Best Laptops for PhD students and Researchers in 2021

Newest Lenovo IdeaPad 5

Best multi-functional laptop

The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 is a powerful mobile workstation suitable for PhD students. For top-notch performance, it comes with an 11th Gen ultra-fast Intel Core i7-1165G7 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.8GHz processor. This laptop has 12GB of RAM so that you can run multiple applications without any issues.

It has a sleek design and a large screen so that you can do your task in comfort. If you work remotely and need to work with lots of data (Excel) and office apps, then this little buddy will become your bestie! Furthermore, this machine comes with a 512GB SSD that allows ultra fast boot times and large amounts of storage. Its high resolution of 1080 HD offers an even better viewing experience, and its matte touchscreen is also easy to use.

A single fast charge can give you up to 11 hours of battery life. Thanks to Quick Charge 2.0 technology, it can give you up to 3 hours more power in just 15 minutes of charge.  It’s a great laptop with lots of power. You will enjoy its responsiveness as well as its good battery life. You will also be able to keep your device charged while on the road, thanks to the USB-C Charger.

As well as standard USB and HDMI inputs, this laptop also features Bluetooth 5.0 and Intel Wi-Fi 6 and hardware for quick data transfer and reliable connection. It also features a fingerprint reader for security and convenience.

The only problem is that the built-in speaker volume is not so good, so it is necessary to be heard directly in front of the screen.

Newest Dell Inspiron 3000

Best Cheap Laptop

This Dell Inspiron 3000 laptop is an excellent choice for those who are looking for a laptop that has all the features they require without spending a lot of money. It features a CPU with a dual-core Celeron N4020 processor and 8 GB of RAM, so PhD students can conveniently run multiple programs and browsers at once. From general online tasks – email, shopping, view attachments, news, films to your academic work, you can do whatever you want. It doesn’t hang like other Celeron processor laptops. The laptop also comes with a 1TB HDD that allows you to store ample amounts of media, documents and files. The laptop is very convenient to carry around.

The laptop comes with an HD Graphics 600 card with shared memory, which will enable you to play all of your favourite games and watch your favorite movies. The display quality isn’t HD, but it’s not bad either. The 15.6-inch HD Anti-Glare LED-Backlit Non-touch Display provides a clear view from any angle.  The resolution is 1366 x 768, which is best for most users, mainly if you use it at home or even at work.

With the 3-cell 42 WHr battery, you can work anywhere, while the integrated battery ensures long-lasting performance when there is no access to mains power. For budget-conscious individuals or users who know they will not need mainstream computing power, the Inspiron 15 3000 might be an acceptable choice.

Latest HP 15 Laptop, 11th Gen

best performance laptop

The latest HP 15 laptop is the perfect pick for PhD students and researchers on the go. It’s also one of the most powerful laptops around, with an 11th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and a 512 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD for lightning-fast performance. The notebook also features powerful Intel Iris Xe Graphics, allowing for an enjoyable gaming experience and smooth video playback. With a compact design that weighs just 3.75 pounds, this computer still offers plenty of power to run the applications and games you like.

This slim and light laptop offers an extended battery life and powerful performance. Its 15.6-inch IPS display offers Full HD resolution for crisp text and clear visuals. A matte finish on display reduces reflections to provide a clear view regardless of light conditions. In addition, it includes IPS technology so you can enjoy vivid colors no matter what angle you are viewing it from. This is ideal for PhD students who are required to sit in front of computer for long periods of time to complete their Thesis and online search.

As it has an integrated camera, you can easily stay in touch with family and friends while on vacation or working remotely. Even though the camera is not extremely good, it is still suitable for online classes and zoom meetings.

With an HD webcam, an integrated keyboard, and a battery lifetime of up to 8 hours, this laptop is perfect for online studies and PhD students. The HP Pavilion 15 laptop offers excellent value for money.

The only drawback for this machine is it is not a touchscreen. From our point of view, a laptop with such specifications should have a touchscreen for a better user experience.

Newest Acer Aspire 5

Best AMD laptop

The Acer Aspire 5 is a high-performance laptop that features an AMD Ryzen 3 processor and AMD Radeon Vega 6 Mobile Graphics card for smooth visuals. A 128GB SSD is also included here, and it weighs 3.96 pounds. This system has 4GB of onboard memory and a spare slot for upgrading RAM. This beautiful Acer laptop can run multiple software programs at once without slowing down or freezing up that is what most PhD students want. The aluminum finish on the exterior of this laptop gives it a stylish and premium appearance.

