7 Best Laptops for Teachers in 2023

In the ever-growing tech world, even teachers must keep up the pace and adapt to the new trends. Whether you work in classrooms or you’ve gone remote, you probably need a reliable laptop to help you do your teaching smoothly and efficiently.

We understand that preparing study materials, making presentations, tracking students’ progress, and so on takes a huge chunk of time out of your busy life. To save you the headache of researching hundreds of options, we did our homework and handpicked a few of the best laptops for teachers available.

But before we present you with the best options, allow us to teach you about some important factors so you can better decide which laptop is the best fit to your budget and preferences.

Interested? Then, let’s chalk and talk.

Minimum & Recommended System Requirements

There is no single set of specs that I would say is the best for a teacher’s laptop. Luckily, even some of the cheapest options could be a good fit, depending on your specific needs and preferences. 

However, it is important to have a general idea of what to expect depending on your budget. 

That being said, if you are looking for the cheapest options available, you could find a few solid laptops that pack the minimum specs from our table below. But if you want to get something more capable that can perform well for several years, we have a few picks with the recommended specs or higher. 

Top 7 Laptops for Teachers

Without further ado, here are our top picks for teachers:

1. Lightweight Efficiency: Acer Swift Go

Acer Swift Go

• CPU: 1.7GHz Intel Core i7-1355U
• RAM: 16GB DDR5
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Display: 14-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200)
• GPU: Integrated ‎Intel Iris Xe
• Battery: Up to 10 hours

$649.99

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Swift Go is one of the newer Acer models — and a great laptop for teachers. For a reasonable price, Swift packs one of the latest processors and touchscreen features in a portable body.

Under the hood, Acer opted for a 13th-gen. i7 processor, which is one of the Intel Core’s latest and greatest. For this CPU, teaching tasks are a breeze — the processor flies across presentations, teaching materials, and media you’d use in class.

Plus, the 14” WUXGA display is hi-res and touchscreen, so it’s awesome when you want to do presentations and make them more interactive.

The size of the screen also works great for the overall portability. At 10 hours of battery life and 2.76 lbs of weight, Swift Go is easy to carry around and will last a full workday.

If you want to connect the peripherals — maybe a projector or an external screen — you can. With 2 USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI, USB-A, Kensington lock and even a microSD card slot, Swift has a great port selection.

I also like that Acer opted for a 1440p webcam — the cam image looks crisp and sharp in online classes.

If there’s one thing I’d improve, it’s the keyboard. The keys feel a little shallow, but it’s not a deal-breaker for me.

And the design is a little outdated. Edges feel a little sharp, so watch your hands.

Overall, though, Swift Go is an excellent laptop for teachers. It’s powerful, portable, very functional, and quite reasonably priced.

2. Affordable Teacher’s Companion: HP 15

HP 15

• CPU: 2.6GHz AMD Ryzen 3 5300U
• RAM: 8GB DDR4
• Storage: 256GB SSD
• Display: 15.6-inch HD (‎1366 x 768)
• GPU: Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 6
• Battery: Up to 9 hours

$314.00

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If you want a tried-and-tested, affordable laptop for teachers that also looks good, the HP 15 is a pretty good choice. 

One of the biggest pros of HP 15 is a large, 15.6” display that is bright enough and crisp. Along with thin bezels, this panel feels great for work, reviewing materials, or reading student essays.

HP 15 runs on Ryzen 3 processor and Radeon Vega graphics. This particular combo covers all the regular teaching tasks — whether in online or a physical environment.

Plus, the laptop is easy to carry around. I got around 8-9 hours of juice, which pairs up nicely with 3.75 lbs of weight; it’s easy to carry it around, and the battery will last.

I’m also a fan of HP’s keyboards. The keys are tactile, feel very compact, and work great with a spacious, responsive trackpad.

Even though it’s a budget laptop, the HP 15 comes with a nice design, which is a step up from the previous models. The newest iteration looks elegant, clean, and professional.

The main problem I’m having is with RAM and storage. 8GB RAM and 256GB of SSD are good to start with, but I’d upgrade them to at least 16GB RAM and at least 512 gigs of storage space.

Overall, for the price you pay, you get a very sleek, capable laptop for teaching with a great display. It’s a practical — and smart — investment.

