Level Up Your Study Habits With These Helpful Tech Picks

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Technology has already transformed the way we entertain ourselves or keep track of our health and fitness, but it’s also quietly revolutionizing the way we learn. Computers and the internet forever changed how we interact with information. Now, even more recent developments, from touchscreens to AI, are putting more and more knowledge at our fingertips. 

If you don’t want to fall behind, Best Buy is a great place to level up your study habits or help the college student in your life conquer the classroom. For a limited time, the Back To School Deals section will offer shoppers up to 40% off essential school, dorm and campus items.

Maximize your savings by checking out the Best Buy store page on RetailMeNot, where you can take advantage of 2% cash back through the end of August. You can also browse our Campus Connect hub with Best Buy! It provides an easy-to-shop experience for browsing the best back-to-college deals in one place.

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10 Best Picks For College Students

Here are 10 of the best items currently available to help college students boost their productivity and streamline their study habits.

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch

Your college computer is at the very heart of your student life, powering not only your studies but also your precious downtime on weekends or between study sessions. It pays to invest in something both powerful and portable. For years now, the MacBook Pro has been the laptop of choice for college students, for obvious reasons. It’s extremely powerful, capable of handling everything you throw at it, while still being portable and robust enough to take to class for faster note-taking. Thanks to its extended battery life, you can keep it going through your entire day, from morning classes to late-afternoon library study sessions, on a single charge. The 14-inch size is also the ideal compromise between larger screen real estate and easy portability.

Price: $1,699, $1,999

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Cync Smart Bulbs

Stock dorm lighting is typically overly bright, even to the point of causing eye strain, so consider upgrading your bulbs to these “smart” options from Cync. You’ll be able to choose between millions of different color options via the Cync app, or establish preset lighting for given tasks like gaming or studying, so when you need to lock in, all you have to do is tap a few buttons on your smartphone. Better yet, take advantage of the integrated Alexa and Google Home voice integration and ditch the button tapping entirely.

Price: $23.99

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Apple iPad 11-inch

If you want a truly lightweight option for classroom note-taking, ditch the laptops entirely and bring the classic 11-inch iPad from Apple. The gorgeous Liquid Retina display makes text appear completely crisp, while the updated iPadOS paired with the ultra-powerful A16 chip enables easy multitasking. This makes it easy to check your email, consult Siri and take notes. For even more productivity gains, consider picking up the Apple Pencil or Magic Keyboard as well.

Price: $299, $349

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HP Envy Wireless Printer

Even in the era of emails and PDFs, you will, occasionally, need to print something out. On those occasions, it’s very nice not to have to run around the campus looking for a printer while simultaneously praying it’s not out of ink. The HP Envy Wireless Printer connects (and reconnects) to your Wi-Fi network, allowing you to print crisp, clear documents from your PC, phone or tablet. You can even control the printer using the HP app to unlock document scanning.

Price: $89.99, $149.99

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Skylight Touchscreen Smart Calendar

One major adjustment new college students need to make is the sudden increase in freedom. And while that can mean a lot of fun things (like staying out late or eating all you want at the cafeteria), it also means that you have to make your own schedule and keep your own commitments. The Skylight Touchscreen Smart Calendar offers a beautiful, vibrant and easy-to-read display. You can see all of your daily and weekly appointments and activities at a glance. Best of all, it integrates with popular calendar apps from Outlook, Yahoo, Google and Apple, so you can sync up all your commitments and to-do lists with ease.

Price: $319.99

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PNY Elite Turbo Attache 4 USB Flash Drive

If you work with media at all, you know that file sizes have grown astronomically larger in recent years. Ultra-HD photos and 4K+ resolution videos look great, but they also demand a ton of storage space. This is why having a 256GB flash drive you can carry on a key chain is such a huge productivity advantage. We like the PNY Elite Turbo Attache 4 for its ultra-fast read and write speeds. Plus, its small size, cross-platform compatibility, and the plug-and-play nature are even more advantages. You can ditch power bricks and proprietary software to create a storage option that just works for you every time.

Price: $19.99, $42.99

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Samsonite Better than Basic Backpack

You’re going to need a way to bring your books, pens/pencils, laptop, and incidentals like charging cables and water bottles between your dorm, your classrooms, and the library. The classic backpack remains the best, most back-friendly way to do it. We love the Better than Basic backpack from Samsonite for its extra-rugged construction, comfortable airmesh panels that distribute weight while mitigating heat buildup, and ample storage options. It features a laptop sleeve, zippered compartments, and even a key ring.

Price: $79.99

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Amazon Kindle Scribe

If you can’t sacrifice the feeling of handwriting but still want to take advantage of digitization, the Kindle Scribe is a great no-compromise device. It offers an all-in-one option for taking notes, creating to-do lists, or keeping a journal. The gorgeous, 300ppi display is easy to read, even in daylight. Plus, the premium pen with built-in eraser operates like a high-end fountain pen, offering precision and speed when you need it most.

Price: $449.99

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Ray-Ban Meta Glasses

If you really want to future-proof your study habits, pick up the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses with built-in AI. Using these while scanning documents or going over your notes is a bit like having an extremely smart tutor at your beck and call. The included 12MP camera and five-mic design make communicating via the glasses, whether with AI or with your friends, totally effortless. You’ll also have the ability to share what you’re seeing through the glasses, which opens up whole new opportunities for remote tutoring.

Price: $299

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Insignia Dual Screen Desktop Monitor Mount

If you really care about optimizing your workflows, a good monitor mount is an underrated way to squeeze every last ounce of productivity out of your workspace (especially if you’re dealing with a cramped college dorm desk). The Insignia Dual Screen mount allows you to mount up to two 30-inch monitors, giving you a ton of added screen real estate. This will simultaneously free up your desk for the notebooks and textbooks you’re no doubt going to be nose-deep in for hours a night.

Price: $49.99, $59.99

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