As an economics student, your laptop isn’t just a tool for typing essays. It becomes a digital think tank where you run regressions, analyze time-series data, explore econometric models, and create compelling presentations.
This guide is crafted specifically for undergraduate and graduate economics students, as well as interdisciplinary majors integrating economics with business, finance, or data science. You need a laptop that aligns with both academic theory and quantitative execution.
At a glance, economics might look like a field driven by spreadsheets and simple charts. But under the hood, it demands software environments like Stata, R, Python, EViews, MATLAB, and even Excel with advanced add-ins. These platforms handle data sets that scale fast, and calculations that dig deep—running simulations, forecasting economic behavior, or testing hypotheses.
The moment you dive into statistical modeling or macroeconomic forecasting, your laptop is doing heavy lifting. Even plotting multiple regression outputs or iterating through model parameters can tax weaker systems. You need smooth multitasking, stable memory performance, and reliable processing, especially when problem sets are due and time is short.
Add to that your need to attend remote lectures, collaborate in real time, reference online sources, and prepare visualizations—and you’ll realize why entry-level machines aren’t enough.
Your CPU is the engine. Most econ software environments don’t require gaming-level performance, but they benefit hugely from multi-core processors. Choose an Intel Core i5 or i7 (12th-gen or newer), AMD Ryzen 5 or 7 (5000 series or higher), or Apple M chips. These ensure fast compiling in R, efficient data analysis in Excel, and lag-free experience in statistical environments.
Memory turns theory into action. For general economics coursework, 8GB RAM is the floor. But if you’re running large data sets, coding in Python, or multitasking across heavy browser sessions and Zoom calls, 16GB RAM is highly recommended. It reduces lag during analysis and helps you flow from research to results.
Storage must be fast and dependable. Go with a 1TB SSD or larger. This keeps your software snappy, file access instant, and lets you install multiple research tools without concern.
The display should be sharp and comfortable for long reading or coding sessions. A Full HD (1920×1080) IPS screen with accurate color and matte finish is ideal. If you’re building visualizations or presenting economic trends, clarity and contrast matter. A 14–15.6” screen hits the sweet spot—large enough for side-by-side documents but compact enough for lecture halls or coffee shops.
Weight and build quality affect your day-to-day. You’ll be carrying this between lectures, libraries, and late-night study groups. A good economics student laptop should weigh under 4 pounds, offer a durable chassis, and have a comfortable keyboard for typing long essays or equations.
Battery life supports your workflow. You don’t always get a chance to plug in on campus. Look for 8–12 hours of real-world usage, so you can attend classes, take notes, run analyses, and write papers without worrying about your next charge.
Connectivity is often overlooked—but crucial. You’ll likely need to plug in external drives, projectors, USB devices, and headphones, and maybe an external monitor for workspace expansion. Aim for USB-A and USB-C ports, HDMI or DisplayPort, a 3.5mm audio jack, and Wi-Fi 6 for stable online research and smooth video conferencing.
Trackpad and keyboard quality make a surprising difference. Economics students spend hours typing, navigating code, tabbing through Excel cells, or refining plots. Precision, key travel, and layout are more than comfort—they’re your interface to insight.
Webcam and mic quality are still relevant. Virtual office hours, group work, and presentations are part of modern academic life. A 720p or better webcam, with noise-reducing mics, keeps you looking and sounding clear when it counts.
We focus on systems that deliver responsiveness during data tasks, reliability in research, mobility across campus, and compatibility with common software used in economics education. The best laptops for economics students support your core academic tools:
- Excel (with macros and add-ins)
- Stata or EViews for econometrics
- R or Python for advanced analytics
- Google Workspace and Microsoft Office for collaboration
- Zoom, Canvas, or Blackboard for virtual learning
These systems don’t just help you complete assignments. They let you explore, experiment, and present with confidence.
You should also check out, the best laptops for Business School in addition to the best laptop for Accounting Students.
