Best Laptop For Medical School Students

Are you on the lookout for the best laptop for medical school? Fret not, as we have curated a comprehensive selection of the very best laptops you should consider as a medical student.

The importance of having a laptop in medical school cannot be overstated.

Students need this essential tool to take notes, to study e-Books and documented lectures, for research, to store and analyze patient data, to look at medical imaging, and to take patient histories when on clinical rotation. It is, therefore, an essential part of a student’s arsenal in med school.

Without further ado, here are our picks for the very best laptops for medical school in 2022.

The Best Laptops for Medical School – Comparison Table

How We Choose The Best Laptop For Medical School

In order to curate a list of the best laptop for medical school, you have to analyze the day-to-day necessities of medical students.

The medical teaching ecosystem is shifting more and more towards digital learning, like many other walks of life. This means that all the laptops being used by medical students need to be able to handle the modern aspects of clinical learning.

The laptop models need to be fast enough to handle basic productivity tasks like word processing and presentations, while also being lightweight enough to carry around all day. Med students are especially mobile during the day, so a big heavy laptop is out of the question.

Battery life is another aspect that is heavily focused on while choosing the best laptop for medical school. Students can often spend 8-10 hours in medical school away from a charger, therefore the laptops need to be able to handle at least 8 hours on battery.

Other specific and cool features like the ability to turn into a tablet, or have a touch screen feature, being lightweight and passively cooled, the presence of a stylus experience are all factors that can increase the effectiveness of a particular laptop in a med school setting.

As medical students do spend a lot of time simply studying on their laptops, we specifically focused on laptops with robust I/O and decent networking and connectivity options.

The laptops also needed to be lightweight and practical, as medical students use their laptops to take notes either in the lecture or in clinical rotations. The laptop is often the tool of choice for research as well.

Storage capacity is of paramount importance as well, as books, lectures, medical imaging, patient histories, and several clinical applications are often stored on laptops.

We made sure the processors in our chosen laptops were up to the task of handling simulation. Medical schools can provide access to certain applications that simulate doctor-patient interactions in a virtual setting.

We also laid a focus on the portability of the laptops we chose. The use of laptops in a medical school setting allows the students to cross-reference imaging data with their diagnostics and reports in order to establish differential diagnoses. Portability is an important factor that makes this possible.

13 Best Laptops for Medical School

With the aforementioned applications in mind, we have curated the best laptops for medical students. Let’s get started.

1. Apple MacBook Air M1 – Editor’s Choice

Size: 13.3 inch | CPU: Apple M1 SoC | GPU: Apple 8 Core | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 256GB SSD| Battery: 18 Hours| Resolution: 2560×1600 | Refresh Rate: 60

The Apple MacBook Air M1 edition is probably the ideal laptop for medical school students.

Its unique blend of high-performance components, excellent built quality, and lightweight nature makes it a really potent choice when it comes to the best laptops for medical students.

Weighing in at just 2.8 pounds, the MacBook Air makes the case of being one of the most powerful thin, and light laptops around.

Medical students will appreciate the light nature of the MacBook Air while they are carrying the laptop around with them all day during their clinical rotations.

Furthermore, the it is also comfortable to handle while standing, which is often the case when taking the history of patients in a ward setting.

The second feature that makes this laptop a great choice for medical students is the battery life. The excellent efficiency of the M1 chip makes it possible for the MacBook Air to have an excellent battery with up to 18 hours on light media.

Medical students have to study for long hours often away from access to chargers, therefore the battery is a real lifesaver.

Performance is another strong suit of the MacBook Air. The all-new Apple M1 SoC is part of the Apple Silicon line that replaces traditional Intel CPUs in these laptops. M1 chips offer tremendous leaps in both performance and efficiency thanks to their innovative design.

The laptop is also cooled passively, without any involvement of fans. This means that students can focus on their study material without getting bothered by noise. This is a benefit that this laptop enjoys over the MacBook Pro even.

