With so many adults and kids working at home, new iPads really couldn’t have come soon enough. And Apple more than delivered today with the announcement of the 8th-generation iPad and the latest iPad Air. There are plenty of great visual improvements to the latter, like more colors and a new, larger all-screen design. But the introduction of an A14 chip and other tech upgrades are also worth noting, so we’ve lined up the new iPad Air’s specs against its similarly-sized competition. However, for a full accounting of the new slate’s strengths, you’ll need to keep a look out for our full review later this fall.

	Apple iPad Air	Samsung Galaxy Tab S7	Amazon Fire HD 10	Microsoft Surface Go 2
Price	$599 and up	$200 / $280 / $380	$150 / $190	$400 and up
Dimensions	9.74 x 7 x 0.24 inches (247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1 mm)	9.99 x 6.51 x 0.25 inches (254 x 165 x 6.4 mm)	10.3 x 6.3 x 0.4 inches (262 mm x 159 mm x 9.8 mm)	9.65 x 6.9 x 0.33 inches (245 mm x 175 mm x 8.3 mm)
Weight	WiFi: 1 pound (458g) LTE: 1.01 pound (460g)	1.1 pound (499g)	1.11 pound (504g)	WiFi: 1.2 pounds (544g) LTE: 1.22 pounds (553g)
Display	10.9-inch (276.9 mm) Liquid Retina	11-inch (278.1 mm) Super AMOLED	10.1-inch (256.5 mm) LCD	10.5-inch (266.7 mm) PixelSense Display
Resolution	2360 x 1640 (264 ppi)	2560 x 1600 (234 ppi)	1920 x 1200 (224 ppi)	1920 x 1280 (220 ppi)
Processor	Apple A14 Bionic	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus (3.09 GHz octa-core)	Mediatek  MT8183  (2 GHz octa-core)	Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y (dual-core 1.7 GHz) 8th-gen Intel Core m3 (dual-core 3.4 GHz)
Memory	Not available	8 GB	2 GB	4 GB / 8 GB
Internal storage	64 / 256 GB	512 GB	32 / 64 GB	eMMC: 64 GB, SSD: 128 GB
External storage	None	microSD	microSD	microSD
Rear camera	12 MP	13 MP, 5 MP	2 MP	8 MP
Front camera	7 MP	8 MP	2 MP	5 MP
WiFi	802.11ax	802.11ax	802.11ac	802.11ax
Bluetooth	v5.0	v5.0	v5.0	v5.0
Battery	28.6 WHr (10 hours)	7,040 mAh (15 hours)	6,300 mAh (12 hours)	26.8 WHr (10 hours)
OS	iPadOS 14	Android 10	Fire OS 7.3 (Android 9)	Windows 10 Home

With all that in mind, we picked our new favorite laptops for students. All of them are easy to carry around, have great keyboards, good performance and last all day. Not everyone is going to need an extremely beefy machine to take back to campus — some of you will find a Chromebook or even a 2-in-1 tablet sufficient. Those who need more power for graphics or video editing will appreciate that our picks pack the muscle you’ll need into frames that won’t weigh down your backpack.

Dell XPS 13

Will Lipman Photography

What else can we say? We’ve already hailed last year’s XPS 13 as the perfect ultraportable, and this year’s model managed to improve on that. It features a taller, larger screen so you can see more of your essay at once, plus a bigger keyboard and trackpad. The XPS 13 2020 manages to have a sleeker design than its predecessor too, so it still fits nicely in your bag.

The laptop also offers the same reliable performance and excellent battery life we’ve come to expect on XPS machines. Stay away from the base model, as it uses a less-powerful Core i3 chipset and a measly 4GB of RAM. We recommend the $1,199 version with its tenth-generation Intel Core i5 and 8GB of RAM. If you’re looking for a well-rounded, all-purpose machine, the XPS 13 2020 is your best bet.

Buy XPS 13 at Dell starting at $1,000

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3

Will Lipman Photography

If you want a better keyboard and something with a more stylish appearance, consider the Surface Laptop 3. Microsoft’s homegrown notebook line has a sharp design, swift performance and an excellent keyboard and trackpad. Seriously, you’ll love typing on those deep cushy keys, and the Alcantara fabric that covers the deck will feel like a luxe carpet for your palms. 

The 15-inch model in particular offers a ton of power while maintaining a sleek profile thanks to its AMD processor. You’ll have to live without an SD card reader and an HDMI socket, but the USB-C and A options are a good base. Plus, you’ll enjoy staring into the Laptop 3’s big, beautiful screen as you Zoom your way to straight As. The Surface Laptop 3 is a great notebook for those who want a modern, good-looking device.

