9 Best Laptops For Nursing Students in December 2024 [Expert Recommended]

If you are in a hurry, You can pick our expert’s best choice the latest [amazon link=”B09TG8VVSH” title=”HP Envy X360″ /].

In this article, we have enlisted the best laptops for Nursing Students for 2024 that will be able to fuel your endeavors without breaking into a sweat.

When enrolling in a nursing program in the United States, most nursing schools encourage their students to purchase a high-quality laptop. Has your college requested that you obtain one as well? Furthermore, most of them do not accept computers that are more than three years old.

So, are you perplexed about which one to choose because there are so many options from various laptop manufacturers? Don’t worry; we’ve ranked, tested, and listed the best models to meet your computing requirements.

As a nursing student, you’ll be flitting between home, college, and frequent visits to the hospital, so you’ll need a laptop that’s thin, lightweight, durable, and provides buttery-smooth efficiency. We’ve also reviewed College Students Under $500.

You do not need any high-end i9-powered laptops. You only need a good laptop capable of running Microsoft Office programs like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, and do some Internet surfing for study and other academic activities. And to ensure this, our experts have compiled a list of minimum and recommended laptop requirements for a nursing school student. Let us take a look at it!

 Top 9 Best Laptops For Nursing Students in 2024 [Recommended]

To complete academic coursework, a nursing student undoubtedly needs targeted resources. As stated earlier, you would need recordkeeping, accounting, and scheduling resources more than anything else.

Whether it is OnShift, an adequately full-of-resources platform for managing senior care and living, or GeroPro, the comprehensive Healthcare suite, you must focus on single-core processes above everything else.

With the proclivities in mind, our Nursing school experts, including graduates and professionals, checked more than 37 laptops and compiled a list of the 9 best laptops worth buying for your schoolwork.

These devices were chosen based on their portability, ease of use, productivity-enhancing features, online compatibility, long-lasting battery life, and, of course, their price.

01. Best Versatile Laptop: HP Envy X360

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If you’re looking for a low-cost convertible from a reputable company, the HP Envy x360 is possibly the best choice.

The latest 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1260P CPU is a game-changer in terms of processing performance. However, if you want to use the computer to handle nursing tasks, Microsoft Office packages, PDFs, and visual tools, the 4.70GHz turbo clock speed is more than sufficient.

With the Intel Iris Xe graphics support, you can easily play casual online games. HP provides new 16GB DDR4 device memory with the Envy x360, which you can upgrade to 64GB, which can perform a wide range of multitasking tasks without experiencing any downtime.

With the fastest 1 TB PCIe NVMe SSD unit in play, storing files, directories, and everything else relevant is not a problem. The Windows 11 Home edition operating system enhances the user experience integrated with this handy convertible.

In terms of display, the 15-inch crisp color screen is all about transparency and features micro-edge bezels. The IPS panel supports multi-touch and has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

In addition, the HP Envy x360 has a backlit touchscreen, a gesture-enabled touchpad, a Broad Vision webcam, a dual array, and studio-grade microphones. You also get access to high-quality speakers from Bang & Olufsen.

The HP Envy x360 weighs about 5 pounds and has a 360-degree hinge, and the hourglass hinge design is an underappreciated but critical feature that improves the device’s durability.

In terms of port configuration, you have access to USB 3.0, HDMI, and Type-C ports. Furthermore, Wi-Fi 6 support ensures that internet connections are fast and secure.

Despite extras like Alexa compatibility and BIOS security, HP provides nearly 10 hours of extended battery backup.

In summary, the Envy x360 is most likely the best 2-in-1 system on our list, striking an excellent balance between price and functionality.

02. Best Functional Laptop: Acer Nitro 5

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The Acer Nitro 5 is our personal favorite, as it strikes the ideal balance of price, strength, and portability. So, if you’re looking for a low-cost notebook that can run nursing applications like Skyscape, Calibre, and others, look no further than the Acer Nitro 5.

