10 Best Laptop For College Students Under $600 2022 – Reviews & Guide
Many of the best laptops for college students can be found under $600. These budget laptops offer great value and performance. They often feature full HD or even 4K displays, Intel Core i5 processors and plenty of storage.
As a college student, the right laptop offers you the flexibility to work on campus and around the neighborhood, in your apartment or dorm room, in a cafe or at the library. It needs to be portable enough to take with you wherever you go, yet powerful enough that it can handle just about any task you ask of it.
Luckily, there are lots of good laptops that meet those criteria. Many of them cost less than $600. In fact, most options on our list are between $500 and $600, which makes them ideal choices for college students on a budget.
1. Acer Aspre 5
Brand | Acer |
Chipset Brand | Intel |
Resolution | 1080p |
Form Factor | Laptop |
Wireless Communication Technology | Wi-Fi |
It’s time to get back to work, and we’ve got a laptop that’ll keep you productive all day long.
The Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop has all the features you need to make sure you’re able to get your work done, whether it’s at home or on-the-go. Built with an 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8265U Processor, this laptop lets you multitask like a pro. Plus, its ample 8 GB of DDR4 RAM helps ensure you do so without any lag or slowdown.
Going out for coffee? Don’t worry about bringing along your charger—the Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop will give you up to 9.5 hours of battery life on a single charge!
With its 15.6-inch Full HD display, this laptop has more than enough room for you to get organized and have tons of windows open at once. And thanks to the built-in Intel UHD Graphics 620, those windows won’t look muddy or pixelated either.
Plus, if you need some extra ports for accessories like an external mouse or external hard drive, the Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop has got you covered with 3 USB ports, including 1 USB 3.1 Type C Gen 1 port.
2. Acer Swift 3
Series | SF314-42-R9YN |
Brand | Acer |
Specific Uses For Product | Multimedia, Personal, Business |
Screen Size | 14 Inches |
Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
The Acer Swift 3 Thin & Light Laptop is a thing of beauty. It’s super thin, so you can take it anywhere with you—the office, the library, the car (just be sure to buckle up!), or even on the plane during your next trip. Its light weight means you won’t even notice it in your bag, and its size is compact enough that you’ll get plenty of use out of it without it taking over your desk.
It has a sleek design that will make heads turn when you whip it out at the coffee shop—and we all know how important it is to have a laptop that looks good! Your friends will be so jealous when they catch sight of this beauty at study group. And don’t worry about your eyes getting tired during those late-night cram sessions—this baby’s got an LED-backlit screen and anti-glare technology so you can see everything clearly, even in low light.
The best part? This laptop isn’t just a pretty face: It performs well, too. With its AMD Ryzen 7 4700U Octa-Core Mobile Processor plus Radeon graphics, 8GB LPDDR4 Memory, and 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD, this laptop packs a serious punch. So whether you.
3. HP 15 Laptop
Series | HP 15 Laptop |
Brand | HP |
Specific Uses For Product | Personal, Business |
Screen Size | 15.6 Inches |
Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
It’s time to replace your old workhorse. With all the features you need to get work done every single day, you’ll never look back.
With a 15-inch screen, a Wi-Fi 6 (2x) and Bluetooth(R) 5 connection, HP True Vision HD webcam, and an integrated numeric keypad, this laptop is your career essential.
It has the design and style that you want with the performance to match. The thin and portable, micro-edge bezel design means you’ll be able to connect and stay productive anywhere. And with a long-lasting battery life, it won’t quit on you when you’re in the middle of something important.
This laptop secures local storage and automatically checks the health of your PC. It also recovers itself from boot up issues and protects against unauthorized access.
And with a 10th Generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-1035G1 processor, Quad-Core, 1.0 GHz base frequency and up to 3.6 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, it won’t keep you waiting around all day for it to do something.
4. HP Pavilion x360
Series | HP Pavilion X360 |
Brand | HP |
Screen Size | 14 Inches |
Operating System | Windows 10 |
Human Interface Input | Touchscreen, Microphone |
Hate feeling like you have to choose between a laptop and a tablet? [product name] is here for you. With its 360-degree rotating screen, the [product name] can be easily reconfigured into four different modes. If you’re taking notes in class or drawing, just flip the screen around to convert it into a tablet. And if you want to watch a movie, just switch it into stand mode so you can prop it up on your desk.
[product name] makes it easy for you to stay connected. Its Wi-Fi 6 connection and HP wide vision HD webcam with dual array microphone make it ideal for video meetings with your colleagues, even when internet connection isn’t as strong as usual. Or if you’d prefer to chat with friends online, [product name]’s battery has 12 hours of life, so it won’t quit on you halfway through a FaceTime call!
Plus, [product name] is ready to crash and recover faster than ever before: Its BIOS recovery and protection automatically checks the health of your PC and secures local storage while recovering itself from boot-up issues.
5. Microsoft Surface Go
Series | Surface Laptop Go |
Brand | Microsoft |
Specific Uses For Product | Personal, Gaming, Business |
Screen Size | 12.45 Inches |
Operating System | Windows 10 S |
Surface Go is perfect for all your daily tasks, giving you laptop performance, tablet portability, and a stunning touchscreen with the power of Windows 10 Home in S mode. Surface Go includes a built-in adjustable kickstand for adaptability in any environment.