Buy 13-inch Surface Laptop 3 at Best Buy – $1,600

Buy 15-inch Surface Laptop 3 at Best Buy – $2,100

Apple MacBook Air

Will Lipman Photography / Apple

But what about those of you who prefer Macs? Apple updated its Air and Pro lines this year with improved keyboards, making them easier to recommend. Previous generations are a pain to type on, since keys frequently stick or break. 

Now that the typing experience is vastly improved, the MacBook Air is a great laptop for daily use, thanks also to its strong performance, respectable battery life and sharp Retina display. It’s also a much better value now that the starting price is lower and the entry-level specs are more generous. There’s also a handy fingerprint sensor for logging in. Apple also offers year-round education pricing on its notebooks so you can find them for cheaper than on Amazon. Those with more money to spare should consider the 13-inch Pro for its better performance, especially if you expect to be editing videos or playing games. Though, it’s important to note the Pro tops out with Intel’s Iris Plus graphics. That’s fine for light gaming, but for more serious tasks like 3D rendering the 16-inch Pro with discrete GPUs would be better. 

Buy MacBook Air at Amazon starting at $1,000

Samsung Galaxy Book Flex

Will Lipman Photography / Samsung

There are few laptops in the market that are as good-looking as Samsung’s latest Galaxy notebooks. The Galaxy Chromebook, for example, has to be the most attractive laptop I’ve ever laid my hands on. The Galaxy Book Flex has the exact same gorgeous aesthetic, except in a less-bold, yet still unique, blue tone. 

Despite being incredibly thin and light, the Flex packs a powerful tenth-generation Intel Core i7 processor, comfortable keyboard with ample travel and even an S Pen. With this stylus, you can take lecture notes, draw molecular diagrams or sign documents with ease. The QLED screen is gorgeous too, and you can use an Outdoor Mode to bump up brightness when you need to. The Flex’s 13.5-hour battery life is also impressive for its size, and beats most of the notebooks on this list. 

The main drawback with the Book Flex is that you can only get it with a Core i7 and 8GB of RAM for $900. There’s no other configuration. That’s actually pretty affordable compared to Apple’s MacBooks, but those with tight budgets might want to skip this and consider the cheaper Galaxy Book Flex Alpha.

Buy Galaxy Book Flex at Samsung – $900

Microsoft Surface Go 2

Will Lipman Photography

Maybe you don’t even have the space for a laptop in your life and only really need occasional access to a proper keyboard. Then a tablet with a keyboard like the Surface Go 2 might suffice. It’s a cute little 10.5-inch slate with a built-in kickstand and runs Windows 10 so you can use all the desktop apps you need. It starts at a relatively affordable $400, though that only gets you an Intel Pentium Gold processor and 4GB of RAM. If you need more power, you might want to bump up to a Core M3 model with 8GB Of RAM, which will cost $730 (with built-in LTE). 

You’ll also want to get the keyboard cover, since Windows isn’t the best OS for tablets. That’ll cost you an extra $100, bringing your total to $500 or $830 depending on your configuration. Despite its small size, the Go 2 lasts longer than a work day and should survive a full morning and afternoon of lectures without needing a charge. 

Buy Surface Go 2 at Amazon starting at $400

Apple iPad Air

Will Lipman Photography / Apple

Those who don’t mind a more tablet-like OS might find a suitable option in the 2019 iPad Air. It’s not as powerful as the iPad Pro, but it starts at a far more budget-friendly $499. For that, you’ll get a nice 10.5-inch Retina display, good battery life and a robust app ecosystem. The iPad Air is compatible with Apple’s Smart Keyboard so you can use it like a wannabe laptop and bang out quick emails or messages to your professors.

The Air’s A12 Bionic processor may not be the fastest Apple chip around, but it’s still plenty speedy. iPadOS also behaves more like a desktop OS now so you can edit text more intuitively, save files to your device and, finally, pair a mouse for more precise navigation. Art students might want to consider getting the Apple Pencil too, since the Air is a lovely canvas for sketching on. Those who want a better tablet all around might want to consider the iPad Pro instead, but the budget-conscious will be pleased with what the Air offers for the price.

Buy Apple iPad Air at Amazon starting at $499

Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook

Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Not every student requires a full-fledged laptop for school — some do most of their work via a browser. If that sounds like you, consider a Chromebook. They’ve matured in the past year both in terms of design and performance. The latest Chromebooks come with more powerful guts and more stylish finishes while still costing hundreds less than their Windows and Mac counterparts. 

Our Chromebook pick is Lenovo’s Flex 5 Chromebook, for its sturdy yet sleek build, solid battery life and capable performance for the price. It costs just $410 on Amazon, and offers Intel’s Core i3 guts and a 360-degree hinge. We also like the comfortable keyboard and nice screen here. The 4GB of RAM the Flex 5 packs is somewhat measly, but considering you’re only running Chrome OS, that amount of memory is sufficient.

