Thequestingcat.com – Compare All Best Stuff on the Market of 2019 – The Best Products – The Best Rated – The Best Reviews. You could see the top 10 Laptops For Computer Programmers of 2019 above. The lists of best products are updated regularly, so you can be sure that the information provided is up-to-date. Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. The Rundown
Our Top PicksBest Overall: Acer Aspire E 15 E5-576-392H
4.5
The latest Acer Aspire model is the ideal mix of value and performance that's built to last through all your college years. It’s also significantly cheaper than most high-end laptops, which college students can truly appreciate. First off, it contains an 8th-Generation Intel Core i3 processor, 6GB dual-channel memory, and a 1TB hard drive. It also features Intel Turbo Boost Technology for smooth video streaming and high-speed performance, along with a long-lasting 13.5-hour battery. The hardware should satisfy the needs of most college students, but if your workload is particularly demanding, then upgrading the memory or hard drive is a simple process — just open the easy-access compartment in the bottom of the laptop to replace the parts. The Acer Aspire is built for both work and entertainment. The 15.6-inch screen features full HD resolution, although the color isn't as vibrant as some of its competitors. This model is also on the heavier side at 5.27 pounds. However, it comes with a DVD drive, SD slot, and has port space for USB 3.0, 2.0, Type-C, as well as Ethernet and HDMI inputs. As an added bonus, you can even charge your USB-connected devices when the laptop is powered down. Want to take a look at some other options? See our guide to the best Acer laptops. Best for Durability: ASUS Chromebook C202SA-YS02
3.7
The ASUS Chromebook C202 is a rugged computer that’s capable of being repeatedly thrown in your backpack. It has a spill-resistant keyboard, a reinforced rubber bumper to protect it from minor drops and scratches, and nano-molding technology on its edges and corners to reduce the impact of falls. In a drop test, the Chromebook C202 was capable of withstanding a fall from as high as 3.9 feet — and that's particularly impressive given it only weighs 2.65 pounds. The C202’s 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 display even comes equipped with anti-glare technology, so you can work while you catch some rays on the quad. With a 180-degree hinge, you can also manipulate the laptop into whatever angle you like. On the inside, it packs an Intel Celeron N3060 Processor ( 2M cache up to 2.48 GHz) and 16GB of flash storage. The Chromebook runs on, you guessed it, Chrome OS, so you can download and edit files via Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Like other Chromebook models, the C202 also employs automatically-updating anti-virus protection so you don't have to worry about accidentally downloading any malicious software when you're surfing the web. Interested in reading more reviews? Take a look at our selection of the best ASUS laptops. Best 2-in-1: Acer Chromebook R 11
4.4
Every college student needs a laptop that can handle both homework and extra-curricular internet use — like those early morning hours when you’re five hours deep into a Netflix original series. The Acer Chromebook R 11 gets an A+ for both. The convertible, 360-degree laptop/tablet runs on Chrome OS, so you can download apps — both productive and just for fun — from the Google Play Store and use Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides to complete your classwork. With an Intel Celeron N3150 Quad-Core Processor 1.6GHz with Intel Burst Technology up to 2.08GHz combined with 4GB of onboard memory and 32GB of internal storage, the Chromebook R 11 multitasks with ease. Built-in virus protection — which updates itself automatically — also safeguards your files, so you don't have to worry about crashes or data loss. And once you’ve submitted your report or finished your online quiz, you can flip the screen all the way back to enjoy your favorite games and shows in tablet mode on its 11.6-inch HD IPS touch display with 1366 x 768 resolution. The battery life is rated at about 10 hours, so it’ll last you a full day of classes and then some. You also get 100GB of free storage on Google Drive for two years, so you won't have to worry about storing important documents or photos. ![]() Want to take a look at some other options? See our guide to the best 2-in-1 laptops. Best Lightweight: ASUS ZenBook S
4.5
The ASUS ZenBook S is one of the most rugged and portable laptops out there, with a 2.2-pound, 0.5-inch thick design made from aerospace-grade aluminum. It’s got a neat backlit, tilting keyboard, too, that can angle your typing surface by 5.5 inches. This function also allows for additional airflow which helps keep the machine cool — in tandem with a copper-alloy heat pipe and liquid-crystal-polymer fan — so it won't sound like a rocket ship when it's working hard. Add in a headphone jack and three USB-C ports (with two that can handle Thunderbolt 3 cables) and you’ve got some serious connectivity in this highly portable device. The ZenBook S also comes with Alexa integration for voice commands and a lithium polymer battery that can last up to 9 hours without a charge. You can gear it up with either an i5 or i7 Intel CPU for some serious power in exceptionally small form, and you can outfit your ZenBook S with either 8GB or 16GB of RAM for a smooth, multi-app running experience. If you’re looking for something a little different, you can opt for the laptop in Deep Dive Blue or Burgundy Red. Media-types will dig being able to add a 4K glossy touchscreen as an option, with HD glossy non-touch or HD anti-glare screens as the other two. Best Under $500: HP 15-BS013DX
