Best budget laptops for students

Top pick: Asus Vivobook Go 15 OLED — the cheapest thing here that still feels like a real laptop for school: Windows, a bright OLED screen that's easy on the eyes during long note-taking sessions, and enough power for docs, slides and a dozen browser tabs. It's the one I'd hand a student first.

Who the others suit:

• HP 14-inch HD Windows 11 — the tightest-budget option; fine for essays and web reading, but 4 GB RAM means keep tabs to a minimum.
• Nimo 15.6 FHD Student Laptop — if you want more memory and storage headroom for the same kind of money; a bigger, heavier machine.
• Acer Aspire 14 AI Copilot+ — a step up in speed and screen quality if you'll keep it four years and want it to stay quick.
• Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus — best if everything you do lives in Google Docs and the browser; light, long-lasting, no Windows apps.
• Apple MacBook Neo — for the student who wants macOS and a screen that's lovely to write on.
• Dell Chromebook 11 — smallest and simplest; good as a second, toss-in-a-bag machine.

Skip the ProArt and the big Dell Pro 16 here — they're workstation money for essay writing.