Best Laptops for Economics Students:
Contents
- HP - Pavilion 15.6 Laptop - AMD Ryzen 5
- Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17.3 inch Laptop
- Acer Aspire 3
- Dell Inspiron 5406 Laptop
- Lenovo Flex 5 14 inch Display
- MSI GP65 Leopard 10SDK-049 i7 GTX 1660 Ti
- Apple MacBook Pro M1 13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
- MSI Prestige 14 A10SC-020 14 Laptop
- Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15” Ryzen 7
- Alienware m15 R3 Laptop
- LG gram Laptop 15.6 inch
- Gigabyte AERO 17 Laptop i7- 32GB RAM
- ASUS VivoBook S15 S533 Laptop
- Apple MacBook Air M1 13-inch, 8GB RAM, 512GB
- ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 OLED Laptop
- HP 15 Laptop, i5-1135G7
- Razer Blade 15 Laptop i7 GTX 1660 Ti
HP - Pavilion 15.6 Laptop - AMD Ryzen 5 |
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| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 |
| Display Size | 15.6 Inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 Pixels |
| RAM | 8 GB |
| Storage Space | 256GB solid state drive (SSD) |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | USB, Ethernet, HDMI |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 20.43 x 12.13 x 2.72 inches |
| Weight | 4.4 pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Displa |
| Cons | n/a |
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17.3 inch Laptop |
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| CPU | Intel Core i5-1035G1 Processor(4-Core, 1.0 GHz Up to 3.6 GHz, 6 MB Cache) |
| GPU | Intel UHD Graphics |
| Display Size | 17.3 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1600x900 pixels |
| RAM | 16GB RAM |
| Storage Space | 512GB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | USB, Audio, HDMI |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 15.83 x 11.07 x 0.78 inches |
| Weight | 15.83 x 11.07 x 0.78 inches |
| Pros | Large Display |
| Cons | NA |
Acer Aspire 3 |
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| CPU | Intel Core i5-1035G1 Quad Core Processor |
| GPU | Intel Graphics |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage Space | 256GB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | 2 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type A / 1 HDMI / Headphone-out/microphone-in combo jack Micro / SD media card reader |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.3 x 9.7 x 0.78 inches |
| Weight | 1 pounds |
| Pros | Lightweight, Good performance, Quality Display |
| Cons | NA |
Dell Inspiron 5406 Laptop |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-1165G7 |
| GPU | Intel Iris Xe Graphics |
| Display Size | 14 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 12GB 3200MHz DDR4 RAM |
| Storage Space | 512GB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 S |
| Ports | SD Card Reader | 2. USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A | 3. Headphone/Microphone Combo | 4. Wedge-shaped lock slot | 5. Power jack | 6. HDMI 1.4b | 7. USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A | 8. USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 8.74 x 12.7 x 0.71 inches |
| Weight | 3.39 pounds |
| Pros | Display, Battery Life |
| Cons | None |
Lenovo Flex 5 14 inch Display |
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| CPU | AMD 8-Core Ryzen 7 4700U |
| GPU | AMD Radeon |
| Display Size | 14 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR4 |
| Storage Space | 512GB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | 2x USB ; 1x USB-C ; 1x HDMI –;1x Headphone/Microphone combo jack. |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 12.65 x 8.56 x 0.82 inches |
| Weight | 3.30 lbs |
| Pros | Performance, Lightweight |
| Cons | na |
MSI GP65 Leopard 10SDK-049 i7 GTX 1660 Ti |
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| CPU | Core i7-10750H |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6G GDDR6 |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920x1080 FHD |
| RAM | 64GB RAM |
| Storage Space | 512GB NVMe SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | USB 3 2 Gen2 Type C *1 USB 3 2 Gen1 *2 Steel Series per-Key RGB with Anti-Ghost key+ silver lining 720p HD Webcam |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.08 x 10.57 x 1.08 inches |
| Weight | 5.14 pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Design, Ports |
| Cons | NA |
Apple MacBook Pro M1 13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD |
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| CPU | Apple M1 chip; 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores; 16-core Neural Engine |
| GPU | M1 8-core GPU |
| Display Size | 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology |
| Display Resolution | 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch |
| RAM | 8GB RAM |
| Storage Space | 256GB |
| Operating System | MacOS |
| Ports | Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports with support for: Charging, DisplayPort Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40 Gbps), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps) |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 13.41 x 11.97 x 0.61 inches |
| Weight | 3 Pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Battery Life |
| Cons | NA |
MSI Prestige 14 A10SC-020 14 Laptop |
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| CPU | Core i5-10210u 1. 6 - 3. 9GHz Intel PTT |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650 (max-q) |
| Display Size | 14 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 16GB (16G*1) LPDDR3 2133MHz |
