The best laptops for students at any age
From budget-busters under $500 to premium laptops that could take your child from study to work and play.
Is it time (again) to stock up on school essentials? Along with lunchboxes, pens, notebooks and backpacks, laptops have become essential for both younger and older students. Depending on the school’s Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program, a laptop or tablet may be essential for your child. It’s a similar story for university and vocational education and training (VET).
As much as we’d all like laptops to last (they’re a bit more expensive than paper!), they do tend to get worn down as the year goes on. But the good news is that there are often sales around the middle of the year – such as EOFY and Amazon Prime Day – which give us a chance to get a new model and save.
So here, we have rounded up the best laptops for students in primary school, high school and higher education in Australia. As well as the level of study, we’ve considered the laptop features, warranty, size and weight. We’ve also looked at other customer reviews to help you choose the best laptop for your kid’s learning experience.
The best laptops for students
- Our pick for primary school: Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook, from $447 (usually $479) at Amazon (here’s why)
- Our pick for high school: Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Flex i5 8GB 512GB 2-in-1 Laptop from $1299 at The Good Guys (here’s why)
- Our pick for university or VET: Apple MacBook Pro 14 inches with M4 chip from $2349 at Apple (here’s why)
The best laptops for primary school students
1. Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook
from $447 (usually $479) from Amazon
Best for a lightweight all-rounder
This budget-friendly Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook weighs just 1.3kg and has all the essentials for everyday school tasks, homework and play. It has a vibrant 14-inch HD display and powerful MediaTek processor, 128GB (gigabytes) of storage and up to 13.5 hours battery life to see students through the day.
It also has an average rating of 4.8 stars on The Good Guys, with one customer sharing: “Bought for the kids to help them with their homework & they love it. Works great, easy to use.”
Key features:
- Chromebook operating system
- 1.3kg weight
- Up to 13.5 hours of battery life
- 128GB internal storage
- MediaTek processor and 4GB RAM
- Wifi and bluetooth connectivity
- 14-inch HD display
- 1x Headphone / microphone combo jack (3.5mm), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1
- 1 year warranty
Also available at:
- $449 at The Good Guys
2. Acer Aspire GO 15
from $551.62 from Amazon
Best for reliability
If your kids are in their final years at primary school (or heading into high school), the Acer Aspire GO 15 is a laptop worth considering. It is designed to deliver speedy performance for work and play, with a powerful 11th Gen Intel Core i3-N305 processor with 8 cores and speeds up to 3.8GHz. It also has a generous 8GB RAM, 512GB storage, up to 10 hours of battery life and a 15.6-inch HD screen with anti-glare properties.
Key features:
- Windows 11 operating system
- Up to 10 hours battery life
- 11th Gen Intel Core i3-N305 processor with 8 cores and speeds up to 3.8GHz
- 8GB RAM
- 15.6-inch Full HD screen with anti-glare properties
- 512GB SSD storage
- Wifi and bluetooth connectivity
- 1.75kg weight
- Connections include HDMI, USB 3.1, USB-C and headphones (audio input/output port)
- 1 year warranty
Also available at:
- $717 at Bing Lee
3. HP 14″ Celeron 4GB 128GB Laptop
from $494 at The Good Guys
Best for a Windows 11 laptop on a budget
On sale at The Good Guys, this HP laptop has everything a student could need at a reasonable price. This model comes with Windows Home 11, 4GB of memory and 128GB of internal storage for files, photos, videos and more. It’s also designed for multi-tasking, with an Intel Celeron N4500 processor with two 2 Cores and up to 2.8GHz speed plus a 14-inch HD display.
“Very nice laptop. Love the size and aesthetic! And price was great,” said one customer who rated it five out of five stars on The Good Guys website, where 94% of reviewers recommended it.
Key features:
- Windows 11 operating system
- Up to 8 hours and 15 minutes battery life
- Intel Celeron N4500 processor with two 2 Cores and up to 2.8GHz speed
- 4GB RAM
- 14-inch HD screen
- 128GB storage
- Wifi and bluetooth connectivity
- 1.47kg weight
- Connections include HDMI, USB-C and USB-A
- 1 year warranty
Also available at:
- $398 from Harvey Norman
The best laptops for high school students
1. Lenovo IdeaPad 5
from $1299 at The Good Guys
Best 2-in-1 laptop with touchscreen
If your teenager’s high school requires a BYOD laptop that also has touchscreen and stylus capabilities, this Lenovo IdeaPad is worth considering for its reliability and competitive price. It can be easily switched between laptop and tablet mode, with a 360-degree hinge and 10-point multi-touch FHD display, comes pre-installed with Windows 11 Home and offers up to 17 hours battery life.
It’s also a best-seller on Amazon Australia and was ranked number two for 2-in-1 laptops when we checked (the number one model was $100-$500 more expensive, too).
“Would recommend for a student, easy to use always had Lenovo products,” one customer also shared in a five star review on The Good Guys.
Key features:
- Windows 11 operating system
- Laptop and tablet modes
- Touchscreen and stylus compatibility
- Up to 17 hours battery life
- Intel Core i5-13420H processor
- 8GB RAM
- 14-inch screen and webcam with privacy shutter
- 512GB storage
- Wifi and bluetooth connectivity
- 1.6kg weight
- Connections include HDMI, USB-C and USB-A
- 1 year warranty
2. Dell 15.6″ AMD Ryzen 5 8GB 512GB Laptop
from $699 at The Good Guys
Best for productivity
The AMD Ryzen 5 laptop is perfect for high school students who need a reliable device for schoolwork and projects. Its powerful AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor and 8GB of RAM make multitasking between apps, research, and assignments smooth and effortless, while the 512GB storage gives plenty of room for documents, photos, and school projects.