Acer includes a 12th Gen Intel 10-Core i7-12700H processor with boosted clock speeds of up to 4.70GHz. With 8 cores to work with it, this is likely the most powerful processor available, rivaled only by a few Intel Core i9 processors. Aside from this high-end processor, you also get enough graphics support from NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060.

In addition, we get 16GB of DDR4 RAM for effective multitasking. The 512GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD module, which boasts NVMe compatibility, provides storage-centric support. The installed operating system is Windows 11 Home Edition, which allows navigation and technical activities for nursing students.

The 15.6-inch screen display is most likely the ideal visual viewpoint for students and aspiring professionals. Furthermore, the maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels enhances color accuracy and visual clarity. Acer uses LED-backlit power-efficient technology on top of the IPS plate.

With the backlit keyboard at the helm, you can create content and type continuously in low-light conditions. The Nitro 5 includes an HD webcam, a serviceable voice-purified microphone, a smooth trackpad, and an easy-to-use fingerprint scanner for the one-touch startup.

The frame is ultra-thin and metal-clad, weighing just 5.51 pounds. Regardless of the chassis, Acer includes a plethora of usable ports, including USB Type-C, Display Port, HDMI, and USB charging support.

In terms of access, Wi-Fi 6 is supported, allowing for quicker internet connections. The built-in Alexa compatibility is another underestimated but critical productivity feature.

On average use, the battery will easily last 11.5 hours and even a little longer. In general, nothing outshines the functionality provided by this amazing laptop, which is best known for its advanced processor under the hood, for the given price point.

03. Best Performative Laptop: Asus ZenBook 14X

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The Asus ZenBook 14X offers an effective solution by combining excellent networking technology with other useful features.

The Asus ultra-portable laptop is useful not only for student nurses but also for students from other fields, with its all-around benefit, Zenbook 14X provides good value for money, all thanks to its adequate processing capacity, long battery life, large storage, and operating system memory.

The latest 12th generation Intel Core  i7-1260P Processor (18M Cache) 10-core processor has a clock speed of up to 4.70 GHz that can accommodate the day-to-day tasks that students and homeschoolers encounter daily.

The laptop in collaboration with the ‎NVIDIA GeForce MX550 Graphics processor can run photo/audio editing applications, programming IDEs, and other educational software easily.

Even though the 16 GB DDR5 SDRAM and 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD are not fancy, they provide fast read/write speeds for easy data access and smooth operation. This Zenbook version comes with Windows 11 Home pre-installed.

The 14-inch full HD screen will provide high-quality graphics with a resolution of 2880 x 1800 pixels. The four-sided Nano-edge bezel provides an 88 percent screen-to-body ratio to maximize your viewing experience.

The Zenbook includes an LED-backlit keyboard as well as a numeric pad/trackpad combo. The touchpad is dependable and responsive with strong gesture recognition. With its sensor, Asus incorporates infrared face recognition. The ergonomic hinge tilts the keyboard into a more comfortable typing position.

At 6.5 pounds, the laptop is small, lightweight, and elegantly built in a steel frame. It has two USB Type-C ports (Thunderbolt), one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, an HDMI 2.0 port, and a MicroSD card reader. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5 provide the laptop with future-proof wireless networking.

The Asus Zenbook 14X has 67 Wh batteries that provide a 16-hour battery life. The battery can last for long-hour school sessions and longer flights if used properly.

Asus provides an affordable, ultra-portable solution for a nursing student’s daily needs by including a powerful processor, enough RAM, and SSD.

04. Best For Professionals: Dell Inspiron 15

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The Dell Inspiron 15 from Dell’s Inspiron series is likely the most productive notebook on our list, and due to its enough storage space for all academic research papers, a sizable chunk of system memory, and the brightest display available in the retail space.

Dell’s processor is powered by the new 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1255U chipset. The current CPU is power-efficient but has a turbo clock speed of up to 4.70GHz. Every medical software like Skyscape, the PEPID nursing suite, Mendeley for journal management, and Calibre for eBook organization works flawlessly with the 10th-generation processor.

