Medical school students are not just future doctors; they are superheroes under training. Their mission is to save precious lives and to prevent serious illnesses. They sure do need the right tools to overcome the challenges they face during their college years.
A laptop is a must-have life-saving device for all medical students. It is necessary for regular medical school tasks to surfing the net, study, doing versatile research online, practice, exercise, entertain, and more.
Stepping into the medical institute with the wrong choice of a laptop may baffle you in the future course of time. A medical student may waste time with a non-optimal learning experience due to the inefficiency of the laptop. For a medical student, a laptop with promising features and an affordable price is a pure boon.
The Best Laptop for Medical Students?
Before you take a look at our top picks for the best laptops for medical school students, we suggest you take a look at the features below and make sure that the laptop has all so that you get the best bang for your buck.
Portability
Portability is one of the chief aspects to consider in a medical student’s laptop. As a student, you will be running around the campus the whole day, and having a lightweight laptop with you will make it easier to move around.
Make sure that your laptop does not weigh more than 3 pounds. Anything more will you’re your shoulders tired, and that is not well in the long run.
Display
The display of your laptop plays a very significant role. During medical school, you will be spending most of your time praising or cursing the display, whether it is watching some videos or taking notes. A 13.3-inch display is good enough, but you can also go for a 15.6-inch display. With a wide display, you will be able to do more work at the same time as you can open to Windows side by side.
Processor
The processor is the brain of your laptop, and they say you need a lot of brains to pass medical school. In the case of processors, medical students can work perfectly fine with a basic Intel Core i3 processor. If you don’t want to take the jeopardy of going with an entry-level processor, then you can go for an Intel Core i5 or higher. This processor is up-to-date and does a pretty good job, as it will bring more power to the table. However, if you want the absolute best on your laptop, the best choice is the Core i7 processor. This is one of the highest-level processors we would recommend for a medical student. You can do some heavy lifting with this processor on your laptop, which is an advantage.
RAM
Ram on your laptop will allow you to do multitasking. Most medical students can work fine with just four gigs of RAM. They will be able to run multiple applications side-by-side without lagging or performance hiccups. However, if you want to make your experience smoother while multitasking. then go for 8GB of RAM. This is double the RAM and you can assume very good performance.
Connectivity
As a medical student, you don’t need a lot of ports a. Nevertheless, a modern laptop must have a minimum number of ports to allow external connectivity. These are some of the basic ports that are very beneficial if available on your laptop.
- USB Type-C port 3.2
- USB Type-A port 3.2 or 3.1
- HDMI port
- Display port
- Ethernet port
- SD card reader
- Audio jack
Which is the perfect fit- iPad VS Laptop for Medical school students?
Well, it’s a tough question to answer because everyone has different preferences. But we’ll try to explain why we suggest 100% laptop as a perfect fit. There are many things that an iPad simply cannot do, for instance, File storage; you can store hundreds of PDFs, videos, audio files, lectures, photos and all other assorted files, all that is much difficult on an iPad. You can store them, but it’s much difficult to navigate as compared to a laptop. Additionally, on an iPad, you have to do everything through ‘apps,’ and if the app for something you want to do doesn’t exist, you simply can’t do it.
On the other hand, the iPad is much more portable as compared to a laptop, and it has some incredible features like an apple pencil. It has the ability to annotate nearly ANYTHING (image, PDF, textbook) and paint, draw, write with incredible agility.
So, if your budget allows you, get both. An iPad is good for making quick handwritten notes and recording videos. The laptop will be your chief device to do the rest of the work.
Best Laptops For Medical Students 2021
Comparison Chart
LG gram Laptop – 15.6″ Full HD Display, Intel 8th Gen Core I5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 21.5 HRs Battery – 15Z990-U.AAS5U1 (2019), Dark Silver
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Laptop, High Performance Windows Laptop, (Intel Core i7, 16 GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Windows 10 Pro), 20KH002JUS
ASUS ZenBook 14 Ultra-Slim Laptop 14” FHD NanoEdge Bezel Display, Intel Core i7-1165G7, NVIDIA MX450, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, ScreenPad 2.0, Thunderbolt 4, Windows 10 Pro, Pine Grey, UX435EG-XH74
Huawei MateBook X Pro Signature Edition Thin & Light Laptop, 13.9″ 3K Touch, 8th Gen i5-8250U, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, 3:2 Aspect ratio, Office 365 Personal Included, Mystic Silver – Mach-W19B
ASUS VivoBook S15 S533 Thin and Light Laptop, 15.6” FHD Display, Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD, Fingerprint Reader, Wi-Fi 6, Windows 10 Home, Dreamy White, S533EA-DH74-WH
1. Apple MacBook Pro
Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Pro is basically every student’s dream machine, with a ton of power and a much-improved keyboard.