One of the most annoying aspects of the MacBook Air is the number of ports that Apple has graciously provided. There are two USB-C ports on the laptop, so you would need dongles for a lot of your accessories. Charging also takes place via USB-C, so that can occupy one port as well.

The laptop is fair priced but certainly not a cheap laptop by any means. It falls in the middle-to-premium range, and that can be a bit expensive for medical students.

Still, the all-around feature-set and convenience of the MacBook Air make it a really strong overall contender.

RATINGS:

• Performance: 8/10
• Battery: 9/10
• Display: 8/10
• Value for Money: 9/10
• Overall Rating: 8.5/10

2. Apple MacBook Pro M1 – Best Premium Laptop for Medical School Students

Size: 13.3 inch | CPU: Apple M1 SoC | GPU: Apple 8-Core GPU | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 256GB SSD| Battery: 20 Hours| Resolution: 2560×1600 | Refresh Rate: 60

The Apple MacBook Pro is the premium offering from Apple’s initial M1 launch in their laptops. It can make a great laptop for almost everything, but it can be particularly useful for medical students.

Performance is above and beyond anything that we have seen before from Intel-based MacBooks. The M1 silicon is truly able to spread its wings thanks to the active cooling and turbo clock systems in the MacBook Pro.

These systems were either absent or restrained in the MacBook Air in order to stop throttling.

The extra performance of this model over the MacBook Air makes sense if you plan to do a lot of editing videos or rendering. If you have to run simulations of medical models or use proprietary imaging software in hospitals, then this MacBook can be of immense use over the MacBook Air.

The added thermal management solutions can keep it running at low temperatures for longer. However, it might add some noise.

Battery Life does stay the same as the MacBook Air, which is more than enough for long study sessions away from a socket. The MacBook Pro is still pretty light at 2.8 pounds, so carrying the laptop while standing at a bedside shouldn’t be too much of an issue either.

The laptop does have a glaring flaw when it comes to expandability. Apple has again provided only two USB-C ports on the Pro model. For a machine aimed at professionals, that is a severe lack of ports on a premium laptop.

You will need to carry a lot of dongles for your laptop as well since the charger can also take up one slot. While we are discussing the drawbacks, one must be wary of the price tag of the MacBook Pro.

At a whopping $2000 at the time of writing, the Pro is certainly out of reach of most medical students. However, for specialized tasks, it makes sense to get the Pro over the Air.

RATINGS:

• Performance: 9/10
• Battery: 9/10
• Display: 8/10
• Value for Money: 7/10
• Overall Rating: 8/10

3. Acer Aspire 5 – Best Budget Laptop for Medical School Students

Size: 15.6 inch | CPU: Intel Core i5-1135G7 | GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics| RAM: 8GB | Storage: 512GB SSD| Battery: 8.5 Hours| Resolution: 1920×1080 | Refresh Rate: 60

The Acer Aspire 5 is a fantastic budget option for all students, and med students are no exception. The Aspire 5 falls into the value category most associated with students, and that is a really tough market segment in the modern landscape.

The Core i5-1135G7 in the Aspire 5 is more than fast enough for all the academic needs of the students. Until and unless, you have to perform some video editing or some heavy simulations in a proprietary application, the Core i5 can handle pretty much everything you throw at it.

Intel has also included Intel Iris Xe Graphics in the new 11th Gen mobile processors. The Iris graphics will help in some light productivity applications, and can even accelerate some light games for the free time.

Weighing in at 5.20 pounds, it is certainly one of the heavier laptops in its class. This can be of concern if you plan to carry the laptop around while taking rounds in your clinical rotation.

The Aspire 5 is well-equipped when it comes to internals, but the other hardware is a bit substandard. The build quality is mediocre at best, and the keyboard is a bit underwhelming. The display, although IPS, is still a standard 1080p 60Hz screen with unremarkable colors and viewing angles.