3.6
If you have a $500 budget to play with, you'll have no trouble finding a value laptop suitable for college students. Right now, our favorite is the HP 15-BS013DX which delivers a 15.6-inch touchscreen, an Intel i3-7100U processor, a 1 TB hard drive (AKA tons of storage), and a full 8 G of RAM to keep things responsive and smooth. The Intel HD Graphics 620 card will run some decent games when you need to take a break from your studies, too. Add Bluetooth, two USB 3.1 plugs, and an HDMI port, and you’ve got a killer machine that will feel equally at home in the coffee shop as in the class (or dorm) room. While it might be a bit unwieldy at 15' x 10' x 0.9' and 4.5 pounds, the trade-off in power and ability is well worth the extra heft. Reviewers on Best Buy really like the features included (touch screen, more RAM, etc.) for the price — especially if you'll be doing little more than surfing the web, streaming videos, and typing up Word documents. Best Value: Dell XPS 13Packed with power, the Dell XPS 13 is a lightweight, portable laptop with the performance and memory to handle a last-minute essay and a stream of your favorite Netflix series — at the same time. Weighing just 2.7 pounds, the laptop can be outfitted with the new 8th Gen Intel Quad Core processors, meaning performance isn’t impacted when multiple applications are running. The screen has a 4K Ultra HD resolution with 8 million pixels and 1500:1 contrast ratio for a stunning visual experience. The 400-nit brightness and anti-reflective screen let students use it either inside or out, while the 21-hour battery life allows it to last between long days of classes and late-night study sessions. A new HD webcam located at the front and center of the top of the frame delivers crystal-clear images, temporal noise reduction, and better video quality for calls back home or with friends across the country. Sleek and sophisticated, the laptop is available in frost, rose gold, or platinum silver colors. Best Under $300: Dell Inspiron 3000 15.6” LaptopSave money without sacrificing quality with the Dell Inspiron 3000, a budget laptop suited for a wide variety of tasks. The 15.6-inch LED-backlit screen has a 1366 x 768-pixel resolution, along with stereo speakers featuring MaxxAudio technology for an engaging entertainment experience. Powered by an Intel Celeron N5000 processor and 4GB of RAM, the laptop’s heat resistant build allows it to stay cool whether students are gaming, streaming, or pulling all-nighters. The computer includes an optical drive to burn both CDs and DVDs and a built-in webcam for calling home. The RAM can be increased up to 8GB thanks to an additional RAM slot. However, the battery life is only about 6.5 hours, so be sure to bring a charger with you if you’re looking at a long day. At just over five pounds, it’s a little on the heavier side, so factor this in if you have to haul around textbooks as well. Best for Portability: Apple MacBookWhile the MacBook Air was once called the thinnest and lightest laptop ever, the title has been ceded to Apple’s latest output: the 12-inch MacBook. Weighing just 2.03 pounds and measuring 0.52 inches thick, the MacBook is extremely portable, but also hosts a ton of higher-end specs, like a Retina IPS-backlit screen that shows over three million pixels at 2304 x 1440 resolution, an Intel Core M 1.1 GHz processor, an HD Graphics 5300 chip, and LED-backlit keys. MacOS is one of the best operating systems out there for those of us who just want things to work but aren’t ready to make the jump to online-only Chromebooks. You’ll also get 8 GB RAM (configurable up to 16 GB) and 256GB of fast SSD storage, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a host of ports, including USB 3.1, Display, and Audio ports. Add to that a Force-Touch trackpad that can manage multi-touch gestures, and you’ve got a super-portable powerhouse (with up to ten hours of battery life) that will keep you productive and satisfied wherever you are on campus. You can pick one up in one of four metal finishes: silver, space gray, gold, or rose gold. Best Budget for Portability: ASUS ZenBook Flip UX360CAIf your budget can’t quite accommodate a MacBook, the ASUS ZenBook Flip is definitely a decent alternative. It’s got an Intel Core M3 processor, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage on an SSD to keep things zippy and good-looking. You’ll also get a full 1920 x 1080p touchscreen-enabled HD 13.3-inch display with an integrated Intel HD graphics 515 chip for some moderate gaming ability. It’s also packing one USB 3.1 type-C port, along with two USB 3.0 jacks, and a Micro HDMI port so you can connect it to any modern big screen TV or projector. The ZenBook Flip comes with Bluetooth 4.1, fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi