The 8 longest-lasting back-to-school laptops — no more outlet hunting

MacBook Air 13 M3 open facing camera on a slatted wooden table

(Image credit: Laptop Mag/Sean Riley)

Jump to:

8: Our favorite AI PC surpassed 14 hours
7: This business laptop almost made it to 15 hours

When determining the best laptops for college, we at Laptop Mag often consider a combination of factors, such as long battery life, snappy CPU performance, light-and-thin design, and price.

But battery life is key if we focus on only one factor to decide which laptop you should buy this back-to-school season. Sure, budget-friendly options are great for adding variety, and no one wants to lug around a monster 7-pound laptop all day if they don't have to. While an engineering student may need a laptop with a discrete GPU to run their required STEM applications, or a law student may need extra RAM to handle the endless quantity of Chrome tabs they'll have open, all students have one need in common.

No matter what classes you need to run between, whether it's Organic Chemistry, Into to Screenwriting, or Contract Law, every student needs a laptop that will survive through a packed schedule.

So these are our top picks for back-to-school laptops that will save you from fighting over the last outlet in the library this semester.

8 long-lasting back-to-school laptops

8: Our favorite AI PC surpassed 14 hours

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x: $1,199 @ Best Buy

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x is our pick for the best AI PC because of how well it balances performance and battery life, lasting an impressive 14 hours and 14 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test. The Yoga also offers a fantastic keyboard, a colorful OLED display, and an endlessly portable 2.8-pound design. If you want the best on-device AI in a laptop that will keep up with you during a grueling 12-hour exam study session, you can't do much better than the Yoga Slim 7x.

Features: 14.5-inch 3K OLED touch-screen display, Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor, 16GB of memory, 512GB storage, Cosmic Blue colorway.

7: This business laptop almost made it to 15 hours

Lenovo ThinkPad Z16: $1,099 @ Lenovo

The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 lasted an outstanding 14 hours and 38 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test. Lenovo technically classes the ThinkPad as a business laptop, but like the HP EliteBook, the ThinkPad has plenty to offer a student. Especially if you're attending business school. With performance that can more than keep up with all the spreadsheets and tabs you'll need to keep up with assignments and a minimalist design that meets MIL-STD-810H standards of durability, there are plenty of reasons to take the ThinkPad with you to class this semester.

Features: 16-inch WQUXGA OLED display, AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650H processor, AMD Radeon RX 6500M graphics, 16GB of memory, 256GB of storage, Black colorway.

6: The cheapest MacBook Air lasted over 15 hours

Apple MacBook Air 13 M3: $849 @ BestBuy

The MacBook Air 13 M3 survived for a respectable 15 hours and 13 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test. Apple's most affordable laptop is a hard bargain to pass up, offering dependable Mac performance, impressive battery life, a comfortable keyboard, and improved SSD speeds. Plus, this budget-friendly 13-inch laptop is highly portable for students often on-the-go.

Features: 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, M3 8-core CPU, M3 10-core GPU, 8GB of memory, 256GB of storage. Midnight, Silver, Space Gray, or Starlight colorway.

5: Almost 16 hours for this unbeatable value pick

4: Over 16 hours, this laptop means business

3: The smaller MacBook Pro crested 17 hours

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M3: $1,499 @ BestBuy

One of my personal favorites, the Apple MacBook Pro 14 M3, lasted an impressive 17 hours and 16 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test. This 14-inch powerhouse laptop also offers excellent overall performance, stellar gaming performance, a comfortable keyboard, and Apple's dependable build quality. With a 14-inch 3.4-pound chassis, the MacBook Pro 14 is a breeze to tote along between classes.

Features: 14.2-inch Liquid Retina display, M3 8-core CPU with M3, 16GB of memory, 512GB of storage, Space Black or Silver colorway.

2: Maxed out MacBook Pro gets over 18 hours

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M3 Max: $1,999 @ BestBuy

Lasting 18 hours and 5 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test, the MacBook Pro 16 M3 Max held the honor of being our laptop with the best battery life up until the XPS 13 claimed that title this summer. While it's on the pricy side, the 16-inch Liquid Retina display offers a bright and colorful experience with additional screen space to handle lengthy spreadsheets, video or photo editing programs, or multiple windows of browser tabs as needed. Plus, it offers the best gaming experience you can find on a Mac.

Features: 16.2-inch Liquid Retina display, M3 Pro with 18-core GPU, 18GB of memory, 512GB of storage, Silver or Space Black colorway.

1: Dell's XPS 13 claims the crown with over 19 hours

Dell XPS 13 9345 (Snapdragon X Elite): $1,299 @ Dell

With a battery lasting 19 hours and 1 minute on the Laptop Mag battery test, the XPS 13 9345 (Snapdragon X Elite) currently tops our charts for laptops with the longest battery life. It also features a light and thin design, a bright display, a solid webcam, and strong performance to keep up with the most demanding student workload.

Features: 13.4-inch FHD+ 30-120Hz display, Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor, 16GB of memory, 512GB of storage, Graphite or Platinum colorway.

More from Laptop Mag

A former lab gremlin for Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Tom's Hardware, and Tech Radar; Madeline has escaped the labs to join Laptop Mag as a Staff Writer. With over a decade of experience writing about tech and gaming, she may actually know a thing or two. Sometimes. When she isn't writing about the latest laptops and AI software, Madeline likes to throw herself into the ocean as a PADI scuba diving instructor and underwater photography enthusiast.