You don’t need to spend a lot of money to get a laptop for college. There are many best laptops under 1000 dollars, and they can compete with the very best laptops in terms of speed, screen quality, portability, and battery life.
Laptops are super important nowadays. We use them for all sorts of things, from basic tasks like taking notes, doing research, and watching movies to more serious stuff like coding, video editing, or even playing games.
There are so many laptops out there, that it can be tough to pick the right one. But we’ve got you covered! We’ve put together a list of the best laptops for college students under $1000 to make your decision easier.
Best Laptop under $1000 for College Students: Top Picks
Read More: Best Laptops under $600
Check out this list of the best student laptops priced below $1000 that cater to various needs. You can find laptops for business tasks, gaming on a budget, or 2-in-1 laptops that transform into tablets. It really depends on what you want and how you plan to use your laptop. Some features you can compromise on, while others are more important.
For example, if you’re mainly using your laptop for basic internet browsing and work, you don’t need a super powerful processor. However, if you’re always on the move and use your laptop outdoors, having a screen with high brightness and long battery life is crucial.
1. Acer Swift X
The Acer Swift X is undoubtedly one of the best laptops under $1000 for students. It is a skinny ultraportable laptop that comes with great specs, including a Geforce RTX 3050Ti GPU.
One of the best things about the Swift X is the pleasingly lightweight design with aluminum alloy chassis. It has excellent build quality as it comes with a full metal body with an aluminum finish that does feel premium. It’s about 3 pounds, so it’s not going to feel heavy in your bag.
The display on the Asus Swift X is excellent for content creation and editing at this price. It comes with a 14-inch full HD IPS panel with a 100 sRGB color range. It has accurate colors and great viewing angles for editing photos and videos for platforms such as YouTube.
The performance of this laptop is probably the best. It comes with the newest components, including an AMD Ryzen 7 5800U processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB NVMe SSD, and NVIDIA RTX 3050Ti. These are the newest specs that only a few laptops under 1000 dollars right now come with. It has a regular chiclet keyboard with keys that have great travel and feedback. There is backlighting available, and it does its job well.
The port selection and input on the laptop are also quite decent. On the left-hand side, you have a power connector, USB Type-C port, and full-size HDMI USB, and then on the right-hand side, you have a lock, another USB port, and a headphone jack.
2. Apple MacBook Air
Apple’s MacBook Air 2020 is the thinnest and lightest notebook that has got its Pro-like features but at an affordable price range. It is also the best laptop available for under $1000 right now.
Apple has packed their MacBook line-up with their M1 chip, which has integrated CPU, GPU, neural engine, IO, and so much more. The result is quite astonishing as it can handle rigorous tests, like editing and gaming, way faster than the Intel ones.
The most amazing feature of this laptop is its fanless design. It lets you run the laptop without any noise or fuss. The 13.3-inch retina display has a native resolution of 2560p by 1600p with 400 nits of brightness and can show on-screen content with incredible color, vibrancy, and rich detail. Its base model comes with 8GB of RAM And 256GB of storage. However, if you want, then there’s always room to upgrade up to 16GB of RAM and a massive 2TB storage, but of course, with a hefty price tag.
Weighing only about 2.8 pounds, this fantastic 2020 MacBook Air can last up to 10 hours straight. In short, If you are in Apple’s ecosystem and want to get the most out of a laptop, then the MacBook Air 2020 will be the right choice for you.
3. HP Pavilion Business Laptop
The HP Pavilion Business Laptop is an excellent choice for students looking for a high-performing device under a $1000 budget. With its 13th Gen Intel Core i5-1335U Processor, this laptop promises impressive performance for both everyday tasks and demanding applications. The Turbo Boost capability of up to 4.6GHz ensures a smooth and efficient computing experience, making it ideal for students who require both power and reliability.
The laptop’s 15.6″ FHD IPS TouchScreen display further enhances productivity with its BrightView IPS Micro-edge FHD resolution. This means crystal-clear visuals and improved office and communication efficiency. The integration of Intel Iris Xe Graphics strikes a perfect balance between performance, power efficiency, and value, making multitasking a breeze.
In terms of memory and storage, the HP Pavilion Business Laptop doesn’t disappoint. With 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a spacious 512GB PCIe SSD, it ensures smooth application performance and ample space to save your valuable data. On the connectivity front, it offers WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, enabling seamless internet access.
