I am wondering whether to get the lighter 13 inch or the heavier 15 inch laptop for college use for my daughter (say Dell XPS 13 v/s 15). Is the lighter one preferable to get for college students or the bigger screen?
Thanks for any tips.
I’m no expert on these things as I am still a high school senior, but from what I’ve learned is that unless you’re doing graphic design or coding or something similar where every pixel counts, the smaller laptop would be better to carry around the campus. Hope my little tidbit helps!
You could also get a larger monitor, regular keyboard, and mouse to put in the dorm room for when she is there.
Also, be sure to have a backup plan for any data stored on the laptop (e.g. unfinished term papers and assignments).
Laptops are getting lighter, somI think the 15” should be fine.
We went with a 14” Dell and it was perfect - is that no longer an option?
Fwiw, I strongly recommend 4 years of on-site, next day service. It is pricey compare to the machine price, but absolutely worth it when my D dropped hers, ascompared to a roommate without it, which resulted in 2+ weeks out of service.
My son chose the XPS 15 over the 13. Personally I would rather work on a 15" laptop and the weight difference isn’t crazy.
How much weight difference is there? Will she be carrying the brick around too? I’ve seen some significant difference in brick size/weight. I agree that a coder would likely need more screen space.
D20 has a 13” MacBook Pro and loves it! She is happier that it’s so much lighter than the school-issued ChromeBook from high school. We are an Apple family anyway but the Mac made way more sense since the bookstore is an Apple Certified Service Center and they offer free loaners, if she needs one.
Thanks so much for all your comments. I also wanted to find out if anyone has an opinion between 13" Mackbook Pro and Dell XPS 13.
I think having a lighter laptop and a larger screen at the dorm desk maybe a good option. Though final decision on this will not be mine and I may be vetoed out!
Also make sure a 15" would fit in a her backpack.
Do get her opinion- my girls were accustomed to Macs after having them grades 7-12 at school and definitely wanted to continue with Mac. DD’19 has a 13" and DD’17 has a larger one because she’s a graphic designer.
We went with a laptop offered by the school with onsite support, fixes, loaners etc. My husband who is a computer engineer and can probably fix most issues said I won’t be there so go with one she can get fixed for free by someone onsite and has loaners even if it costs a bit more. She is an apple lover and chose the macbook pro I think 13". However for her degree she is finding a PC to be needed. She did an accounting internship last summer (ended up being virtual) and they mailed her a PC to use since she didn’t have a PC based laptop. Some schools do require specific requirements for upper level courses so also check that out first. I agree the school issued chromebook is heavier than many laptops.
My kid has a 13in Mac Air. He loves the portability and battery power.
He also took a 24in tv so he could stream thru either his PS4 (which he didn’t take this year) or his laptop.
15’’ unless you’ll buy a monitor. I switched to a 13’’ Air from a 17’’ laptop and regret it, since I have to squint at times to read the screen.
Thank you all for your inputs. Got the XPS 13" and will use it in conjunction with a monitor.
Update – changed the order to the 15" one.
The 15" XPS is what my son has. I think she’ll love it.
That’s what I got. Thanks.
Although you’ve already made your purchase I’d like to add a comment.
You can easily get used to either a 13 or 15 inch screen size. Weight to carry is also something you get used to easily. What makes a big difference to me is keyboard size. The keyboard on a 13 inch screen size is just a shade too small to be comfortable for me. I’d go 15 just for the keyboard.