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If I were going back to school, I would buy one of these 3 affordable AI PCs
By Madeline Ricchiuto,
1 day ago
My back-to-school shopping days are over, but I'm not far enough away from them that I can't remember the challenge of finding the right laptop. If I were looking to grab a new laptop for school in 2024, AI PCs would be at the top of my list.
Sure, everyone loves the Apple MacBook Air 13 M3, and it is our top pick as the best college laptop for good reason. However, many of the new Windows AI PCs have managed to close the performance and battery life gaps between Windows and Mac systems, which makes them a very attractive option for back-to-school laptops.
And since all three of these AI PCs are Windows systems, you won't have the same kind of compatibility issues that Macs sometimes run into when accessing school or university systems.
While these three AI PC laptops are featured on our best AI PCs buying guide, they're also the three laptops I think offer the best blend of price, battery life, and power for students.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x
(Image credit: Stevie Bonifield)
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x is our current favorite AI PC, and for good reason. This laptop starts at just $1,199 and provides both excellent battery life and strong multi-core performance, which will let you take notes all day in class without needing to run for an outlet the moment you step out of the lecture hall.
Our reviewer praised the Slim 7x for its performance, battery life, sharp OLED display, and fantastic keyboard, saying, “it’s a fantastic all-around Windows 11 laptop for students and professionals.” While the Slim 7x can’t keep up with purpose-built gaming laptops, it can handle some casual gaming in addition to its strong productivity performance. It’s also packed with numerous AI features to make writing emails to professors and taking notes even easier.
Features: 14.5-inch 3K OLED touch-screen display, Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor, 16GB memory, 512GB storage, Cosmic Blue
Buy it if: You want a strong combination of performance and battery life with minimal sacrifices. With a solid keyboard and sharp OLED display, the Yoga Slim 7x has just about everything you could ask for in a school laptop.
Don't Buy it if: You need a budget system. While the Yoga Slim 7x isn't the priciest AI PC around, it is over the $1000 mark which could price it out of some students' budgets. View Deal
Dell XPS 13 9345 (Snapdragon X Elite)
(Image credit: Future/Rami Tabari)
The Dell XPS 13 9345 (Snapdragon X Elite) has one thing going for it over any of the other Copilot+ or AI PC laptops: battery life. Lasting over 19 hours on our battery test, the XPS 13 9345 dethroned the MacBook Pro 16 M3 Max and its 18:05 battery life for the laptop with the best battery life .
And nothing makes for a better school laptop than battery life. After all, students don't often have the downtime to charge a laptop when running between classes all day.
That's not all the XPS 13 has to offer, as the Snapdragon X Elite laptop also provides strong performance, a svelte design, a solid webcam, and a bright display. However, the keyboard on this 13-inch laptop can be cramped, and the display is a bit muted with mediocre graphics. But if you can work around the minimal ports and poor color, the XPS 13 can last for an entire day on a single charge.
Buy it if: Battery life is your biggest concern when heading to class. If you know you're going to be bouncing between classes and the library until almost midnight, the Dell XPS 13 9345 is the best laptop for keeping up with your busy school schedule.
Don't Buy it if: Budget is your biggest concern. The XPS 13 may be on a discount now for just $1,299 but its still going to be above the budget of some students. View Deal
Asus Zenbook 14 (Q425)
(Image credit: Future)
For the budget-conscious student, the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425) is the best AI PC laptop.
While the Asus Zenbook 14 may not have all of the same on-device AI capabilities as the Copilot+ laptops, its Intel Core Ultra processor can handle quite a bit of AI text and image generation. It also offers snappy productivity performance and all-day battery life, lasting 15 hours and 52 minutes on our battery test.
The Zenbook also features a comfortable keyboard and quality audio and can handle most casual games. With a starting price of just $799, the Zenbook 14 OLED is the ideal AI PC for students on a budget.
Buy it if: You want solid performance and battery life at an absolute steal of a price. With a gorgeous 14-inch OLED display and quality audio, the Zenbook 14 is the whole package.
Don't Buy it if: You need more than 15 hours of battery life or good gaming performance. While the Zenbook 14 OLED can keep up with a demanding schedule and some light gaming, the XPS 13 can go a whole day without a charge and the Slim 7x has far smoother graphics. View Deal
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