Another area of concern with the Aspire 5 the battery life. The company claim for this laptop is a battery duration of 8 hours, which is barely enough to get you through the full day of medical college. You certainly do not want your laptop giving up in the middle of an important presentation.

The value proposition of the Acer Aspire 5 makes it the best budget laptop for medical students in our roundup.

It comes in way cheaper than other budget laptops with similar specifications, and although you might have to deal with a hiccup or a loose screw here and there, the general experience is definitely worth it.

RATINGS:

• Performance: 7/10
• Battery: 6/10
• Display: 7/10
• Value for Money: 9/10
• Overall Rating: 7.5/10

4. Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – Best 2-in-1 Laptop For Medical School Students

Size: 12.3 inch | CPU: Intel Core i5 1035G4 | GPU: Intel Iris Plus Graphics| RAM: 8GB | Storage: 256GB SSD| Battery: 10.5 Hours| Resolution: 2736×1824 | Refresh Rate: 60

The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is a modern laptop for the modern workplace professional. It is a convertible laptop that can shift between tablet mode and laptop mode. This situation makes it ideal for medical students.

The Surface Pro 7’s strength lies in the superior multitasking capabilities of its hybrid design. You can easily take notes on it in tablet form while talking to the patients during clinical rotation, and then set it up on the desk in laptop form and do any sort of work that you might want to do on a laptop.

The display of the Surface Pro 7 is excellent, with the crisp resolution, vivid colors, and great viewing angles. It is a thin and lightweight laptop, so carrying it around is a breeze even if you have to stand while holding the laptop.

Tablet mode will let you watch videos, take quick notes, record lectures, write histories, and cross-check medical imaging in a fairly ergonomic way. This gives this Microsoft Surface laptop an edge over the competing Windows laptops due to its intuitive design.

Battery life is acceptable, with the company claiming up to 10 hours with a regular day’s use. This sort of timing is fairly common in the student laptop space, so you shouldn’t really have any problems with it in medical school.

However, the experience is not perfect owing to the unremarkable keyboard present on the Surface Pro 7. Being a convertible laptop, the backlit keyboard has had to sacrifice a bit of quality in order to achieve that dual functionality.

The lack of USB Type C ports and Thunderbolt 3 is also a major flaw that should not have been present in a device that costs a pretty premium for a convertible tablet.

Still, the performance is acceptable compared to most laptops in this tier, and the overall experience should be pretty satisfactory if you plan to go with this option for the best laptop for medical school students!

RATINGS:

• Performance: 7/10
• Battery: 8/10
• Display: 8/10
• Value for Money: 7/10
• Overall Rating: 7.5/10

5. Dell Inspiron 13 5310

Size: 13.3 inch | CPU: Intel Core i7-11370H | GPU: Nvidia GeForce MX450 | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD| Battery: 12 Hours| Resolution: 2560×1600 | Refresh Rate: 60

The Inspiron 13 5310 is an option that might be relatively premium for medical students, but it does have some notable strengths.

The performance suite is compelling with an 11th Gen Core i7, paired with 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD. An integrated Nvidia GeForce MX450 GPU ensures a bit of graphical superiority, but it is not an impressive iGPU by modern standards.

One can expect moderate rendering, editing, and a bit of light gaming from this GPU, but nothing of note when it comes to professional simulations or proprietary medical applications.

The display of the Inspiron 13 5310 is a big saving grace on this laptop model. The quad-HD, 13.3 inch 2560×1600 display will aid greatly when viewing media, taking lectures, or in general day-to-day use. The build quality is relatively impressive as well for a laptop in Dell’s Inspiron range.

Two very positive features of the Inspiron are the battery life and the weight of the device. Dell claims a battery life of up to 12 hours with moderate use, which is certainly plenty for a medical student.

The weight of the laptop is just 2.78 pounds, which makes it a breeze to carry around all day.

The ergonomics of the laptop leave a bit to be desired, compared to other laptops. As a medical student, you might need to hold the laptop while standing for long periods or take notes at odd angles so you need a lightweight design.

