Being a student these days is exciting, especially considering the technology you can take along for the ride. Having a laptop is pretty much mandatory if you want to survive student life, but there are tons of peripherals (devices that plug into your computer) you can take to enhance the experience. Throughout this article, we will discuss the six most essential peripherals for students.
Portable Printer
Even though many assignments are handed in electronically these days, there are times when you’ll need to print off a project. For example, when you complete a dissertation, you will need to print it off and put it into a front-covered booklet using a binder. The best way to make sure you have access to a printer is to take your own, and there are plenty of options including portable printers, which mean you never have to queue at the library again.
Wired Mouse
The majority of laptops come with a trackpad to navigate the screen, but they aren’t the most functional when it comes to moveability. You can get a Bluetooth mouse or a wired mouse, but we suggest going wired because you won’t need to worry about replacing the batteries.
USB Port Hub
Having so many great USB peripherals means having enough ports to plug them into. Your laptop will have a limited number of ports, but you may need to get hold of a USB port hub, which you can get over on Lenovo.com. There is a range of different sizes, but we recommend going for a 6-port bank as that should be more than enough for any student.
UHD Webcam
We live in a world of video communication, from keeping in touch with family to attending remote lessons. Therefore, we need to have access to a quality camera to enhance the experience. Your laptop will typically have an in-built webcam, but the video quality won’t be great, which means you will appear grainy to other people. Therefore, you should invest in a UHD webcam for a crystal clear picture output. We suggest choosing a Logitech webcam because they’ve dominated the space for decades and their prices are reasonable.
Additional Monitor
The very nature of a laptop means that you’ll have a screen already, but you won’t always be able to fit your work on it practically, especially if you’re working in design. Getting yourself an additional screen, preferably 27-inches at least, will eliminate any potential issues you may have and will be perfect for winding down to watch your favourite movies.
Headphones
Whether you’re taking time off to play your favourite video games, or listening to Spotify alongside essay writing, you will want to have great audio output. Purchasing a pair of quality headphones will be perfect for any task; we suggest Sony WH-1000XM4, which is great for getting work done and everything else in between.
Students need technology to get by, and there are plenty of great peripherals out there to enhance any computer.