It features a 15.6″ Full HD with 1920 x 1080 resolution, wide display for a rich visual experience that’s easy to view, while its lightweight design makes it easy to carry around with you wherever you go. Displaying documents and pictures is easy thanks to the clear and bright screen. The full-sized keyboard also provides comfort for typing and accurate response. The notebook’s advanced touch pad, fingerprint reader, and fast data transfers make it a great choice.

When you need to use this laptop on the go, you will not be tethered to a wall socket because the battery can last up to 7 hours. No doubt this beautiful newest Acer aspire 5 laptop has everything, but what is not best is insufficient storage space.

ASUS VivoBook Ultra-thin

Best budget-friendly laptop

ASUS VivoBook provides a premium experience while featuring cutting-edge technology in an ultra slim design. It is powered by Intel Celeron N4000 2.6 GHz dual-core Processor for excellent performance, and it offers smooth, seamless performance that makes your life easier and more enjoyable.

This compact and lightweight 11.6-inch laptop is equipped with a 64GB emmC flash drive and 4GB DDR4 RAM, Windows 10 S pre-installed. You can upgrade it at any time with windows 10 Home. ASUS VivoBook has a screen-to-body ratio of 80% that makes it best for watching movies and editing pictures.

Weighing only 2.31 pounds, the laptop has an ultra-thin profile of 0.7 inches. Among the features of the device are 3 USB ports, 1 HDMI port, 1 SD card reader, as well as an audio jack. An integrated cam is also a plus point.

Now that Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) is built-in, it is easier and more reliable than ever to connect to faster networks! With speeds 2X faster than 802.11n, it is easier to stay connected!

The battery life is excellent! There is no doubt that you’ll be able to spend hours typing and chromeing with this best machine. When not plugged in, adjust the brightness a little bit lower because it will make a big difference.

There is a terrible thing. This won’t be as useful for a heavy computer user who edits video, uses Photoshop, or is a heavy gamer.

HP Pavilion x360 14” Convertible Laptop

Best 2-in-1 laptop

The HP Pavilion x360 14″ Touchscreen Laptop is the perfect device for PhD students, graphic designers, and frequent travelers. The 11th Generation Intel Core i5 processor lets you get work done more efficiently. HP brings you more bandwidth and storage with 8 GB of RAM and an expanded hard drive. Take advantage of crystal-clear imagery courtesy of Intel Iris XE graphics. This is the ultimate laptop for those who want to bring their work with them anywhere.

With modern styling and portability, this convertible laptop features an attractive aluminum chassis with a 360-degree hinge that gives you the choice to use it as a laptop or tablet. It is lightweight and thin, making it perfect for frequent travelers who need a machine on the go. With an HD display and plenty of ports, this laptop is best for work or play.

No worries about running out of power. Wireless streaming lasts up to eight hours on a single charge. Your laptop will go from 0% to 50% charge within 45 minutes of charge. It has a 14” touch screen that can be folded back to use as a tablet, and its keys are bigger than before, so it’s easier to type. You’ll be able to see the screen clearly when using the laptop in bright light, thanks to the display’s anti-glare finish.

B&O’s audio and dual speakers enhance the sound quality of music, movies, and gaming.  Remote work and learning are made simple with Intel Wi-Fi 6. The laptop weighs 3.55 pounds and looks sleek and modern. This laptop lack of fingerprint reader and backlit keyboard; all else is perfect.

Newest Microsoft Surface Go

best portable laptop

The Microsoft Surface Go is a 10-inch tablet that runs full Windows. This Intel Pentium Gold powered device gives you laptop performance with tablet portability, a stunning touchscreen and the ability to run desktop apps in full-screen mode without feeling burdensome on your arms! The lightweight design makes it easy for anyone who wants their gadgetry, both light enough so they can take it anywhere but powerful too; perfect whether at home or work.

This product weighs only 1.15 pounds, making them best as an everyday carry item while still granting users access to all of the windows’ features, such as becoming part of Office 365, which includes unlimited email storage space, among other things.

With up to 9 hours of unplugged power, this device was made to go wherever you go. And with its thin design and multi-position kickstand, it’s easy to use on your lap. It is equipped with the beautiful touchscreen with a 10 point multi-touch.

The processor speed is 1.6 GHz, making it fast enough to do anything you want on it. It also comes with Windows S that has built-in security features that keep your information safe from malware and viruses. For users looking for high CPU or graphic performance, this might not be the suitable device.

