---
title: 'The Best Laptops for Engineering Students in 2026 - What Not to Buy'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=jKdcJt0c7sc'
video_id: 'jKdcJt0c7sc'
date: 2026-08-06
duration_sec: 539
---

# The Best Laptops for Engineering Students in 2026 - What Not to Buy

> Source: [The Best Laptops for Engineering Students in 2026 - What Not to Buy](https://youtube.com/watch?v=jKdcJt0c7sc)

## Summary

This video reviews 20 laptops for engineering students in 2026, providing an honest opinion on each, including pros, cons, and a final buy or skip verdict. The reviewer focuses on performance, build quality, portability, and value for money, with a humorous and critical tone.

### Key Points

- **Introduction** [00:02] — The video promises to review laptops for engineering students, giving personal takes on whether to buy or skip each product.
- **Acer Nitro V16S** [00:15] — Cheap, handles CAD software, but feels like plastic toy with loud fan noise. Verdict: Maybe.
- **Asus ROG Zephyrus G16** [00:42] — Sexy design, crisp screen, decent battery, but soldered memory prevents upgrades. Verdict: Yes.
- **Razer Blade 16** [01:10] — Fast but overpriced luxury tax, gets hot, bloated software crashes. Verdict: No.
- **Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 8** [01:37] — Light, great keyboard, reliable, but screen brightness is poor outdoors. Verdict: Yes.
- **Dell Pro Max 18 Plus** [02:06] — Heavy brick, mediocre at gaming, expensive, not worth it. Verdict: No.
- **Dell XPS 16** [02:35] — Bad keyboard, thermal throttling, prioritizes aesthetics over performance. Verdict: No.
- **Lenovo ThinkPad P16** [03:04] — Tank-like build, powerful, but heavy and loud fans. Verdict: Yes.
- **HP Spectre x360** [03:31] — Smooth hinge, gorgeous screen, but poor battery life and gets hot. Verdict: Maybe.
- **Asus ProArt PX13** [03:45] — Small but powerful, quiet, portable, respects time and back. Verdict: Yes.
- **Gigabyte Aero 16** [04:13] — Buggy software, crashes, identity crisis. Verdict: No.
- **Asus ROG Zephyrus G14** [04:41] — Tiny powerhouse, gorgeous screen, but runs hot and soldered memory. Verdict: Maybe.
- **MSI Stealth 16 AI Plus** [05:10] — Cheap build, bloatware, feels like budget gaming laptop. Verdict: No.
- **Asus ProArt 16** [05:40] — Beast for rendering, consistent performance, but expensive. Verdict: Yes.
- **Lenovo LOQ 15** [05:56] — Ugly but reliable, cheap, runs everything, poor battery. Verdict: Yes.
- **MSI Stealth 14 Studio** [06:24] — Loud, thermal throttling, not worth it. Verdict: No.
- **Lenovo Legion 5i** [06:51] — Loud cooling, poor battery, heavy. Verdict: No.
- **ASUS TUF A15** [07:04] — Durable, cheap, but dim screen and bad trackpad. Verdict: Maybe.
- **HP Victus 15** [07:33] — Cheap plastic, flexes, likely to fall apart. Verdict: No.
- **Lenovo Legion 5 Pro** [08:01] — Gorgeous screen, runs cool, great keyboard, justifies price. Verdict: Yes.
- **Acer Swift X 14 AI** [08:30] — Thin and light but throttles heavily, poor performance. Verdict: No.

### Conclusion

The video concludes with a summary of the best and worst laptops for engineering students, emphasizing value, performance, and build quality. The reviewer encourages viewers to ask questions in the comments and provides links to the products in the description.

