An accounting student usually spends the lion’s share of his time running numerical simulations, dealing with spreadsheets and preparing presentations. They are also constantly on the move juggling internship events and attending college lectures.
Keeping such things in mind we have come up with a list of 5 best laptops which bring along the best of portability and functionality without going overboard with the price tag. When the question of RAM arises, there is nothing which can be branded as too much.
At the same time, it is completely redundant to spend a fortune on RAM prowess unless your work demands so. 4GB RAM is more than enough if you are making use of an online accounting software although this cannot be taken as an ideal standard.
If you are planning of using desktop applications like Quickbooks, then it is mandatory to seek out a minimum of 8GB RAM.
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Why Should You Need A Laptop For Accounting?
Accounting students feel the need of an exclusive number pad since most of their work involves around numbers and having a dedicated numeric pad will aid them in proceeding with data input much faster.
Coming to Excel, which is one of the most vastly used software of accountants, it might become cumbersome to work on fields which are pretty small in size. Well, we won’t suggest you to opt for a 17.3-inch laptop, but a minimum of 13 inch can surely get you through the day.
Battery prowess also has a big role to play in selecting the laptop as accounting students might often have to visit client sites wherein they might have to conduct long presentations. Hence it is advisable to look for a laptop which provides minimum four to five hours of battery backup while in unplugged state.
An accounting student usually stores a large volume of data in his laptop for later usage. Thus, a minimum of 128 GB is an absolute must but massive advancements in the field of technology has even brought us face to face with models having a space of 1TB for aiding us in taking up our daily activities.
SSD drives are also much preferable over the age-old HDD ones given their super-fast speed.
Our Top Picks for Best Laptops for Accounting Students and Accountants
1. Dell XPS 13 9350SLV
Specs:
The evolutionary approach taken up by Dell in revamping their flagship Ultrabook range is bestowing us with newer designs having the core of praise worthy processors and promising unbridled functionality round the clock.
The sexy new XPS 13 featuring a virtually bezel less display which accommodates a magnificent and color-rich 13.3-inch screen within a 11 inch skeleton lights up the stage with its futuristic appearance.
The matte black carb on fiber covering its input devices and palm rest exudes a sophisticated aura and is sure to turn heads as you walk down the aisle holding on to it.
The ergonomic design of the Dell beauty feels silky smooth to touch and the powerful hinges hold on tightly to the lid with zero hint of bounce even when you are using it in transit such as while travelling via car or train where turbulence comes unannounced.
The port section stands guarded by a USB 3.0 port, card reader and Kensington lock slot in the right and a charging port, USB 3.0 port, battery charge indicator, combo audio and Thunderbolt 3/USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 2 slot in the left.
Wireless connectivity gets established through Bluetooth 4.1 and 1820A 802.11ac adapter capable of both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) connectivity however its thin frame does not allow XPS 13 to accommodate Ethernet connectivity without a specialized connector. It’s Chiclet styled keyboard ensure quite typing even when you are proceeding at a super-fast speed.
The affectivity of this backlit keyboard gets accentuated with the precision touchpad featuring integrated buttons and sufficiently large gliding area. Once you lift up the lid, a gorgeous IPS display panel having a maximum screen resolution of 1920x1080 waves you a warm welcome with exquisite and vibrant picture scale.
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2. HP PAvilion x360
Specs:
The slim HP Pavilion x360 comes wrapped in a beautiful aluminum casing which imparts to its enhanced portability. Weighing at about 3 pounds, the HP Pavilion x360 is one of the most portable 14" inch laptops available in the marketplace, even lighter than its close cousin HP Spectre which weighs 4.02 pounds.
The notebook delights with an island style full size keyboard featuring minimal flex and a built-in number pad. And in case if you have a habit of working with the company accounts at night then the backlit keys can surely help you out with the same without having to switch on the room lights and disrupting your partner’s peaceful slumber.
This virtually silent and cool as a cucumber model comes equipped with HP Coolsense technology which can easily detect and adjust the cooling settings in accordance with your laptop’s state of being.
The aluminum body imparts a greater cool quotient to this laptop which can even be used while lying down on the bed. The 3-cell 52 WHr Lithium-ion battery of the Pavilion x360 helps it to last up to 7 hours which is enough to keep your hands filled with work as you work through the company balance sheets during those painstakingly long flight sessions.
Its Full HD IPS WLED-backlit UWVA BrightView display featuring a maximum screen resolution of 1366 x 768 resolution stuns with crystal clear picture which easily bids adieu to eye strain. Irrespective of working indoor or outdoor, viewing angles of the Pavilion x360 are surely a feature to marvel at. The dual Bang & Olufsen speakers housed at the top section of the keyboard is sure to stun audiophiles with its rich and clear sound waves.
