Best: Overall

• Operating System: Windows 10 Home
• Storage:  256 GB
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5
• Display: 14 in
• Battery life: 7.5 hours
• Touchscreen: No

The design of this notebook is absolutely glorious and its ultra-wide screen with extremely narrow bezels gives it a modern and practical feel. With a fingerprint ID sensor to log on and an extra-large trackpad, usability is not a problem. Unlike the very similar Huawei MateBook, the Liber V finds room for a webcam above the display but, with the AMD Ryzen 5 processor, this notebook doesn’t reach the same power levels as the MateBook.

Portability should be no problem here – with a weight of just 1.31kg you’ll have no trouble with travel. The battery life isn’t brilliant, but the charger cable is long enough. If you’re worried about aesthetics, it might be worth investing in a case, as the matte black casing is prone to fingerprints.

Read the full Avita Liber V review

Best: For processing power

• Operating System: Windows 10
• Storage: 256 GB
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7
• Display: 14 in
• Battery Life: 10 hours
• Touchscreen: Yes

The Huawei MateBook 14 2020 AMD is perfect for students who will benefit from high processing power – like graphic design students – thanks to its AMD Ryzen processor. This laptop is easily portable with a width of 12 inches, a height of just over half an inch and a 10-hour battery life. It is sturdy and strong – albeit a little heavy compared to its very sleek design. Despite its size, the MateBook 14 2020 AMD boasts a 14-inch display with a 3:2 aspect ratio. While this might make watching films on Netflix a little frustrating, it is great for productivity.

The comfortable and tactile keyboard reaches almost from edge to edge and the fingerprint ID feature of the “on” button makes logging on both secure and effortless. Due to the narrow bezels, the webcam is located on the keyboard, under a hidden function key. While we can blame the lack of space, this is slightly behind the times compared to laptops which have reduced the size of webcams and makes for tricky viewing – not so great when the majority of studying is now digital.

Best: Two-in-one student laptop

• Operating System: Chrome OS
• Storage:  64 GB
• Processor: MediaTek P60T
• Display: 10.1 in
• Battery Life: Up to 10 hours
• Touchscreen: Yes

At 9.64 inches wide and 0.71 inches thick at the very most (that’s with the magnetic keyboard and kickstand cover attached), this 2-in-1 laptop and tablet is convenient, versatile and budget-friendly. The Chrome OS operating system offers more apps at your fingertips than seems possible on such a small device, and the extremely long battery life makes this laptop perfect for days spent studying away from home.

However, the trackpad isn’t the most responsive, and getting used to typing on such a small keyboard might prove difficult if you´re downsizing – though this makes the touchscreen feature all the more useful. Also, the magnetic stand and keyboard can feel a little flimsy, but it’s a small price to pay for the money saved. If you’re looking for something with a lot of horsepower, this might not be for you. But if you’re looking only to take notes, browse the web and take pictures (the rear camera is a neat feature), this laptop is great value for money and one of the best Chromebooks about.

Best: For entertainment

• Operating System: Windows 10 Home Plus
• Storage:  512 GB
• Processor: 10th Generation Intel Core i5-1035G1
• Display: 15.6 in
• Battery Life: 6 hours
• Touchscreen: No

The Dell Inspiron 15 5593 is the biggest laptop we’ve included in this list. With a huge display and full-sized numeric keyboard, this laptop is comfortable and easy to use. Despite its heftiness, it is sleek and attractive, and still quite slender at 0.9 inches thick.

With portability in mind, battery life might be a downside, but its durability cancels out any fear of damage when transporting it to and from campus in your backpack – which is unexpected given how light it is. With the cheapest option, you get a free trial of Windows Office, which is very handy for studying. For a mid-range laptop, this has everything you need.

Best: Budget option

• Operating system: Windows 10 Home
• Storage:  256 GB
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 3
• Display: 14 in
• Battery life: 8 hours
• Touchscreen: No

This is a lightweight, budget-friendly laptop perfect for studying. Weighing just 1.3kg, the Pura is portable and stylish, albeit a little fragile compared to some of the other laptops on this list. The screen is high quality and a good size at 14 inches, and the bezels – while they could be smaller – are far from too wide.

Typing is a breeze and the trackpad is responsive, and the AMD Ryzen 3 processor allows for a decent amount of horsepower. This is a simple yet practical device that covers all necessary bases, including a free mouse.

Best: Apple laptop for students

• Operating system: macOS Big Sur
• Storage: 256/512GB
• Processor: Apple M1
• Display: 13.3 in
• Battery life: Up to 18 hours
• Touchscreen: No

Slim, lightweight and beautifully designed, the MacBook Air takes portability and usability to the next level. The new Apple M1 processor is extremely powerful, making this laptop speedy and efficient. With an 18-hour battery life, there’ll be no need to find a desk with a socket when studying away from home, and the keyboard and large trackpad are pleasant to use.

The MacOS software can be a lot to get used to in the first few days if you’re transitioning from a PC, but it’s simple, bright and seems to have been made with convenience in mind. The display is smaller than others, at 13.3 inches, but the bezels are narrow and the webcam is strong.

Best: For portability

• Operating System: Windows 10
• Storage: 256 GB
• Processor: 10th generation Intel Core i3-1005G1
• Display: 14 in
• Battery life: Up to 8 hours 55 minutes
• Touchscreen: No

Weighing under 1.55kg, this laptop is perfect for carting around in a backpack. Its 14 inch display is high quality and the keyboard is comfortable and spacious. The trackpad is large and responsive. Another streamlined notebook with a matte finish, this laptop is attractive, but with less of a modern feel than some of the other laptops mentioned here.

The webcam is HD but not extremely high quality. The long battery life, size and weight make for perfect portability. This laptop is simple yet effective, though it feels a little budget for the price. Still, Dynabook (previously Toshiba) has a reputation for reliability and longevity, so this could be a great pick to last through your entire course.