The large body and the 16:10 aspect ratio screen make it a bit unwieldy if used for long periods while standing.

The addition of the 65W USB-C power adapter is a nice touch, and so is the resultant fast charging. This ensures a quick top-up even if you run out of that 12-hour long battery life.

Additionally you get lots of connectivity options with USB ports. You get USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, HDMI port 1.4, and USB Type-C ports Thunderbolt 4.

All of these features make the Inspiron 5310 a versatile option for studying medicine, albeit a bit on the pricier side.

RATINGS:

• Performance: 7.5/10
• Battery: 8/10
• Display: 8/10
• Value for Money: 7/10
• Overall Rating: 7.5/10

6. HP Spectre X360 – Best Portable Laptop For Medical School Students

Size: 13.3 inch | CPU: Intel Core i7-1065G7 | GPU: Intel Iris Plus | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD| Battery: 12 Hours| Resolution: 1920×1080 | Refresh Rate: 60

Medical school involves a lot of clinical rotations on which you might need to bring your laptop along. For this reason, high portability is valued a lot among laptops that are considered ideal in this scenario.

A convertible laptop, such as the HP Spectre X360, adds a lot of value to your laptop experience in the rotation setting. Due to its folding design, it can become a tablet when you need to take some quick notes or watch a video while standing.

You can also directly write on the tablet with a stylus that is offered in the bundle.

The performance offered by the HP Spectre X360 and its operating system is nothing special. The 1065G7 offered by Intel in this system can do the job as a basic student laptop, but don’t expect anything fancy out of it.

It may struggle with productivity tasks such as editing videos or any type of special imaging or simulation software.

On the flip side, the low weight and impressive battery life of the Spectre X360 make it a top choice for med students and professions with a lot of mobility. It is also built with a lot of structural integrity so it can survive some abuse.

HP has provided a basic 1080p screen in the Spectre, which is a magnet for fingerprints much as the rest of the aluminum cover and body.

This combination does not bode well if you want a premium feeling laptop. However, the practicality and versatility of the Spectre X360 trump these cons.

The ability to change the shape and ergonomics of your laptop with a flip of the screen is a big plus in clinical settings. This ability makes the Spectre X360 a special use case when it comes to laptops of this genre, even though it is quite lacking in several areas.

RATINGS:

• Performance: 6.5/10
• Battery: 8/10
• Display: 7/10
• Value for Money: 7/10
• Overall Rating: 7/10

7. ASUS ZenBook 14

Size: 14 inch | CPU: Intel Core i7-1165G7 | GPU: Nvidia GeForce MX450| RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD| Battery: 14 Hours| Resolution: 1920×1080 | Refresh Rate: 60

The ZenBook 14 from ASUS comes with a few tricks up its sleeve to endear itself to medical students. The excellent 14 hours battery life is one of the highlight features of the ZenBook 14.

This battery life makes it easier to study for long hours or take your laptop to libraries without having to worry about a charge.

The nifty little App Switcher on the ScreenPad makes it easy to move docked windows between your main display and the ScreenPad display.

The ScreenPad is also ideal for quick notes as it is very responsive and convenient. It can also be converted into a numeric keypad.

Performance on the ZenBook 14 should be completely fine for the most part. One shouldn’t expect professional editing or heavy workflow animations on the mediocre MX450 GPU, but other than that the operating system should be fine for most school tasks.

It can handle presentations, study materials, medical imaging, or most proprietary clinical applications with ease.

The large 14-inch screen is unremarkable with its 1080p resolution in 2022. It is also cumbersome to carry around due to its rigid ergonomics, so it might not be the ideal laptop for medical students. However, the saving grace of the ZenBook 14 is its all-around effectiveness in multiple areas.

The addition of Thunderbolt 4 is a nice touch, as it can allow you to handle multiple high-resolution displays if need be. Build quality of the laptop overall is really nice as well, and the laptop manages thermals quite efficiently.

