Best laptop deals for students, according to Consumer Reports

With nearly everything costing more these days, Consumer Reports' extensive product testing shows you don't have to spend a lot to get quality tech for your student. One of the best options for a tight budget is a Chromebook.

They're generally less expensive than Mac and PC laptops. They're not the fastest computers out there, but for everyday stuff like browsing the web, editing documents, and school/work, they're totally fine.

The Acer Chromebook is a solid budget choice. It costs $300. It is $440 fast, has a long battery life, and has more local storage than most other Chromebooks.

If your student needs something that won't weigh down their backpack on a mad dash to class, CR says the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 is an excellent choice for portability and its ergonomics are near top-level. It costs $440.

If your student wants an Apple, save a little bit of money and still get a very good Mac laptop. The 13-inch MacBook Air with the M2 processor. It costs $800.

The M2 is Apple's older processor, but CR's experts say the performance difference between the M2 and the newer processor is so small that you might as well save a few bucks by going with the previous model.

If your student also needs a color printer the Epson uses low-cost bottled ink instead of expensive cartridges. It costs $200. While the overall printing performance isn't strong enough to earn a CR recommendation, the text quality and speed should be fine for printing book reports and whatever else the teacher assigns.

Consumer Reports says August and September are the best times to buy a computer because of sales.

When you're shopping, remember to check for student discounts from your school, stores, or computer makers.