3. Reliable Performance on a Budget: Acer Aspire 5

Acer Aspire 5

• CPU: 2.3GHz AMD Ryzen 7 3700U
• RAM: 8GB DDR4
• Storage: 256GB SSD
• Display: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)
• GPU: Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 10
• Battery: Up to 10 hours

$460.00

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Acer Aspire 5 is another popular budget choice and a great laptop for teachers. With pretty good firepower, a large display, and a sturdy build, it’s definitely worth considering.

Aspire runs on a strong Ryzen 7 processor and Radeon Vega 10 graphics, which make a good pairing for media streaming, materials work, and smooth online classes.

Moreover, a 15.6” IPS display is easy on the eyes, colorful and color-accurate. I thought it was a pretty good display for this price range.

The laptop weighs 4 lbs, which is still ok for a 15.6” machine. I got about 10 hours of battery life on a single charge, so there’s no need to worry about the juice running out.

I also like that this is one of the sturdier laptops. It means that when you carry it in a bag or a backpack, it won’t get damaged so easily.

That being said, the design could have been better. Similarly to Acer Swift Go, Aspire 5 is a little blocky, which may or may not annoy you.

More importantly, like the HP above, I’d upgrade the RAM and storage as soon as you get the chance. It doesn’t mean your laptop won’t work, but if you want it to last longer, go for 16GB RAM.

Still, for this price, Acer Aspire does a lot of things right. With 2 built-in mics, strong performance, and quite a low price tag, this popular laptop is a great budget solution for teaching.

4. High-end Laptop for Teachers: Samsung Galaxy Book 3

Samsung Galaxy Book 3

• CPU: 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-1360P
• RAM: 16GB DDR5
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Display: 14-inch AMOLED (2880 x 1800)
• GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Xe
• Battery: Up to 15 hours

$1,191.28

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Galaxy Books are relatively new, yet Samsung did a really good job with their laptop lineup. Show-stopping display, strong internals, and elegant, portable design make Samsung one of the best high-end laptops for teachers.

Whenever I think of Galaxy Book, my mind immediately jumps to the gorgeous 14” display, which is nothing short of amazing. It comes with a 3K resolution, AMOLED panel, rich and deep colors, great brightness, and spot-on color accuracy. You want to get your students focused? This panel will do it.

In terms of performance, the latest 13th-gen. i7 processor is running the show. Paired with Intel Iris graphics and 16GB of fast DDR5 RAM, this laptop is as future-proof as it is capable — which means a lot. Most teaching tasks will be a breeze, and you can even play with photo and video editing.

Samsung also does well in the portability department. I got close to 15 hours of battery life, which is quite similar to Macbooks and LG Gram (and these are the most portable laptops). Add to that a laughable 2.58 lbs of weight, and Galaxy Book is a great companion wherever you go.

Of course, 14” screens aren’t for everyone, but I leave that to your preferences. Personally, I like them.

This laptop is pricier, but you also get a lot with Samsung. The Galaxy Book 3 is an amazing laptop for teachers that will return the investment and last long.

5. Touchscreen 2-in-1 Laptop: Dell Inspiron 7425

Dell Inspiron 7425

• CPU: 2.3GHz AMD Ryzen 5 5625U
• RAM: 8GB DDR4
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Display: 14-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200)
• GPU: GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX
• Battery: Up to 11 hours

$679.00

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While we’re on the subject of great displays, why not spice things up with a touchscreen? Dell Inspiron is a laptop for teachers who want more interactivity, along with a sleek design and strong performance.

The star of the show — and probably the classroom — is a beautiful 14” touchscreen display with thin bezels and rich colors. With a hi-res, responsive panel, it’s easy to present and navigate the materials, and engage the students.

Inspiron runs on a Ryzen 5 processor and Radeon Vega graphics, somewhat similar to HP 15 and Aspire 5, but stronger. This opens up a lot of possibilities for streaming content, creating quizzes, and using more complex tools in your teaching.

Like most laptops on this list, the Dell Inspiron is pretty portable. With 11 hours of juice and 3.53 lbs of weight, it’s a great laptop for taking to the campus or classroom.

I also love the design. Inspiron has a pretty thin profile that will easily fit into any backpack. Plus, it’s sturdy enough to survive everyday wear and tear. And it looks elegant.

If you want to boost the performance and future-proof the laptop, I’d add an extra RAM stick and upgrade to 16GB RAM. It’s not that 8GB is bad, but it has become mainstream, and the apps are only becoming more demanding.

