As the countdown to the new school year begins, one back-to-school essential is more important than ever — a dependable laptop. With fluctuating tech prices and uncertainty over tariffs, Consumer Reports shares some top picks and insider advice on scoring the best laptop for any budget.

Consumer Reports Tech Reporter Nicholas De Leon says, “We tell folks to buy the laptop now if they have the money now because there is a very good chance that prices could rise pretty dramatically.”

For bigger budgets, the latest 15-inch Apple MacBook Air ranks near the top of CR’s laptop ratings for performance and reliability. To score one for less, choose a smaller model or one that’s a few years old.

Prefer a PC with Windows? This lightweight LG Gram offers great portability and battery life.

And if you’re looking to save a few bucks, consider one that’s a year or two older. It’ll still going to be a very good laptop, and you’ll pay less than the current year model.

Want the latest tech? The HP OmniBook Ultra is a powerful “AI PC” designed to run AI apps on the laptop itself instead of online.

And although everything feels pricey right now, there are ways to save. Don’t just buy your tech from the first store that happens to have it. Take your time, give it a couple days, and shop around at different stores and it is very likely you’ll be able to find a better price somewhere else!!

And if you want to get the biggest bang for a small budget, this lightweight Lenovo Chromebook weighs next to nothing and delivers 19 hours of battery life.

Another smart option is refurbished laptops sold directly from Apple, Dell, HP, and other trusted brands. They undergo full inspections and often include a one-year warranty.

And don’t forget — student discounts can make a big difference. Apple, Dell, HP, and even Best Buy all offer student pricing, sometimes with extra perks like gift cards or accessories.

Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter

The Aer Duffel Pack 3 is best for anyone who commutes to both work and the gym and wants a laptop pocket in their bag—or who just prefers to carry a backpack instead of a shoulder bag.

It’s adaptable. Sometimes, carrying a separate gym bag and laptop bag to the office isn’t ideal. In that case, the Aer Duffel Pack 3 is the best option. Its sleek, minimal look allows it to blend into nearly any setting. The bag is made of a tough, 1,680-denier Cordura ballistic nylon that’s similar in strength to the material used in the KNKG Plus Duffel but with a finer texture. With a capacity of 21 liters, the Duffel Pack 3 holds less than the Plus Duffel, but we still found that it had room for what we needed to transition from work to working out. The Aer Duffel Pack 3 comfortably carries a 16-inch laptop in its back pocket, as well as a full change of clothes within its main compartment and a pair of shoes (up to men’s size 13) in a ventilated compartment at the bottom of the bag.

It carries what you need and then some. As a gym bag, it swallows a full change of gym clothes or assorted gear, while the expandable water-bottle pocket on the side can fit even a large Nalgene bottle. As a laptop backpack, the Aer Duffel Pack 3 can carry a few books or slim items along with that 16-inch laptop. Optionally, you can buy the same design made from X-Pac sailcloth, which is extremely durable and waterproof, but most people don’t need to spend the extra money for that level of technical fiber; the regular model’s nylon and sealing zippers are plenty tough and water-resistant for a trip to the gym.

The internal shoe compartment tucks inside the main compartment. Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter

It’s well organized as a backpack. You access the waterproof, cavernous main section of the bag via a convenient duffel-style zipper on the outside. Because the shoe compartment at the base of the bag unfurls internally, anything you tuck into it takes up space in the bag’s main section. The laptop compartment has several small accessory pockets, including a zippered mesh one for small items. A quick-access pocket at the top of the bag can hold sunglasses, a smartphone, and gym and transit passes. And just above the water-bottle holder is a small, zippered pocket for keys and a wallet or other small items.

It comes in a smaller version, too. If you have a smaller torso, you might prefer the Aer Fit Pack 3, which is essentially a smaller version of the Duffel Pack 3. It has the same overall design, with a rear compartment for your laptop and other gear, a clothes area in the front, and a dedicated shoe compartment on the bottom. But the Fit Pack 3 is several inches shorter and holds about 25% less (almost 19 liters in total capacity versus the Duffel Pack 3’s roughly 25 liters), so it looks and feels quite a bit smaller on your back. Aer’s bags all have a lifetime warranty.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It’s expensive for a gym bag. But it isn’t overly expensive for a good backpack. If you need a good backpack that’s excellent as a gym bag, the Aer Duffel Pack 3 is a great choice. If you’re looking for a secondary bag to bring to the gym, consider our other options.

