The Best Dell Laptop for Students [Buying Guide 2022]

Whether you’re a software engineering, business, or medical student, the laptop is the most critical thing – that’s as essential as your textbooks.

Not only for taking notes, doing assignments, or taking lectures, but a laptop is a student’s great partner to carry out extracurricular activities, including live streaming, social media scrolling, video chatting, or watching movies.

Why Dell, by the way? Thanks to impressive portable design, Dell is ruling over the best laptops series for the past few years. There are some of the top best dell laptops for students in the market that are the perfect depiction of Dell’s flair.

Dell has been spreading excellent value in the industry, from the luxury flagships of Dell XPS 13 and 15 to the appealing Latitude series.

And you know what’s the secret behind it? From the student’s perspective, Dell’s brilliant aesthetics, cost-efficiency, and practicality come right into play. So are you ready to explore Dell’s proficiency?

Here we’ve got you some highly-rated Dell flagship laptops that are ideal for students. Yes! You read that right. Our detailed buying guide will make you a step closer to your purchase. Let’s get right into the business!

Comparing 7 Best Dell laptop for Students

Dell Laptop	CPU (Intel)	RAM	Screen Size
Dell XPS 13 9310	Evo Core i7	16GB	13.4” FHD+	Check Price
Dell Inspiron 15	Core i5	16GB	15.6” UHD	Check Price
Dell Chromebook 11	Celeron Dual Core	4GB	11.6” HD	Check Price
Dell XPS 13 7390	i7 10th Gen	32GB	13.4” FHD	Check Price
Dell Inspiron 14	Pentium Gold	4GB	14” HD	Check Price
Dell Vostro 15 3590	Core i7 10510U	8GB	15.6”	Check Price
Dell Latitude 14 E5470	Core i5 6300u	8GB	14.6” HD	Check Price

Are you looking for a heavy investment in something extremely portable? You’ve got on the right thing. Dell has marked its debut with the latest version of its first ultraportable – the XPS 13 with 11-Gen CPU.

What makes Dell XPS 13 so special? It’s not all about the portability or the trim-to-the-max chassis; XPS 13 is the perfect depiction of performance due to its cutting-edge ‘Tiger Lake’ processor.

Let’s dig a little deeper! The waits bore fruit for the people who didn’t opt for the 9300 series and anticipated the next ones. There’s a powerful CPU bump, an exceptional redesign, and for sure better performance too.

Does its aesthetics are really better than some elite models Compared to Apple MacBook Pro 13, Dell beat it up with its exceptionally lightweight construction – thanks to the thin, sleek design.

As soon as you run your fingers on the aluminum edges and lid, you’ll feel Dell’s proficiency in anodizing the edges twice to make it scratch-resistant. If you always keep your laptop with you in college or university, the ultraportable XPS is here for you.

Isn’t its InfinityEdge 500-nit touch display astonishing? The brightest bright in the darkest dark, the 1,920x 1200p display resolution is honestly stunning – it’s an understatement even. Although Dell hasn’t the 4K screen, we actually don’t mind the taller aspect ratio with 500-nits full brightness. Things are even vivid if you’re studying outdoors.

Feats of miniaturization! Dell’s flair in downsizing is visible in XPS 13. There are a 720p webcam and IR face recognition system that’s quite enough for indoor live sessions. The miniature version still has two USB Type-C ports, a headphone jack, Thunderbolt 4, and a microSD card reader.

The Bottom Line: Dell XPS 13 is an ideal choice for students – thanks to its 15-hours long battery life. Greater RAM size, SSD inclusion, the i7 CPU, and Dynamic Intel Technology, and brilliant aesthetics make it stand on the top.

Here’s the latest iteration of the Dell Inspiron series, the Inspiron 15 that has relatively more to offer you than its competitors. If we keep its bulkiness aside, the strong CPU, GPU, and decent build quality make it a great deal for students.

Want to know about the aesthetics? Let’s get right into it! Despite the boring color scheme, Dell has engineered the chassis, back lid, and keyboard deck from textured black plastic that’s quite smoother and sleeker.

On the whole, there’s a glossy black casing for adding a little more to the aesthetics. The bezels are not too big, nor too small.