Still, if you’re looking for a great touchscreen laptop for teaching and want to draw out all of the display’s capabilities, the Dell Inspiron is a strong choice that will last long.

6. Cheapest Everyday Notebook: Lenovo IdeaPad 3

Lenovo IdeaPad 3

• CPU: 3GHz Intel Core i3-1115G4
• RAM: 8GB DDR4
• Storage: 128GB SSD
• Display: 14-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)
• GPU: Integrated Intel UHD Graphics
• Battery: Up to 10 hours

$269.00

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Lenovo’s IdeaPad series is among the cheapest laptops for teaching you can buy, and still get a lot for your money’s worth. IdeaPad 3 is a reliable machine that’s also elegant and portable.

Purring under the hood, we’ve got an 11th-gen. i3 and Intel UHD graphics. These specs will easily handle general tasks, multiple tabs, presentations, and Google Drive.

IdeaPad’s display is surprisingly crisp and colorful. The 14” panel looks great when watching movies, typing docs, or attending online classes.

With this model, I got around 8-9 hours of work, which is pretty good since some more expensive models can hover around 6-7 hours.

The laptop weighs 3.3 lbs, so you can just fit it into any backpack and go.

What I like about Lenovo, however, is that they pay attention to design. Even though it’s a budget laptop, IdeaPad 3 still looks very presentable and elegant.

Not only that, but Lenovo will usually add all these extra features. In IdeaPad’s case, you get a physical privacy shutter over the webcam, which is always nice.

If you go for this laptop, make sure to upgrade it asap. While 8GB RAM will last a while, the 128GB of storage fills up quickly. So I’d just upgrade both as soon as possible.

For everyone on the budget, there is a good reason why Lenovo IdeaPad is one of the popular choices. Lenovo did a good job with this laptop, and with a few easy tweaks, it will be great.

7. Affordable 15″ MacBook from Apple: Apple MacBook Air M2 15

Apple MacBook Air M2 15

• CPU: 3.5GHz 8-core M2
• RAM: 8GB DDR5
• Storage: 256GB SSD
• Display: 15.3-inch Retina (2880 x 1864)
• GPU: Integrated Apple 10-core GPU
• Battery: Up to 18 Hours

$1,099.00

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You didn’t think we’d leave a Macbook out of the list? The latest Air M2 15 is an excellent laptop for teachers who prefer MacOS over Windows: powerful, crazy-portable, and practical.

To start with, the M2 chip in Macbook Air is a beast. There’s not much you can’t do with this machine: multitasking, online classes, photo/video editing, and more advanced classroom management platforms.

Macbooks are known for great displays, and Air M2 is no different. The Retina display is super easy on the eyes, colorful and color-accurate, and the panel on Air is now bigger. We finally got the 15.3” model of this laptop.

As for design, the latest Air is both sturdy and portable. At 3.3 lbs, this is one of the lightest 15” devices, which makes it easy to carry around.

And you also get a crazy good battery life. I regularly get around 15-16 hours of juice, which is enough for me to forget when I charged the laptop.

When it comes to teaching, the hi-res webcam with a four-mic array rounds up things nicely, so you can work well in an online environment, too.

Remember, though, that Macs are practically impossible to upgrade. This model comes with 256GB of storage, so I’d weigh my storage needs — and maybe get an external disk.

Although relatively pricey, the newest Air M2 15 fits the bill for teaching. It’s a durable laptop that will perform well for years to come.

Buying Guide for Best Laptops for Teachers in 2023

They don’t exactly make laptops specifically tailored for teachers. But I’m going to show you a few tips that will help you find your perfect fit.  

So, here we go:

1. Let’s Talk About Performance First 

Luckily, as a teacher, you don’t need to overspend on a super-expensive laptop. Even a budget device could handle your day-to-day teaching tasks. But if you want a smooth and efficient multitasking experience, investing in something with a more capable CPU is always a good idea.

Let’s break it down a bit.

If you’re looking for the cheapest options that could get the job done, an 11th Gen Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 are both solid choices. 

But if I were a teacher myself, I’d invest in some of the latest generations of Intel Core i5 (or better yet, an i7) or AMD Ryzen equivalent. These CPUs would easily slice through anything you might throw at them. And yes, there are some great options that come with these processors that don’t necessarily break the bank. Just wait until you see our top picks.

