Plus, at $549 (Celeron) or $699 (Core i3), you're getting a lot for a fair price. But college students will find a lot of value in a Chromebook that looks this good - its Fiesta Red color option will stand out in your lecture halls - and works this well. Admittedly, we weren't as happy with the vertical travel in its keyboard, which creates a typing experience you may have to adapt to - unless you're coming from a MacBook from 2016 to 2019. Plus, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 pumps out a ton of volume for such a small laptop. Of course, that's still not nearly as good as the other laptops on this list, most of which lasted 10-16 hours on a single charge. Now it's way more affordable, and also has better battery life- 7:50 vs the previous model's 5:55.
Yes, that 4K OLED display was sharp, but a move to a 1080p QLED panel was a fantastic decision that should make this Chromebook a hit. The original Samsung Galaxy Chromebook's biggest perk was actually creating its achilles heel. Not interested in OLED? Don't miss our Dell XPS 13 (2020, 11th Gen) review. It's so good that it won the awards for best laptop display and best laptop overall in our Tom's Guide Awards 2021. If you can afford the upgrade (it's usually a couple hundred bucks extra, around the same price as the non-OLED 4K screen configuration) it's well worth the investment, as the OLED's deep, inky blacks, vibrant colors, and high contrast ratios really shine when mounted in the XPS 13's thin-bezelled InfinityEdge design. Plus, in 2021 Dell began offering the XPS 13 with a 3.5K OLED touchscreen option. While the battery life isn't as good as some other laptops of similar price, it's usually more than enough to get you through a day of classes without scrambling for a charger.
It's one of our favorite laptops thanks to its excellent performance, beautiful display, and svelte design. If you've got a decent budget and want a compact, powerful Windows laptop that will last you through a few years at school, the Dell XPS 13 is a great choice.