## Transcript

engineering students are worth your money, stick around. After we run through each product, I'll give you my personal take. Would I buy it or would I skip it? No fluff, just my honest [music] opinion. Let's get into it. Acer
Nitro V16S. This thing feels like a plastic toy that someone glued a jet engine into and the fan noise is loud enough to wake up my neighbors. It gets flex makes me feel like I'm going to snap it in half every time I open the
>> [music] >> Would I buy it? Maybe, because it is dirt cheap and handles CAD software without crying, even if it feels like without crying, even if it feels like garbage. [music] Asus ROG Zephyrus G16.
This is easily the sexiest machine on this list [music] and the screen is so crisp, it makes my eyes actually happy for once. The battery life is surprisingly decent for a gaming beast, though the soldered memory is a massive
middle finger to anyone who wants to upgrade later. Would I buy it? [music] Yes, because it looks professional enough for class, but still crushes games when the professor is not looking. Razer Blade 16. You are basically paying
a luxury tax just to have a glowing snake on the back of a chassis that gets hot enough to fry an egg on your lap. It is undeniably fast, but the software is a bloated mess that crashes more often than a freshman on a Friday night. Would
I buy it? No, because you can get the same performance for way [music] less money without the pretentious price tag. Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 8. This is a boring slab of black plastic that weighs [music] next to nothing and has a
keyboard that puts every other laptop here to shame. It is clearly built for people who actually [music] have work to do, though the screen brightness is a total joke when you are trying to work outside. Would I buy it? Yes, because it
is a reliable tank that will probably outlive my degree and my sanity. Dell Pro Max 18 Plus. This laptop is a massive heavy brick that is impossible to carry across campus without needing a chiropractor on speed dial. It tries to
do everything at once, but ends up being mediocre at gaming, heavy for school, and way too expensive for what it actually delivers. Would I buy it? No, because it is just a pointless overpriced paperweight that makes the
engineering. >> [music] >> Dell XPS 16. This thing is a masterclass in making me hate my own fingers thanks [music] keyboard that feels like typing on a flat piece of cardboard. It looks
like a spaceship, but the thermal throttling makes it run slower than my grandma on a treadmill during any real engineering workload. Would I buy it? paperweight [music] that prioritizes aesthetics over
actually being a computer. Lenovo ThinkPad P16. This absolute [music] brick built like a tank and will easily survive being dropped off a building, even if it does weigh as much as a small child. It is ugly as sin and the fan
noise sounds like a jet engine taking off in my bedroom, but at least it actually finishes my simulations without catching fire. Would I buy it? Yes, because when you need raw power that does not quit, [music] you stop caring
about how much your backpack hurts. HP Spectre x360. [music] The hinge on this thing is smooth as butter and the screen is gorgeous enough to make me forget how much I paid for [music] it. However, the battery life disappears faster than my
motivation on a Monday morning and it gets hot enough to fry an egg on the palm rest. Would I buy it? Maybe, because it is a decent portable machine if you stay glued to a wall outlet and do not mind [music] the occasional burn.
Asus ProArt PX13. This tiny beast packs a punch that makes the larger laptops on this list look like they aren't even trying. It is surprisingly quiet, handles heavy rendering tasks without breaking a
sweat, and fits into my bag without giving me [music] a spinal injury. Would I buy it? Yes, because it is the only device here that actually respects my device here that actually respects my time and my back. Gigabyte Aero 16. I
software is a buggy nightmare [music] that crashes every time I try to do something remotely productive. It tries to be a creator laptop but feels like a cheap gaming machine with a shiny coat of paint and [music] an identity crisis.
Would I buy it? No, because the Asus ProArt does [music] everything this thing tries to do without the constant headache of broken drivers. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. [music] This thing is a tiny powerhouse that
literal furnace on my lap while I'm running heavy simulations. The screen is gorgeous, but the soldered memory is a total slap in the face for any engineering student who wants to upgrade later. Would I buy it? Maybe, because
that portability is addictive even if the lack of upgradeability makes me want the lack of upgradeability makes me want to scream. MSI Stealth 16 AI Plus. The [music] build quality feels like it was held together by hope and cheap plastic.
Plus the software bloatware makes me want to throw it out a window. It tries to be a sleek workstation but ends up feeling like a budget gaming laptop wearing a tuxedo. Would I buy it? No, because the Lenovo LOQ destroys this
thing in value and does not feel like a toy. Asus ProArt 16. This is an absolute beast for rendering and actually feels like a professional machine instead of a expensive [music] as hell, but the performance is so
consistent that I stopped worrying about my code crashing mid-compile. Would I buy it? Yes, because sometimes you just have to pay the premium [music] to stop your laptop from sabotaging your degree. Lenovo LOQ 15. This is the ugly duckling
that actually gets the job done without breaking the bank or trying to show off. It is bulky and the battery life is pathetic, but it runs everything I throw at it without complaining. Would I buy it? Yes, because it is cheap, reliable,
and I do not have to baby it like the fragile stuff on this list. MSI Stealth 14 Studio. I genuinely do not know who this is for because it gets loud enough to wake the neighbors just by opening a web browser. It [music] is trying so
hard to be a premium compact machine, but the thermal throttling makes it >> [music] >> Would I buy it? No, because the Zephyrus G14 does everything this tries to [music] do, but actually works properly.
[music] do, but actually works properly. Lenovo Legion 5i. The cooling system sounds like a jet engine preparing for takeoff in a quiet library, and the battery life is basically a suggestion rather than a reality. It performs well
enough, but carrying this brick around [music] campus will destroy your spine before you even finish your first semester. Would I buy it? No, because the Legion 5 Pro exists and makes this thing look like a clunky paperweight.
ASUS TUF A15. This laptop feels like it was built to survive a nuclear blast, but the screen is so dim you'll be squinting at your code like a mole in broad daylight. It is cheap and gets the job done, yet the trackpad feels like it
was salvaged from a bargain bin at a thrift store. Would I buy it? Maybe, if you are absolutely broke and need something that refuses to die regardless of how much coffee is spilled on it. HP Victus 15. The chassis flexes if you
even look at it the wrong way, and the hinge wobble is enough to give anyone lecture. It is trying so hard to look it is made of the cheapest plastic known to humanity. Would I buy it? No, because
it feels like a toy compared to the other powerhouses on this list and will likely fall apart by finals week. Lenovo Legion 5 Pro. The screen is absolutely gorgeous and actually makes my late-night CAD projects look like art
runs everything I throw at it without turning into a space heater and the keyboard is surprisingly satisfying to type on for hours. Would I buy it? Yes, because it is the only machine here that actually justifies its price tag by not
>> [music] >> Acer Swift X 14 AI. This thing is impressively thin and light, but it throttles so hard under load that it basically turns into a glorified calculator the moment you open a complex
simulation. Paying this [music] much for a laptop that struggles to stay cool while browsing the web is a special kind of torture. Would I buy it? No, because AI branding while getting worse performance than machines that cost half
>> Thanks for watching. I hope this video helped you pick the best laptop for engineering students for you. If you have any questions, drop a comment products mentioned in this video will be in the description.