These Back-to-School Laptops Are Overhyped Trash: Here’s the Brutal Truth
Hello everyone. It’s that time of the year again where tech sites slap together another “Best Laptops for Back to School” list with such thundering originality that it’s basically copy-paste from last year, sprinkled with enough buzzwords to make marketing departments high-five each other. So let’s dive headfirst into this parade of predictable rectangles and see if any of them actually deserve a spot in your backpack – or if they’re just overpriced status symbols dressed up as productivity tools.
MacBook Air M4 – Same Old Playbook, Now With M4 Hype
Oh look, Apple is here again, like clockwork, dangling yet another iteration of the MacBook Air in front of us. This time it’s the M4 chip, which Apple claims will perform miracles – because of course they do. The 13.6-inch screen, a feathery 1.24 kg weight, and up to 18 hours of battery life sound great on paper, don’t they? Sure, it’s not going to make you coffee in the morning, but it’ll handle your essays and Zoom calls just fine. That said, you’re also buying into the walled garden of macOS – which is excellent if you like having all your apps approved by a Cupertino overlord. For the price, it’s punchy. But you already knew that, because every Apple product is the tech world’s equivalent of a “Legendary” item in an MMO – blindingly shiny, horrendously expensive, and not necessarily going to make you a better player.
LG Gram – The Featherweight Fighter That Talks Big
The LG Gram continues to charm ultralight fans with its 999g weight. They’re claiming 24.5 hours of battery life – right, and I can deadlift a small car before breakfast. In reality, you’ll probably be plugging it in by the evening like every other laptop. At least it slings an Intel Core i5-1334U at you, plus Microsoft Copilot AI sprinkled on top for that sweet “next-gen” flavour. Lightweight? Absolutely. Worth it? Maybe. Just don’t expect AI to magically write your thesis without setting off your university’s plagiarism alarms.
Asus Zenbook 14 – OLED Armor with a Badge of Honor
The Asus Zenbook 14 UM3406KA-QD076W – because laptop naming conventions are a pit of despair – comes in swinging with OLED visuals and AMD’s Ryzen AI 7 350 inside. On top of that, it’s got a military-grade durability certificate. Yeah, because when you inevitably rage quit after losing three hours of unsaved work, at least your laptop can physically survive the desk slam. Its 1.2 kg frame is travel friendly, but don’t get high hopes on AI Copilot+ doing more than reminding you it exists while you try to actually work.
Lenovo Yoga 7 – The Transformer of Study Rooms
Convertible laptops are the Swiss Army knives of the tech world – a jack of all trades, master of none. The Lenovo Yoga 7 flips, spins, and probably could make a decent shield in an impromptu Nerf battle. The 14-inch OLED touch display is pretty, the AMD Ryzen 6 8640HS chip is competent, and at 1.49 kg, it’s only slightly heavier than its road warrior competitors. Battery life? Claimed at 25.5 hours, which in real terms means “hope you have your charger handy just in case”. Still, if you’re the type who can’t decide between a laptop and a tablet, this one will make you feel clever – until you realise you’re mostly just using it in laptop mode because that’s what it’s actually best at.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro – The Ultra-Thin Show Pony
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro shows up looking sleek as a cyberpunk weapon – 14-inch AMOLED, anti-reflective coating, Intel Core Ultra 7-155H, and, oh yes, AI-powered photo editing because apparently that’s a thing universities were crying out for. Samsung promises about 21 hours of video playback, which is lovely if you plan to survive your entire semester by binge-watching Netflix. Thin, light, and undeniably attractive, but if you’re buying it for schoolwork, just remember beauty doesn’t get your assignments in on time – unless you can charm your professors into ignoring deadlines.
Final Diagnosis
From a doctor’s perspective – and yes, I’m talking about the kind that writes prescriptions for better thermal paste – here’s the chart: Apple’s still the prestige hospital with clean white walls but terrible cafeteria prices, LG is the underfed but surprisingly sprightly intern, Asus is the toughened soldier ready for field duty, Lenovo is the eccentric, adaptable medic with ten different tools for every occasion, and Samsung is the beautiful nurse everyone notices but isn’t always the most practical choice for a crisis. All of them do the job, but none are the mythical “perfect student laptop” because, spoiler alert, that doesn’t exist. Pick your poison based on weight, OS loyalty, and whether you believe battery claims are reality or fantasy.
Verdict: Decent but predictable lineup. No game-changers, no shocking plot twists. If your current laptop still boots, you might just pass this round and wait for the next hardware cycle, because these “upgrades” feel more like DLC skins than actual new content.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is entirely my opinion.
Source: Qué portátil comprar para la vuelta al cole: cinco ordenadores ligeros perfectos para llevar a clase, https://www.xataka.com/seleccion/que-portatil-comprar-para-vuelta-al-cole-cinco-ordenadores-ligeros-perfectos-para-llevar-a-clase
