School is about to start back up for a lot of people, and with how integral technology is to the classroom, having a good computer is always important. If you’re looking to pick up a new Apple device for school or college, I’ll be going over the best picks right here.
Obviously, when it comes to Apple gear for school, you have to go over the most important Apple debate: iPad or Mac. I won’t be giving advice in that regard, though I will say that iPadOS 26 makes using an iPad as your all-in-one device for school more viable than ever.
iPads have one great advantage over Macs: the ability to take handwritten notes with an Apple Pencil. I’ve personally always preferred handwritten notes over typed notes, and studies would suggest that writing your notes out is better for memorization than typing them. Macs, on the other hand, have an excellent advantage in the fact that they run macOS, and are generally far more capable thanks to more apps being available and having less operating system restrictions.
iPads
Apple offers four iPad models: iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro. Let’s break those down.
iPad (A16) is the base model, and serves as the cheapest option. It starts at just $329 for students, regularly going on sale for $299 – and masters all of the iPad essentials. The main thing it lacks is a laminated display, and it only supports the basic Apple Pencil (USB-C). If you want an Apple Pencil Pro, you’ll need a higher end iPad. You’ll also need a higher end iPad if you want a proper Magic Keyboard, as this iPad only supports the Microsoft Surface-style Magic Keyboard Folio.
Above that, is the iPad Air. At $549 for students (and $449 on Amazon), it bumps things up a notch, while still serving as an affordable option. You gain the ability to use Apple Pencil Pro and a proper laptop-style Magic Keyboard, and you get a laminated display – meaning the cover glass is right up against the display, without any air gap. When taking notes, having a laminated display can be helpful for tighter precision. iPad Air also comes in with an M3 chip with support for Apple Intelligence and much more, versus the more lightweight A16 chip in the base iPad. It comes in both 11-inch and 13-inch display sizes, so the iPad Air actually serves as the cheapest way to get a 13-inch iPad.
Below that is iPad mini. This iPad is less likely to be useful for school, unless you just want a small iPad for note taking. It does support Apple Pencil Pro, though you won’t have any sort of first party keyboard options. It has an A17 Pro chip, meaning it’ll support Apple Intelligence – and it’ll feel a bit speedier than the base model iPad. That’ll run you $449 at Apple’s education store, or $399 on Amazon.
Last but not least, iPad Pro. Compared to iPad Air, you get a much nicer OLED display with HDR support, a thinner chassis, Face ID (all other iPad models are Touch ID only), better speakers, and an M4 chip. This model is largely unnecessary for students compared to the iPad Air, but if you want more of a premium experience and have the budget – it can’t hurt to get an iPad Pro. It comes in at $899 for students – with a free pair of AirPods.
MacBooks
MacBooks, thankfully, are a lot simpler. It’s just MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro.
MacBook Air nails everything you’ll generally need – point blank. The MacBook Pro is more of a specialty device, with a fancier display, more ports, and a more capable thermal system.
MacBook Air is a lot thinner than the MacBook Pro, and comes in 13-inch and 15-inch display sizes. They won’t have miniLED or HDR, but it’ll get the job done. You also have four color options: Starlight, Midnight, Silver, and Sky Blue. If you want a lightweight machine to handle writing your essays and whatnot, MacBook Air will do the job no problem. It contains the same M4 chip as the MacBook Pro, so processing speed shouldn’t be a concern. It starts at $899 for students, but can be found on sale for $799.
With MacBook Pro, everything gets turned up to 11. You get a stunning miniLED display, larger display options (14-inch and 16-inch), better speakers, longer battery life, and an active cooling system – which can come in handy if you’re doing an intensive workflow, such as if you’re an engineering student. You also have the option of higher end M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, versus just the standard M4. The chassis is also a lot thicker to accommodate all of this, and in turn it’s a bit heavier. It can be well worth the trade-off, though.
What should you get?
Well, everything comes down to budget.
If you want both a MacBook and iPad and not spend too much money, you can buy a MacBook Air from Amazon for $799, and pair that with an iPad (A16) and Apple Pencil (USB-C) – and end up spending under $1200 total prior to sales tax. That’s a pretty great value.
If you just want an iPad and still don’t want to spend a ton, getting an 11-inch iPad Air (M3), Magic Keyboard, and Apple Pencil Pro will run you around $900, or $1100 if you want the 13-inch iPad Air. That’ll still be an awesome all-in one setup. For the best iPad setup, it’ll run you around $1300 for a full 11-inch iPad Pro setup with Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro, or $1500 if you go for the 13-inch model.
If you just want a MacBook, I’d actually recommend the base model 14-inch MacBook Pro rather than any of the MacBook Airs. You do pay $500 more for it, but if your budget allows, it’s well worth it. The incredible display and speakers make for a nice way to watch shows and movies while in your dorm. Having active cooling also affords you a level of overhead that the MacBook Air simply won’t have. Plus, with that additional $500, you get double the storage of the MacBook Air.
You could easily mix and match things, but those are my general recommendations. The good news is, Apple’s lineup is stronger than ever – so it’s hard to go wrong, no matter the price point.
I generally recommend buying from Amazon because the deals tend to be better, though you can also check out Apple’s back to school deal. For most items, you’ll be paying more to get it directly from Apple (even with student discount), though you do get a free pair of AirPods with eligible items (base iPad and iPad mini excluded) – so that could be worthwhile depending on your needs.
Best of luck with the upcoming school year! One last thing: if you want an affordable pair of over-ear headphones to throw in with everything else, Beats Studio Pro at $179 will tie in with your new Apple devices nicely.
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