The effective combination of 50GB HDD, 8GB of SDRAM and 8th Generation Intel Core i3 processor transforms the device into a powerhouse which can download big files and stream movies with zero lag. Although this affordable laptop's specifications are sufficient for accounting, you can also upgrade this model to a higher resolution display and an i7 processor.
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3. HP Spectre x360
Specs:
If you are on the lookout for best-in-class design, super portability and full-fledged performance without bleeding your wallet, then the Spectre x360 can surely get the ball rolling in your favor.
The matte-finish slate tablet having an embedded chrome HP logo in its back radiates a plush feel from every angle. Its stainless steel kickstand makes it possible to use the convertible in an array of positions according to your personalized viewing discretion.
The two-stage magnetic connector imparts greater steadiness to its keyboard even while being used in extreme angles. The full-size keyboard with a 1.5mm keystroke and its on-piece touchpad guarantee ultimate bliss to the number crunchers and spreadsheet mavens.
The laptop has a good suite of ports with 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports and a USB 3.1 Generation 1 port (with charging support). It's also unique in that it includes some devices not typically found one laptops, like an accelerometer and gyroscope. Although these aren't a benefit for accounting, they can be useful for other purposes.
You will need to make use of the USB-C-to-USB-Type-A adapter for utilizing an external SSD or USB flash drive. There is also a microSD card slot if you are on the lookout for additional storage as well as both Bluetooth and 802.11ac Wi-Fi for establishing wireless connectivity on the go.
Don’t let its slim stature fool you as the Spectre x360 brings includes some incredible features such as integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i7-8550U processor with Turbo Boost technology, 16GB memory and a 512GB SSD to help you be the most product you can be.
4. Lenovo Flex 4
Specs:
The Flex 4 provides great specifications while staying affordable. This is a versatile laptop that can be used in several different configurations: laptop, stand, tent, and tablet.
The display is a bright 15.6 inch HD display that can be viewed clearly over a wide angle. It supports a maximum color resolution of 1920 x 1080 and includes a 10-point multi-touch feature for excellent application control.
The keyboard has great key travel making it perfect for those long typing sessions with minimal key flex. The responsive touchpad also wins points with its multi-touch feature allowing for functionalities like scrolling and pinch to zoom.
Ports features are where this Lenovo model wins the game hands down given its two USB 3.0 ports, a full-sized HDMI port meant for external monitors, an SD card reader, Audio combo jack and a full-sized Ethernet.
Wireless connectivity is provided by 802.11 A/C WI-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1. The lightning fast system derives its prowess from the combined forces of Intel Core processor, Intel HD Graphics, 256GB SSD and 16GB of RAM.
5. Acer Aspire E 15
Specs:
The Acer Aspire E 15 is a budget notebook with mid-range specifications that make it suitable for accounting students that for both school and entertainment purposes.
It is a nice laptop with few downsides. Having an Intel Core i5-8250U processor ensures that your system is never slow and has all the resources it needs for heavy processing tasks as well. The 15.6-inch FHD display is more than enough for all kinds of accounting data visualization as well as for watching movies.
The laptop has an incredible battery life of 15 hours while doing normal tasks. This much better than the typical laptop in this class.
It comes with pre-installed 8GB DDR4 RAM which is upgradable to 32 GB. It uses a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 940MX GPU for excellent graphics performance. It is not built for gaming but can be used to play titles like FIFA, COD, WOW, Sims 4, etc.
Weight might an issue as it is a bit bulky and some might not prefer carrying it around all day. There are the normal array of data ports, including a USB 3.1 Type C port and a USB 3.0 port with power-off charging.
With only 256GB SSD, you may need extra storage if you have many large files. We recommend an external drive for storage purposes if that's the case. Another option is cloud file storage services like Google Drive or DropBox.
Keeping all the above features and tradeoffs in mind, the Acer Aspire E 15 still is a great choice for college students.
Conclusion
An accountant has to take up demanding tasks on a regular basis starting from vouching to taking inventory of stocks to preparing of final accounts. Thus, it becomes imperative to seek help from a perfect technical companion which can keep up with such building pressure.
After all the accountants might often have to work 24x7 during the pre-tax filling weekend. Hence they require a laptop which can keep up with such a hectic schedule. Once an accounting students gets his degrees and starts working in the professional field, he might also feel the requirement of such heavyweight devices.
Keeping such things in mind we have come up with a list of top 5 laptops tailor made for accounting students which will help them in gaining a flavour of what they are bracing themselves to take up in days to come.