In this day and age, a computer is a must have item. It helps with all the professional work and it is a great source of entertainment. Everyone needs computers to multiply their work efficiency by ten folds. But for people who need to travel frequently or spend more hours in the office, a computer is not a viable option. That’s where laptops come in. It is the best for people who need to work as they go. For law school students it is a must. Read on this article about the best laptops for law school students to help you choose the one to buy.
They cannot carry documents around with them all the time. So carrying a laptop ensures that one can always keep on editing the documents and have them ready whenever they need them. They can also run many management software like racticePanther, MyCase and Legal Files. If you are confused on which one to buy then read this article to know about the best laptops for law school students to help you decide.
Buying Guide for Best Laptops for Law School Students
Before you buy a laptop, there are a lot of things you need to keep in mind. You must study all the sectors individually to find out which one suits you best within your budget and preferred specifications.
A Good Processor
The thing you want to focus on most is the processor. It is basically the brains of the system. It helps compute each and every problem very quickly and efficiently. The more powerful a processor is, the faster it can compute. For most problems it might not matter much but as one goes on to multitask, then the more cores that your processor has the more it can work.
There are mainly two types of processors to choose from. Intel and Ryzen. But high end Intel processors are too expensive while Ryzen ones are a waste spec wise. For light professional work a medium Intel processor is more than enough.
A Sturdy Motherboard
To support a good processor, one also needs a motherboard that can handle the workload. It is the mainframe of the device. Every manufacturer make almost the same kind of board. You can get a decent board with a reasonable price. If the motherboard is not well built then it has a lot of thermal issues and it cannot work as intended.
Just Enough RAM
RAM or Random Access Memory can be called the brain cells of the board. The minimum level of RAM required to run a system fluently these days are 8GB. On top of that a person can get as much RAM as they want. But it has to be within the motherboard’s limit. Getting more RAM means running essential software more effectively. One can never have enough RAM.
A Fast SSD
An SSD or a Solid State Drive holds the operating system of the device. Modern day SSDs work wonders. If a SSD is good enough, then it can boot up a device within a mere three to four seconds. It also can run essential software and compile files more fluently.
The more capacity a SSD has, the more workload it can take at a time. 256GB is the bare minimum an SSD can be. 500GB is a good number to where 1TB is considered the best. You can get more that that if you wish but it would cost too much.
You can also read: Best Laptops for Medical School
A Well-Spaced HDD
HDDs are used as general storage. Unlike SSDs that are used as a fast boot option, HDDs are mainly used for their great storage capacity. They might not be fast like SSDs, but they you can get twice the storage in less the price.
You can also recover the data very easily if the drive were to get busted for some reason. The more storage a laptop has means the more workload he can carry around with him. Now-a-days 500GB is considered the bare minimum where 1TB is considered good and 2TB is more than enough.
Good Battery Life
For computers, you do not need to worry about how long it can run because the power is generated directly through the power supply but for a laptop that is a huge issue. One cannot always keep it charged. Always travelling with a charger is not always the solution. So you need a device that can support you for a long time without charging. You need to get a laptop that can work for four hours at the minimum and last at least eight hours.
A Beefy GPU
Graphics Cards are the most exotic parts in computers. They manage all the heavy renders and power your display. For gaming as well as rendering one needs a graphics card. It is entirely up to a person whether they want a really powerful one or not. Let it be high end, mid-range or with minimum amount, there is something for everyone. It helps one to take some time off work.
A Beautiful Display
The thing that attracts most customers towards a laptop is definitely a display to capture their eyes. There are a lot of options to choose from. Whether it is an IPS panel or a UPS panel, both of them has their perks. The resolutions also has a big part to play. 1080P, 2K and 4K are all up for sale but the price increases drastically.
