Which laptop is best for university? Our pick of the best Dell laptops for every student

Now is the perfect time to begin your search for the best laptop for your university career. An essential tool for the modern student, a reliable device that’s capable of keeping up with your day-to-day coursework is crucially important. Thankfully, Dell’s wide-ranging portfolio of laptops are the ideal companions for your studies.

Whether you’re just setting off on your university career, or returning for another year of intense classes, chances are there’s a Dell laptop that suits your requirements, no matter what challenges your university throws your way.

The best Dell laptops for university

1. Dell XPS 13: Best all-round university laptop

Whatever your chosen subject, a laptop from Dell’s XPS range is the quintessential choice for your university studies. Combining portability and top-tier performance, the most recent XPS 13 has been updated with i7 Intel CPUs and can be fitted with up to 16GB of RAM and 2TB of PCIe solid-state storage, allowing for speedy bootup times and effortless multitasking capabilities.

The laptop’s star feature is the near-borderless 13.3in display. Available in 4K (3,840 x 2,160) or Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) variants – with touch and non-touch configurations – the XPS 13’s screen is superb. Battery life is equally sensational, capable of providing more than a day’s worth of heavy use on a single charge, according to our own in-house testing.

No other laptop on the market offers as much as the XPS 13 while asking for so little in return. Starting at only £1,149, the XPS 13 is cheaper than its similarly specced rivals, making it a solid choice for the university student who wants to get the most bang for their buck.

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2. Dell Inspiron 15 5000: Best laptop for essay-writing

Depending on your university degree, you might get by with a lower-price laptop that’s better suited for simpler tasks. If you’re going to be primarily essay writing, for instance, and require a competent, highly reliable device for your studies, then Dell’s latest Inspiron 15 5000 could be the ideal choice, starting at £449.

Combining flagship features with wallet-friendly prices, the Inspiron 15 provides everything you could ever ask for to help you achieve top marks. Depending on your budget, you’ll find a wide variety of internal components to pick and choose from, including Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX130 graphics and up to 1TB of storage. There’s also a healthy range of ports to get you going, including a full-sized SD card reader, HDMI connector and a wide selection of USB ports.

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3. Dell XPS 15: Best laptop for film and photography students

Sometimes having a larger screen can make all the difference when it comes to productivity, and if you’re searching for a top-notch display for colour-sensitive work, then the XPS 15 is your best bet. Recently updated, Dell’s big-screened beauty is its most powerful XPS yet, and can be equipped with an Intel i9-9900KH processor for intensive tasks, up to a 4K OLED display for watching videos and content creation, and a dedicated Nvidia GTX 1650 GPU for light gaming and graphics processing.

Just like the 13in variant, the 15.6in “InfinityEdge” screen is practically borderless, with minimal bezels on all four edges of the display. Likewise, despite its size, the XPS 15 is surprisingly lightweight, tipping the scales at only 1.8kg, so it’s easy to carry around campus.

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4. Dell Alienware m15: Best laptop for work and play

Lightweight, yet packing a punch, the Alienware m15 is the latest addition to Dell’s gaming range. Not only is it the lightest-ever Alienware to date, but the m15 is a reliable work laptop that effortlessly shrugs off any application you throw at it, with the credentials for some heavy-duty gaming when you return home from the lecture theatre.

The specification is accordingly powerful, with a selection of ninth-generation Intel processors, up to 16GB of RAM and a choice of 1TB of speedy SSD storage. Whatever your budget, there are all sorts of dedicated graphics options to choose from, up to and including Nvidia’s latest RTX-series Max-Q cards for some serious gaming potential.

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5. Dell XPS 13 2-in-1: Best laptop for engineering students

Powerful and sleek, the new XPS 13 2-in-1 is perfect for students wanting more than a classic clamshell design.

Dell has added a laptop/tablet hybrid variant of the device, allowing the screen to be rotated 360 degrees for use as a touchscreen tablet. The lightweight XPS 13 2-in-1 combines Dell’s unique InfinityEdge touch display, an ultra-crisp HDR screen and powerful components – such as the latest tenth-generation Intel CPUs – with the flexibility of a 2-in-1 laptop.

This lightweight hybrid is ideally suited for practical and hands-on fieldwork. Effortlessly versatile, the XPS 13 2-in-1 is a well-balanced laptop for your studies.

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