The best laptops might not actually be a laptop at all
WALK into a university lecture hall or tutorial in the last 10 years and you were likely greeted with the same sight: the glow of dozens of individually illuminated Apple logos shining from the rear of MacBook laptops dominating the view.
Apple’s laptops were and are popular for several reasons, including cultural clout and durability. Things like easy portability and all-day battery life made the Macbook Air a particular standout.
That’s beginning to change, however.
Firstly, the glow is largely gone: Apple began phasing out the illuminated rear logos with the introduction of the reimagined Macbook in 2015.
But advances in mobile computing, particularly in the tablet space, mean the best laptop for uni students might not even be a laptop anymore, and Apple isn’t the only one in the race.
While some specialities like engineering and architecture require fully fledged computers to run specialist rendering programs, students now have a plethora of options, at various price points, that can handle all the traditional note taking, presentations and essay writing demands of most university students in easier and more intuitive ways.
Tablets are also much better to read on, and with accompanying pen inputs, completing set readings or reports while highlighting the important parts is as easy as it is on paper.
Here are three different options from three different brands.
Pretty much since it was first introduced in 2010, the ipad has been beset by one question and its never-quite-complete ability to answer it: Can the ipad replace your laptop? For the most part, the answer has been no.
The performance limitations, lack of support for multiple inputs, and Apple’s closed garden app ecosystem poked plenty of holes in the idea. Recently, the pendulum has begun to swing in the other direction.
The biggest change has obviously been the introduction of ipados, making the ipad more like using a computer than the iphone-focused IOS that previously powered it.
Highlights include improved multi-tasking features that let you quickly switch between or run separate apps side-by-side.
The files app is also updated, and at long last the ipad can finally support external USB drives. The Safari browser has also changed to load the desktop version of a website’s page rather than the mobile version, and ipados also adds a hidden but surprisingly useful screenshot feature that allows you to save an entire web page (not just what’s displayed on the screen).
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is a premium Android tablet, one of the few Android tablets that’s actually decent (which you’d hope for the price).
Yes, it’s more expensive than the ipad (though comparable in price to the ipad Pro it more closely competes with), but you get more for your money too.
The 10.5-inch screen is slightly bigger than the ipad’s while rivalling it for colour vibrancy and accuracy.
Samsung is also a bit more generous with what’s included as well. Unlike the ipad’s Apple pencil, the Samsung S-pen included in the box.
Like the ipad will do with an iphone, you can sync your Tab S6 up with a Galaxy smartphone to make your notifications, calls and other info accessible from either device.
While Apple has given ipad its own special operating system, Samsung has taken a slightly different tack. Unlike Apple, it doesn’t have total control over the Android software developed by Google, but it does have a workaround.
The Samsung DEX mode turns the Tab S6 into something more closely resembling a traditional computer.
Unfortunately, DEX mode is not yet as good as it could be, is and it functions as more of a bridge to the desktop than an actual desktop environment.
It’s taken a few years, but Microsoft is finally starting to get its Surface house in order. Its first attempt at a tablet was bogged down with a less capable version of Windows in the same way IOS held back the ipad.
Being new to hardware, Microsoft also had a few teething issues with build quality and reliability. Now they’re starting to figure it out.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is definitively a “tablet that can replace your laptop” because in essence it is a laptop. It runs a full Windows operating system, has a 12.3-inch display and multiple USB and SD card ports. Unlike the ipad and Tab S6, it also has a built-in adjustable kickstand.
The Surface type cover keyboard is more expensive than the others, but it is also the best to use. The Surface pen is also an admirable performer but, like Apple’s pencil, is not included in the box. It also isn’t rechargeable, requiring a AAAA battery to be changed – Microsoft claims about every 12 months.
In addition to its high price tag, the Surface Pro is also let down by being a bit more cumbersome and a lot heavier than the others.
If you’re hesitant to jump all the way in to the tablet form factor, the Surface Pro 7 is a decent bridge.