It would be worth pointing out that the sound system is quite decent as well.

The somehow premium price point might put it outside the reach of many medical students. However, if you can find one for a discounted price at a sale, the ZenBook 14 can be a great partner to you throughout med school.

RATINGS:

• Performance: 7/10
• Battery: 8.5/10
• Display: 7/10
• Value for Money: 6/10
• Overall Rating: 7/10

8. Lenovo Flex 14

Size: 14 inch | CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3500U | GPU: AMD Radeon Vega 8| RAM: 12GB | Storage: 256GB SSD| Battery: 12 Hours| Resolution: 1920×1080 | Refresh Rate: 60

Another convertible laptop that can be really useful thanks to its unique ergonomics, the Lenovo Flex 14 should be among your considerations. The 360-degree hinge makes it really easy to use this laptop in tablet mode, normal laptop mode, or even tent mode.

As noted before, the convertible nature of the laptop makes it ideal for the medical school environment. Students can quickly jot down handwritten notes in tablet mode while on their clinical rotations or can prop up the tablet in tent mode for a session of group discussion.

The touchscreen display and pen are essential components of the laptop that make it great for students. However, the screen itself is relatively unremarkable.

Although fairly large at 14 inches, it is a standard 1080p panel with poor pixel density and mediocre colors.

The performance of the Lenovo Flex 14 leaves a bit to be desired as well. The AMD Ryzen 5 3500U is not the fastest CPU on the block anymore, in fact, it never was. The integrated Vega 8 graphics have already begun to show their age a bit.

Don’t expect to heavy video editing to a professional level on this laptop, however, it’s fine for standard school work.

Lenovo claims a battery life of 10 hours which is reasonable for a laptop of this performance class. The thin and light nature of the laptop also plays in its favor, so it gets bonus points for portability.

There are some reported issues with the responsiveness of the trackpad, which detracts from the overall experience.

A combination of unique ergonomics, a usable touch screen/pen combination, and a relatively affordable price point makes the Lenovo Flex 14 one of the best laptops for medical school.

There are certain structural and performance shortcomings, but they can be overlooked given the aggressive value proposition.

RATINGS:

• Performance: 6.5/10
• Battery: 7/10
• Display: 7/10
• Value for Money: 8.5/10
• Overall Rating: 7/10

9. Huawei MateBook X Pro – Best Display Laptop For Medical School Students

Size: 14 inch | CPU: Intel Core i7-8550U | GPU: Nvidia GeForce MX150| RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD| Battery: 10 Hours| Resolution: 3000×2000 | Refresh Rate: 60

The excellent screen of the Huawei MateBook X Pro separates it from the bunch when it comes to laptop choices for medical school.

Sporting an impressive 91% screen-to-body ratio with minimal bezels, the display is wafer-thin and gives the laptop a very premium look.

Huawei has armed the MateBook X Pro with a 3K resolution (3000×2000 pixels) which is immense even by modern standards. In addition to that, the screen supports touch functionality, a 1500:1 contrast ratio, and has 260 PPI which is really impressive in a 14-inch laptop.

This screen is ideal for students who study with documents and media on their laptops, as the screen is a huge aid to such learning experiences. The touchscreen functionality makes it easier to take notes as well, and that can be quite useful in clinical rotations.

Everything is not perfect, however, as the MateBook X Pro lags behind the competition when it comes to internals. It sports an Intel Core i7-8550U which is an older generation Intel mobile CPU.

This has a large impact on the efficiency sector of the device, as it takes a lot to cool down the older CPU. Thermal throttling can be experienced over prolonged use.

The GeForce MX150 is quite an outdated mobile GPU by now. It is not powerful enough to run any modern games at respectable frame rates, and it cannot handle video editing or animation work as well. This GPU is a sore spot in an otherwise respectable hardware setup.

Certain redeeming features, however, are present in the MateBook X which are perhaps lost in competitors. Windows Hello authentication using the One Touch Power Button, a fingerprint reader, the inclusion of the compact Mate Dock 2.0, and Dolby ATMOS audio system tuning are some of the highlight features.