radios, and a 54 WHrs battery, which should let you go for at least 7 hours between charges. You’ll also get Windows 10 and Microsoft’s voice assistant, Cortana, with Voice-Premium service (it’s the first ZenBook to offer Cortana). The 8.7 x 12.7 laptop weighs 2.9 pounds and measures just 0.5 inches thick, making it a great little laptop to sling in your backpack and keep it with you all day on campus. All that for around $700? Yes, please. Best for Engineering Students: ASUS T8TJGIf you need a powerful workhorse of a machine for heavy engineering simulations, you won’t find much better than the ASUS T8TJG convertible laptop. While it’s marketed as a gaming rig, the T8TJG comes with enough power, graphics, and storage to make your engineering life just as sweet. The flip and fold design lets you use the T8TJG as either a laptop or a tablet, and the keyboard is backlit for working on your homework late into the night. You’ll get a bright, 15.6-inch touchscreen with 1920 x 1080 resolution, an NVIDIA 2GB GeForce 940MX graphics card, and an Intel Core i7-7500 2.7 GHz dual-core processor along with a full 16 GB of RAM and a 2 TB hard drive. TheASUS T8TJG's four-cell lithium-ion battery will keep you running heavy workloads, while you’ll have a ton of ports to stay connected: one USB 3.0, one USB 2.0, a headphone/mic jack, and an HDMI port capable of connecting to classroom projectors so you can show off your latest 3D models. The T8TJG is 0.9-inches thick and weighs 5.07 pounds — a bit heavy, sure, but the power (and price) is well worth it. Best for Business Students: Lenovo Thinkpad X1 CarbonFrom classroom to boardroom, the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon supports the next generation of CEOs and entrepreneurs. Portable — weighing less than 2.5 pounds — and elegant in both aesthetic and practical design, the Thinkpad X1 is an ultrathin, high-performance laptop with an 8th-generation Intel Quad Core CPU for fast, efficient processing that is up to 35 percent better than previous generations. The 14-inch screen offers a variety of visual options — the lightest version of the X1 Carbon comes with an FHD display, or users can opt for the Dolby Vision high-dynamic-range technology for enhanced brightness, contrast, and detail. It also comes with Cortana Premium built-in, a digital assistant that lets you use voice commands to do everything from creating calendar events to wake up your device, while hands-free Amazon Alexa can assist you in playing music, checking the news, or shopping. The X1 Carbon is a bit pricier for college students, but the performance, features, and sleek design offer make this a great choice for business students. Best for Visual Art and Design Students: Apple 15-inch MacBook Pro (2018)The gold-standard for powerful, durable, rugged laptops is the MacBook Pro. While this line of high-end computing devices is never going to be on anyone’s budget list, students in the graphic arts, film, or other creative fields will definitely benefit from a MacBook Pro purchase. The base model comes with a 2.2 GHz 6-core Intel Core i7 processor that you can boost up to 4.1 GHz, a gorgeous Retina display with new True Tone color technology, a fancy Touch Bar across the top of the keyboard, and Touch ID for unlocking your ‘Book with your fingerprint. The 4G Radeon Pro 555X will let you get visually creative as well as run some decent gaming sessions, and the 16 GB of Ram and 256 GB SSD will make sure you have enough storage and power to run your apps and games. Golf simple swing. The new MacBook Pro also comes with four Thunderbolt 3 ports (which support USB-C 3.1 as well), a responsive backlit keyboard, and with macOS, the operating system of choice for creative types. At 4.02 pounds and height of .61 inches, this powerhouse is also pretty portable and will stay charged through 10 hours of straight use. Want to take a look at some other options? See our guide to the best MacBooks. Runner-Up, Best for Art and Design: ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501VW-XS74TIf the MacBook Pro is a little too high-end for your budget, you might consider something like the Asus ZenBook Pro which has a ton of power for a little less scratch. You’ll get a 15.6-inch IPS UHD touchscreen display with up to 3840 x 2160 (4K) resolution along with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4GB graphics card for extra visual power. You’ll feel good with the 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD drive, too. An Intel Skylake core i7 quadcore processor starting at 2.6 GHz will keep your apps and activities snappy, while a copy of Windows 10 Pro 64-bit — as opposed to the more typical Windows 10 Home edition — will let you run all the latest apps from Adobe, like Photoshop and Premier. Sure, this 15.1' x 10' X 0.8' laptop comes in at 5 pounds and has a 6-hour battery life, but the tradeoff on price is well worth it. Customers note how this laptop compares favorably to similar options from Dell and Apple while coming in at a much less expensive price. Best for Gaming: Dell G5 GamingSure, you want a laptop that can handle all the classwork and homework you can throw at it, but at the end of the day, you’re probably going to want to game on your PC. You’ll want a GPU