The Iris Xe graphics can handle online gaming and visual medical diagrams while maintaining rendering efficiency. Dell Inspiron has 32GB DDR4 high-bandwidth RAM to help the processor with more resource-intensive operations.

The 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive storage support is large, fast, and capable of easily storing files and apps. The Windows 11 Home OS is also a useful feature because it is compatible with almost every nursing app and software.

Despite its 15.6-inch footprint, the Dell Inspiron 15 has space for a 15.6-inch touch display kudos to InfinityEdge support. The screen appears larger than intended with a display-to-body ratio of nearly 81 percent. Not only that, but the 100% sRGB palette guarantees excellent color accuracy. Dell also has anti-reflective properties to ensure greater visibility in direct sunlight.

The backlit keyboard makes typing more comfortable, and the HD webcam allows smooth online learning. Dell also includes powerful speakers with Waves MaxxAudio Pro enhancement, as well as a robust, aluminum-clad chassis.

The Dell Inspiron 15 weighs 5.44 pounds and is a slim and light notebook. Despite its sleek appearance, it includes two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a Type-C port, and other usable outputs; the internet connection is not fast as the XPS 13 also supports the Wi-Fi 6 standard.

In terms of battery life, it can last for up to 12 hours making it one of the most productive and compact notebooks to purchase.

05. Best Budget-Friendly Laptop: Google PixelBook

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If you are more interested in cloud-based patient data management and online medical services, Google PixelBook is a great option for you.

Although the Intel Core i5-7Y57 does not appear to be a strong processor, it is adequate for a Chromebook. The ultra-low-power chipset turbo clocks at 3.3GHz can handle SaaS system modules and off-premise applications with enough machine memory support. The Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics are adequate for online games.

According to expert tests, 8GB RAM is enough to run at least four 1080p online videos and more than 30 Chrome tabs at a time. When it comes to storage, the PixelBook 128GB SSD is a game-changer compared to other Chromebooks that support eMMC. The Chrome OS provided out of the box might be restrictive, but it is an excellent option for a student who prefers to source resources online.

This gadget gleaming, 1080p screen deserves all of your attention. The touch panel enhances productivity while still providing enough sunlight visibility. The 108 percent sRGB color gamut is significant for a low-cost Chromebook.

The PixelBook comes with new revolutionary features including the Hush keyboard and good key travel. You also get a spacious touchpad, a top-firing acoustic setup, a 1080p webcam, and usable microphones. With a weight of just 2.45 pounds, the super-slim device is one of the most portable laptops to work on.

In terms of networking, there are two Type-C ports, an excellent wireless standard, and Instant Tethering functionality for creating quicker, wired connections. As a Chromebook, you have access to a Titan C chip for more secure boot-ups.

Despite the high-end specifications, the battery lasts up to 12 hours. Overall, the PixelBook is the device to consider if you’re looking for a Chromebook to do all of your academic work online.

06. Best Secured Laptop: Apple MacBook Air

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When it comes to future-proofing as a student, no device comes close to Apple MacBooks. Apple MacBook Air 13 is one of the best notebooks to buy because of its robust software and synergistic hardware, which means no lags and no performance problems.

The Apple M2 chip processor, ably backed by Turbo Boost technology and 18-core architecture, makes an appearance. Furthermore, the pre-existing CPU has the ability to turbo clock at 4.7GHz, ensuring compatibility with almost any Mac-supported nursing software application.

If you want to dive deep into Illustrator or Photoshop, or if you want to engage in simple graphics design as a side hustle, the up to 10-core GPU and up to 24GB of unified memory have you covered.

Apple also provides an 8GB RAM module for managing plenty of browser tabs, software units like Skyscape, and even accounting resources at the same time. Storage-wise, you get a 256GB SSD device that loads macOS Catalina and even some of the more challenging games with ease.

