7 Best Laptops for ESL Teachers in 2024
From this article, you will know what are, in our opinion, the best laptops for ESL teachers you can buy and use in 2024.
ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers are teachers who teach the English language to non-native speakers in an English-speaking country. They teach people of all ages and fluency levels about the grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation of spoken and written English.
Some tools can help ESL teachers in doing their work. Among those tools, however, a laptop is probably one of the most important ones for many ESL teachers. This is because a laptop can help them work anytime and anywhere they want while also supporting them significantly when they need to teach online.
If you are an ESL teacher but don’t have a laptop yet to support your work, you might be interested in buying a new laptop. Nonetheless, it can be confusing to pick the right laptop for an ESL teacher to use from many laptop models and specification choices out there. This is why Innovation Infinite has tried to compile a list of the best laptops for ESL teachers that you can make as your laptop-buying reference.
Want to know more about the laptops we recommend? Let’s start digging into the list right away.
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| Image | View on Amazon | Product |
|---|---|---|
| Apple MacBook Air M3 | ||
| Microsoft Surface Pro 9 | ||
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon | ||
| HP Spectre x360 | ||
| Dell Latitude 5540 | ||
| Asus Vivobook Go 15 | ||
| Acer Aspire 3 |
Table of Contents:
What are the Best Laptops for ESL Teachers?
Now, let us read more about the laptops we recommend to support the daily work of an ESL teacher. Using one of these laptops should give you the laptop support you need to teach English online or offline more optimally.1. Apple MacBook Air M3
Apple MacBook Air M3 is the first laptop we recommend on this list. Powered by the Apple silicon chip, this MacBook is fast and should have no problem running the software you need for your teaching sessions.The Apple silicon chip that this MacBook has is the Apple M3 chip. It is an excellent processor for a laptop to have in the way that it can process things related to the software you need to use smoothly. There is also 16GB RAM capacity in this MacBook so you can use it to multitask adequately.
The excellent power management of the Apple M3 chip makes this MacBook can last 1-2 days on its battery. Thanks to this, you shouldn’t have to depend on a power outlet too much when you use this MacBook to help you teach English. As ever with a MacBook Air, this MacBook has a sleek and lightweight design with no fan noises for you to worry about so you can work anywhere and anytime more easily and confidently.
To support your online teaching sessions, this MacBook has an excellent webcam, microphones, and speakers so you can have a clear communication experience with your students. All in all, this Apple MacBook Air M3 can be the ideal laptop for you to teach English with.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 13.6 inches, 2560 x 1664 pixels
- Processor: Apple M3 with 8 cores and a speed of 4.05 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 18 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent specifications to support the daily work of an ESL teacher
- Sleek and lightweight
- Two Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Long-lasting battery
- No fan noises
- Excellent display and sound outputs
- Excellent webcam and microphones
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- No USB-A, HDMI ports, and SD card reader slots
- Notched display
2. Microsoft Surface Pro 9
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is the next laptop you may want to take a deeper look at during your laptop-buying process. It is an excellent 2-in-1 laptop from Microsoft that you can convert into a tablet easily by detaching its screen from its keyboard.The 2-in-1 form of this laptop can make it easier for you to do your work as an ESL teacher. You can, for example, use its tablet form to teach English online or review teaching materials on the go. Its touchscreen feature and built-in kickstand that comes with the 2-in-1 form should help you interact more easily with the software you use for your teaching sessions as well.
Performance-wise, you shouldn’t worry about this laptop either. After all, it has a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB RAM capacity to back it up. When you need to use its battery, this laptop has an all-day battery capacity for normal usage so you can do your teaching sessions more flexibly.