The Minimum Specifications
Based on the things that were discussed, these are the bare minimum a law school student can get for his laptop:
- Intel core i5-7th gen
- 8GB RAM
- 256GB SSD
- 500GB HDD
- 13.3-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080)
- Integrated Intel UHD 620
- Up to 4 hours of battery life
The Recommended Specifications
These are the specifications I would recommend for a laptop law school student:
- Intel core i8-8th gen
- 16GB RAM
- 512GB SSD
- 1TB HDD
- 15.6-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080)
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 2GB Graphics
- Up to 8 hours of battery life
So now you know what specifications you need. But the main question is what products to buy. These are the ones I picked out that I think would be best :
Image | Product | Features | Buy Now |
---|---|---|---|
Acer Swift 3 | Thin and light Backlit keyboard and fingerprint scanner 14" Full HD IPS | ||
ASUS ZenBook 14 | Very thin and light Decent speakers 4-Way NanoEdge 14” FHD | ||
Apple MacBook Air | Easy to use Light to carry 13-inch Retina Display | ||
Apple Macbook Pro | Compact and powerful Easy to carry around 16-inch Retina Display | ||
DELL XPS7390-7954SLV-PUS 2-in-1 Convertible | Extremely ligh Can be folded entirely 13.4-inch FHD InfinityEdge Touchscreen | ||
Dell Inspiron 14 5400 | Minimalistic Design Easy to operate 4 Inch FHD Touchscreen | ||
Google Pixelbook Go | Runs google’s easy to use OS | ||
HP Spectre x360 | Foldable screen Easy to use Touch 4K UHD Display | ||
Lenovo Yoga 730 2-in-1 Laptop | Minimal design Can perform mid-level tasks 15.6" 4K UHD Touchscreen | ||
Microsoft Surface Book 3 | Foldable screen with a good ratio Can run for a long time 13.3in (3000 x 2000) Touch-Screen |
1. Acer Swift 3 - Best Laptops for Law School Students
Acer has always been one of the leading product designers when it comes to laptops. They make everything from top of the line workstations to minimum use devices. This is one of their entry level products that is aimed at students. This can run almost all the software necessary for management. If your budget is limited this is the best one for you. There are a lot of accessories that go with this device as well.
Rating: 4.6/5
Key Features:
- AMD Ryzen 7 4700U Octa-Core processor
- 8GB LPDDR4 RAM
- 512GB NVMe SSD
- 14" Full HD IPS
- AMD Radeon Graphics
- Up to 11.5 hours of battery life
2. ASUS ZenBook 14 - Best Laptops for Law School Students
Asus has always been known for their top of the line zenbooks. These are top of the light ultra-thin notebooks that is best for general consumers. It has an aggressive screen to body ratio that is near perfect. The beautiful display has a lot of nits that makes a person want to keep looking at it. For a law school student it is the perfect thing to carry around. The price is also reasonable. If this one doesn’t suit your tastes then you can also get a core i5 version with integrated graphics.
Rating: 4.4/ 5
Key Features:
- Intel Core i7-10510U
- 8GB DDR4 RAM
- 512GB PCIE SSD
- 4-Way NanoEdge 14” FHD
- NVIDIA GeForce MX250 2GB Graphics
- Up to 8 hours of battery life
3. Apple MacBook Air - Best Laptops for Law School Students
Apple has always been known for their simplistic and user friendly product design. They focus of making beautiful products that even a normal person can use without any problems whatsoever. You do not need to be a tech savvy person to use an apple product. The Macbook Air is apple’s response to the customer’s demands when they wanted an easy to use apple like device for light work. If you think that the storage is not enough then you can also get a 512GB version of this product with a little extra cash.
Ratings: 4.8 / 5
Key Features:
- Intel core i3 10th gen Processor
- 8GB DDR4 RAM
- Intel 256 GB SSD
- 13-inch Retina Display
- Intel Iris Plus Graphics with thunderbolt for expansion
- Up to 12 hours of battery life
4. Apple MacBook Pro - Best Laptops for Law School Students
The Apple Macbook Pro, unlike the Macbook Air is targeted for more professional use. This also has apple’s top of the line engineering as well as the apple design that people love so much. It is leagues ahead than the Macbook Air with also a huge price increase. Because this is aimed for professional use, there is a massive upgrade available for the same model. It supports an Intel i9 9th gen processor as well as a 1TB SSD, but costs almost a grand more.
