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Chapter 2 · October

Budget laptops that survive the first year

The loan has landed, the rent has left, and your laptop is making a noise like a tiny hairdryer. Let's make sure the money you spend now still looks sensible in third year.

Pick My Laptop

What a sensible budget really buys

Under about £400, you are mostly buying compromises: dim screens, soldered memory, slow storage and keyboards that feel like typing on a biscuit. Between £450 and £650 sits the sweet spot. Machines such as the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, the Acer Aspire Go 15, the ASUS Vivobook 15 and the HP 15s typically bring a proper SSD, 8GB of RAM and a screen you can read without squinting.

Past £700 you stop paying for speed and start paying for weight, build quality and battery life. That is lovely, but it is a want, not a need. If money is tight, spend on the spec list below and let the shiny aluminium wait.

Close-up of laptop keyboard keys with shallow depth of field on a sandy student desk

Three specs you should not trade away

Memory

Eight gigabytes handles essays, browser tabs and video calls. Sixteen is the safer pick if the laptop must last four years. Check whether the memory is upgradeable, because many thin models solder it down.

Storage

Insist on an SSD of at least 256GB. Skip anything with 64GB of eMMC storage, since Windows updates alone will gobble most of it before you have saved a single essay.

Screen

Look for a Full HD (1920×1080) IPS panel. A 1366×768 screen shows barely any of a spreadsheet and turns a three-hour seminar into an eyestrain endurance test.

Chromebooks: cheap, quick and a little bossy

A Chromebook such as the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook typically costs £250–£450, starts in seconds and sips battery. If your work lives in Google Docs, Microsoft 365 for the web and Zoom, it can be a clever bargain.

The catch is software. Some courses need Windows or macOS programs, and some online exams use lockdown browsers that behave differently on ChromeOS. Ask your department before you click Buy, and save yourself an awkward September.

Close-up of a laptop screen edge beside handwritten lecture notes on a student desk

Refurbished and discounted: the quiet wins

A business-class refurbished laptop such as a Lenovo ThinkPad T14 or an older MacBook Air often beats a new budget machine for keyboard, screen and build. Buy from a seller that offers at least a 12-month warranty, a clear returns policy and a stated battery health figure. Apple's own refurbished store and Lenovo's outlet are safe places to start.

For new laptops, check the education stores run by Apple, Microsoft, Lenovo and Dell, plus student discount services such as UNiDAYS and Student Beans. July to September is peak offer season, and Black Friday is your second chance.

A parent's ten-second checklist

  • An SSD of 256GB or more?
  • At least 8GB of RAM, or 16GB if it must last four years?
  • A Full HD screen?
  • Eight hours or more of battery in independent reviews?
  • Does the course software list match the operating system?
  • Charges over USB-C, so one charger does everything?
  • A clear warranty and returns policy?
  • Under 1.8 kg if it will travel daily?

Tick six or more and you are in good shape. Not sure about the course part? Check our course table or tell us your budget.