Its external water-bottle holder is a bit insecure. As with most external water-bottle pockets, holding a bottle in a side pocket like this is somewhat unreliable. Admittedly, the Aer design is deep enough that a large bottle stays more or less secure, but I don’t know how much I’d trust it if I were riding a bike or swinging the bag around.

Specs

This is not a comprehensive list of every surge protector we’ve tested. We’ve removed models that no longer meet our requirements or are discontinued.

The 12-outlet Anker 351 Power Strip (A9192) comes in black or white, with either a 5-foot or 10-foot cord. It’s cheaper than our top pick and adds USB ports (two USB-A and one USB-C). However, it performed dreadfully in our testing, offering almost no surge protection. It also lacks an automatic shutoff feature, so you have to check the indicator lights regularly to know when the surge-protection components are worn out, and it has no coaxial connectors or telephone ports.

The 12-outlet APC Performance SurgeArrest P12U2 has an auto-shutoff feature that kicks in only when the main (L-N) leg wears out. This means that if either of its other two legs (L-G or N-G) breaks down first, it will continue to send power to your devices, which could be unsafe.

Like our top pick, the 12-outlet Belkin BE112234-10 performed well in our surge tests, and it’s UL listed. It also has surge-protection and ground/fault indicator lights, three telephone ports, two coaxial connectors, a long cord, and a lifetime warranty. However, it lacks auto-shutoff capabilities and doesn’t offer any additional features of note.

The 12-outlet Belkin SRA007p12tt6 has as many outlets as our top pick, adds USB ports (two USB-A and one USB-C), and it typically costs a bit less. However, it performed worse in our surge tests, it isn’t UL listed, it forgoes an auto-shutoff mechanism, and it lacks telephone and coaxial connectors.

Although the 12-outlet CyberPower P1004UC has as many outlets as our top pick and adds a USB-A port and USB-C port, we dismissed it because it shut down permanently after being zapped with 1,800 volts in our surge tests.

The 12-outlet Tripp Lite Protect It TLP128TTUSBB failed to measure up to our top pick during testing, letting more than twice as many volts slip through.

The 10-outlet Tripp Lite Protect It TLP1008TEL has many of the same key features as our top pick, but it has two fewer outlets and lets through more volts in our surge tests.

We tested the eight-outlet Elac Protek PB-82S, eight-outlet Furman PST-2+6, and 10-outlet Tripp Lite Isobar HT10DBS against our upgrade pick, but they don’t offer the same combination of surge protection, cord length, and rugged build as that model.

The seven-outlet TrickleStar TS1118 has advanced energy-saving and child-protective features, and it performed well in our surge tests. However, it has fewer outlets than otherwise comparable models, and its 4-foot cord is shorter than most.

The seven-outlet Tripp Lite SUPER725B performed well in our surge tests. It’s also UL-listed, and it has an auto-shutoff feature, surge-protection and ground/fault indicator lights, a 25-foot cord, and a lifetime warranty. However, it isn’t as compact as other contenders with fewer than eight outlets, and it has an awkward shape that doesn’t allow it to sit flat on the floor.

The six-outlet Anker A9251 is cheaper than our smallest pick, the SK30USB, and has twice as many outlets and USB ports (six outlets, two USB-A ports, and two USB-C ports). In addition to a screw, it comes with an additional stabilizing peg. However, it has almost no surge protection and lacks an auto-shutoff feature.

The six-outlet Belkin BP106000, and BSV602tt each have twice as many outlets as the SK30USB. Like that model, they have two USB-A ports and can safely mount to a wall with screws. However, we prefer the SK30USB for its smaller size and its safety certifications.