One caveat if you buy this laptop is it doesn’t come with its keyboard as that is sold separately. Looking at its whole package, however, this Microsoft Surface Pro 9 can be just the laptop you need to teach English optimally to your students.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 13 inches, 2880 x 1920 pixels
- Processor: 12th Gen Intel Core i7 with 10 cores and speed in the range of 1.8-4.8 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 15.5 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent specifications to support the daily work of an ESL teacher
- A detachable laptop you can use as a tablet too
- Built-in kickstand
- Two Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Great battery
- Quality webcam
Cons
- Doesn’t come with its keyboard
- No USB-A, HDMI ports, and SD card reader slots
3. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is another laptop you may want to consider buying. Coming from the popular Lenovo ThinkPad series, this laptop is a reliable laptop that should perform well against tasks related to the standard work of an ESL teacher.The processor of this laptop is an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H. It is a high-quality processor with 16 cores and a fast base clock speed (3.8 GHz) to give you a stable performance when it runs your software. As for the RAM capacity, this laptop has 16GB to provide you with the memory space you need for your teaching activities.
This laptop uses friendly-to-the-eye display technologies so you can work with it for long hours without getting too much eye strain. There is also a 180-degree hinge that can make you view its display when you work in a more comfortable position.
The keyboard that a ThinkPad laptop has is one of the best around so you should type comfortably whenever you need to input something into the software you use. Overall, this Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon can be a solid laptop choice for an ESL teacher.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 14 inches, 2880 x 1800 pixels
- Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H with 16 cores and speed in the range of 3.8-4.8 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 10 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent specifications to support the daily work of an ESL teacher
- Solid build
- Sleek and lightweight
- USB-A, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, and HDMI ports
- A quite flexible hinge (stretchable up to 180 degrees)
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- No SD card reader slots
4. HP Spectre x360
HP Spectre x360 is a nice laptop that can be very suitable for the work needs of an ESL teacher. Like our previously discussed Microsoft Surface Pro 9, this laptop is a 2-in-1 laptop too although it is a foldable one rather than a detachable one.In terms of performance, this laptop should meet or even exceed your expectations. This is because it has a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB RAM capacity to back it up. Running software related to English teaching should be smoothly done by this laptop thanks to these specifications in place.
The 2-in-1 form and the touchscreen feature of this laptop can simplify teaching processes so your lessons can be more effective in making your students master English. In addition to that, this laptop has a highly portable design so you can carry it around easily in your bag or hand without it becoming too much of a burden for you.
This laptop should facilitate your online teaching sessions well too as it has a full-HD webcam and great speakers supported by Bang & Olufsen technology for that. All in all, this HP Spectre x360 seems to be an excellent laptop to use to support English teaching activities, especially if you can take advantage of the 2-in-1 form that it has.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 13.5 inches, 1920 x 1280 pixels
- Processor: 13th Gen Intel Core i7 with 10 cores and speed in the range of 1.7-5 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 10 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent specifications to support the daily work of an ESL teacher
- A flexible laptop you can use in a tent or tablet form
- Sleek and lightweight
- Thunderbolt 4 USB-C and USB-A ports
- A full-HD webcam
- Great speakers
Cons
- No HDMI ports and SD card reader slots
5. Dell Latitude 5540
Dell Latitude 5540 is a sturdy laptop that can be a great companion for your teaching sessions as an ESL teacher. Considering the model and specification quality that it has, this laptop should support you well as you try your best to teach English to your students.To run its operations, this laptop has a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB RAM capacity. With these performance specifications in place, this laptop should run the software an ESL teacher usually uses smoothly. When you need to store files related to your work internally on this laptop, there is 512GB SSD storage space ready for you to use.
There is a full range of ports with two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the sides of this laptop to enable you to connect easily with external devices you want to use for your teaching sessions. To support you in your online teaching activities or when you need to browse something or work online, there is Wi-Fi 6E technology in this laptop that can get an optimum internet connection speed from your Wi-Fi network.