Neveretheless, it is a bit too expensive for the average medical student, and the ergonomics make it difficult to handle in clinical settings.

The screen is an excellent feature that separates it from the bunch and there would certainly be many students willing to put up with other shortcomings in order to take advantage of that one feature.

RATINGS:

• Performance: 6/10
• Battery: 7/10
• Display: 9/10
• Value for Money: 7.5/10
• Overall Rating: 7/10

10. Dell XPS 13 9310

Size: 13.3 inch | CPU: Intel Core i7-1185G7 | GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB SSD| Battery: 10 Hours| Resolution: 1920×1200 | Refresh Rate: 60

The XPS 13 is pretty much the definitive business laptop, but it can also be one of the best laptops for medical students. The tried-and-tested combination of excellent hardware, good internals, and competitive pricing makes it an all-around amazing laptop.

What is a great price for one consumer might not be the same for the other, however, and that seems to be the case here. For medical students, shelling out $1400 for a pretty standard work laptop is a bit of a stretch. Therefore, the value proposition stacks up against the XPS 13 from the get-go.

There are several redeeming features in the XPS 13, such as the really solid i7-1185G7 chip that can handle multitasking like a champ on this operating system.

It is also great for single-threaded applications thanks to the core design and 12MB cache pool. The Iris Xe graphics, on the other hand, induce less confidence than the CPU itself.

A strong point of XPS laptops has always been their build quality, and the same holds true here. The overall fit and finish of the laptop are commendable, and the chassis is lightweight and firm. This is certainly what you want when making rounds with the laptop propped up on one arm.

The lack of usable ports on the XPS 13 can also be a bit annoying if you are used to plugging in several I/O devices. This is common in study environments as there are often several flash drives and storage devices that interact with laptops on a daily.

You will have to carry several dongles with you if you plan to take maximum advantage of the two USB ports type C provided by Dell.

The XPS 13 overall finds itself in a bit of a no man’s land. It is a versatile laptop that performs admirably in several areas but offers nothing really unique to a medical student to further its cause. The steep price point also does leave quite a lot to be desired.

RATINGS:

• Performance: 7.5/10
• Battery: 7/10
• Display: 7/10
• Value for Money: 6/10
• Overall Rating: 7/10

11. LG Gram – Best Battery Life Laptop For Medical School Students

Size: 15.6 inch | CPU: Intel Core i5-1135G7 | GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 256GB SSD| Battery: 22 Hours| Resolution: 2560×1600 | Refresh Rate: 60

The Gram is one of the lightest laptops out there, weighing in at under 2.5 pounds. The laptop is also built really well, has decent materials, and the shape is comfortable to hold and carry for long periods, which makes it one of the best laptops for medical school students.

Another huge highlight of the Gram is its immense battery life. The LG Gram even knocks out the Apple MacBook Air in terms of battery life, and that is not an easy feat.

LG claims 22 hours of battery life on moderate use, which is more than what you need daily. Students can take this laptop anywhere without worrying about charging possibilities.

The ergonomics and battery longevity of the Gram make it a great choice for medical students, as they can carry this lightweight design with them wherever they go.

The screen is also impressive as it offers a WQXGA 2560×1600 resolution. However, it is not perfect as the performance is a let-down at this price point.

The base intel Core i5 option, with only 8GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage is not a great combination when the laptop is at a premium price point. You can’t expect to run any performance-intensive software or simulations on this laptop with this configuration. The higher-tier specifications simply cost way too much as well.

The LG Gram price in this configuration runs is extremely steep for this new laptop. This makes the Gram a poor choice in terms of price-to-performance value. There are several really impressive laptops available at lower price points that offer better specifications.

LG is demanding a steep price because of the impressive battery and the unique weight of this laptop. However, the highlights of the Gram are not enough to make up for deficiencies in other areas, especially when the MacBook Air exists at a slightly cheaper price point.

