Top 5 Best Laptops for Teachers and Students

Be ready to know which are the 5 best laptops for remote teaching and learning.

With many years of teaching and EdTech experience, I am confident that I tried, and tested all these laptops on this list. Hence, to determine the cost, quality, durability, and experience. However, as an educator focused on students and teaching, we will break down the 5 best laptops for educators, prospective educators, and students. 

The criteria will be based on price, performance, and dependability. Although Macs are significantly pricey, our list will include Macs. Let’s get into it.

Number 5

HP Stream 14″ HD WLED Laptop, Intel N4020 Laptop $369 

The HP 14’ is one of the most premium laptops for less than $500 bucks. At $369.00, the HP 14’ offers a premium feel, reliable performance, and the price is very attractive. It comes with a year free of Microsoft 365, a $100 value FREE. The official specifications are as follows: 

Specification 

• Windows 10 
• 14″ display 1366 x 768 HD resolution.  
• WLED backlight.  
• Intel Celeron N4020 Dual-Core Processor 1.1 GHz base frequency, up to 2.8 GHz burst 
• 8GB DDR4 1TB hard drive  
• Intel UHD Graphics 620 
• RPM 5400, 2133-megahertz System Memory  
• RAM Speed, 4 megabytes Cache Memory  
• 1 USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1 
• (Data Transfer up to 5 Gb/s); 2 USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Data transfer only); 1 HDMI 1.4b 
• 802.11b/g/n (1×1)  
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 combo  

Number 4

SAMSUNG XE350XBA-K01US Chromebook $299.99 $231

Chromebooks are different from traditional computers. However, these computers are very capable. For instance, Chromebooks rely solely on Google Chrome for your computing needs. But you will not be able to download traditional programs. Yet, Chromebooks are ideal for Google Classroom, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Zoom, Meets, and many other cloud-based programs. 

Chromebooks are affordable and dependable. They will last you years, will stay speedy for years, and will wake you up within seconds. No need to update, since everything is done automatically.

Specification 

• Intel 1.10 GHz 
• Intel HD 620. 
• RAM: 8GB. 
• Display: 15.6 inches Full HD 1080P
• Storage: 36GB SSD. 
• USB 3.0, headphone jack. Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 LE. 

Number 3

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go $699.99 $648.99  

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go is one of the most affordable yet beautiful computers on the market today! It’s very thin, light, with a near bezel-less screen. It has a very fast processor, with enough RAM. The 12.4″ Touchscreen display offers enough screen real estate for all your computer needs. 

Microsoft for years has been working hard to change the negative reputation Windows computers have developed over the years. As a result, viruses and other issues affecting Windows computers for years are now a thing of the past. Windows 10 is very efficient, and stable. 

Comparing the Surface Laptop to another device, Windows does much like Apple and develops both hardware and software, arguably creating a very stable device. This device is a solid laptop, ultra-light and thin, as well as extremely powerful. 

Specifications

• SSD: 128GB
• Intel® UHD Graphics
• Up to 13 hours of typical device usage
• 1 x USB-C®
• 1 x USB-A
• 3.5 mm headphone jack
• 1 x Surface Connect port
• Bluetooth® Wireless 5.0 technology
• Wi-Fi 6: 802.11ax compatible
• 2.44 lbs (1,110 g)

Number 2

Dell SPX 13 -$1,659.99  $1,531.73

Dell computers have dramatically evolved from what we once thought Dell laptops were. Dell computers are now extremely powerful, dependable, while keeping prices competitive, not affordable though.  

The latest iteration of the Dell XPS 13 offers all the ports you need, comes in attractive colors, touch screen functionality, and light and compact. If you prefer Microsoft Windows, this Dell computer is the best way to go, the best of the best!  

We strongly recommend this computer for everyone. It is important to highlight that the XPS, is the “premium” category of computers. It comes in 13’, 15’, and 12’ two in one. We chose the 13’ version because it is a very solid everyday computer.

With sufficient power for all your Notebook lessons, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, Google Docs, and Slides, as well as video playing, and editing.  

The battery on this laptop is exceptional. It offers at least 10 hours on a single charge. Although battery capacity varies depending on what you use it for, playing videos drains the battery quicker.  

Specifications

• Super Speedy Intel Core i7-1185G7
• 13.4″ FHD+ (1920 x 1200)
• Intel HD Graphics 615 
• Fast SSD storage 
• 16GB 4267MHz LPDDR4x RAM
• 512GB SSD
• Iris Xe Graphics, Windows 10 Pro
• USB-C port 
• Up to 10 hours of battery life 
• 802.11ac Wi-Fi 

Number 1

Apple Macbook Air $999  $949

It cannot be a list of best laptops without including Apple. The new MacBook is a beauty to the eyes. It comes in different colors. It offers very reliable performance, dependability, for a very competitive price range for a premium computer.

The reason why Apple is not our go-to laptop is the repair cost. The main issue is that if you damage this computer, the minimum cost to repair it will be $500, which is nearly 50% of the original price.  

This laptop is made of aluminum, and very premium components, powered by the new M1 Apple processor, with enough Ram for all your computer needs. 

Specifications

• 8-core CPU delivers up to 3.5x faster performance to tackle projects faster than ever
• 8GB 
• Up to eight GPU cores with up to 5x faster graphics for graphics-intensive apps and games
• 16-core Neural Engine for advanced machine learning
• WIFI 6
• USB 4 Thunderbolt 
• Up to 15 hours wireless web battery life
• 256GB or 512GB SSD

Bonus

Samsung Galaxy Book Flex $1,649.99  $1299

Microsoft Windows has evolved from the days of Windows XP, and Windows 7. Although both XP and 7 are legendary operating systems, a need for a change was necessary. 

The introduction of Windows 10 on Qualcomm processors was introduced in 2017, now made a reality in many laptops, including the luxurious Galaxy Book 2.  

The Galaxy Book 2 is an always-on computer, with more than 20 hours of battery life. That means, this computer is always on like a Smartphone, and the battery will still last you through the day with a spare battery left.  

Specification 

• 15.6 Inches Max Screen Resolution 1920 x 1080 Pixels
• i7 11th Gen Processor 2.8 GHz
• RAM 16 GB LPDDR4
• 512GB SSD
• Bluetooth, 802.11ax
• Number of USB 3.0 Ports
• Average Battery Life (in hours) 20 Hours, the most for any modern laptop.

The Galaxy Book offers one of the best versatility, performance, and dependability of any laptop on this list. Price does go up for some of the laptops on this list laptop here offers the best bang for your buck.  

MacBook Air 13’ with Retina Display. $1000 

Surface Book 2 $1300 

MacBook Pro 13 $1150 

Top 5 Best Laptops for Teachers and Students is never a simple, or static list. But we put work into finding the best laptops for remote teaching and learning.