This laptop has excellent build quality as well so it should be more durable for you to use and can stand a few bumps here and there. Overall, this Dell Latitude 5540 can be a nice laptop to use to help ESL teachers do their work.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 15.6 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Processor: 13th Gen Intel Core i7 with 10 cores and speed in the range of 1.7-5 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 8 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent specifications to support the daily work of an ESL teacher
- Solid build
- A full range of ports with two Thunderbolt 4 ports
- A full-HD webcam
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- Average display quality
6. Asus Vivobook Go 15
Asus Vivobook Go 15 is another laptop alternative that might interest you as you look for a laptop to teach with. If you prefer a more affordable laptop option, then this laptop and the next laptop on this list can be just the laptop for you.This laptop is backed up by an AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor and 8GB RAM capacity to run your software. Although not as good as our previous five laptops, these specifications should still perform well to let you teach English excellently to your students. The AMD processor, in particular, is nice and has a rather fast base clock speed (2.8 GHz) to make it handle tasks from the software you need to use well.
This laptop uses Wi-Fi 6E technology so you can teach online more smoothly with it. When you work with this laptop, you can also adjust its screen position more flexibly so you can teach more comfortably thanks to its 180-degree hinge.
The design and build of this laptop are quite solid too as it has passed military-grade tests to make it more durable and resistant to intense usage and slight knocks that you might accidentally give to it when you teach. All in all, this Asus Vivobook Go 15 seems to be a decent laptop you can choose to help you teach English to your students.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 15.6 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 7520U with 4 cores and speed in the range of 2.8-4.3 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 8GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD storage space
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 8 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Good specifications to support the daily work of an ESL teacher
- USB-A, USB-C, and HDMI ports
- Stretchable hinge (up to 180 degrees)
- Good connectivity
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- No SD card reader slots
- Average display and sound quality
7. Acer Aspire 3
Acer Aspire 3 is the last laptop we have on this list. Although it is more of a budget option, this laptop should still give a good performance level as it accompanies you in your English teaching sessions.This laptop uses an AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor to run things. With the capabilities that the processor has, this laptop should run any standard software smoothly for you. The 8GB RAM that this laptop has should be good enough if you don’t multitask heavily.
The battery life of this laptop is decent as it can last through a whole day on a single charge. This means you can teach productively with more flexibility in terms of time and place. As for your connectivity with the external devices you need for your teaching activities, this laptop has USB-A, USB-C, and HDMI ports you can use.
Looking for an affordable but capable laptop to support your work as an ESL teacher? You may want to consider buying and using this Acer Aspire 3 laptop.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 15.6 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 7520U with 4 cores and speed in the range of 2.8-4.3 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 8GB
- Storage: 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 11 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Good specifications to support the daily work of an ESL teacher
- USB-A, USB-C, and HDMI ports
- Good battery life
- Friendly-to-the-eye display technologies
- Decent keyboard quality
Cons
- No SD card reader slots
- Average build quality
- Average display quality
What are the Things We Should Consider When We Want to Buy a Laptop for an ESL Teacher to Use?
Here are the things we think you should consider when you want to buy a laptop to support the teaching activities of an ESL teacher.- Processor. The laptop you buy should have a good processor so it can run all the software programs you need smoothly. We recommend a laptop with a late-generation i5/7 or Ryzen 5/7 processor or an Apple silicon chip for this
- RAM capacity. The laptop you buy should have adequate RAM capacity to provide the memory space needed by your usage of the laptop to support your teaching activities. We recommend a laptop with 8/16GB RAM for this
- Storage. You may need to store some files related to your teaching activities as an ESL teacher internally on your laptop so you can access them much more easily later. Thus, the laptop you buy should have adequate storage space to accommodate those files. We recommend a laptop with at least 256GB SSD storage space for this
Wrap Up
When you want to buy a laptop, you may want one that can help you teach English as an ESL teacher smoothly. However, it can be confusing to pick the right laptop from many laptop choices out there. This is why Innovation Infinite has created a list of the best laptops for ESL teachers to help you.To summarize, here are seven laptops we recommend for an ESL teacher.
- Apple MacBook Air M3
- Microsoft Surface Pro 9
- Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
- HP Spectre x360
- Dell Latitude 5540
- Asus Vivobook Go 15
- Acer Aspire 3
We hope our list can help you buy the best laptop to support your teaching activities as an ESL teacher!
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