Design:
The dimensions of the MacBook Pro 13-inch 21.24 x 30.41 x 1.56), basically similar to the previous MacBook model. The new MacBook Pro 13 also weighs just 3.1 pounds which makes it portable. It looks attractive and sleek and is still the laptop to buy if you want one that screams, “I’m soon going to be a doctor.”
Keyboard and Touchpad:
The main new feature is a cutting-edge keyboard mechanism, which feels quite different from using. The keys are so easy to hit and comfortable to type with backlit. A fingerprint scanner is placed next to the touch bar to make quick log-in easy.
Ports:
It comes with four Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports, as well as an audio jack port – you can plug the power leads on both sides.
Performance:
The system is powered by the latest 10th generation 4-core Intel Core i5 processor, paired with 16GB RAM (up to 32GB supported) along with a 512 GB – 4 Tb storage option. The performance of the 13-inch MacBook Pro is so satisfactory and smooth it can easily fulfill the demands of professional users.
Battery life:
The 13-inch MacBook Pro packs a much-extended battery life with more strength than most laptops. Apple claims that the MacBook Pro 13-inch will provide more than 12 hours of battery life.
Display:
The MacBook Pro features a stunning 13-inch Retina display with True Tone technology, which displays a bright, colorful, and crystal sharp image. The Truetone technology makes the colors on the screen more vibrant and realistic. 500 nits of brightness make it ideal for outdoor use.
2. LG gram 15 Laptop
The LG Gram 15 Ultralight is the up-to-date entry in the LG line of laptops. It comes with a full HD touchscreen, a faster processor, and a battery life that has to be believed. It is extraordinary light 2.5 pounds (1.1 kg) laptop which makes it the lightest 15.6-inch display laptop.
Design:
The Laptop metal frame is seriously slim, But a sturdy device, which has been approved for seven of the MIL-STD 810G military standard tests.
Ports:
The lean edges come with a respectable number of ports. You will get three full-size USB 3.0 connections, as well as a Type-C USB for faster data transfer, an HDMI port and a microSD card reader.
Keyboard and Touchpad:
It comes with a fingerprint sensor manufactured into the power button at the top-right corner. This well-shaped frame gives plenty of space for LG’s chiclet keyboard with backlit. It also features a dedicated numeric pad and a small touchpad placed at the center of the palm rest.
Performance:
The LG Gram15 is loaded with an 8th generation Intel Core i7-processor, which works excellently with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB (2×500 GB SSD) storage. The performance is undoubtedly reliable enough for everyday tasks. The cooling fan remains quiet, even when running at full speed.
Display:
It features a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS touchscreen with eye-catching visuals. The screen can tilt up to around 160 degrees which is suitable for any working environment.
Battery life:
If you want a bigger screen, longer battery life, and the lightest weight laptop, then the LG gram is the best choice for medical students; it gives full 10 hours of playtime with a single charge.
3. Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon
ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a sensational machine with a lightweight yet durable frame. X1 Carbon is thinner and lighter than ever, weighing only 2.49 pounds.
Design:
Thin, light, durable and attractive with a sleek frame, it is a stunning laptop. The carbon fiber frame is covered in a gorgeous yet somewhat sensitive soft-touch coating. It is strong enough to resist a fall from your arms. This design is definitely presenting an image of professionalism that will not fade away for years.
Ports:
Those who have a ton of peripheral device will appreciate the X1 Carbon connectivity options, which includes two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, two USB 3.1 Type-A ports, an HDMI input, and an Ethernet dock connector. On the other side, there are two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, a USB 3.1 Type-A jack, an Ethernet extension, an HDMI 1.4 socket, and a headphone/mic combo jack.
Keyboard and Mouse Pad:
The keyboards add up to the beauty of this laptop. Chiclet-style keys are not only charming but also offer an amazing amount of comfort. The 3.9 x 2.2-inch trackpad will respond instantly to swipes and execute pinch-to-zoom and three-finger swipe gestures.
