The best tech for college students

Picking the best laptop is impossible. Every student has different needs and priorities. We've rounded up our favorites in multiple categories to help you narrow it down a bit.

The Dell XPS 13 provides an impressive balance between powerful mobile hardware and a stylish, thin, and light form factor for a reasonable high-end price.

The MacBook Air for 2020 includes Apple's new, improved Magic Keyboard and upgraded processors to become the best Apple laptop for most people.

The Google Pixelbook Go provides the best Chromebook experience in its most affordable form to date, with a comfortable keyboard and great battery life.

Samsung's 15-inch Chromebook 4+ is the most value-packed budget laptop that we've ever seen, with many modern perks for a lot less than most laptops with similar specs.

Simply put, the LG Gram 17 packs a 17-inch screen into a 15-inch laptop with some of the smallest display bezels on the market. It's also incredibly compact without sacrificing power.

The HP Envy 13t offers flagship performance, styling, comfort, and features in an affordable package.

The Lenovo Yoga C940 is a fantastic entry in the company's long-running series of flagship 2-in-1 laptops, making it a multimedia beast in every sense.

Whether you need a computer monitor for your dorm room or home office, we've got a pick for you. We've included a great all-around monitor, an affordable model for buyers on a budget, a curved monitor for special use cases, a wde-screen option, and a 4K monitor for those of you who need an incredibly high-resolution display.

The BenQ PD3200U provides the best all-around value right now, boasting excellent features without the inflated price tag or screen size.

While gaming monitors can be very costly, the Asus VX248H manages to be surprisingly affordable without compromising on important features.

The Asus Designo Curve MX38VC is a is an ideal multi-tasking display that lets you work, charge, and be entertained all at the same time.

The ultrawide MSI Prestige PS341WU uses a 34-inch 5K resolution IPS screen with 98% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut — making it a perfect fit for content creation and design.

Thanks to a solid array of features that many students and professionals will appreciate, the BenQ DesignVue PD3220U is the best 4K computer monitor for Mac or Windows users.

A portable hard drive can make it much easier to transfer your data from place to place. It's also good to have a back up of your most important files so you don't lose your senior thesis when your roommate spills orange juice on your laptop.

The Western Digital Elements 2TB Hard Drive offers a relatively high storage capacity and USB 3.0 connectivity for an affordable price.

The Seagate Expansion 4TB hard drive is manufactured by a well-known and generally reliable company, and it provides a large storage capacity of 4TB.

The Samsung T5 Portable SSD transfers data at lightning-fast speeds, includes plenty of storage, and it's even compatible with your Android phone.

The Seagate Backup Plus Hard Drive is pre-formatted to work well on a variety of devices and operating systems, including macOS, Windows, and even the PlayStation 4.

There are tons of Bluetooth speakers out there, but if you want one that sounds good, you may have to pay a bit more for it. These are the best ones you can buy.

The Sonos Move is one of the most feature-packed Bluetooth speakers you can buy. It features around 10 hours of battery, excellent audio performance, integrated Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa voice control, and support for Sonos' multi-room ecosystem.

The Bose SoundLink Revolve+ features a portable-friendly design with an integrated handle and up to 16 hours of battery life, making it an ideal speaker for moving around the house or backyard.

The UE Boom 3 sounds good and is well-designed, but perhaps the coolest thing about it is that it has an IP67 waterproof rating. This means that the speaker can be submerged in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes.

The B&O Beoplay P2 doesn't just sound good and feature a nice design – it's ultra-portable too.

The Anker Soundcore Flare Mini may cost less than most competing speakers, but it still offers decent sound quality with 360-degree audio.

Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones get rid of those annoying wires and ambient sounds so you can listen to your music or engage in video conferencing calls without distracting noise or tangled cords.

The brand-new Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones have a nice design and sound fantastic, plus they have the best noise-cancelling performance on the market. They also offer some key improvements over the previous Xm3 model.

The Bose 700 headphones feature some key upgrades over the company's previous QuietComfort 35 II headphones, offering improved noise cancellation while providing a similarly comfy fit.

The Beats Solo Pro headphones look stylish, have a comfy fit, and they provide solid noise cancellation.

The Bose QuietComfort 30 headphones feature an ultra-portable in-ear design with a neckband and good noise cancellation.

The Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless headphones feature a great design and include noise cancellation – plus they're some of the best-sounding wireless headphones you can buy for this price.

You'll also need charging cables, hubs, and surge protectors to charge up all your devices. These are the best ones.

