A laptop is an essential tool for college students as it can help them with their homework, studies, and other activities. In this post, we are going to take a look at some of the best affordable laptops for students. It is always a good idea to get a budget laptop if all you’re going to do is write essays and do research.
There are plenty of affordable laptops available from big brands such as Lenovo, HP, ASUS, Dell, and others. I’ve compiled a list of the ten best affordable student laptops that you should check out if you’re planning on buying one.
- Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop
- Lenovo IdeaPad 330s Laptop
- Dell Inspiron i3583 Touch-Screen Laptop
- HP 14″ Laptop Ash Silver Keyboard Frame
- ASUS Vivobook 15 Thin and Light Laptop
- Lenovo Flex 14 2-in-1 Convertible Laptop
- Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6″ HD High Performance Laptop
- Dell Inspiron 5000 14″ FHD Laptop
- Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R5ED Gaming Laptop
- Lenovo ThinkPad T470 Laptop
#1. Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop
If you’re wondering what the best laptops for college are, then you should definitely check out the Acer Aspire 5 Slim. It features a 15.6-inch full HD widescreen IPS display and is powered by the AMD Ryzen 3 3200U dual-core processor.
The laptop gets the AMD Radeon Vega 3 mobile GPU, and 4GB of DDR4 RAM. Acer has included 128GB of NVMe SSD in the base variant of the Aspire 5 Slim, and it gets a backlit keyboard as well.
The combination of the AMD Ryzen 3 CPU and the Vega 3 GPU also makes this an efficient laptop. According to Acer, a full charge should provide about 7.5 hours of usage. The laptop runs Windows 10 in S mode and has 1 USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, 2 USB 2.0 ports, and a single HDMI port with HDCP support.
It also features Acer True Harmony sound technology, two microphones, 2x MIMIO dual-band Wi-Fi, an Ethernet LAN port, Bluetooth 4.0, an HD webcam, and weighs just around 1.8 kilos.
Price: $323.86
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#2. Lenovo IdeaPad 330s Laptop
The Lenovo IdeaPad 330s is also one of the best affordable laptops for college students. It comes with a 15.6-inch HD LED display with a 1366 x 768 resolution and a built-in HD webcam. Yes, it doesn’t offer a full HD display, but that also drives the price down.
If you’re all for affordability, then this is a great choice. The laptop is powered by the 8th generation Intel Core i3-8130U chipset, which should be more than enough for all your college work needs. This variant comes with Intel UHD Graphics 620, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of SSD storage.
The laptop also features dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, 2 USB 3.0 Type-A ports, 1 USB 3.1 Type C port, 1 HDMI port, and one headphone/microphone port. It runs Windows 10 in S mode but can be switched to Windows 10 regular mode as well.
Price: $338.00
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#3. Dell Inspiron i3583 Touch-Screen Laptop
Dell is a popular brand among college students, and the Inspiron series is one of the best college laptops. The Dell Inspiron i3583 features a 15.6-inch LED backlight HD display with touch support. Yes, you read that right.
The display on this laptop is touch enabled and lets you tap on the screen to perform tasks. The laptop is powered by the 8th generation Intel Core i5-8265U quad-core chipset, which is coupled with 8GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 256GB SSD.
The Inspiron laptop features Intel UHD Graphics 620, which isn’t really great for gaming but should be sufficient for all college chores. It features an HDMI output, SD card reader, Wi-Fi, HD webcam, headphone port, and runs Windows 10 in S mode.
Price: $439.00
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#4. HP 14″ Laptop Ash Silver Keyboard Frame (14-CF0014DX)
HP is another popular brand name among students, and the 2019 HP 14 is an excellent laptop for college use. This laptop comes with a 14-inch glossy HD display with backlight and is powered by the 7th generation Intel Core i3-7100U dual-core processor. This should be plenty of horsepower for all those essays and assignments.
The laptop gets 8GB of DDR4 RAM, a 128GB SSD for faster start-up, and up to 1TB of HDD storage. An HD webcam is available upfront, and it runs Windows 10 OS. It also offers up to 5 hours of battery life, which is perfect for students.
Price: $343.49
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#5. ASUS Vivobook 15 Thin and Light Laptop
The ASUS Vivobook 15 is a great 15-inch laptop in a 14-inch form factor. It features a 15.6-inch wide anti-glare display with full HD resolution. Thanks to super slim bezels, the laptop offers an 88% screen-to-body ratio.
The AMD Ryzen R5-3500U quad-core processor powers the laptop. You also get 8GB DDR4 RAM and 256GB SSD storage.