Performance:
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is equipped with an 8th gen Core i7- processor, 16GB RAM, a 512GB SSD, which means it can handle your daily workload without a hiccup. However, it is not designed for gaming or any GPU-intensive programs. Certainly, you can play some basic games, though.
Display:
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon has a 14-inch screen and has 1080p and 4K display options, and both are vivid and bright. With a stunning 4K display with 500 nits of brightness, you will forget about the 1080p panel. It comes with a built-in shutter, which makes it easier to cover and uncover the webcam.
Battery life:
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon’s battery life is great and will last over 14 hours which is better than the LG Gram laptop.
4. ASUS ZenBook 14
The superlight ZenBook 14 combines superb features. It offers excellent performance and effortless portability with everlasting good looks. It Weighs only 2.84lb having a frameless NanoEdge design, and with ScreenPad 2.0 for enhanced productivity.
Design:
ZenBook 14 features a next-level ultraportable design. The frame is exceptionally compact and light. Featuring the four-sided NanoEdge display, Zenbook is truly an extraordinary choice. The front infrared camera is equipped with a 4-element lens that can recognize your face in seconds and enables you to log in instantly and securely.
Ports:
This laptop will enable you to connect with additional devices effortlessly. It comes with an HDMI 2.0, 2 thunderbolts”4 USB -C. On the other side, it has an audio jack, Micro sd card reader, and USB 3.2 Gen1.
Performance:
The Intel Core i7- quad-core CPU and 8GB of RAM will be sufficient for all the most demanding mobile workloads. The ZenBook 14 is not suitable for gaming. However, you can play light games.
Battery life:
The laptop is a definite win with battery life. The ZenBook can perform well up to 16 hours with a single charge. With media usage, it can surely last up to 12 hours.
Keyboard and Screenpad:
The Screenplay is definitely the Zenbook 14 headline feature. The impressive speaker setup and some very great internal specifications add up to it. Instead of a traditional touchpad, it comes with a Screenpad. It is 5.65 inches screen that works similarly to most smartphones.
Display:
It comes with a very bright and reflective 14-inch LED-backlit touchscreen. You can tilt the screen backward by 90 degrees. The color imitation is excellent for watching movies.
5. Microsoft Surface Pro 6
Microsoft Surface Pro is an excellent choice for medical school students. Similar to all of Microsoft’s 2-in-1 range laptop-tablet, the Surface Pro 6 contains a Windows 10 tablet with a six-pin port and a kickstand, letting you attach a TypeCover keyboard dock.
Design:
It features an elegant new black color scheme, which is stunning to touch. It is only 0.33 inches thin, and just 1.7 pounds weight makes Surfer Pro 6 the best portable laptop for medical students.
Ports:
It provides great connectivity options with 1 x full-size USB 3.0, 3.5 mm headphone jack, Mini DisplayPort, 1 x Surface Connect port, Surface Type Cover ports, a MicroSDXC card reader, and is compatible with Surface Dial.
Keyboard and touchpad:
The Surface Pro comes with an LED backlighting keyboard with optimum key spacing. It ensures fast, fluid typing. The large glass trackpad makes precise control and navigation easy.
Performance:
This book comes with the latest 8th generation Intel Core i5- processor, 8GB RAM, and 256GB storage. The performance is excellent, flying through even very heavy-duty jobs.
Display:
The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 display features 12.3 inches with a resolution of 2736 x 1824.
It displays crisp and clear videos and web pages, with none of the colors seeming over-washed.
Battery life:
The best feature of Surface Pro 6 is its improved battery timing. It can last up to 10 hours. However, the Surface Pro 6 tab itself can provide an epic 13 hours performance.
6. Huawei MateBook X Pro
The MateBook X Pro is 2 in 1 convertible laptop and tablet. It is considered as thin and light as possible, with just 1.33kg weight (2.93 lb). Deceptively, this is the slimmest and light-enough laptop to carry around easily.
Design:
The MateBook X Pro’s design maintains a premium feel, with an aluminum unibody design and sandblast finish with diamond-cut edges. The lightweight and portable chassis meant that it was easily held in the hand while rushing from meeting to meeting.
Ports:
It provides limited options when it comes to ports, with just 1 USB C port and a headphone jack. However, it’s a great system and allows the machine to retain its lightweight and future-sleek look.
Performance:
The Huawei MateBook X Pro is equipped with an Intel Core i7-processor, 8 GB of RAM, and a 512-GB SSD. Additionally, the MateBook X Pro is also available with a Core i5- and 16GB RAM instead of 8 GB. Surly good enough to perform well for medical students, even with multitasking.