Buy Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook at Amazon – $410

It’s a Microsoft heavy week! This week, Devindra and Cherlynn are joined by Alex Cranz, Gizmodo’s Senior Consumer Tech Editor, to chat about the bevy of new Surface devices. In particular, they explore why the Surface Go 2 and Book 3 are a bit disappointing — it turns out a slight spec bump might not be enough to make them competitive. But hey, at least the Headphones 2 and Earbuds are cheaper than we expected.

Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

It’s also nice to see Microsoft update the Surface Go, giving it a bigger screen and LTE connectivity while maintaining the little tablet’s cute, compact dimensions. We can’t tell how it will perform in real life yet, but the Go 2 also has a slightly faster processor than its predecessor. It still starts at $399, though at that base level you’re only getting a slow Pentium Gold processor. For a more capable Core M3, you’ll need to shell out at least $500. Throw in LTE and we’re looking at $730. And that’s not even counting the extra $100 to $120 you’ll have to pay for the keyboard attachment. Jeez, Microsoft. 

Microsoft

The questionable decisions don’t end there. Microsoft also unveiled the long-awaited Surface Book 3 this week. It’s a 13- or 15-inch detachable laptop that Microsoft says is the “most powerful Surface laptop yet.” The smaller version comes with Intel’s quad-core i5 or i7 with Iris Plus-integrated graphics and up to NVIDIA’s GeForce 1660, which is fine for its size. Sure, Dell was able to squeeze a six-core CPU into the dainty little XPS 13 last year, but Apple is still using quad-core processors in the 13-inch MacBook Pro, so we’ll let Microsoft off here.

In the 15-inch Book 3, though, you’ll still be stuck with four cores. You can bump the graphics to an NVIDIA GeForce 1660 Ti or even the Quadro RTX 3000. But the quad-core CPU is embarrassing when compared to the competition. The MacBook Pro 16 inch, for example, comes with six- or eight-core options, and the Dell XPS 15 has a six-core configuration. 

One of the biggest reasons Microsoft is having processor trouble lies in the Surface Book 3’s design. Since it’s a detachable tablet, the device’s processor has to be embedded behind the screen so it can keep running even when apart from the keyboard. It also needs to house some battery for power, in addition to things like speakers and connectivity components. Meanwhile the keyboard half is where the discrete GPU and more battery lies. 

Microsoft

Because of the limited space behind the display, Microsoft can’t squeeze in a CPU with more cores. The Surface Book’s design is unique, sure, but its entire proposition is flawed: Who’s looking for a powerhouse machine in the form of a 15-inch tablet? The larger Book 3 would be so much better if Microsoft reimagined it as a convertible instead of a tablet stuck to a keyboard, and gave it better processors. 

It’s such a shame that it’s been almost three years since the Book 2 launched in 2017, and now that it’s here the Book 3 is just a perplexing product. Yes, it’s nice that we finally have an updated model, but considering how much progress the competition has made since, the Book 3 might be hard to recommend. Of course, we’ll have to wait till we fully review the device to know how it fares, but I’m not holding my breath.

More details of Microsoft’s upcoming Surface Go sequel appear to have emerged, and they could be good news — if you’re not expecting a revolution. Windows Central sources claim that the tablet will share the familiar form factor, but pack a larger 10.5-inch screen (versus 10 for the original) and a corresponding bump to a 1,920 x 1,280 resolution instead of the 1,800 x 1,200 from before. You’d also have the option of a 1.1GHz Core m3 processor if you want more speed without upgrading to the Surface Pro, with LTE also available.

The Windows 10 slate is believed to be launching in May at the same $399 starting price as before. Unfortunately, you might also get specs all too similar to the 2018 model as a result, including a 1.7GHz Pentium Gold chip, 64GB of eMMC storage and a meager 4GB of RAM. You may need to spend another $100 or more to get the Core m3, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. If this is accurate, you won’t have much reason to get the new Surface Go if you already have the first version — this is more of a refresh to keep the tablet relevant and appeal to newcomers.

Microsoft might be close to updating the Surface Go nearly two years after its debut. As noticed by Windows Latest and Windows Insider, a seemingly mysterious “portable computing device” from Microsoft has passed through the FCC. While there aren’t any telltale clues in the filing, the EV2 codename is the same used for the Surface Go (and from early signs, a sequel) in Geekbench tests. Likewise, blogger Dan Charlton spotted European retail listings for a “Surface Project V” whose prices line up with what you’d expect from a Surface Go sequel, along with a “Surface Project U” that could be a Surface Book 3.

While it hasn’t been confirmed, a Petri rumor from February suggested that a Go refresh would largely stick to the familiar design, including the 10-inch screen. The base model would stick with a low-end Pentium Gold processor, but there would reportedly be a version with a Core M processor (likely a Core m3) as well. You might not have to splurge on the Surface Pro just to get a reasonably speedy CPU inside a Microsoft slate. There may be an LTE version as well.