Best Laptop For Aviation Students And Pilots – Reviews

Are you searching for the best laptop for aviation students?

Well, you’ve reached the right place.

Locking on one laptop can be very challenging when there are no specific needs. That’s where we come in. We are experts in picking laptops for specific needs and are here to help.

We did a ton of research spanning several hours so that you don’t have to.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best notebooks for pilots and aviation students.

Best Laptops For Aviation Students And Pilots

Here are our best picks:

1. ASUS ZenBook 13 – Editor’s Choice

ASUS ZenBook 13 Ultra-Slim Laptop

The ASUS ZenBook 13 is our Editor’s Choice for the best laptop for aviation students. We’ve seen a lot of excellent laptops in the ZenBok line, and this one is no different.

For an aviation student, the laptop’s portability plays a significant role. Fortunately, the ASUS ZenBook 13 is one of the most portable laptops. With some neat engineering, ASUS has reduced the footprint of this laptop by a good deal, making it a perfect choice for those who are on the move.

With a weight of around 2.47 lbs, You can easily slide this laptop into your bag and carry on with your business. The durable laptop is also reliable, making it a good choice for outdoor use. There are no creaky noises when you open or close the laptop. The palm rest is also sturdy, which talks about the laptop’s build quality.

Being a premium laptop, you would expect this to have an excellent cooling system in place. Even though this laptop is not meant for gaming, having the i7 processor could produce a lot of heat over time. But this ASUS laptop manages to keep the temperature down with the help of winds and some careful thermal handling.

The display we have here is a 13.3″ display that comes with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. While the flagship model comes with a touchscreen, this model here does not have one, which helps keep the laptop’s price low.

When it comes to color quality, this display is one of the best ones you can find. It has an IPS panel underneath, and thanks to that, the contrast ratio and the picture output are nothing short of excellent. You also get great viewing angles for regular use and media consumption.

One of the best things about this display is the size of the bezels surrounding it. ASUS has considerably reduced the bezels’ size and calls it the InfinityEdge display. Apart from the bottom bezel, all the other ones are super thin, making for an uninterrupted viewing experience.

The ASUS ZenBook 13 comes with a 52WHr 4-cell battery. This may not look like much, but the laptop delivers one of the best battery performances on a laptop. With simple use like video playback and web surfing, you can get around 8 to 10 hours of battery life from this laptop which is astounding.

Even when you do something resource-intensive, the laptop should still be able to give you at least 5 to 7 hours of battery life which is brilliant. However, the final number will depend on the user’s habits and the intensity of their workflow.

If you type a lot, then you will be pleased with the keyboard you have on the ASUS ZenBook 13. The keys are well laid out and provide enough feedback, making for an excellent typing experience.

The keys are backlit, and it comes in handy when working in dimly lit situations. The lack of a dedicated number pad might disappoint some, but you must consider that this is a 13.3-inch laptop. The touchpad we have here is a Windows precision trackpad that gives you an outstanding experience.

The processor that handles everything is an Intel Core i7 8565U processor. This quad-core processor from Intel comes with a base clock speed of 1.8GHz and a maximum clock speed of 4.6GHz. It also has an intelligent cache of 8MB which will come in handy.

The processor is almost overkill for your everyday use. But it plays a significant role when you have to run something that is complex and resource-hungry. Regardless of the application’s size, this processor handles it without a hiccup.

From memory, you have 16GB of RAM which should be enough for most aviation students and even pilots. Multitasking is not an issue here, as 16 GB allows you to do much more than you could imagine. The 512 GB solid-state drive is the storage you have on this laptop. The SSD is fast and plays a vital role in sustaining this laptop’s performance.

Overall, the ASUS ZenBook 13 is a solid ultrabook that gives you the best performance you will ever have as an aviation student. The good thing about this laptop is that it brings all the needed stuff without breaking the bank.

Pros
  • Amazing display
  • Fingerprint reader
  • Exceptional battery life
Cons
  • No touchscreen

2. Apple iPad Pro – Runner Up

2020 apple ipad pro

Our runner-up for the best device for aviation students and pilots is the Apple iPad Pro.

We know that the Apple iPad Pro is not a laptop. It is a high-end tablet that can also be used as a laptop with the help of Apple’s new magic keyboard. Though you may not want a tablet, the iPad Pro makes an excellent argument thanks to its power and portability.

When it comes to power, the iPad Pro compares with many mid-range laptops and even beats them. But the real advantage here is the portability of the device. The iPad Pro weighs just 1.41 lbs which is crazy for a machine with so much power.

The display we have here is a 12.9-inch one that comes with a liquid Retina display with Promotion technology and accurate tone technology. We all know want retina resolution is and how it makes for excellent-quality displays. But the natural killer here is the Promotion of technology.