Battery life:
It comes with a one-touch power button, complete backup recovery, and factory reset assistance. The 57.4 Wh battery can last for 10 hours without the need to plug or charge even while being doing heavy work.
Keyboard and Touchpad:
The full-sized keyboard comes with a faux-leather case, which also works as a stand for uplifting the tablet screen when attached. The keyboard snaps satisfyingly and reliably to the tablet screen through a series of pogo pins.
Display:
It is equipped with a 13.9-inch screen with a 2000px x 3000px screen resolution at 260 PPI density with the highest quality possible for viewing. A crisp HD image will not strain your eyes, and additional touch- Screen capabilities. The touchscreen responds rapidly to input, and the Gorilla Glass shield keeps it protected from scratches.
7. Asus Vivobook S15
Asus Vivobook S15 Best Affordable laptop for Medical Students. This laptop comes with an 8th gen processor, special PCIe NVMe SSD Ram, ddr4 ram, and Intel UHD Graphics. It is the most colorful laptop, which is available in a wide variety of funky colors.
Performance:
Performance has been a robust point for Asus laptops, and VivoBook S15 is again no exception. IVivobook S15 is equipped with an 8th Gen Intel Core i5 processor paired with 8GB of DDR4 RAM and 256GB of Intel SSD storage. This system is not the latest in the industry, but the VivoBook S15’s processor is very powerful and should do for medical students.
Battery life:
The VivoBook S14 comes with a lithium polymer battery, and this will easily provide up to 8 hours of battery life.
Ports:
It offers a healthy port selection. You’ll get two USB 2.0 ports and a microSD card reader, while on the left, there is one USB-C port, a USB 3.0 port, and an HDMI connection.
Design:
The matte finish, clean lines, and soft keyboard area all look gorgeous. Asus has presented its “ErgoLift” design game for VivoBook laptops. It has a fancy touch n that lifts the deck of the laptop off the surface of the desk. The Asus VivoBook S15 measures 14.1 x 9.1 x 0.71 inches and has a 3.97 pounds weight.
Keyboard and touchpad:
The center of attraction of this laptop is its yellow Enter key. Besides that, it offers a pretty comfortable typing experience overall. The touchpad is a bit more ordinary, with a plasticky feel, audible click, and highly responsive. The built-in fingerprint reader permits fast and secure sign-in.
Display:
The slim bezels (5.2 mm on the sides, 6.5 mm on the top) feature a 15.6-inch full HD display. The display is bright and also displays vibrant colors with high contrasts. The viewing angles are extensive, and it is pretty bright if you are using this laptop outdoors.
8. Acer Chromebook R13 Convertible
The Acer Chromebook R13 is the cheapest laptop for medical students, which can also be converted into a tablet.
Design:
Acer’s Chromebook R13 has a gorgeous design with a thin, lightweight plastic frame with metallic accents. It has a metallic finish that is a touch cool and gives the laptop a part of the prestige. Inside, it is a similar silver hue plastic, but certainly less premium-looking.
Ports:
It comes with a Type-C port, USB 3.0 port, HDMI port, and microSD card reader on the left side, and the lock slot and headphone jack on its right side.
Performance:
It comes with a MediaTek MT8173C Core Pilot quad-core ARM Cortex-A72 / A53 processor, 4GB RAM, integrated Imagination Power VR GX6250 graphics, 64GB storage, and a 720p webcam with high dynamic range (HDR). Overall, the performances are smoothly and stable, and you will not face any stutter or instability.
Battery life:
The battery is certainly one of the standout points on the Acer Chromebook R13; it can last over 14 hours.
Display:
The Acer R13 Chromebook has a 13.3″, 1920 x 1080 FHD IPS display, hardly found on a convertible Chromebook. Colors are rich and vibrant enough to watch movies. The multitouch touchscreen is highly sensitive and works smoothly when flipped on tablet mode.
Keyboard and touchpad:
The Chromebook R 13’s keyboard offers a beautiful typing experience. The convertible keys work so well since they feature 1.6 millimeters of travel which makes it really comfortable.
Conclusion:
As a student, you are most likely seeking a laptop that will serve you for a purpose. We hope all medical students have found the perfect match. In case you don’t want to go with any of the options available in this list – go through “What to Look for While Searching The Best Laptop for Medical Students” and choose any laptop as long as it offers everything a medical student need and suits your lifestyle.