We tested the cheapest surge protector we could find at a local Walmart, the six-outlet Hyper Tough PS682B_B, to see how it would fare against our top contenders, and it failed spectacularly in pretty much every way.

The six-outlet Tripp Lite ISOBAR6ULTRA performed well in our surge tests, is sturdily built, and has a long (12-foot) cord. However, it’s typically much more expensive than other small surge protectors we tested.

The six-outlet Tripp-Lite TLP66USBR has four USB ports — most other models have two at most — but we found that it offered less-than-stellar surge protection. Plus, its extendable USB-hub feature is hard to maneuver and not that useful.

The six-outlet Utilitech 78613 has a bulky, unappealing shape and a flimsier build quality than otherwise comparable models.

The five-outlet Addtam AD45C Surge Protector Outlet Extender with Night Light and five-outlet Mifaso 2A2C Surge Protector Outlet Extender with Night Light have more outlets and USB ports than the SK30USB (five outlets, USB-A ports, and two USB-C ports) and add a built-in night-light. They’re also typically cheaper. However, they have worse surge protection and no auto-shutoff feature.

The three-outlet CyberPower CSP300WUR1 and P300WURC2 are nearly identical models that performed relatively well in our surge tests (blocking all but 282 and 226.8 volts, respectively, of the thousands we threw at them). However, they are slightly larger than the SK30USB and have a shorter (one-year) warranty.

This article was edited by Ben Keough and Erica Ogg.

Photo: Michael Hession

The CyberPower CP900AVR has premium features that you typically find in units costing twice as much. It has 10 surge-protected outlets—five of which are battery-backed—and more than double the output necessary to power a household modem, router, PC, and external hard drive. It can keep a typical household modem and router running for up to four hours. It offers must-have features such as automatic voltage regulation, it’s easy to use, and it fits comfortably under most workstations.

It offers great battery life. The CP900AVR surpasses most models we tested in run time. Judging from our testing, we expect it to keep a modem and router running for up to four hours—or to keep a modem, router, PC, and external hard drive running for about 17 minutes—which gives you ample time to save any work and close any programs you have open.

Those results aren’t far behind what we got from our upgrade pick, and they’re more than twice as long as what we saw with our budget pick.

It treats your devices gently. Since this UPS has automatic voltage regulation (AVR), it doesn’t need to transition from wall-outlet power to battery power as often as models lacking that feature. AVR technology provides more-reliable power to connected devices that can’t tolerate power drops, such as hard drives, and it should extend the overall life of the unit.

It has plenty of outlets. The CP900AVR has a total of 10 outlets, including five battery-backed outlets, so you could keep a PC, monitor, NAS, modem, and router running for a while after the power goes out. Aligned in two rows, the outlets are spaced widely enough for you to fit most plugs, and two of them can accommodate even the bulkiest of plugs.

CyberPower’s CP900AVR has an easy-to-use interface with just two buttons (power on/off and mute) and four indicator lights (showing when the unit is turned on, when the battery backup kicks in, when AVR is activated, and when there’s a power overload) on the front of the unit. Photo: Michael Hession The back of the CP900AVR provides 10 outlets, two network ports, two coaxial connectors, a serial connector, a USB-B port, a circuit-reset button, and a wiring-fault indicator light. Photo: Michael Hession The CP900AVR includes a 6-foot cord with a flat plug angled to the right. Photo: Michael Hession CyberPower’s CP900AVR has an easy-to-use interface with just two buttons (power on/off and mute) and four indicator lights (showing when the unit is turned on, when the battery backup kicks in, when AVR is activated, and when there’s a power overload) on the front of the unit. Photo: Michael Hession

It has one of the longest cords of the UPS units we tested. This UPS has a thick, flexible 6-foot cord, and the flat, low-profile plug is oriented at a 45-degree angle so it won’t block more than one wall outlet.

It’s super powerful. In our testing, the CP900AVR achieved a higher peak power than any comparably priced competitor, and it was just as good as some pricier units we tested.

We were able to plug in 738 watts’ worth of devices—two lamps, a fan, 10 halogen bulbs, and even a KitchenAid mixer set to medium power—before its battery finally cried uncle and shut down.