ASUS has included Windows 10 Home on this laptop, and it has a 37WH battery, which should last you long enough for a day in college. It also features a backlit keyboard with a fingerprint scanner for added security.
Price: $479.99
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#6. Lenovo Flex 14 2-in-1 Convertible Laptop
If you’re on the lookout for a 2-in-1 laptop for your college, then the Lenovo Flex 14 is a great option. It comes with a full HD+ 14-inch display that supports touch input.
It is powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 3500U chipset, which is coupled with the Radeon Vega 8 GPU. The laptop also features 12GB of RAM and a 256GB NVMe SSD for storage.
Lenovo uses Windows 10 on the Flex 14, and it also comes with a Pen for touch input. According to Lenovo, the laptop should provide up to 10 hours of battery life on a single charge. It even features fast charging technology, which can charge the battery to 80% in one hour.
Price: $528.88
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#7. Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6″ HD High Performance Laptop PC
The Lenovo IdeaPad S145 is a budget student laptop from the company, which is powered by the Intel Pentium 5405U processor. If you’re looking for something basic, then this is a great choice. The chipset is coupled with the Intel UHD Graphics 610, and gets 4GB DDR4 RAM, 500GB HDD storage.
The laptop features a 15.6-inch LED HD display and runs Windows 10 Home in S Mode. It comes with an HDMI port, SD card reader, and a headphone/microphone jack.
Price: $258.00
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#8. Dell Inspiron 5000 14″ FHD Laptop Computer
The Dell Inspiron 5000 is yet another popular choice among college-goers. It is powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 3500U CPU as well. This is an efficient and powerful mid-range quad-core processor that is enough for all college tasks, as well as some entertainment.
The laptop features a Full HD 14-inch Anti-glare LED backlight IPS display and uses the Radeon RX Vega8 graphics.
Dell has included 8GB of DDR4 RAM, 256GB of NVMe SSD storage for improved performance, and Windows 10 Home edition OS. The laptop comes with an HDMI port, RJ45 Ethernet port, SD card reader, USB Type C port, USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, USB 2.0 port, and a headphone/microphone jack.
Price: $454.00
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#9. Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R5ED Gaming Laptop
If you’re on the lookout for a gaming laptop for student on a budget, then the Acer Nitro 5 is something to try out. It’s powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 2500U quad-core chipset, which is paired with 8GB DDR4 RAM, and 1TB 7200Rpm HDD storage. For graphics, the laptop features the AMD Radeon RX 560x GPU with 4GB GDDR5 VRAM.
The Acer Nitro 5 comes with a 15.6-inch Full HD widescreen IPS display and runs Windows 10 Home. It also features an iron-red backlit keyboard and is claimed to provide up to 5 hours of battery life.
Price: $499.99
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#10. Lenovo ThinkPad T470 Laptop
Another Lenovo laptop, but one that leans towards business users. However, the Lenovo ThinkPad T470 will also make a great student laptop for college use.
It comes with a 14-inch Full HD IPS display, and is powered by the Intel Core i5-6300U dual-core processor. Yes, that’s an old processor, but it’s still great for college tasks. The chipset is paired with 8GB DDR4 RAM and 256GB of NVMe SSD storage.
The laptop features Intel Wireless 8260ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, and has an HD webcam. Lenovo also claims that the ThinkPad T470 can offer a long battery life. It runs Windows 10 Professional out of the box.
Price: $578.90
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Closing the lid…
Those were some of the best, affordable, and a few gaming capable laptops to check out if you’re a student. If you’re tight on budget, then you should stick to the non-gaming laptops. However, if you’ve got some money to spend, then a little gaming won’t hurt you.
There are plenty of affordable laptops available on Amazon, but you should always get something from a well-known brand. This way, if something goes wrong, the company will provide support and warranty.
You may want to take a peek at:
- Best Gaming Laptops
- Best Anti Theft Backpacks
- How to Make Any Laptop a Touch Screen with AirBar
- Best Places to Buy a Refurbished or Used MacBook
Which laptop did you find the most suitable for your needs? Share your thoughts and your laptop of choice in the comments section down below.
Note: Prices given here are mentioned on affiliate portals while writing this article.
Nikhil runs iGB’s official YouTube channel. He is the official lensman of iGB and GB’s small studio is Nikhil’s playground, where he does all wonders with his remarkable signature. When Nikhil is not in his studio, you may spot him in a gourmet restaurant, chomping his way through some delicious food. He is a great traveler, who can go for long drives in search of good food.