True Tone technology ensures that the 13.6-inch display is bright. Regardless of the situation, the MacBook Air 13 takes care of sunlight exposure and guarantees sharper viewing angles. Aside from that, the Retina display has a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels and a wider sRGB color gamut.

Apple introduces the captivating Magic keyboard with a 1mm key travel, followed by the sensitive Force trackpad and authentication Touch ID support. This model also includes the Touch Bar, which improves app usability, particularly for students who want to avoid lag issues. Furthermore, it contains a genius webcam, studio-grade microphones, and an amplified speaker setup.

In terms of weight, the 13.6-inch MacBook Air weighs just 3.1 pounds making it convenient to carry around without stress. Also, the 10-hour battery backup is essential in increasing gadget mobility. When it comes to ports and networking, you get two Thunderbolt 3 slots, one Display Port, a USB 3.1 Gen 2 slot, and Wi-Fi 5 standard.

Overall, the MacBook Air 13 is expensive, but it makes it easier to tackle a variety of nursing tasks and coursework requirements without lagging. If you’re on a tight budget and don’t need the Touch Bar features, the MacBook Air 13 has a comparable RAM module, stereo speakers, Thunderbolt 3 ports, an 11-hour battery life, and a brilliant display.

07. Best All-Rounder Laptop: Surface Pro 9

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Surface Pro 9 is one of the best laptops for nursing students. This laptop provides a quick output and allows you to get your work done quickly. It is not only useful for taking notes, but it is also the best laptop for browsing through your files and planning documents for clinical practice.

When it comes to performance, you will not be disappointed because the Surface Pro 9 is equipped with an Intel Core i5 processor, which makes the laptop work very fast and quickly, and it also keeps the laptop screen from freezing after long use.

The Surface Pro 9 has a battery life of 12 hours, which is sufficient for nursing students. This will make it easier for you to complete your tasks. Aside from that, the Surface Pro comes with 8GB of RAM. It is dependent on the user and their needs to select the type they want to get for their school work.

Another essential feature of the Surface Pro 9 is its ability to function as a digital notebook. Unlike other laptops, the Surface Pro 9 can be used as a tablet, making it an excellent option for students studying nursing. It is also one of the reasons why the majority of nursing students prefer the Surface Pro 9.

08. Best Multi-Purpose Laptop: Acer Aspire 5

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As a nursing student, you know the importance of having a reliable and powerful laptop to keep up with your studies and clinicals.

If you want a laptop that suits your budget perfectly, I recommend the Acer Aspire 5. This laptop not only provides good performance, but it has a powerful built-in processor.

The Acer Aspire 5 is a fantastic choice for nursing students, with its 12th-generation Intel Core i5-1235U processor providing lightning-fast speed and intelligence for all of your productivity needs.

If carrying a large laptop isn’t a problem for you, the ACER Aspire 5 is a good option for you. The 17.3″ Full HD IPS display on the Acer Aspire 5 is a visual treat, with its 81.18% screen-to-body ratio, 16:9 aspect ratio, and narrow bezels.

You’ll be able to experience sharp details and crisp colors while working on your assignments or streaming lectures.

One of the standout features of the Acer Aspire 5 is its cooling system, which includes dual fans and dual copper thermal pipes to ensure that your laptop doesn’t overheat during long study sessions.

And with 16GB of DDR4 memory and a 512GB NVMe SSD, you’ll have plenty of space to store all of your files and media. It is good for storing the extra files needed for clinical work and nursing school.

The Acer Aspire 5 also includes Acer’s Purified. Voice technology uses enhanced digital signal processing to cancel out background noise and improve speech accuracy. This makes it perfect for online meetings and virtual clinics, as you can be sure that your voice will be heard loud and clear.

Connectivity is also a breeze on the Acer Aspire 5, with 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6, a 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN, and Bluetooth 5.1. With a variety of ports, including a Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C port, three USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and an HDMI 2.1 port, you’ll be able to connect all of your accessories and peripherals with ease.

Finally, the Acer Aspire 5 also includes a fingerprint reader that supports Windows Hello, providing an extra layer of security for all of your sensitive information. And with the latest version of Windows, Windows 11 Home, pre-installed, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running right out of the box.

