Best Tech for Students in 2026: 12 Back-To-School Gadgets Worth Buying

Back-to-school shopping has changed a bit. Pens, notebooks, and a new backpack are still useful, but students are now just as likely to need a laptop charger, decent headphones, or something to stop their phone dying halfway through the day.

Here are 12 of our favorite tech picks for students in 2026, from genuine essentials to upgrades that are a little harder to justify but considerably more fun.

Our Top Picks

1. Best Overall

   

   ASUS Vivobook 16

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2. Best Value

   

   UGREEN Nexode

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3. Best for Everyday Use

   

   JLab JBuds Lux

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The College Workhorse: ASUS Vivobook 16 M1607ka-DS54

For most college students, a laptop is going to be the biggest tech purchase on the back-to-school list, and the ASUS Vivobook 16 strikes a good balance between everyday performance and price.

With 16GB of DDR5 RAM, there’s plenty of room for multitasking without feeling cramped, while the 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD gives you enough space for coursework and everyday files without immediately reaching for external storage.

The Ryzen AI 5 340 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor that should be comfortably capable of normal college workloads. The 16-inch 1920 × 1200 display also uses a taller 16:10 aspect ratio, giving you more vertical space for documents, webpages, and spreadsheets. It’s anti-glare too, although the 300-nit, 60Hz panel is more practical than premium.

You also get two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, HDMI, and a headphone jack, plus a Full HD webcam with Windows Hello facial recognition, a physical privacy shutter, and a backlit keyboard with a number pad.

The main compromise is portability. At 5.84 lb, it isn’t brutally heavy, but it’s noticeably more laptop to carry around than a smaller ultrabook. Its integrated Radeon 840M graphics are fine for coursework and some casual gaming, but this isn’t a gaming laptop.

For Blocking Out the World: JLab JBuds Lux ANC

Whether you’re trying to study in a busy library, commute to class, or block out your roommates, a decent pair of headphones can make student life considerably easier.

The JLab JBuds Lux ANC sit comfortably in the midrange, offering many of the features normally associated with more expensive headphones without jumping into premium pricing. They offer hybrid ANC, spatial audio, multipoint Bluetooth, and seriously impressive battery life, with more than 70 hours of playback or around 40 hours with ANC switched on. A 10-minute quick charge can also give you around 7.5 hours of listening.

They’re available in several colors, including Graphite, Mauve, Sage, Cloud, and Navy, although availability varies. They also feature comfy Cloud Foam earcups, an optional Be Aware mode, Wireless Share Mode, and wired USB-C audio.

You can customize the sound, controls, and other features through the JLab app too, giving you plenty of room to tweak them to your liking.

The Commuter Essential: UGREEN Nexode Power Bank

With a 20,000mAh capacity, up to 45W charging, a built-in braided USB-C cable, another USB-C port, and USB-A, this power bank has you covered.

It can charge three devices simultaneously, and the built-in cable works for both charging your devices and recharging the power bank itself. That means you can always charge your phone without the sudden panic of, “Did I forget the cable?”

At 1.03 lb (468 g), it isn’t the lightest power bank out there, but it’s big enough to get you through a long day, fast enough to be genuinely useful, and you can’t forget the cable because the bloody thing is attached to it.

If you’re putting together a more gaming-focused travel setup, we’ve also rounded up some of the best portable gadgets for gamers.

The Campus Companion: Garmin vívoactive 5

The Garmin vívoactive 5 has student life written all over it, packing in most of the smartwatch features you’re actually likely to use without jumping into the price range of some more premium models.

It features an AMOLED touchscreen, notifications, Garmin Pay, music storage, sleep tracking, Pulse Ox, fitness tracking, and built-in GPS, plus up to 11 days of battery life in smartwatch mode.

Garmin offers more expensive alternatives with built-in speakers and microphones if making and receiving calls from your wrist is important to you. But if you’re willing to take your phone out of your pocket for calls, the vívoactive 5 covers an impressive amount of everything else.

Portable Typing: CHERRY XTRFY K33 Compact Wireless

For students moving between home, school, college, or the library, a smaller keyboard makes a lot of sense. The CHERRY XTRFY K33 uses a 75% layout that manages to stay compact without feeling too stripped back, making it easier to carry around or fit into a smaller study setup.

It can connect using Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless, or a wired connection, while its IP54 rating gives it some extra protection against dust and splashes.

It also happens to look really nice. The white finish combined with the RGB lighting adds a bit of personality without making the whole thing look like an over-the-top gaming keyboard. I particularly like the softer rainbow effect, although there are seven dynamic RGB effects to choose from if rainbow isn’t your thing.

For students who want something practical enough for essays but compact enough to carry around with them, this is a strong choice. If you’re comparing compact keyboards, our Vissles LP85 review looks at another portable 75% option.

Work and Play: Razer Pro Click V2

This ergonomically designed right-handed wireless mouse is a great all-around option, with an extended thumb rest designed to support your hand during longer sessions.

It’s made for both work and play, so when the essay ends, the gaming can begin. The Pro Click V2 offers five-way multi-device connectivity, making it easy to switch between your PC, laptop, tablet, and other compatible devices. Battery life is rated at up to 3.5 months under Razer’s standard test conditions.

Delightfully, it also has fully customizable 14-zone underglow lighting. Does it serve any real purpose? No. Is it really very cool? Absolutely.

