Forget those pricey textbooks, non-stick pans, and cup noodles — the most important thing that you can purchase as a student is a laptop. It will serve as your office, books, media hub, and a valuable social connector between friends, all wrapped up in a few ounces of metal and plastic. Unless you have bags of cash, you want your machine to last at least the three years that you will be spending at college, so make sure you don’t skimp on the important details.
Compare different models in order to find a laptop with solid construction, and a full-sized keyboard for typing long essays and papers. If you intend to watch TV shows and movies on your laptop, you will need a screen measuring at least 14 inches, with a minimum display resolution of 1.366 X 768 pixels. Here are some of the best laptops for college and university students this year.
Acer Aspire V5
The Acer Aspire line comes with a wide variety of specs, from RAM, to processors, build, and more – so a single model may not fit all. Whatever configuration you choose, The Acer Aspire V5 still ranks as one of the most cost-efficient choices for budget-conscious students. Its huge15.6 inch widescreen display is great for watching movies, while the impressively slim build and light weight make it a stellar choice for carrying around in a bag. The Acer Aspire V5 has been proven to give you a few good hours battery-wise too. It is a good all-rounder and is guaranteed to meet your basic needs.
Sony Vaio E15
Sony has a reputation for quality. It uses the very latest Ivy Bridge processors in its new Vaio E15, along with a truck load of extras that will keep people buying, while other manufacturers work to catch up. The Sony Vaio E15 includes a number of premium media tools. It is also equipped with a 1.3MP webcam, which uses Exmor sensor technology found in the newest Cybershot cameras. It has 8GB of RAM storage, and is really more of an entry level desktop replacement than your every day laptop.
HP Folio 13-1020us
The HP Folio 13-1020us is one of the most well-engineered and handsomely designed laptops today, available for under a thousand dollars. Put simply, it is flashy. The Folio 13-1020us boast a fantastic keyboard that is smooth and incredibly tactile. You will also find it is equipped with full-sized HDMI and Ethernet ports, USB ports and a card reader. The device’s solid state drive is already preloaded with Windows 7, and a host of other useful applications such as Evernote, a free 60-day trial for Norton Internet Security, WildTangent games, and an e-reader. It’s a perfect choice if you’re looking to impress.
Lenovo IdeaPad U310
The Lenovo IdeaPad U310 is a sleek ultrabook that delivers excellent performance, due to its speedy third generation Intel Core i5 processor. It is an upgrade on Lenovo’s regular ultrabook line, with faster processers and a splash of color. Weighing only 3.75 pounds, it is lighter and smaller than Apple’s Macbook Pro, therefore easy to carry around campus. The IdeaPad U310 features an Ethernet port, two USB ports, a built-in card reader, and a full-size HDMI output, as well as pretty decent front webcam for video-seminars and using with Skype. With its hi-tech VeriFace app, you can log in to your laptop literally in a single glance. Lenovo has also packed this laptop with a 5400 rpm hard drive for quicker storage, and a 32GB solid state cache for instant start performance, which means you won’t be waiting around to access files, or take notes during class.
This is a guest post by Louise Miller. Louise graduated from UCL in 2010 with a MA in engineering. When she is not busy designing apps for android, she enjoys blogging about digital media and the latest news in technology.