I’m not going to bore you with details about graphics cards here because they are not crucial for regular teaching tasks. Simply put, a high-end GPU will only be important if you’re a gamer or someone who works on graphically-intensive tasks like video editing, 3D modeling, or something similar.

2. Get a Lightweight Laptop with Good Battery Life 

I’m pretty sure portability plays a crucial role in your life as a teacher. Unless you’re getting a laptop for working from home, of course.

So, a lightweight laptop that is easy to carry between classes is a good idea. Having this in mind, we made our list with some of the most portable and lightweight models out there.

To give you a general idea, anything that weighs around 3 lbs is considered pretty portable in the laptop world.

Portability goes hand in hand with battery life, though. What good would a small and light laptop do if you need to look for power sockets every couple of hours? Not to mention the extra weight a charger adds to your shoulders.

That being said, I’d advise you to aim for laptops that pump enough battery juice to last above 10 hours of moderate usage. But if you want the very best, check out the new MacBook Air M2 15. This Apple product can easily last a full day on a single charge.

3. Look For Good Quality Built-in Webcams and Mics

Perhaps you need a good laptop for teaching online classes. Or maybe every now and then, you need to attend Zoom meetings and webinars with colleagues. In either case, considering the audio and video quality of the laptop you’re getting is very important.

Of course, any laptop’s built-in webcam is no match for the audio/video quality of external dedicated webcams for Zoom. But they are not an absolute necessity, and as you’ll soon find out, there are some great options in our list with decent audio/video quality.

4. Don’t Skimp on RAM and Storage

Even the super-cheap laptops these days come with at least 8GB RAM. Which should be enough for grading papers, doing research, drafting docs, or other regular activities you might do as a teacher. But I’d advise you to go for a 16GB RAM laptop, as those offer significantly better performance and are a great starting point for future-proofing.

If you can only afford a laptop with 8GB right now, at least get something with an upgradable memory slot. You’ll thank me later.

As for storage, 512GB SSD is a good starting point for a budget to mid-range laptop, and it should be enough for storing many files and presentations.

5. Pick the Right Display for You

Choosing the display that best fits your needs and preferences is always important, no matter what you plan to do with it.

The 15.6-inch FHD displays are probably the best option if you’re looking for a balance between price, visual quality, and portability. But if you cherish portability above all, you may prefer sacrificing the extra inch and a half for a more portable 14-inch device. It’s totally up to you.

I wouldn’t dwell too much on resolution, though. The good old FHD (1920×1080) is the standard in most laptops these days, even in the cheapest models. I would only advise you to search for the IPS panel because those bring much better image quality and wider viewing angles.

For those of you seeking the best picture quality, I’ll show you in the reviews a couple of options that feature Samsung’s AMOLED and Apple’s Retina displays.   

6. Get the Necessary Ports for Video Presentations and Data Transfers

You don’t need me to explain how much more effective your presentations can be by casting them on a large screen. For that matter, you’ll need a laptop with all the necessary ports to connect to external monitors or media projectors.

So make sure you pick a laptop that features HDMI, DisplayPort, or, on some higher-end models, a USB-C output.

And don’t forget about the USB-A ports, which are necessary for transferring files and connecting to other peripherals you might use.

Bonus tip: When doing large group Zoom presentations, casting them on a TV is an excellent idea.

So, these are just a few tips to help you understand what makes a good laptop for teachers. If you need to dig deeper, our comprehensive laptop buying guide might help.

FAQs about Best Laptops for Teachers

Verdict

Hopefully, we helped you get a clearer picture of what makes a good laptop for teachers. As you should have probably realized by now, there is no one-size-fits-all, and the best option should accommodate your specific taste and budget. 

Still hesitant? Here is a quick recap:

• As the best mid-range Windows laptop packed with powerful components and great portability features, the Acer Swift Go is our champion. 
• If you’re looking for something stylish and powerful with exceptional battery life, the Apple MacBook Air M2 15 is one of the very best. 
• Finally, for the cheapest option available that can get the job done, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 gives great value for money.

So, which laptop are you getting and why? Let us know in the comments below. 

Finally, if you’ll be using your laptop mostly for online teaching, perhaps you’d like to check out our favorite laptops for Zoom. Most of those are great fit for teachers anyway.