Most people won’t be powering their KitchenAid mixers on a UPS during a blackout (and you probably shouldn’t, as doing so puts unnecessary strain on the battery). But our test is a good indicator that this UPS can power almost anything you need in your home office for at least a short while.

It offers ample surge protection. In our testing, the CP900AVR knocked down our 5,000-volt surges to just 540.4 volts. That result isn’t quite as good as what we saw from our favorite surge protectors—none of which let through more than 300 volts in testing with identical equipment and parameters—but it’s on a par with how our other UPS picks performed, and it indicates that this UPS can protect your devices against most household power spikes, sags, and surges.

It has a user-replaceable battery. When this UPS’s battery dies, you can swap it out yourself within minutes, rather than replacing the entire unit.

It has its own software. CyberPower’s PowerPanel Personal power-management software is available as a free download with all its UPS models. The utility alerts you when power outages occur and lets you manage automatic and scheduled shutdowns, track the power consumption of your UPS, and check the battery’s charge status and remaining run time.

It’s intuitive to use. This model is as easy to use as any UPS we’ve tested. It has a large, round button on the front to power the unit on and off, and another to mute the notification noises. When the volume is on, the unit issues a double-beep every 30 seconds after an outage, rapid beeping when the battery is about to die, a constant tone in the event of an overload or short circuit, or a beep every two seconds to indicate another internal problem.

Below those buttons is a cluster of four small LEDs that light up to indicate (clockwise from top left) when the unit is powered on, when the battery backup has kicked in, when the unit is overloaded, and when the AVR feature has kicked in. The unit has large vents on either side to prevent overheating, and all of the ports and connectors are located on the back.

It’s fairly compact. The unit has an upright design and dimensions that are about the same as a family-size box of cereal, so you can easily stash it next to a PC tower or wireless router at a workstation, or alongside the speakers and stereo receiver in a record-player setup.

It has lots of convenient extra features. The CP900AVR has a small LED on its backside to alert you if it detects a wiring fault in the outlet you plug it into. It also has a red button to reset the internal circuit breaker in the event of an overload or short circuit.

It lacks USB-A and USB-C ports, but it has a USB-B port and comes with the corresponding cable. This allows you to connect the UPS to your computer, so you can use CyberPower’s software or your computer’s operating system to set up data saving, monitoring, and other functions.

It has two coaxial connectors for hooking up a cable box or modem, as well as a serial port for a printer or other peripheral device. It also offers two network ports for you to connect the unit to a server, a Wi-Fi router, or any other device that requires a wired network connection.

It’s a safe buy. Costing $140 at this writing, the CP900AVR falls well under our $300 price cap. CyberPower backs it with a three-year warranty, which is as long as any coverage we’ve seen and gives you more than enough time to see if the unit works properly and meets your needs. Since power outages happen about once or twice per year on average in the US, you’ll likely have used it in a few real-world outages in that time frame.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Sarah Kobos/NYT Wirecutter Sarah Kobos/NYT Wirecutter Sarah Kobos/NYT Wirecutter

The 3M 6502QL/49489 Rugged Comfort Quick Latch Half Facepiece Reusable Respirator is our favorite reusable respirator mask. It offers a more snug yet more comfortable fit than any of the disposables we tested, making it a better option for long-term wear.

Facepiece respirators like this model are typically used by industrial or agricultural workers, but they’re also practical for people who have to cope with poor air quality on a regular basis, as well as for people who are serious about emergency preparedness. The Rugged Comfort Quick Latch is easier to breathe through compared with other reusable models we tested, and its soft silicone seal is less likely to chafe the skin. Its straps are also simpler to adjust when you’re dialing in the fit, and as a whole it’s more comfortable to wear and more structurally sound.

This is the medium-size version of 3M’s 6500-series respirator. We found that it fit a wide range of faces and physiques—our testers ranged from 5′3″ to 6′1″—but you may wish to consider the 6501QL (small) if you’re much below 5′3″ and lightly built, and you may find the 6503QL (large) slightly more comfortable if you’re above 6′ tall or if you have a large head. (In hat sizes, that’s typically considered anything above 7¼ to 7⅜.) We wish 3M offered more detailed guidance on sizing.