Rating: 4.7 / 5
Key Features:
- Intel core i7 9th Gen
- 16GB DDR4 RAM
- Intel 512GB NVMe SSD
- 16-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Retina display
- Intel UHD Graphics 630
- Up to 11 hours of battery life
5. DELL XPS7390-7954SLV-PUS 2-in-1 Convertible - Best Laptops for Law School Students
Dell is best known for their customer friendly products in reasonable prices. This is their entry level product aimed for office users who need a vibrant display and a big work space. The XPS7390 feels professional to the touch and is very light. It can be carried around very easily. This also has an upgraded version available. That has 32GB of RAM and a 2 in 1 display that can be folded all the way.
Ratings: 4.1 / 5
Key Features:
- Intel Core i7-1065G7 10th Gen
- 16GB DDR4 RAM
- 512GB SSD
- 13.4-inch FHD InfinityEdge Touchscreen
- Intel UHD Graphics
- Up to 10 hours of battery life
6. Dell Inspiron 14 5400 - Best Laptops for Law School Students
The Dell Inspiron 14 5400 is more aimed at general consumers. It is extremely easy to use with support for everything. This product is customizable with the parts you want. It can be carried around very easily. Because of the open customization options, the price varies with the upgrades. Dell strives to make their products as easy to use as possible. This is their solution for students who need to work for extended periods.
Ratings: 4.4 / 5
Key Features:
- Intel Core i7 8th gen processor
- 12 GB of DDR4 RAM
- 512GB SSD
- 2 in 1 - 14 Inch FHD Touchscreen
- Intel UHD Graphics
- Up to 10 hours of battery life
7. Google Pixelbook Go
Google has always been one of the top OS developers for mobile chips. But with their pixel book series they try to integrate a mobile chip in a working laptop. The Pixel Book Go is notorious for its extreme portability. This is the best for students who want to carry around a laptop in the form of a tablet. This one has a lot of options available in cheaper prices as well.
Ratings: 4.6 / 5
Key Features:
- Intel core i7 8th Gen
- 16 GB DDR4 RAM
- 256GB SSD
- 4K Ultra Molecular Display
- Integrated Graphics
- Up to 12 hours of battery life
8. HP Spectre x360
The HP specter x360 is HP’s mid-level professional grade laptop. It has everything. A good display, a pretty beefy graphics card and best of all, absolute portability. This is aimed for people who are a little bit tech savvy and are looking for something that is user friendly.
Ratings: 4.3 / 5
Key Features:
- Intel core i7 9750H Hexa-core processor
- 16GB DDR4 Ram
- 512GB NVMe SSD
- 15.6 Inch 4K UHD Graphics
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB Graphics Card
- Up to 15 hours of battery life
9. Lenovo Yoga 730 2-in-1 Laptop
Lenovo is a pretty popular brand when it comes to laptops. They offer straight up products with classic designs. This is their idea of a starting level laptop with a beefy GPU. This also has a 13 inch version with a slight price difference.
Rating: 3.9 / 5
Key Features:
- Intel core i7-8550U Processor
- 16GB DDR4 RAM
- 512 GB SSD
- 15.6" 4K UHD Multitouch IPS Display
- NVidia GTX 1050 Graphics
- Up to 8 hours of battery life
10. Microsoft Surface Book 3
Microsoft makes the most popular OS that is used today. This is their solution of a Microsoft product that is aimed for general consumers. The Surface has a professional design with pretty decent graphics to help students in all sorts of scenarios.
Rating: 4.1 / 5
Key Features:
- Intel Core i7-1065G7 Processor
- 16GB DDR4 RAM
- 256GB SSD
- 13.3in Touch-Screen
- GeForce GTX 1650 4GB Graphics
- Up to 10 hours of graphics
Conclusion
There, you have it! These were our recommendations for you to choose the laptop that suits you best. These options are vouched for by professionals and armatures alike. Students worldwide have tested them and given us the feedback we need to help you decide the laptop of your dreams. Hope our guide to best laptops for law school were of help to you!