Best Back-to-School Laptops for 2011
Dell XPS 15z ($999)
Your student doesn’t have to lug around a thick machine to get a big screen. At 0.97 inches, the Dell XPS 15z is the thinnest 15-inch notebook around. This aluminum beauty sports a second-gen Intel Core i5 processor, Nvidia graphics, two USB 3.0 ports, and a minimum of 4GB of RAM. The notebook also comes standard with a backlit keyboard, powerful speakers, and can be configured with a bright 300-nit 1080p display.
Starting at $999
www.dell.com
Read our Dell XPS 15z Review
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June 17th, 2011 at 12:25 am
Review the hp dm4x!
June 17th, 2011 at 12:18 pm
Just a heads-up, but I think you’ve got the wrong image for the Acer Aspire AO722 ($379). No 11.6″ netbook is going to have a full number pad. That must be a 15.6″ or larger system pictured there.
June 29th, 2011 at 5:07 am
A pretty solid list, though I’m having a HP dv6zqe built with power-sipping AMD A6 Fusion processor
July 11th, 2011 at 11:10 am
Having been through college (or university if you want to be finnicky): get the 11-inch MacBook Air.
Lugging around textbooks is bad enough; you want something that won’t double the weight of your bag. The small storage is about the only limitation for a student. Just wait until Apple refreshes the line with Core i5/i7 models — possibly this week.
July 11th, 2011 at 12:56 pm
I think the Toshiba Portege is a better option at $799. All of these specs plus it’s only 3.2lbs.
July 11th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
I think Samsung has been releasing some nice laptops lately… they aren’t even mentioned. Sure they look and feel like macbooks but they are half the cost, and lets face it… isn’t everyone trying to look and feel like a macbook?
July 16th, 2011 at 11:51 am
I’m sorry but that whole tear-dropped shape BS apple has going on is an UGLY design. I sure hope the iphone 5 isn’t tear-dropped shape. Seriously…. I like my laptop looking like a laptop, not something that can be easily crushed. I own a REGULAR macbook pro. Forget the macbook airs…. they are most likely to have problems.
August 2nd, 2011 at 5:13 pm
Does this laptop have a dual core? Can you use Skype?
August 2nd, 2011 at 8:43 pm
that’s my laptop ! but I bought it only $300