The Anker PowerLine Lightning cables are the best cords for most people thanks to their sturdy construction, fast charging, and reasonable price.

The Anker PowerLine USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cables boast fast transfer speeds, a solid design, and a respectable brand name for an attractive price.

The Anker PowerLine Micro USB cable remains the very best Micro USB cord on the market.

The Satechi 7-Port USB Charging Station Dock can charge seven devices at the same time and can even hold them in place while they power up

The BESTEK 8-Outlet Power Strip and Surge Protector will help you charge everything and avoid damaged electronics.

You never have to run out of battery again if you carry an external battery pack with you. We have battery packs for people who want portability, tons of juice, integrated cables, and cheaper options.

The Elecjet PowerPie packs enough power to juice all your devices, it's capable of fast charging, and it's affordable.

With a stylish, lightweight design, a Lightning port, and enough juice to power most iPhones up two times over, the Ubio Labs Shadow Series is perfect for iPhone buyers.

The Clutch Charger is compact enough to fit into your wallet or purse, but it holds enough power to give your phone a solid chunk of battery life.

The OmniCharge Omni 20+ is an ideal charging solution that will keep everything in your life powered up, including laptops.

With the largest capacity on the list and one of the most affordable prices, the EasyAcc Power Bank represents impressive value for money.

Thanks to its suction pad design, the unique Bezalel Prelude will stick to your phone and charge it wirelessly, while you get on with your day.

Budget phones have never been this good or this affordable. Cheap smartphone options with great performance are available from all of the major brands, including Apple, Google, Samsung, Motorola, and OnePlus.

The iPhone SE is basically a much more affordable (and compact) iPhone 11, minus the ultra-wide camera, disguised as an iPhone 8.

Google's Pixel 4a features a flagship-level camera, strong battery life, solid performance, and an edge-to-edge display.

Motorola's Moto G Power provides a solid core smartphone experience with incredible battery life for 25% of the price of $1,000 flagship phones.

The Samsung Galaxy A51 is a fantastic smartphone in almost every way, with the best display on any midrange phone, a premium build, an effective camera, and great battery life.

The OnePlus 8 Pro is a large premium phone that comes with a lower price tag than other competing flagships, and there's no compromise in sight.

If you want to avoid the freshman 15, a fitness tracker, wearable, or smartwatch might be a good idea.

The Apple Watch Series 5 offers a new always-on screen and helpful fitness features that make the best smartwatch you can buy better than ever.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 is a great fitness-geared smartwatch for Samsung buyers.

The Kate Spade Scallop 2 is a truly feminine and charming smartwatch with essential tech features, like a heart rate monitor, GPS, and NFC. Meanwhile, the Fossil Q Carlyle HR is an ideal fit for fashion-forward men who prefer a classic design over a high-tech futuristic look.

You can wear Bellabeat's Leaf Urban as a bracelet, necklace, or brooch to monitor your activity, stress, mindfulness, and sleep.

The Motiv ring is a discreet alternative to traditional wrist fitness trackers, enabling you to free that space up for your favorite watch or jewelry.

The Garmin Vivosport is a great all-around fitness tracker for in-depth analysis thanks to its accurate step counting and heart rate data.

Make your dorm or apartment smart with these devices.

With the Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 Smart Bulb Starter Kit you can program your lights, dim them, alter their colors, and even use your voice to turn them on or off.

The Wemo Mini Smart Plug works with Alexa and IFTTT, so you can program whatever device you plug into the outlet.

The Amazon Echo is the uncontested best smart home speaker with its many skills, extensive smart home support, and strong audio. The Amazon Echo Dot is one of the most affordable smart speakers you can buy, and it's just as smart as the original Echo.

There are a ton of great printers out there for affordable prices. These are our favorite ones for college.

With its affordable price, large set of features, and great print quality, the Canon Pixma TR4520 is the best choice for any budget-conscious buyer.

The Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 is a fantastic multifunction printer that's skilled at printing beautiful photos.

HP's DeskJet 3755 packs numerous features into a compact printer that's highly portable and stylish.

The Brother HLL2320D is a budget-friendly monochrome laser printer that's perfect for buyers who need to output a lot of documents quickly.

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3730 provides speedy, laser-quality prints, and it has a large-capacity paper tray.

Sending your kid off to college is nerve wracking. The best you can do is impart a few life lessons and outfit your kid's dorm room with all the essentials. We've rounded up everything your kid needs for their dorm room from bedding and decor to tech and school supplies.