaker system that gets immensely loud while offering up broad, crisp and balanced sound.

In terms of design, the Yoga Pro 9i is a bit of a looker too. It feels high-quality with an all-aluminium unibody that is just 18.2mm thin. It is ever so slightly heavier than the MacBook Pro 16-inch, at 2.23kg, but remains thinner. Despite its thinness, creatives will be pleased by the range of ports Lenovo has managed to squeeze in, including a Thunderbolt 4, two USB-A, HDMI 1.4, a headphone jack and an SD card slot.

Reviewer: Alun Taylor
Full review: Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 review

Need something for studying with graphical prowess, whether it’s for editing, gaming or otherwise, but don’t want to sacrifice portability? Enter the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022).

The G14 is a remarkable laptop that manages to pack a whole of power into a portable chassis, something only the likes of the MacBook Pro 14-inch carry off as well. But, as a Windows laptop, it gives you access to a world of gaming. The range of games available to you is backed up by impressive power, with the ability to offer you high-quality AAA gaming, depending on your configuration of choice.

If the idea of taking a gaming laptop to school or university gives you pause for thought, because many are typically not the best-looking pieces of hardware, don’t worry with the ROG Zephyrus G14. Asus has created a device that has a smidge of gaming vibes but its angular shape and unique lid design is a look that everyone can appreciate. However, some models do offer a lid that lights up, which may or may not be to your liking.

Another reasonable concern for students looking at a more powerful laptop is battery life. Well, the G14 does a surprisingly good job despite its powerhouse performance. Of course, when you’re pushing this machine with intensive gaming, you’re not going to get much longevity – at around an hour. But, when being used for typical productivity-flavoured student activities, you can expect more than 6 hours. Just enough for a full day of studying.

Reviewer: Gemma Ryles
Full review: Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) review

Few laptops can rival the 13-inch MacBook Air on build quality and stunning portability but the Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED (2022) does just that. This AMD-powered machine is impressively lightweight at under 1kg and measures just 14.9mm. This is a laptop that feels completely natural to carry under one arm and go about your day as if it was a mere textbook.

AMD’s Ryzen 7 6800U may require a fan to regulate its performance, unlike Apple’s M2 chip, but the results to what the Apple Silicon component can offer. This chip absolutely eats up intensive productivity workloads, feel free to go wild with tabs on this device. But, surprisingly, the Ryzen chip manages consistent low-end gaming and creativity performance too – nice to have if you’ve got some light video editing to do or fancy a quick game of Rocket League.

The impressively portable design gets a dose of luxury too, with a vibrant OLED panel included on the Zenbook S 13 OLED. It’s got a productivity-friendly 16:10 aspect ratio and a resolution of 2880 x 1800. The OLED tech means getting vivid colour and truly deep blacks. It’s glorious.

Despite the powerful chip and luxurious display, battery life holds up. We managed a remarkable 13 hours on a single charge with this device – students who are particularly frugal with their battery spending could see this stretch to two days’ worth of lectures.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED (2022) review