RATINGS:

• Performance: 6/10
• Battery: 9/10
• Display: 7/10
• Value for Money: 5.5/10
• Overall Rating: 6.5/10

12. Acer Swift 3

Size: 14 inch | CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 4700U | GPU: AMD Radeon Graphics | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 512GB SSD| Battery: 11.5 Hours| Resolution: 1920×1080 | Refresh Rate: 60

Another budget-oriented option to look at is the Acer Swift 3. This laptop can provide the basic functionality you need for medical school in a competitive price bracket. The battery life is also quite impressive, which stacks up in its favor.

The Swift 3 uses the AMD Ryzen mobile platform which is not something you see in many laptops of this price category. The Ryzen 7 4700U by itself is quite a powerful mobile processor, so you can expect good speed and multitasking when handled by the CPU alone. The 512GB SSD is also a great addition.

On the other hand, the 8GB of RAM is getting a bit unusable in 2022, and the Radeon graphics in this laptop are unremarkable at best. You might not be able to perform any substantial video editing or use simulation software if the load is to be handled by the GPU.

Acer claims a battery life of 11.5 hours under moderate use, which is above average in modern computer technology. This should get you through a full school day without any recharging required.

The weight of the laptop is 2.65 pounds which is fairly light, therefore it can be carried with you to clinical rotations as well.

One of the weaker aspects of the Swift 3 is its FHD screen, which is a resolution that is showing its age in 2022. Furthermore, the build quality and materials of the Swift 3 don’t inspire much confidence in its durability, but these compromises might be acceptable thanks to its excellent value proposition.

Also it does have a fingerprint sensor to keep your research and med school work safe. The Storage capacity is also impressive.

Many medical students are not able to afford laptops worth $1500 or $1000 for basic school use. The Acer Swift 3 provides a much more competitive alternative while also providing great battery usage, a powerful processor, and a lightweight build which is ideal for medical school use.

RATINGS:

• Performance: 6/10
• Battery: 7/10
• Display: 6/10
• Value for Money: 7.5/10
• Overall Rating: 6.5/10

13. Dell Latitude 5520

Size: 15.6 inch | CPU: Intel Core i5-1135G7 | GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 256GB SSD| Battery: 10 Hours| Resolution: 1920×1080 | Refresh Rate: 60

Our last entry in this roundup comes from Dell with the Latitude 5520. This is a well-rounded laptop for business and school applications, but it doesn’t separate itself from the bunch in any meaningful way.

Dell laptops do have excellent reliability, which makes them a solid choice for a medical school environment. The 10-hour battery life is also more than acceptable for long study sessions away from a charger.

The Latitude 5520 is using Intel’s 11th generation mobile platform with the Intel Core i5-1135G7 and the integrated Iris Xe Graphics. This combination is decidedly mid-range in 2022 but should be able to handle basic study applications. However, don’t expect anything advanced such as animation work or video editing.

Dell has provided a basic 1080p screen on a 15.6-inch notebook which really does not look good thanks to the low pixel density. The build quality of the chassis is also mediocre at best, with materials feeling cheap and unreliable for the price.

Speaking of the price, Dell is demanding a premium price for the Latitude 5520 in this configuration. This price makes it a hard sell especially to students, as there are many value-oriented options available with better specifications.

One can consider the Latitude 5520, however, if you are looking for a reliable laptop and the Latitude is available at a sale or a bargain price.

RATINGS:

• Performance: 6/10
• Battery: 6.5/10
• Display: 6/10
• Value for Money: 5.5/10
• Overall Rating: 6/10

Buyer’s Guide

If you are in the market for a solid laptop to purchase as a medical student, then there are certain factors you need to keep in mind. Medical students need a trustworthy operating system, great battery life, and a portable laptop for being on the go. Not to mention an affordable laptop. Here are some things to think about while looking at laptop features for med school.