ASUS VivoBook 15 Thin and Light Laptop

Best aesthetic laptop

ASUS VivoBook 15 is the thinnest and lightest 15.6″ laptop in the market. With an edge-to-edge display and stunning 88% screen-to-body ratio, VivoBook 15 is the world’s thinnest laptop. VivoBook 15 is powered by the 10th Gen Intel Core i3 3.4Ghz quad-core Processor, which is best for heavy processing and multitasking. It includes 8 GB DDR4 RAM and 128 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD ROM that gives you a superior and stable storage experience.

With the Intel UHD Graphics card, this device easily handles the most demanding games and multimedia. The 15.6 inches Full HD (1920×1080) 4-way Nano Edge display with a stunning 88% screen-to-body ratio is positioned for an excellent visual experience. This VivoBook machine is just 3.75 pounds and has a battery life of up to 10 hours.

The exclusive ergolift design for an improved typing position and the full-size keyboard with a numeric keypad allows you to stay in a comfortable, neutral posture while working. And built-in fingerprint scanner also offers you many benefits such as better security and faster access to your device.

It’s not the world’s best screen, but it’s manageable. The sound quality is excellent and easily adjustable with the stock Audio Wizard program that it comes with. This laptop is the perfect budget laptop for PhD students that fits into your hands easily.

Latest Apple Macbook Air

Best Secure Laptop

The MacBook Air is the world’s thinnest notebook and still has all of the features you need. It’s incredibly powerful, portable and durable enough to take everywhere you go — and powerful enough to do everything once you get there.

The Apple M1 Chip inside the new Apple MacBook Air Laptop helps you tackle every task with blazing speed and performance that lets you work faster than ever before. With 8GB of RAM, 256GB storage capacity makes it is one of the PhD student’s best laptop. That way, it can support tasks like memory-hogging multi-tab browsing and opening a huge graphic file quickly and easily. This 13″ laptop has up to 3.5x faster performance than its predecessor while using way less power. The 13.3″ Retina display brings images to life with new levels of realism. Text appears sharp and colorful, and images look more realistic.

It has an impressive 12 hours of battery life for all-day computing, a new Force Touch track pad that provides a responsive, uniform click no matter where you press, and fast SSD storage.

This Apple version of the laptop is fan-less. That’s awesome, as the case not only remains silent, but you don’t have to worry about blocking the fan vents on the bottom or back during use on your lap. Having no fans on a laptop is impressive.

LG LCD Laptop 17″ Ultra-Lightweight

Best fastest laptop

Laptops are a great way to get things done on the go, but sometimes they can be a bit heavy and bulky. The LG Ultra-Lightweight Laptop is here to change that! This laptop weighs under 3 pounds and has an IPS 17-inch WQXGA screen with a 2560 x 1600 resolution for crisp, clear images. The built-in webcam allows you to video chat with your friends and family from anywhere in the world! With up to 12 hours of battery life on a single charge. This laptop gives you the most extended power backup for smooth work.

It features an Intel Evo Platform Powered by an 11th generation Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB RAM delivers a high level of performance for memory-intensive content creation, designing, editing, and multitasking. The 2TB M.2 SSD is a dependable drive that serves as an excellent storage device. It’s fast and reliable, with read/write speeds of 546/495 MB per second, respectively.

The IPS display delivers accurate colors that are consistent from edge to edge, while the DCI-P3 color space covers 99% of the Adobe RGB color gamut, so you can be sure your photos will look as beautiful as they were meant to be seen.

The laptop is the best option for PhD students and professionals who need a lightweight, high-performance device with all the power of a desktop.

Summary Best Laptops for PhD students and Researchers

Award	Design	Laptops Reviews	Retailer
Best multi-functional laptop	Best Pick	Newest Lenovo IdeaPad 5	Check Price
Best Cheap Laptop		Newest Dell Inspiron 3000	Check Price
best performance laptop	Staff Pick	Latest HP 15 Laptop, 11th Gen	Check Price
Best AMD laptop		Newest Acer Aspire 5	Check Price
Best budget-friendly laptop	Budget Pick	ASUS VivoBook Ultra-thin	Check Price
Best 2-in-1 laptop		HP Pavilion x360 14” Convertible Laptop	Check Price
best portable laptop		Newest Microsoft Surface Go	Check Price
Best aesthetic laptop		ASUS VivoBook 15 Thin and Light Laptop	Check Price
Best Secure Laptop		Latest Apple Macbook Air	Check Price
Best fastest laptop		LG LCD Laptop 17″ Ultra-Lightweight	Check Price