| Storage Space | 512GB NVMe SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | Thunderbolt 3*2 USB 2. 0 *2 LAN Intel Wi-Fi 6 ax201(2*2 ax) BT 5 720P HD Webcam |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 12.6 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches |
| Weight | 3.46 ounces |
| Pros | Lightweight, Good Performance |
| Cons | NA |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15” Ryzen 7 |
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| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 |
| GPU | AMD Radeon Vega 11 |
| Display Size | 15 inches |
| Display Resolution | 2496 x 1664 Pixels |
| RAM | 8 GB DDR4 |
| Storage Space | 512GB Solid State Drive |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | USB, Ethernet, Audio, Mini Display |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 10.76 x 14.6 x 2.12 inches |
| Weight | 3.4 pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Display |
| Cons | Storage |
Alienware m15 R3 Laptop |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-10875 |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super 8GB |
| Display Size | 17.3 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 32GB RAM |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows |
| Ports | USB, Ethernet, Audio |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 10.87 x 14.19 x 0.81 inches |
| Weight | 5.51 pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Display |
| Cons | Weight |
LG gram Laptop 15.6 inch |
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| CPU | Intel 10th Gen Core i71065G7 CPU |
| GPU | Intel |
| Display Size | 15 6 |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 8GB RAM |
| Storage Space | 256 GB M 2 Nm SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | USB, Ethernet, HDMI |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.1 x 8.9 x 0.7 inches |
| Weight | 4.2 pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Display |
| Cons | |
Gigabyte AERO 17 Laptop i7- 32GB RAM |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-10870H Octa Core |
| GPU | NVIDIA RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6 |
| Display Size | 17.3 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 32GB |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Pro |
| Ports | 3 USB 3.2 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 mini Display Port, Thunderbolt 3 (Type-C), SD Reader, 1 x Microphone Jack, 1 x Headphone Jack |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 10.6 x 15.6 x 0.84 inches |
| Weight | 5.5 pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Display Quality |
| Cons | Weight |
ASUS VivoBook S15 S533 Laptop |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-1165G7 Quad Core Processor |
| GPU | Intel Iris Xe Graphics |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 Pixels |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage Space | 512GB PCIe SSD |
| Operating System | Windows |
| Ports | USB, Ethernet |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.2 x 9.2 x 0.63 inches |
| Weight | 3.97 lbs |
| Pros | Performance, Premium design |
| Cons | |
Apple MacBook Air M1 13-inch, 8GB RAM, 512GB |
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| CPU | System on Chip (SoC) Apple M1 chip; 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency core |
| GPU | Apple 8-core GPU |
| Display Size | 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS |
| Display Resolution | 2560-by-1600 native resolution |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage Space | 512GB SSD |
| Operating System | MacOS |
| Ports | Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports with support for: Charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40 Gbps), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps) |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 11.97 x 0.63 x 8.36 inches |
| Weight | 2.8 pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Lightweight |
| Cons | Storage |
ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 OLED Laptop |
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| CPU | Intel Evo Platform Core i7-1165G7 |
| GPU | Intel |
| Display Size | 13.3 Inches |
| Display Resolution | 2560 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 16GB |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows |
| Ports | USB, Ethernet, HDMI |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 12.01 x 8.37 x 0.55 inches |
| Weight | 2.87 pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Audio Quality |
| Cons | None |
HP 15 Laptop, i5-1135G7 |
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|---|---|
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| CPU | 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 Processor |
| GPU | Intel Iris |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 8 GB DDR4 |
| Storage Space | 256 GB SSD Storage |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | USB, Ethernet, HDMI |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.11 x 9.53 x 0.71 inches |
| Weight | 2.4 pounds |
| Pros | Lightweight, Good performance |
| Cons | NA |
Razer Blade 15 Laptop i7 GTX 1660 Ti |
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|---|---|
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-10750H |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 Pixels |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR4 |
| Storage Space | 256GB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | Wi-Fi 6, Gigabit Ethernet, Thunderbolt 3, USB type-A and type-C ports, and HDMI |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 13.98 x 0.78 x 9.25 inches |
| Weight | 8.58 pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Price |
| Cons | Weight |
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