The integrated HP Wide Vision 720p HD camera and Dual Array Digital Microphones are perfect for online communication. With the addition of Windows 11 Home, you not only get the power and security of Windows 10 but also a refreshed interface with new tools, sounds, and apps, promising a refreshing PC experience.
Read More: Best Mechanical Keyboards for Gaming
4. Acer Aspire 5
The Acer Aspire 5 is priced under $1000 and offers a lot in a slim and premium chassis. With its 11th Gen Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB high-speed SSD, you will have plenty of power and storage to carry out your daily tasks.
You will be able to experience crisp, true-to-life colors and sharp details on its 15.6-inch 1080p IPS Widescreen LED-backlit Display. It has a screen-to-body ratio of 82.58%, which will give you more space to work, thanks to its narrow bezels.
It has support for Wi-Fi 6, which enables gigabit speeds nearly three times faster than standard Wi-Fi while also providing a reliable connection when browsing the web. Furthermore, It features a full range of ports, including USB Type-C, two USB 3.2, an HDMI, and more so that no matter what creative tools you need to connect, the Aspire 5 can have you covered.
Besides, it also comes with AcerTrue Harmony, which allows its two front-mounted speakers to be heard clearly in a medium-sized room. So if you want to throw a little party in your room with a few of your close friends, this laptop will certainly be up for the task.
5. Asus Zenbook 13
Experience outstanding OLED technology with the Asus Zenbook 13, which will deliver powerful performance and true-to-life visuals that a student needs.
One of the factors of this laptop that is so special is that it comes with a 13.3-inch full HD OLED NanoEdge bezel display. With a 100% DCI P3 color gamut and 400 nits of brightness, it provides eye-popping colors and extraordinary detail.
It comes with the latest 11th Gen core I5 processor with Iris Xe Graphics and is coupled with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD, for which you will get a prompt response in every task you perform. This Ultrabook also features a new edge-to-edge ergonomic keyboard, ASUS Numberpad 2.0, and a function key.
Moreover, its precision-engineered Ergolift hinge lifts the rear of the top slightly, taking the keyboard to the optimum typing angle. Despite offering a thin design, it still includes a full-size HDMI port, dual USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 Port, a standard USB 3.2, and a MicroSD card reader for transferring your essential file.
Weighing at around 2.45 pounds, it features a high-capacity 67 Whrs battery capable of lasting up to 13 hours easily. Overall this sleek-looking Ultrabook is one of the best college laptops under $1000 for those who usually want portability and long battery life.
6. Microsoft Surface Laptop Go
The Surface Go laptop from Microsoft offers sleek style, performance, and all-day battery life a student would need. The performance of this laptop is moderate as it packs a 10th Gen Core i5 CPU, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD.
With a 12.4-inch PixelSense touchscreen display, this laptop has rounded corners within a standard rectangle, making it great for everyday usage. It features Windows Hello Sign-in and Plus fingerprint power buttons for providing you with convenient security and easy login.
With all those features, this laptop weighs around just 2.45 pounds while packing a powerful battery that lasts up to 13 hours for your long-time assignment or project work. Although this laptop has got the previous-gen processor, It is still the best laptop for students under $1000 who want to work on their assignments or do some web browsing.
Read More: Best Gaming Keyboards under $100
7. Lenovo IdeaPad 5
From design to the processor, comfortability to quality, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 will surprise you in all aspects as it is a worthy partner at an affordable price range. This laptop sports an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and Intel Iris Xe graphics and when combined with 12GB of RAM and 512GB SSD, it can deliver a highly responsive experience.
Its full HD LED-Backlit IPS touch display boasts great color and clarity with slim bezels along the side and a small notch for the webcam at the top. Moreover, the IdeaPad display has excellent color reproduction and decent contrast for your daily writing and browsing needs.
Despite its lightweight, Lenovo has managed to stuff all the necessary ports a regular laptop user would need, including 2 USB 3.1 Type-A, a USB 3.1 Type-C, an HDMI and SD card reader, and a combo Jack for your headphones.
With its 45 Whrs battery, the IdeaPad 5 is rated to last up to 11 hours so that you can meet all your assignment deadlines. Overall, this is an excellent laptop for under 1000 dollars for college students who prefer to do a bit of video editing or gaming in between their schoolwork.