With Razer HyperScroll, a Focus Pro 30K optical sensor, and AI Prompt Master for productivity shortcuts, this is a mouse that can comfortably take you from working all day to gaming all night, before being thrown into your bag when you head home to get your laundry done.

If you want something more gaming-focused, our Marsback Zephyr Pro review covers one of the stranger mice we’ve tested, complete with a built-in cooling fan.

Desk Upgrade: Cuktech 30 Ultra 300W Charging Station

This is the kind of product that looks slightly excessive until your desk is covered in chargers. The CUKTECH 30 Ultra is a 300W desktop charging station designed to replace a lot of that clutter with one unit.

It has three USB-C ports, one USB-A port, and a dedicated DC output. Two of the USB-C ports can deliver up to 140W each, while the station tops out at 300W combined. The dedicated DC output can also deliver up to 300W on its own to compatible laptops using the supplied cable and adapter tips.

One of its best features is the color display on the front. Rather than simply telling you something is charging, it gives you live information about the wattage, voltage, and current being delivered to connected devices. Is that strictly necessary? Probably not. Is it exactly the sort of unnecessary tech detail I love? Absolutely.

For students with a laptop, phone, tablet, and various other accessories fighting for space on the same desk, it can replace a surprising amount of charging clutter.

If 300W is complete overkill for your setup, the Baseus Nomos 5-in-1 Charging Station we featured in our Father’s Day tech picks is another desk-friendly option with wired and Qi2 wireless charging.

Dorm-Room Upgrade: Boulies EP500 Ergonomic Office Chair With Footrest

When it comes to chairs, there are a lot to choose from, but the Boulies EP500 is a standout in our book.

Its wide seat and highly adjustable armrests mean it can adapt to your setup and work as a solid all-around option. The ergonomic design, adaptive lumbar support, adjustable backrest, and adjustable seat depth help keep you supported through long study sessions, while the recline and built-in footrest are there when it’s time to take a break.

The armrests can also be flipped up, making it easier to tuck the chair under a desk when space is tight.

For the Student Who Loses Everything: Chipolo POP

Sending a student off to college with hundreds of dollars of tech when they’ve already lost the TV remote three times this week may feel like a recipe for disaster.

The Chipolo POP is a small tracker that can be attached to keys, backpacks, and other easy-to-lose belongings. Unlike an AirTag, it isn’t limited to Apple users, with support for either Apple Find My or Google Find Hub depending on which phone ecosystem you use. You choose one network at a time when setting it up.

It has a direct Bluetooth range of up to 300 ft, while Apple Find My or Google Find Hub can help locate it beyond Bluetooth range through their wider device networks. It also has a loud 120 dB alert, IP55 dust and water resistance, and a replaceable CR2032 battery rated to last up to a year.

That won’t magically teach anyone where they left their keys, but at least now you have a fighting chance of finding them.

For Creative Students: Scrib3d P1 3D Printing Pen

The SCRIB3D P1 lets you draw physical 3D objects using 1.75mm filament, allowing you to bring ideas to life for craft projects, models, or even finishing touches on existing 3D-printed items.

There isn’t much setup involved. Plug it in, choose the correct mode for your filament, wait for it to heat up, and start creating. It supports both PLA and ABS filament, with PLA temperatures ranging from 160°C to 210°C and ABS from 200°C to 230°C.

The nozzle gets extremely hot, so it needs careful handling, but for creative students it could easily be one of the more fun options on the list.

Build Your Own Tech: SCAEMO DIY Bluetooth Speaker Kit

The SCAEMO DIY Bluetooth Speaker Kit lets students build their own working speaker while learning some of the basics of electronics through a hands-on STEM project.

The best bit is that once it’s finished, it isn’t just another project destined for the back of a closet. It’s a functioning Bluetooth speaker they can actually connect to a phone, tablet, or laptop and use.

No soldering is required, and it runs on four AA batteries, which aren’t included. So whether you want to spend some time building it together or just give them something more interesting to do for a couple of hours, this budget-friendly gadget gets our seal of approval.

The Wildcard: Amazon Echo Dot

Whether you’re sending them off to college to fend for themselves or they’re still at home, an Echo Dot does a lot more than play music.

It can be used to set alarms, reminders, and routines, tell you the weather, and even answer some of the trickier questions kids might have, like, “Why doesn’t the moon fall down?”

The 5th-generation Echo Dot has a compact design with a front-firing speaker, and Alexa can also control compatible smart-home devices such as lights. For younger users, Amazon Kids can provide kid-friendly answers, disable voice purchasing, and let parents manage content, communications, and other controls through the Parent Dashboard. A child Voice ID can also trigger the Amazon Kids experience when Alexa recognizes them.

If $79.99 looks unusually expensive for an Echo Dot, you’re not imagining it. Amazon raised the 5th-generation model’s price from $49.99 to $79.99 in August 2026.

What Tech Do Students Actually Need?

You don’t need to buy everything on this list to put together a decent student setup.

For most people, the priorities are straightforward: a reliable laptop, a charger you won’t hate carrying around, and a pair of headphones that can survive both studying and commuting. A power bank becomes increasingly useful if you’re away from a wall outlet for most of the day.

After that, it comes down to how and where you work. A compact keyboard and mouse can make a laptop setup much more comfortable, a charging station can clean up a crowded desk, and a smartwatch or tracker can make everyday student life a little easier.

The rest is firmly in the “nice to have” category, but sometimes that’s where the fun stuff lives.