The 15.6-inch Full HD LED display ensures crisp, clear visuals for studying, presentations, or creative work. Lightweight at just 1.9kg, with Windows 11 Home, it’s easy to carry between classes or use at home.
Key features:
- Windows 11 Home
- 1.9kg weight
- Stay powered all day with energy-efficient battery management and ExpressCharge support, giving you an 80% charge in 1 hour.
- 512GB internal storage
- AMD Ryzen 5 7520U, 4 Core, 2.8 GHz
- 8GB RAM
- Wifi and bluetooth connectivity
- 15.6-inch FHD LED display
- Ports can include HDMI, USB 2.0, USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm headphone jack
- 1 year warranty
Also available at:
3. Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M2)
from $1397 (was $1699) at Amazon
Best for a student MacBook
If your teens are going to a school that requires a MacBook, the 13-inch Air with M2 processor is a good place to start. As well as offering a lower price-point than newer models, it offers an impressive range of features, including a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display and up to 18 hours battery life.
It’s also designed to be up to 20 per cent faster for applying image filters and effects and up to 40 per cent faster for editing complex video timelines compared to previous models, and is compatible with all the usual software and tools a high school student (or anyone else) could need. Plus, if your teen has an iPhone, they can sync their devices for faster data transfers and increased security.
Key features:
- Apple macOS Ventura operating system
- Up to 18 hours battery life
- 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display and 1080p FaceTime HD camera
- Apple M2 processor with 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine
- 8GB memory
- 512GB SSD storage
- Wifi 6 and Bluetooth 5 connectivity
- 1.24kg weight
- Connections include MagSafe 3 charger, Thunderbolt/USB 4 Ports and headphone jack
- 1 year warranty, with option to add AppleCare cover for longer support
Also available at:
- $1699 (base model) from Apple
The best laptops for university and VET students
1. Apple MacBook Pro 14 inches with M4 chip
from $2349 (Education price) from Apple
Best for performance and style
It’s hard to beat a MacBook Pro when it comes to Apple products, and the newer M4 chip models are a stylish and powerful device for university, TAFE, work and everything else. The processing chip and 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine provides incredible speed and capability to multitask and power through both everyday and more advanced tasks, as well as multitasking. With a stunning display and sound capabilities, as well as Apple Intelligence, it’s ideal for higher education and beyond.
One reviewer on The Good Guys website even called it the “perfect product for uni studies” thanks to all its features, with reviews from other stores similarly high in praise.
Key features:
- macOS Sequoia operating system
- 10 core CPU (4 performance, 6 efficiency), 10 core GPU, 16 core Neural Engine
- Up to 24 hours of battery life
- 512GB internal storage
- 24GB memory
- Wifi and bluetooth connectivity
- 14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display
- Three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, headphone jack, MagSafe 3 port
- Touch ID, Apple Intelligence, Apple device integration
- 1 year warranty, with option to add AppleCare cover for longer support
Also available at:
- From $2124 at The Good Guys
2. Asus Zenbook 14″ OLED Ryzen 7 16GB 1TB SSD Laptop
from $1674 at Big W
Best for heavy-duty performance
With a lightning-fast AMD Ryzen 7 processor, generous 16GB of RAM and 1TB of memory, the Zenbook is a Windows laptop that can compete with MacBooks in terms of its features and performance. The 14-inch OLED touchscreen offers an impressive visual and tactile experience, elevated by the Dolby Atmos sound system. The design is also packed with considered features, such as one-touch login with a fingerprint sensor, up to 22 hours battery life and 49-minute fast charging options.
Key features:
- Windows 11 Home operating system
- OLED touch screen display with AMD Integrated graphics and 1080p FHD web camera
- Up to 22 hours battery life
- Ryzen 7 7730U Mobile, 8 Cores, 2.0GHz processor with 16GB memory
- 1TB SSD storage
- Touch ID
- 1.39kg weight
- Connections include HDMI, USB-C and USB-A and headphones/headset
- 1 year warranty
3 practical tips for choosing a student laptop
Check the school’s BYOD program
If your kids are in primary school, you may be required to provide an iPad or tablet rather than an actual laptop, especially in the earlier years. So check what type of device (or devices) they allow, including the requirements for operating systems and any other tools.
In high school, you’ll typically be required to provide a laptop. But some schools go as far as specifying features such as touchscreens and stylus for writing. And when it comes to university, VET or other courses, there’s usually a lot more opportunity for students to pick a laptop they want.
Focus on essential features
These can vary a bit depending on the school, your budget and preferences. But as a guide, some key features to consider are:
- Battery life
- Weight
- Processor specifications (e.g. Intel, Apple M3)
- Memory or RAM
- Internal storage
- Any specific software or other requirements
When you’re considering different laptops for study, focusing on these features can help you choose the right one.
Look for student discounts
Some companies offer discounts for students that can help you save on costs. For example, Apple Australia has an Education Store with various deals on its website and Dell has a Student Purchase Program. You can even find some software at discounted prices for students, not to mention free memberships like UNiDAYS or Student Beans that offer discounts (these are usually for higher education students though).
