WIRED Reviews 6 Best College Laptops for 2025: Chromebooks Lead

WIRED just dropped its definitive college laptop guide for 2025, and the results might surprise budget-conscious students. The tech publication’s testing reveals that Lenovo’s Flex 5i Chromebook Plus takes the crown for best student laptop, beating out premium options from Apple and Microsoft. With prices ranging from $249 to $1,300, the guide tackles every budget while prioritizing the portability and battery life that actually matter in lecture halls.

WIRED’s latest college laptop roundup just reshuffled the entire student computing deck. After extensive testing, the publication crowned Lenovo’s Flex 5i Chromebook Plus as the ultimate student machine – a surprising choice that puts a $349 Chromebook ahead of premium MacBooks and Windows ultrabooks.

The decision reflects a major shift in how students actually use laptops. “Portability and battery life are paramount,” writes Luke Larsen in WIRED’s comprehensive guide. “You want something that will last throughout the day and won’t weigh you down carrying it from class to class.”

The Flex 5i’s victory stems from its practical 2-in-1 design that transforms from laptop to tablet mode for late-night streaming sessions. Its 14-inch 1920×1200 display offers the taller aspect ratio that’s become essential for document work, while the Intel Core i3 processor keeps dozens of research tabs running smoothly. At 3.52 pounds, it hits the sweet spot between screen size and portability.

But Apple isn’t giving up the premium market without a fight. The new M4 MacBook Air leads WIRED’s high-end recommendations, though the publication notes an interesting trend: the aging M1 MacBook Air at $599 offers “really good deal” territory for budget-conscious students. That four-year-old chip still delivers all-day battery life and enough performance for typical college workloads.

Microsoft’s Surface lineup splits the difference with the Surface Laptop 7th Edition taking the mid-range crown. But it’s the compact Surface Pro 12 at $700 that caught WIRED’s attention for note-taking. “I can’t think of a better device to bring to class for notetaking,” Larsen writes, though he warns students will need to budget extra for the essential keyboard accessory.

The guide reveals how dramatically the laptop landscape has shifted toward portability over raw power. WIRED’s testing shows anything over four pounds “will start to feel noticeable in your backpack” after long campus days. This explains why 13-inch and 14-inch models dominate the recommendations, with 16-inch gaming laptops relegated to specialty use cases.