At just 1.15 pounds and 8.3 millimeters thin, Surface Go is our smallest, lightest Surface yet. Get more done with the new Surface Go – featuring a stunning PixelSense Display designed to be viewed, touched, and written on; it’s the thinnest and lightest Surface yet. When you need to get things done throughout your day, Surface Go is the 2-in-1 that adapts to every moment.
With up to 9 hours of battery life, you can focus on what matters most without recharging. Runs Office and other desktop apps perfectly; starting at just 1.15 lbs and 8.3 mm thin — it fits easily in your bag.
6. Lenovo IdeaPad S145
Series | Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6 inch laptop |
Brand | Lenovo |
Screen Size | 15.6 Inches |
Operating System | Windows 10 |
Human Interface Input | Microphone, Keyboard |
What’s the point of a laptop if its screen is too small to read or watch movies on, but it’s too big and heavy to carry around? The Lenovo Ideapad S145’s 15.6-inch diagonal screen is perfect for all your needs: watching movies, playing games, working on your spreadsheets, or just checking in with all your friends on social media.
Even better? It comes with the powerful and latest AMD Ryzen 3 series, so you can expect super fast performance, making it easy to work on more than one thing at a time—and even multitask while streaming video—without any annoying lags.
This laptop is built to last through all your activities, and the lightweight design makes it easy to take with you wherever you’re going.
7. Asus VivoBook F412DA
Series | ASUS VivoBook |
Brand | ASUS |
Screen Size | 14 Inches |
Operating System | Windows 10 |
Human Interface Input | Keyboard |
While other laptops may be a real pain, this one is a real pleasure to use. The ASUS VivoBook F412DA is loaded with features and has an ample amount of power to handle your daily tasks. It’s the perfect solution for all your computing needs, whether you’re at home or in the office.
The first thing you’ll notice about the ASUS VivoBook F412DA is its size—it’s compact enough to fit on most desks without taking up too much space. It also weighs just under 4 lbs., making it easy to carry around with you wherever you go. The second thing that stands out is its sleek design; it looks great wherever you place it!
The included keyboard offers a comfortable typing experience and allows for better control over your workstation. If you need even more precision control, use the Asus Pen Stylus as a mouse replacement for an even more intuitive way of working (sold separately).
The 15″ screen makes it easy to see what you’re doing, even from across the room. And with its wide viewing angles, colors stay true no matter where in front of or behind it they’re viewed from – so there won’t be any worries about losing detail when reading text at different distances away from the screen.
8. Lenovo IdeaPad 3
Series | Lenovo |
Brand | Lenovo |
Screen Size | 15.6 Inches |
Operating System | Windows 10 S |
Human Interface Input | Microphone, Keyboard |
Your laptop should be as unique as you are—and the IdeaPad 3 is just that. With its thin, lightweight design, this everyday 14 inch laptop can fit into any workspace, while the FHD display and narrow side bezels give you more viewing area and less clutter. Plus with Q Control, you can easily switch between “Max modes” for faster performance and “battery saving mode” for a quieter user experience.
Every day is non-stop, but your IdeaPad 3 will keep up with you. Whether you’re working from home or need to connect with your team across the globe, this device has fast Wi-Fi connectivity so you can upload files and video chat quickly and easily. With AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Mobile Processors with Radeon Graphics, it also delivers reliable performance for everyday tasks like browsing the web and keeping up with your emails.
Your privacy is important to us—that’s why the IdeaPad 3 has a physical shutter for your webcam, so you’ll enjoy true privacy at your fingertips.
9. Dell 15 3000If
Series | Inspiron |
Brand | Dell |
Screen Size | 15.6 Inches |
Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
Human Interface Input | Touchscreen, Microphone, Keyboard |
Get a laptop that’s both stylish and powerful. The Dell Inspiron 15 3000 Series is a budget-friendly powerhouse that comes with Windows 10 so it’s ready to go for work, school, or play.
The Intel Core i3 5005U dual-core processor is great for multitasking and running multiple programs and tabs at the same time. With 4 GB of RAM, your laptop can run multiple web browsers and applications without slowing down. Plus, the 500 GB hard drive has plenty of room to store all of your important files.
And with a 15.6 inch WXGA (1366×768) LED-lit screen, your videos will look crisp and clear, without taking up too much space in the process.
10. Lenovo Flex 5
Series | Lenovo Ideapad |
Brand | Lenovo |
Screen Size | 14 Inches |
Operating System | Windows 10 |
Human Interface Input | Touchscreen, Mouse |
It’s not often that you find a laptop that’s beautiful and powerful, but in the Lenovo Flex 5 14″ 2-in-1 Laptop, you get both.
This laptop is thin, light, and easy to carry around. It’s only 3.64 pounds and 0.82″ thick—so it won’t weigh you down or take up too much space in your bag. The 10-point, 14-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS touchscreen means the laptop is comfortable to look at, with 4-side narrow bezels and an intuitive interface that makes it easy to use.
The 360⁰ hinge lets you use the 2-in-1 touchscreen laptop in whatever mode works best for you; Use it in ‘Laptop’ mode for everyday computing, ‘Tent’ mode for sharing things, ‘Stand’ mode for binge-watching, or ‘Tablet’ mode for more intuitive interaction.
And then there’s the power: The AMD Ryzen 5 4500U mobile processor with Radeon graphics mean this PC has the performance to do anything.