Promotion technology brings a 120Hz refresh rate to the iPad, which is unbelievable when you see it in person. Once you start using a display with promotion technology, there is no going back. In addition, total technology elevates the picture quality and gives the iPad an incredible viewing experience.

One of the areas where the iPad does not have any competition is in the battery life department. With light use, like web surfing, video playback, social media, and office work, the iPad Pro should last for about 10 to 12 hours which is impressive. If you use the iPad on a cellular network, expect this number to go down a little bit.

The iPad Pro has two cameras that are almost as good as the ones you find on iPhones. One camera is a 12MP wide camera, while the other one is a 10MP ultrawide camera. Both these cameras come with intelligent HDR and 4K video at up to 60 frames per second.

The iPad Pro also comes with a LiDAR scanner which will play a massive role in augmented reality. This component of the device will also open new possibilities when it comes to portrait photography and other AR-related applications.

The only caveat with the iPad Pro is that there is no inbuilt keyboard. The good news is you can get a Magic keyboard from Apple to make your iPad Pro more like a computer. This magic keyboard adds to your expense but adds a new dimension to your iPad Pro. It is also a must if you like to type a lot.

The iPad Pro comes with an A12Z Bionic chip with a 64-bit desktop-class architecture and an embedded M12 coprocessor. The processor also has a neural engine, making it one of the few mobile processors to do this.

When it comes to performance, the iPad Pro absolutely kills it.

The performance of the iPad Pro is even better than many laptops, which is why Apple is pushing this as a laptop replacement in many areas. You can perform even complex tasks like video editing without any issues, as this iPad can handle it smoothly.

For security, the iPad Pro comes with Face ID. Face ID has improved over Touch ID and is as secure as they come. Apple swears by face ID, which is why you find it on all the flagship products.

Regarding connectivity, the iPad Pro has the latest and greatest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built-in. It also comes with a USB-C connector that should come in handy for data transfer and external connectivity.

The iPad Pro is an excellent laptop device for aviation students and pilots. This Apple product trims a lot of fat and gives you a super portable device with almost the same power as any other upper mid-range laptop.

Pros
  • Gorgeous display
  • Amazing battery life
  • Beastly performance
Cons
  • Keyboard is not included

3. Apple MacBook Air – Budget Pick

MacBook Air

For aviation students, a budget laptop is not something super cheap. It is about achieving excellent performance without spending copious amounts of money. Taking that route, the best budget laptop for aviation students is the Apple MacBook Air.

The Apple MacBook Air is the cheapest of all the MacBooks and comes with all the goodness that Apple offers on a laptop.

The MacBook Air is one of the most portable laptops available on the market. With a weight of just 2.5 lbs, this is easily the most portable and lightweight laptop you can use. You can slide this into your backpack and move on like nothing is extra.

The display on the MacBook Air follows the same suit as that of the MacBook Pro. We have a 13.3-inch display that comes with retina resolution and crams more than 4 million pixels on the screen. Regarding picture quality, this is one of the best displays you will get on an ultrabook.

The speakers on this laptop will definitely surprise you. For its size, the MacBook Air gives you excellent sound that rivals even some high-end laptops. Even if you are critical about your sound, this MacBook Air might just let you use the laptop as it is without the need for any external speakers.

How long does the MacBook Air last? The MacBook Air can easily last about 10 to 12 hours of light use. When we say light use, we mean playing videos, social media, simple office work, and other everyday use. This number will come down if you do something intensive on this laptop, but that is to be expected.

The processor powers the Apple MacBook Air is an Intel core i3 processor. This may not be as powerful as an i5 or an i7 processor, but it can surely get things done. You can even run complex applications on this laptop, as this processor can handle most of them without any issues.

With 8GB of RAM and a memory department, the MacBook Air allows you to multitask to your heart’s content. We can open multiple tabs on your browsers, run multiple applications simultaneously, and even do a little bit of virtualization if that is up your alley.

This MacBook Air starts with 256 GB of storage. Our storage here is a solid-state drive, and it has excellent reading and writing speeds. Apple is known for its solid-state drives, and this one is no different when it comes to performance.

Another nice inclusion to this year’s MacBook Air is Touch ID. Touch ID allows you to log in to your user profile was a single touch. It also enables you to use Apple Pay and pay for stuff online, which is very convenient. You can also increase your data with the help of third-party apps that support touch ID.

Overall, the Apple MacBook Air is an excellent laptop with an affordable price back. If you’re looking for a decent laptop that does everything, a high-end laptop will do, but without costing you as much, this is the one for you.

Pros
  • Lightweight
  • Touch ID
  • Epic battery life
Cons
  • Only USB type C

Conclusion

That brings this post to an end.

If you are an aviation student, we hope you found the laptop of your liking. If you’re still confused, do not hesitate to contact us using the contact page.

We will get back to you and help you pick the perfect laptop for your needs.