Performance

First and foremost, the performance of your laptop should be up-to-speed with modern standards. Most laptops nowadays come with either Intel’s 11th generation Tiger Lake mobile processors or the AMD equivalent Ryzen 4000 series mobile processors.

You need to make sure that the processor is powerful enough to handle your particular processing workload and has adequate storage space and storage capacity.

As a medical student, you will need your laptop for studies, to make presentations, to take notes, for clinical assignments, and for use in your clinical rotations. Most of the modern quad-core mobile processors should be able to handle those tasks effectively.

Furthermore, you might need to run proprietary clinical software on your laptop in order to operate some machines or perform some procedures. If your med school requires you to run simulation software, keep that in mind as well and look for a robust processor and a good graphics card.

You should aim for 16GB of RAM in 2022, but you can get by with 8GB of RAM as well. Storage should be enough to cover all your study documents, e-Books, and lecture videos that you might need to access instantly.

Finally, the GPU and graphics card of your laptop will come in handy if you want to tackle occasional video edit work, animation work, or just want to blow off some steam with some light gaming.

Battery Life

The battery longevity is a really critical factor to keep in mind when purchasing a laptop for medical school. Your hours at the medical school might be longer than typical educational institutions, as they often involve clinical rotations as well. Be sure to aim for a laptop with at least 8-10 hours of battery life.

You may also prefer a laptop with quick charge functionality over USB-C. Many modern affordable laptops use the USB-C protocol to charge, which can come in handy if you do not have your typical laptop charger with you.

USB-C chargers are everywhere so you can quickly charge your laptop at school or in the hospital with a phone charger as well.

Some laptops, such as the MacBook Air M1, have tremendous standby times due to their efficient processors. These laptops will allow you to hit around 18 hours of battery life on a single charge. These should be on your priority list if you are working in a clinical setting with no access to a charge port for extended periods.

Portability

Not all laptop brands are created equal. The portability of a laptop refers to how easy it is to carry around all day with you in a medical school setting.

It is common knowledge that you have to move around a lot when working in a clinical environment. Having a light laptop that is easy to carry and easy to work on, is a must at most medical schools.

The weight of a laptop should be of prime consideration here. Ideally, you would want something that weighs less than 3 pounds with a sleek design.

You should also take into consideration the screen size of the laptop. A bulky laptop with a square-ish screen is a lot more difficult to handle when you only have one hand free, which is a common instance in the clinical setting.

A 13-inch laptop with a slim design, weighing under 3 pounds should be an ideal pick for medical school students as far as portability goes. This laptop should be comfortable to use, easy to hold, and convenient to take notes on, even when you have it propped up on your arm while taking bedside notes.

FAQs

Which is the Best Laptop for a Medical Student?

The best laptop for a medical student is the one that has a thin and lightweight design, has a long battery life, has decent performance, and provides good value for money. It should also have a big storage drive to store all the files and e-books for studying.

Are 2-in-1 Laptops Good for Medical Students?

2-in-1 laptops are good for medical students thanks to their unique design and inclusion of all the essential features. Medical students often have to work in a clinical setting while standing and holding their laptops. A convertible option can take the shape of a tablet and make that process a lot easier. It is also better for taking notes than mobile phones or other mobile devices.

Which Device is Best for Medical Students?

A laptop is the best device for medical students. Although tablets are also popular among students in the medical community, they do not offer the same level of performance and all day battery life that is required by students.

Do Medical Students Need a Laptop?

Medical students need a good laptop for med school. There are a lot of files and e-books that need to be accessed via a laptop on a daily basis. Medical students also make presentations and reports on their laptops, and the computers are also used to take notes, look at dedicated graphics on medical issues, and use proprietary clinical software.

What Computers Do Medical Students Use?

Medical students use laptop computers or 2-in-1 computers for their studies. Laptops offer a lot of benefits in terms of portability, performance, ease-of-use, and practicality, which makes them a top candidate for the device preferred by medical students in a clinical setting.