Overall, the Acer Aspire 5 is an excellent choice for nursing students who need a reliable and powerful laptop to keep up with their studies. With its lightning-fast processor, stunning display, and advanced cooling system, it’s sure to be a valuable asset for your education.

09. Best Fastest Laptop: Lenovo ThinkPad X1

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The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 is a fantastic laptop that is fairly priced. It consistently provides good performance over a long period and also provides realistic portability options, and it is one of the best nursing laptops available.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 is a top choice for nursing students, with its 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1260P processor providing lightning-fast speed and intelligence.

With 12 cores (4 physical and 8 virtual) and a clock speed of up to 4.7GHz, giving you enough power to search, stream, and do a variety of other tasks. Editing images and videos, on the other hand, can be difficult. You’ll be able to handle even the most complex tasks with ease.

In terms of storage and memory, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1, the best laptop for nursing students comes with the latest 16GB of LPDDR5-6400MHz memory and a 256GB SSD, providing plenty of space to store all of your files and media. The nursing student can conveniently search several tabs at once without worrying about lagging or slowdown issues.

With integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, you’ll be able to handle even the most demanding visual tasks with ease.

The 14″ WUXGA display on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 is a visual treat, with its 100% sRGB color gamut and 400 nits of brightness. You’ll be able to enjoy crisp, clear visuals while working on your assignments or streaming lectures. With its narrow bezel and low blue light technology, you’ll be able to work comfortably for long periods of time without straining your eyes.

Connectivity is also a breeze on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1, with Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 and Bluetooth 5.1 or above. With a variety of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 40Gbps ports, you’ll be able to connect all of your accessories and peripherals with ease.

One of the standout features of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 is its bundled BROAG All-in-One Conference Camera, which includes a microphone, speaker, and wide-angle camera for high-quality HD 1080p video calls. This makes it perfect for virtual clinical and online meetings, as you can be sure that you’ll be heard and seen clearly.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 also comes with Windows 11 Professional pre-installed, providing a stable and secure operating system for all of your work and study needs. With a fingerprint reader and backlit keyboard, you’ll be able to log in quickly and work comfortably in any lighting condition.

Overall, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 is an excellent choice for nursing students who need a powerful and reliable laptop to keep up with their studies. With its lightning-fast processor, stunning display, and advanced connectivity features, it’s sure to be a valuable asset for your education.

How To Buy the Perfect Laptop For Nursing School Students

I understand that these laptops are out of reach for some of you, and they might not even be available where you live. But I will strongly advise you to read through this article thoroughly before purchasing any nursing laptops to ensure you do not waste your money on something that isn’t worth it.

The Nursing Program

Before you even start looking for laptops, check your department to see what kind of laptops they recommend for their students. Your department heads can even guide you in the process of getting the right laptop that will help you in your academic journey as a nurse.

Laptop Requirements and Other Devices

Some nursing schools might require you to purchase a portable device like a tablet or laptop to make it easy for you to carry out your academic activities without any difficulties.

The explanation for this is that the curriculum of a nursing school incorporates tablets and laptops for classrooms and clinicals because they are very fast and portable to access medical records and clinical information within a short time frame.

Operating System

I am referring to either Windows or Mac. If the program or applications they use only run on one operating system, you can encounter compatibility issues. If you buy a Mac, you will not have to worry about this because MacBooks will run Windows and OSX.

If you have a Windows machine and the program they use only works on MacBooks, you’ll be in trouble. This is highly unlikely since the most commonly used program, “ExamSoft,” is compatible with almost all but ChromeOS (the Operating System of Chromebooks), and if you end up with the wrong laptop for your test, you will be given one of the school devices to write your exam on. However, if there are many people with the same problem, you might have to wait in line before you do your exam.