You need to purchase filters for the mask separately; 3M’s 2097 filters are a P100 type that capture virtually all airborne particles, including smoke, and protect against petrochemical fumes and some caustic vapors.

The Rugged Comfort Quick Latch has an adjustable, crown-like harness (the 3M 7502 was the only other model we looked at that offered this feature) and a unique “quick latch” mechanism that allows you to drop the mask from your face without removing the head straps. You should remove the mask only when you’re safely away from a contaminated area.

The “quick latch” mechanism in action. Sarah Kobos/NYT Wirecutter

Testers appreciated that the silicone facepiece didn’t give off an unpleasant smell, whereas those of Honeywell’s 770030L and 550030M models did. The Rugged Comfort Quick Latch’s downward-facing exhalation valve also prevents glasses from fogging up.

As with all reusable respirators, you need to purchase filters separately. For the medium 6502QL, the smaller 6501QL, and the larger 6503QL, that means any 3M-made filter listed as “bayonet-style” or any 6000-series cartridge filters or 2000-, 2200-, 5000-, or 7000-series pancake-style filters.

P100-rated filters are the most widely available kind that meet that criterion. The “100” designation indicates that they capture 99.97% of fine particulates, such as wildfire smoke. And as P-designated filters, they also protect against oil-based substances in the air, such as paint fumes, as well as some caustic vapors. NIOSH approval means that, at the equivalent rating (P100 in this case), pancake-style filters, such as the 3M 2097 filter we recommend, protect you just as effectively as hard-plastic cartridge filters like the 3M 60926. The pancake filters weigh just half an ounce per pair, and they’re our first recommendation for typical use outdoors and around the home. The cartridges are more expensive and weigh far more—8.6 ounces per pair on our scale—but they’re also sturdier, and they might be the better choice if you’ll be doing strenuous physical work, such as a kitchen demolition, while wearing your respirator. 3M recommends replacing both pancake and cartridge filters within six months of opening their packages (PDF), or, in environments where oil aerosols are present, after only 40 hours of total use or 30 days after the first use, whichever comes first.

The Rugged Comfort Quick Latch with 3M’s Filter Adapter 603 and N95 filters. Sarah Kobos/NYT Wirecutter The Rugged Comfort Quick Latch with 3M’s Filter Adapter 603 and N95 filters. Sarah Kobos/NYT Wirecutter The Rugged Comfort Quick Latch with 3M’s Filter Adapter 603 and N95 filters. Sarah Kobos/NYT Wirecutter The Rugged Comfort Quick Latch with 3M’s Filter Adapter 603 and N95 filters. Sarah Kobos/NYT Wirecutter

Flaws but not dealbreakers

3M’s lack of sizing guidance on its reusable respirators makes it difficult to determine which size you should get prior to ordering. We’ve offered what general guidance we can based on our testing on 10 people of various sizes, but it would be a lot easier to refer to a size chart. A few retailers offer detailed respirator-sizing guides, which help, but we’d like to see something like that from the manufacturer. According to the retailer Enviro Safety Products, 80% of adults should fit into a medium. That roughly tracks with our observations, and anecdotally, we’ve found that very few folks move to the small size—that version should fit 5% of adults, according to Enviro Safety.

No respirator will work if you have a full beard—the silicone seal has to lie against bare skin. The CDC has guidelines regarding facial-hair styles that can work with respirators, as well as a comparison table of respirator types, including those with P100 filters.

We’ve mentioned that the filters are sold separately and last a max of six months once opened, so you’re facing an ongoing cost at best (and at worst, expired filters in the thick of an emergency). And we need to reiterate the weight concern involving hard-plastic cartridge filters like the 3M 60926—a full 8.6 ounces of filter hanging off your face is a significant additional weight, so bear that in mind.

Finally, one tester noted that this model worked with glasses but pushed them “a little” upward. That minor criticism was not unique to this half-facepiece respirator mask, though.