that can handle the graphics of modern games as well as a powerful enough CPU to run their non-visual components, as well. The Dell G5 15 Gaming laptop has a 6GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 for stunning graphics ability as well as an Intel i7 processor to keep things rolling. When purchasing your Dell G5, you can choose from 8 GB to 32 GB of RAM and either an HDD or SSD for storage space and speed. There are two USB 3.1 ports with power share for gaming peripherals, one USB 3.1 port, a headphone/mic jack for gaming headsets and a dedicated LAN Ethernet port for lag-free wired network connections. The 15.6-inch IPS FHD display keeps things bright, and the HDMI 2.0 port will make sure you can output to a bigger 4K monitor with ease. Is it heavy and thick? Yes, it is (5.57 pounds isn’t exactly light), but the added power under the hood make it worth the extra back strain if you carry it around to classes. Still can't decide on what you want? Our round-up of the best gaming laptops can help you find what you're looking for. Tested byHow We TestedWe bought five top-rated laptops for college students that our reviewers tested for more than 100 hours. We asked our testers to consider the most important features when using these laptops, from their operating system to their durability. We’ve outlined the key takeaways here so that you, too, know what to look for when shopping. What to Look for in a College LaptopOperating system -Apple’s Macs are known for having an intuitive interface that’s sleek and ideal for designers, while Windows PCs are capable of more customization and are often better suited for productivity. Portability -If you need something that’s easy to toss into your backpack, you might prefer a smaller and lighter model like a two-in-one. However, if you’re mostly working in your dorm, a larger laptop might not be so cumbersome. For creative or design students, a larger screen is likely necessary. Budget -Between buying textbooks and planning spring break, college doesn’t come cheap. If you’re looking to save a few dollars on a laptop, you can still get plenty of premium features, like a cutting-edge processor or advanced security features. If you’ve got some cash to spare, you might be more comfortable splurging on a MacBook, which has unrivaled displays. Test Results: Acer Aspire E 15 E5-576-392H (Best Overall)
4.5
What We Like
What We Don't Like
This laptop came highly recommended by our testers as an overall good value. “It offers a great-quality display, relatively high speeds, an easy setup, and a great operating system (Windows 10),” remarked one of our reviewers. Our testers also enjoyed the long battery life. In terms of negatives, one of our reviewers reported “frequent issues with internet connectivity,” which didn’t happen with another laptop, and also didn’t like all of the pre-installed software. But while one of our testers wished the laptop were more lightweight, she declared, “For an everyday budget laptop, this is a great choice.” Test Results: ASUS Chromebook C202SA-YS02 11.6-Inch (Best for Durability)
3.7
What We Like
What We Don't Like
One of our testers liked the “no frills” approach this Chromebook takes to give students exactly what they need for class. She said, “For the price, this has everything you need for school or home — docs and sheets, a camera, Internet access, and durability.” This laptop’s battery life also gets an A+ from our testers: “For school, I'm positive this computer would last a full day,” said one, “and likely have time for homework back at home.” Test Results: Acer Chromebook R 11 Convertible, 11.6-Inch HD Touch Screen (Best 2-in-1)
4.4
What We Like
Our testers loved the fact that this laptop was integrated with Google, reporting that it made it easier for them to power through daily tasks. One of our reviewers also raved about its speed and responsiveness, saying it was “intuitive” and a “joy” to use. However, one of our testers did experience some ghost clicking, which caused the cursor to click on things when the user didn’t mean to. (This can usually be remedied by restarting the computer.) Test Results: ASUS ZenBook S (Best Lightweight)
4.5
What We Like
Our testers loved that the ZenBook S was slim and portable: “You can easily hold it in one hand or carry in a small bag. I liked how it felt compact,” one wrote. Our reviewers also reported that the laptop has a crisp screen display, great-quality sound, and impressive battery life. One of our testers summed it up: “I felt the computer met and exceeded expectations for working quickly and being easy to use.” Test Results: HP 15-BS013DX (Best Under $500)
3.6
What We Like
What We Don't Like
Our tester felt that this laptop’s battery life was good compared to similar models. He also liked its design but wished that its touchscreen was more pleasant to use: “Something about the glossy screen causes the finger to stick and skid across instead of sliding smoothly,” he said. Other negatives were that it comes with too much bloatware and that it doesn’t have a full HD display. Overall, he thought that “you can get better overall specifications and performance for less money, but this is a budget-priced laptop that performs well enough.”
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