Nursing Students can encounter the following difficulties during their entry exam:

• Showing up without a Laptop
• Not having Microsoft Windows installed on their laptop
• Using an old laptop of about 10 years

You can also miss out on valuable study material if you choose the incorrect operating system:
Currently, NCLEX analysis courses run on Windows, and some online review lessons for your classes might only be available on Windows.

Please avoid tablets/iPads/mobile devices and Chromebooks if you want to use only one laptop for all purposes in nursing school.

The Software Requirements

In nursing school, you will only be able to use the following software:
Office by Microsoft (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.)

Adobe Reader is a program that allows you to view or read (lecture notes, homework assignments, etc.) in PDF format Flash, Shockwave, Java, and QuickTime are all examples of programming languages (To run videos, quick animations, instructional videos, podcasts, etc.)

Some of the applications that are basically used (this varies depending on the school) are as follows:
Typhon clinical logs (track patient’s data during Clinical)
Lexicomp is a search engine that helps people find medical details (a library of medication information)

Epocrates was a Greek philosopher (all-encompassing reference)
Almost every modern laptop running Windows or Mac OSX can run perfectly on any of the above applications without setbacks.
Many of these apps and applications will run on handheld devices and tablets, but not all of the applications.

Classes

Lectures are still taught in the traditional way, which is in the classroom. PowerPoint presentation slides help in projecting the lesson notes during the class. The slides are usually handed to you so that you can study them and jot vital things down.

There are digital notes that you can access using a tablet or laptop (nowadays, things have advanced, and only a few students are still using paper and pen).

If you have a touchscreen laptop with a stylus, such as the Surface Pro, you would have a significant advantage in terms of writing with fast speed and accuracy; it is much easier to write notes on specific sections of the slides than to type them.

How to Take Notes

Nursing students usually take notes and record lectures with a tablet or laptop at the same time; they then add the recorded lecture along with notes to the PowerPoint slides.

I know it sounds somehow, but doing so will save you from reading hundreds of pages from your textbooks and it’s less stressful for you. That’s because your professor’s lecture is structured to give you a summary of vital things to understand from dozens of chapters and pages in the textbook.

Textbooks

There are digital textbooks that you can access anytime and anywhere. This is convenient to avoid carrying different textbooks up and down to the school campus. A handy tablet or laptop would be the best tool to read and go through the soft copy of the textbook.

Recommended Laptop Requirements

As a fresher in a nursing school, you’ll need a laptop that weighs less than 5 pounds, has a full HD display, and at least an Intel Core i5 processor with 16GB RAM.

A few colleges even recommend that laptops have a built-in webcam and microphone to attend online classes, and in case the laptop does not have audio-visual features or you’re not satisfied with it, you can use an external webcam or microphone.

We believe that 16GB of RAM is sufficient for running the tasks you will be doing during your time in nursing school. However, for better multitasking, we suggest getting models with 32GB RAM.

Also, there are 32GB and 64GB RAM devices on the market. However, you do not need them if you are doing CPU + GPU intensive tasks like 4K video editing, machine learning, and so on.

Best Laptops For Nursing Students – Recommended Specs

FAQs of Best Laptops for Nursing Students

Best Laptops for Nursing Students Reviews – 2024

Conclusion on Best Laptops for Nursing Students

These are the most recent and recommended laptop models designed for nursing students. Other models with similar or even better specs can be found in a local store or on Amazon.

An i5 processor with at least 16GB of RAM will be perfect for anyone who uses their laptops daily, and a 4K UHD screen seems to be an unnecessary improvement. Nevertheless, it can make or break the computing experience of a user who spends more time online.

Buy a simple, lovely display laptop that is portable with nothing less than 16GB RAM would be well.

1. The [amazon link=”B09TG8VVSH” title=”HP Envy X360″ /] with 16GB RAM is preferable, and If you love playing online games, you will need a dedicated graphic processor to make the laptop work effectively and efficiently for your gaming experience.
2. The [amazon link=”B0BN2DM7T5″ title=”Dell Inspiron 15″ /] is an excellent option for nursing students looking for a laptop with a great battery.