9 college-ready laptops and tablets that make the perfect high school graduation gift

• May 11, 2026

High school graduation season is upon us, and if your teenager is one of those saying goodbye to school and getting ready to head off to college, you’ll want to arm them with the right tech to set them up for success. A great laptop and/or tablet is essential, and makes for a perfect high school graduation gift.

We’ve reviewed hundreds of laptops and tablets here at TechRadar, and below I’ve rounded up our top recommendations for college students, with options at a range of budgets. All of these models have been put through our rigorous testing process and given our official stamp of approval (hit the More Details button for a summary of our main testing takeaways, as well as a link to see the full review).

On the laptop front, I’ve focused on models that have enough power to handle typical student demands, battery life that’ll support a full day of shifting around campus, and won’t cost the earth (although I have included a couple of pricier models for those students with heavier processing demands). Among my tablet picks, you’ll find large and small slates that are ideal whether they’re being slotted into a backpack for on-the-go computing, or propped on a shelf for Netflix binges on the weekends.

If you’re looking for a deeper dive into all your options and how they compare, we have a separate guide to the best student laptops and the best tablets (as well as the best cheap tablets if you’re on a budget). Read on for our top-recommended tech for new students.

Top tech for new college students

<aside data-block-type="embed" data-hawk-json="{"collection":{"blocks":[{"modelName":"Apple iPad (A16) 11\u201d","productName":"iPad 11-inch (2025)","productDescription":"

Read the full review","brand":"Apple ","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":null,"review":{"rating":90,"pros":["A16 chip is very capable","Now starts with 128GB of storage","iPadOS 18 runs smoothly here"],"cons":["No major changes over the previous generation"]},"label":"","image":null,"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false},{"modelName":"OnePlus Pad Go 2","productName":"Pad Go 2","productDescription":"

Read the full review","brand":"OnePlus","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":null,"review":{"rating":90,"pros":["The perfect feature set for entertainment and productivity","Open Canvas is a huge win for a tablet in the mid-range sector","Big leaps in performance and battery life"],"cons":["The design isn\u2019t much fun","Charging remains unchanged from the original Pad Go"]},"label":"","image":null,"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false},{"modelName":"Lenovo Idea Tab Pro","productName":"Idea Tab Pro","productDescription":"

Read the full review","brand":"Lenovo ","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":null,"review":{"rating":80,"pros":["Solid specs for the price","Looks and feels premium","Quality pen included at no extra cost","Surprisingly excellent speakers"],"cons":["Android on tablets has improved, but still isn\u2019t perfect","Some annoying bloat"]},"label":"","image":null,"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false},{"modelName":"OnePlus Pad 3","productName":"Pad 3","productDescription":"

Read the full review","brand":"OnePlus ","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":null,"review":{"rating":90,"pros":["A display that\u2019s great for work and entertainment","OxygenOS 15 has a wonderful sheen to it","Smooth, Snapdragon enhanced performance"],"cons":["Android just isn\u2019t as well optimized as iPadOS","The optional keyboard could use some work","Can get pricey with all the accessories"]},"label":"","image":null,"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false},{"modelName":"Apple MacBook Neo","productName":"MacBook Neo","productDescription":"

Read the full review","brand":"Apple","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":"USD","review":{"rating":90,"pros":["Excellent value for money","Fantastic build quality","Full macOS experience"],"cons":["No keyboard backlight","USB 2 port feels a bit silly in 2026","8GB of memory could become frustrating"]},"label":"","image":{"copyright":"","height":3670,"id":"3k4AaCzwJAqaggRHMitjUC","mimeType":"image\/jpeg","mos":"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/3k4AaCzwJAqaggRHMitjUC.jpg","role":"","width":2753,"credit":"Apple","alt":"Citrus Apple MacBook Neo","caption":""},"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false},{"modelName":"Acer Chromebook Plus 514","productName":"Chromebook Plus 514","productDescription":"

Read the full review","brand":"Acer ","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":null,"review":{"rating":80,"pros":["Great performance","Excellent display","Practical port selection"],"cons":["Keyboard isn\u2019t the most premium","No SD card slot","Can get a little noisy"]},"label":"","image":null,"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false},{"modelName":"HP Chromebook Plus 15a-nb0004na","productName":"Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch","productDescription":"

Read the full review","brand":"HP ","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":null,"review":{"rating":0,"pros":[],"cons":[]},"label":"","image":{"copyright":"","height":1322,"id":"AVxFD3ZsJLeAGJjWz4Hrqf","mimeType":"image\/jpeg","mos":"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/AVxFD3ZsJLeAGJjWz4Hrqf.jpg","role":"","width":1058,"credit":"Very","alt":"HP Chromebook Plus 15.6 inch laptop","caption":""},"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false},{"modelName":"Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (2025)","productName":"Surface Laptop 13-inch","productDescription":"

Read the full review","brand":"Microsoft ","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":null,"review":{"rating":80,"pros":["Stunning design","Extremely portable","Fantastic battery life","Great keyboard and trackpad"],"cons":["MacBook Air M4 offers far better performance","Limited ports","Display is just OK"]},"label":"","image":null,"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false},{"modelName":"Apple 15\" MacBook Air M4 (2025)","productName":"MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) ","productDescription":"

Read the full review","brand":"Apple ","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":null,"review":{"rating":90,"pros":["Excellent performance","New, lower price","Silent design"],"cons":["No need to upgrade from M3","- No Wi-Fi 7"]},"label":"","image":null,"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false}]}}” data-model-name=”Apple iPad (A16) 11”,OnePlus Pad Go 2,Lenovo Idea Tab Pro,OnePlus Pad 3,Apple MacBook Neo,Acer Chromebook Plus 514,HP Chromebook Plus 15a-nb0004na,Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (2025),Apple 15" MacBook Air M4 (2025)” data-render-type=”fte” data-source-blocks=”featured-products” data-widget-type=”collection” class=”hawk-root”>

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.

Source

High school graduation season is upon us, and if your teenager is one of those saying goodbye to school and getting ready to head off to college, you’ll want to arm them with the right tech to set them up for success. A great laptop and/or tablet is essential, and…