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College life is fast, full of new experiences, very much intellectually challenging, and honestly, it's bound to have a tight budget. You want tech gear for your new life as a college student: to attend virtual classes, build fancy presentations, and keep in touch with your friends and family. But with all the ongoing changes in technology, looking for the best deals can be overwhelming.
Fear not, savvy student! This guide shall empower you with the knowledge and strategies for scoring the best student tech deals in 2024, so you can give value for money without wrecking your wallet.
Let us dive into some of the top tech deals for students across key categories in 2024.
Budget Powerhouse: If you're looking for a good price-to-performance ratio, look to the 2022 Acer Aspire 5. With an AMD Ryzen processor, sufficient RAM to juggle several tasks and outstanding battery life, this device will keep students going through anything. Look out for the best deals, certainly at $500, during those special back-to-school sales or with student discounts.
Chromebook Champion: Students looking for affordability and long battery life, find these Chromebooks fantastic. ASUS Chromebook Spin 713 is dope, it's a convertible Chromebook with a touchscreen display, and it has a beefy battery that will hang in there all school day long. Deals can be found in the $300 to $400 range. There are other affordable Chromebook options available in the Indian market which even go as low as 30,000Rs or under, thus can be a good deal for students.
Apple Magic for Students: If you're a die-hard Apple fan, there's still much to love in the Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020) if you can get a good student discount through Apple Education Pricing. With this powerhouse, you'll get great performance, a beautiful display, and a very long battery life. Look for sales that bring the price down to about $800-$900. You can even save up and buy the newest Apple laptop like the Apple M4 MacBook Pro, which will be released soon by the end of 2024.
Budget-Friendly Note-Taking Companion: For students on an extremely low budget, the Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet is a great value. Although it won't perform as powerfully, it will still hold its own in note-taking, reading e-books, and casual browsing. These often go on sale for somewhere between $100 and $150, very inexpensive for entry-level devices.
Android Powerhouse: If students prefer Android Powerhouse: Students who enjoy the flexibility of having Android OS really can't go wrong with a Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite arrives with a great display, an all-purpose stylus for note-taking and drawing, and a long battery life. Look for sales in the price range of $250 to $300, which are usually available during flash sales or when using student discounts through carriers.
Noise-Canceling on a Budget: You're going to get quite impressive noise cancellation in the Sony WH-CH710N at an aggressive price. Add that to the clear audio and comfortable, over-ear design, toss in long battery life, and there's yet another find. Deals can be had for around $100-$150, so they are a great option for students needing to tune out while studying or attending online lectures.
More Budget-friendly Earbuds: If your student is all about earbuds, the JLab Go Air Pop earbuds deliver a lot for very little money. These lightweight and secure-fit buds sound surprisingly good and go a long time on a charge, both for under $50. Watch for sales and bundles that might include extras like a carrying case. You can always get good deals for the best earbuds on Amazon Prime Day,2024 which is having a sale right now.
Budget Backup that's Reliable: The WD Elements Portable Hard Drive by Western Digital has all the convenient backup for your files, in a super-affordable package. It packs in a high storage capacity, 1TB or higher, in one quite petite size for your portable experiences. Great deals have been turned up in the range of $50 to $75, making this an inexpensive way to keep your data safe.
Faster Speeds, Solid-State: If the speed of data transfer is paramount for some of the students, then a portable SSD, like the Samsung T7 Touch, will certainly make more sense. Though a tad pricier than traditional hard drives, SSDs offer significant read and write speeds that will best fit students handling large files or those running video editing projects. There are some deals as low as $100 to $150 for the small-capacity ones.
All-in-One and Budget-Friendly: The HP DeskJet 2755e is a wallet-friendly all-in-one printer that scans, copies, and prints. It will do the trick for some occasional printing needs and has mobile printing that will add convenience to its use. Some good deals can be had on this for around $50–$75, making it an excellent option for a student looking to do some basic printing.
Weigh Alternatives Consider alternative printing sources before you invest in a personal printer. Several colleges now offer either campus-based, fee-for-service printing or have specific computer labs with printers for student use. Cost comparisons need to be weighed against the frequency of your printing needs before you buy.
1. Buy protection casing
A hard protective case for a laptop or tablet will prevent it from accidental hits or falls.
2. Maintain good battery care
Never let your batteries run completely out of their power, and always charge them as recommended to ensure optimum health.
3. Keep your software updated
Do frequent updates so that your devices are current in terms of security patches and bug fixes.
4. Clean your devices regularly
Dust and dirt collect and may have an impact on performance. Clean your devices regularly with cleaning solutions.
5. Watch out for free Wi-Fi
Don't access sensitive information on public Wi-Fi. Consider using a VPN for added protection.
The tech world is evolving fast, and some pretty cool developments are coming down the pike. Here are several trends to watch:
1. Cloud-Based Solutions
Cloud storage and cloud-based applications are increasingly gaining favor. Essentially, this allows students to access their files and applications from any device. This improves flexibility and collaboration.
2. AI-Powered Learning Tools
Artificial intelligence-powered tools can facilitate an overall customized learning experience for each student and offer additional support as needed.
3. AR and VR
The immersive educational experiences enabled by these two technologies are innovative ways to interact with course materials and contribute to changing the way that learning takes place.
4. More Affordable Technologies
The more mainstream that technology becomes, additional pricing compression will assist in helping the tools students need to reach success more readily affordable.
The tips and deals surveyed in this guidebook can help keep you facing headstrong into a world of student tech. But the most important technology tools are those that let you enable your learning, feed your creativity, and connect you with fellow learners and teachers. Embrace the power of technology, stay updated with the latest deals, and prioritize your needs to create a tech ecosystem that assists the student journey and life in academics to the fullest.