Does its display really meet your expectation? The 1366x 768p resolution isn’t enough for some heavy-duty tasks like video editing or 4K gaming, but it’s still enough for a student. You can perform web browsing, multitasking, and take online lectures with great clarity. The brightness can reach up to 170 nits – fair enough.

Responsiveness of keyboard and touchpad matters! Having an appealing sans-serif font on it; the splash-resistant keyboard stands nicely on the black and grey deck. With a travel distance of 1.02mm, you get great responsiveness and typing speeds – that’s what a student needs.

You’d love the quality and responsiveness of the touchpad – all thanks to its high-end carbon black construction.

What about battery life? Battery life is a major concern, especially for a student. Dell Inspiron 15 has done a great job bringing a 40W battery that lasts up to 7 hours if you’re continuously browsing the web.

The Bottom Line: With the bottom-firing speakers to cause room-filling audio, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD to run everything smoothly, and an advanced thermal control system, Dell Inspiron 15 has stunned its users. If you prioritize performance over aesthetics, you won’t be disappointed by this flimsy-looking yet practical Inspiron 15.

Here comes another aesthetic laptop that features a fantastic amalgam of style and performance from Dell’s Chromebook series.

Although the RAM, CPU, and GPU aren’t enough to run heavy hacking software or heavy-duty tasks, they are still enough for a casual student. You can do web browsing and all your study-related tasks easily.

What’s so special about Chromebook 11? You get a complete stylish package at an affordable cost – that’s all about it. If you’re up for buying a laptop from your pocket money, Chromebook is made for you. Plus, it’s exceptionally compact with a low bezel ratio, and the lightweight body makes it easy to carry anywhere.

Want to know about the aesthetics? Let’s get right into it! Once you open it up, the Chromebook’s style starts speaking out Dell’s flair. The overall dust and scratch-resistant plastic chassis with slightly raised edges make the design quite appealing.

The keyboard and touchpad come into play! You’ll get amazed by the responsiveness of both keys and touchpad – all thanks to its reduced travel distance and smooth finishing. The lower case characters with an island-style font give the keyboard an overall relaxed look.

Is 1,366x 786p display enough? The 11.6” non-touch HD SVA backlit screen covered by the sizable 2cm bezels adds to the overall aesthetics. You get vivid and clear color contrast – hence for gaming and watching movies.

What about its software? The 4GB version of the Chromebook takes less than 10 seconds to boot the system – quite more than MacBook and Windows notebook.

You know what? Chromebooks are well known for their unrivaled connectivity – all thanks to Dell’s expertise in designing powerful software.

The Bottom Line: Unlike most budget laptops, Dell Chromebook 11 offers uncompromised performance, up to 10 hours of battery life, and a sturdy, stylish design.

Dell’s XPS series is one of the tops of the line series in the market. It’s no surprise that XPS-13 7390 maintains the legacy of the series. Here’s why.

What’s unique about the screen? Dell’s offering you 13.4 inches of InfinityEdge Full HD resolution or 4K resolution. Frankly, with this screen size, you won’t feel much difference. However, both types are calibrated for perfectly accurate colors.

Let’s talk about the brightness, shall we? The anti-reflective screen on this one features a 500-nit brightness. What does that mean? This device can battle the Sunlight better than mac book pro and serve better outdoors.

So, what makes it super practical? You’ll be surprised by how its compact design and touch screen make your productivity greater. Needless to say that the touch screen helps you tackle the tasks a lot faster, especially on Word, Excel, Adobe Premiere, or sketching and drawing.

How much Thin and Light, you must be wondering about that, right? Believe it or not, Dell claims it to be their thinnest laptop so far! It is just 13 millimeters thick at its thickest point and weighs only 1.33 Kg. Hence, it’s practical to carry it for long hours to university or college.

Is the material used even worth the price? Frankly, Dell has used its top-of-the-line material. It features scratch-resistant machined Aluminum on the surface with Carbon fiber on the palm rest to enhance durability and reduce weight.

Want to know what goes on the inside? The machine features four Intel cores that generate double the amount of power of the two core processors. Not just that, Intel Dynamic Tuning Technology transforms the system’s power efficiently to optimize your workload.

Most importantly, the laptop has active cooling featuring not one but two fans with a bunch load of heat vents on the sides and the bottom to keep the airflow dynamic.

