The downsides to the MacBook Air are that the screen isn't as good as the MacBook Pro for creative work, it only has two USB-C ports (and a 3.5mm audio jack) as its total connectivity, and there's now a more powerful M2 version of this laptop available. And, like all Apple laptops, it has huge battery life – around 15 hours in typical web browsing use.

It packs all this power into a very thin, fanless design, which means it's perfect for using in the library. It can handle 4K video editing, complex music production, raw photo editing and so on, with 8GB of RAM as standard (creative students should opt for 16GB). If you don't believe us, ask anyone who already owns one of these machines. The M1 chipset that Apple launched with this laptop was such a step forward in terms of power and efficiency that it'll still comfortably cope with everyday computing tasks for years to come. It's now the older of the two MacBook Air models, but we still think the M1 MacBook Air that launched in 2020 remains the best choice for the vast majority of students, which is down to one key factor – price.

Best apple laptop for college 2022