Here comes another powerful package, Dell Inspiron 14, the Inspiron 15 series’ ancestor with exceptional lightweight construction. It makes the short trips to the campus or friend’s home manageable.

What makes it so unique, by the way? The Intel Pentium Gold processor fuels up the system and gives lightning-fast responsiveness and dynamic productivity. That’s the secret of it.

Let’s explore its design! Dell has proven its expertise in designing the overall decent aesthetics of the Inspiron 14 series, thanks to its polycarbonate and brushed metal build. Most mainstream laptops come with a hefty construction, but don’t worry; that’s not the case here. It’s the lightest and thinnest 14” laptop in our line and easy to carry in a shoulder backpack.

Want to know more? Let’s dig a little deeper! Dell brought into the concept of great responsiveness by making use of carbon black in touchpads. It can support multi-touch up to four fingers when enabled. The keys are quite smooth with minimum traveling distance – that proved well on the speed test.

The display matters! If you’re thinking of using your laptops outdoor, it’s better to slip on any other model. The 1,366x 768p resolution ensures vibrant and subtle color contrast when used indoors.

What if you’re thinking of watching movies and listening to music? YES! You’re right. Dell Inspiron 14 series come with built-in front-firing stereo speakers that are quite louder to create room-filling sound. So watching movies with your friends or listening to music on it is worth it.

How long will the battery last? If the battery is your primary concern and you work on and off throughout the day, the Dell Inspiron 14 has the trick for you. It can last up to 7 hours if you’re continuously watching something on full settings.

If you’re looking for a long-term investment in a laptop that is not only durable but features the latest core processor for super-responsive performance, you might just be impressed with Dell Vostro 15 3590. Let’s get to the chase.

Is it fast enough? With the increasing importance of the internet, even the life of a student is more online oriented. How efficient you are, depends on how powerful your processor is.

The Vostro 3590 features the latest 10th Generation Intel 4-core i7 processor delivering incredible power for almost all the daily tasks a student encounters. You can do seamless multitasking without lagging.

How’s the connectivity with this one? With the 720p webcam, feel confident attending the seminars. The wide range of ports includes a VGA and an HDMI port to connect it to larger screens and peripherals for delivering presentations.

How’s the keyboard different? Sadly the keyboard lacks a backlight, but it’s a numeric keyboard. For what it’s worth, your calculations are way easier on this one. The spacing between the keys is perfect, and the keys are very responsive.

You’ll like how they’ve made it simply secure: If you want your sign-ins to be quick, trust me, you’ll love this laptop as it has a fingerprint scanner directly on the power button. With one touch, your screens on, you’re signed in and good to go. It’s easier and faster.

What’s more about this device? The laptop has Peak Shift, which is an optional feature that reduces power consumption by automatically switching the system to battery power during certain hours of the day. It’s convenient for students looking at long hours of daily assignments.

The Bottom line: Tackle the ever-increasing challenges of academic life by multitasking better with the faster work experience the Vostro 3590 has to offer.

This Dell model might not be ultra-thin like XPS 13 series, but it goes without saying that there is a certain charm to it. Let’s dig a little bit into the specs.

The ports on the laptop are adequate. Period! This laptop’s standing feature is that it’s surrounded by all kinds of ports you would ever need as a student or for business purposes. Do you think we’re exaggerating?

On the back, it has an HDMI, Ethernet, USB, and a VGA port for presentations. On the sides, it has a smart card slot, an SD card slot, two extra USB slots, and a headphone jack. Astonishing, isn’t it?

What makes it user-friendly? The ultra-soft keyboard features a backlight with multiple brightness options, which will help you when you’re working late at night to make presentations.

What’s the design like? To make the laptop sturdy and durable, it has a matte black solid form. Thanks to the Carbon fiber reinforcements, this laptop can serve as the perfect partner for long-hour daily usage. It also features a scratch-resistant gorilla glass screen, so trust me, it is saving you the annoyance of a dented screen.

How durable is this anyway? Here’s an interesting fact, Dell claims that it has military-grade durability measuring up to MIL-STD-810G standard. Hence, it works well at 140 degrees Fahrenheit and as low as 20.2 degrees. Still not convinced?

Let’s talk about some other essential features! The bouncy keys help your type faster. The vibrant 1080p LED display is going to serve you well whether you’re binge-watching Netflix or making assignments. The speakers are loud enough to be heard by everyone in a large conference room as well. So it has you covered on that front.

So, is it worth buying? Dell Latitude 14 might not be the sleekest of the laptops. Still, the dual-core i5 processor with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD generates enough power to lift your performance.

Dell Laptop for Students Buyer’s Guide:

Well, just like you try your best to make the right choices in life, here, you’ve to make the right choice too.

But, how will you do that? Undoubtedly, making the right choice is challenging when you’ve some competitive models by the same brand. What if you get an ultimate buying guide to make you a step closer to your purchase? That’s why we’re right here with the things you’ve to keep in mind before getting any particular laptop.

So let’s get right into it!

The Budget Comes First!

Have you decided on your budget? How much are you going to invest in your laptop?

You know what? Your budget actually decides the quality and specs of your laptops. YES! That’s true. There are some elite models of Dell, including XPS 17 and the Alienware series.

If you aren’t tight on budget, we’d recommend you go for these because the performance they give is truly unrivaled. But wait, if you have some budget restrictions, don’t get disappointed because Dell has your back too. So by deciding the budget, you’ll actually narrow down your choices.

The Processor – Intel or AMD?

Most of the laptops run on AMD or Intel processors – these two are the most effective. Choosing between these two is all about preference; both are on par with each other.

If you’re a casual student and want to do some assignments, run some basic game titles, or even multitask, Intel Core i3 is the right option. If not Intel, AMD A-series A6 or A8 will serve you well.

On the other hand, running some heavy programming software or playing Metro Exodus or any other heavy game requires at least an Intel Core i5 processor. If you’re a hacking expert or a software engineering student, don’t hesitate to invest in Intel Core i7 or AMD A10 – that’s what actually made for you.

RAM Determines the Performance

Have you ever wondered why your laptop gets slow or gets stuck while multitasking? Most probably, because the RAM is running out.

4GB RAM in laptops has been a de-facto standard for many years. If we talk about Dell, the Inspiron 15 series is one of them. If you’re up for some random Microsoft tasks, web browsing, and even multitasking, it’s pretty enough for you.

But now the manufacturers have stepped up their level. And 8GB RAM is quite faster, efficient, and practical for heavy-duty tasks. Getting, right? No matter which student you are, we’d recommend investing in 8GB RAM to make your laptop future-proof.

HDD or SSD? Here Comes the Storage!

There’s no exaggeration in saying that nothing can beat the standards of SSD’s performance, speed, durability, and power, no matter what.

You know what? If you want to make your system faster than before, don’t hesitate to say goodbye to HDDs. The lesser price and more HDDs’ capacity will attract you, but trust me, they lag in technology to retrieve and store data.

If you’ve chosen between the SSD and HDD, let’s talk about the capacity now! A student needs to store a lot and a lot – the presentations, notes, lectures, photos, movies, games, and many more. For this, you’ll at least need 500GB to 1TB memory. Most Dell laptops are in this range, and even they are offering 2TB memory.

Aesthetics Matter – The Portability

Once you’re done sorting out all the hardware specs, the next most important thing is design, size, weight, compactness, and overall aesthetics. If you daily carry your laptop to college, then make sure you choose a lightweight partner. However, if you’re going to keep it in one place, don’t forget to look for the big screens.

Dell has good records in building brilliant aesthetical laptops that offer a good weight-to-performance ratio.

What about Battery Life?

For a student, the battery of the laptop is as essential as RAM or processor. As you will carry your buddy to the college and back, you often don’t get time to charge there. Make sure you choose the laptop with the longest battery life – Dell Latitude 9510 is the perfect depiction of it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Being a student, trust me, you won’t bring the best out of yourself unless you have the right laptop in this digital learning era. We have listed our top 7 best dell laptops for students to make you a step closer to your purchase.

Which laptop do you need, by the way? After considering all the factors in mind, the budget being the most important, you’ve to take the right decision. Don’t worry! If you fail at deciding, we’re here with our top pick.

Our recommendation – Best so far! Dell XPS 13 9310 belongs to Dell’s top-line products that have some serious amount of value. Trust me; you won’t regret it if you invest a heavy amount in it.