2023 Back to School Buying Guide [Tech Edition]

Ready for another school year? We have the ultimate tech buying guide for 2023 which you should check out before jumping onto your dreams.

Buying tech for school can be a very difficult chore. If a right decision isn't made, you can either buy something that struggles to keep up with your busy life or you end up with something that's completely overkill and unnecessary. The latter is not necessarily a bad thing, in some cases.

We are here to make things simple. We are here with tech for school that represents excellent value for money and hopefully get you through school and your important classes without any issues.

M2 MacBook Air (15-inch Model)

A Mac is simply a great computer for productivity. Ask your gaming buddy and he will tell you the same thing.

We are going to recommend the 15-inch model which was announced just a while back. It packs a large display, the powerful M2 chip for speedy performance and up to 18 hours of battery life on a single charge. That is everything you need to get your school work done without worrying about small things like crammed desktop space or running out of battery in the middle of the day.

The laptop features a 1080p FaceTime camera that will make you look great in all your collaborative meetings or if you're just taking a break and want to talk to everyone at home.

With excellent force-cancelling woofers and Spatial Audio support, this notebook will keep your tunes flowing with epic bass, too.

We highly recommend going for the 512GB model so that you don't have to worry about storage space. If your budget is too tight, opt for the base model with 256GB SSD and grab yourself some iCloud Drive storage.

Bose SoundLink Flex

After going through a ton of Bluetooth speakers, there's only one that's worthy of your money and that is the SoundLink Flex from Bose.

The thing is, every Bluetooth speaker is more or less the same when it comes to features. They usually have some sort of waterproofing, USB-C support, the latest Bluetooth standard for a solid connection - the usual stuff. That's all here in the SoundLink Flex.

However, the amount of bass this speaker pushes out at all volume levels is definitely going to amaze you. There is nothing out there that matches the audio quality of this speaker. If you're going to school and want just one speaker to accompany you, make sure it's this one.

Featuring 12 hours of battery life, the SoundLink Flex will easily last you an entire day and night before you fall asleep.

With the built-in microphone you can make calls, access your voice assistant and more.

SanDisk 1TB Extreme Portable SSD

You will (eventually) need an external drive for moving files around. There's no escaping this at all. Whether you buy it now, or later, is entirely up to you.

If there's one drive you can rely on, it's the SanDisk Extreme portable SSD. It's been out there in the wild for a long, long time and it simply screams reliability and durability.

The model we will recommend comes in 1TB of storage, which is definitely more than what you need. But that extra head-room is going to take you a long way in school.

This drive features excellent performance. You can expect speeds of up to 1,050MB/s on the read end and 1,000MB/s on write. Since this drive is IP55 rated, you don't have to worry about water splashes or a little bit of dust ruining the drive.

While the drive features USB-C for connectivity, there is a USB-A adapter included so that you can connect the drive anywhere at all.

Beats Studio Buds +

Personal audio matters a lot these days. If your earbuds don't sound good and don't have noise cancelling of any sort, they are essentially useless.

Announced just a while back, the Studio Buds + are not just amazing to look at, but sound excellent, too. That's not the most important thing here.

The highlight feature of these earbuds is battery life and noise cancellation. You get up to 36 hours of total listening time when you include the charging case while that noise cancellation ensures you get to focus on the task at hand. Just enable that noise cancellation and you can zip through your assignments without getting disturbed by anyone around you. Just like magic.

These earbuds are IPX4-rated. If you're planning to hit the gym or go for a run, rest assured they won't get ruined by a little bit of sweat or rain.

Last but not the least, you also get transparency mode with the Studio Buds +. This is the opposite of noise cancellation as they let everything from the outside world inside. It's a great feature to have if you want to be aware of what's happening around you while keeping your ears on what's being played at the same time.

PlayStation DualSense Wireless Controller

If your'e going away from home, then buying a console doesn't make any sense at all in 2023. Instead, get a great controller and use it with a gaming streaming service of your choice.

That controller is the PlayStation DualSense wireless controller. It's one of the best out there and easily puts the Xbox one to shame, thanks to its intuitive controls and features.

With haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, you'll feel absolutely immersed in the game you're playing. You've never experienced anything quite like this and it's a great way to disappear into the game.

Every single game streaming service supports the DualSense controller and you can simply chuck this inside your backpack and be ready for a session of gaming on your laptop or tablet instantly.

Apple iPad Mini (6th Generation)

Of course, you do need a tablet. but it has to be something which you can carry around with you like a phone, too. What better tablet than the iPad mini, right?

Apple has a very expansive iPad lineup and it’s very difficult to make a choice what you should get. But since you’re going to school and you already have a laptop with you, then compliment it with a small tablet that delivers the full experience. That tablet is the one and only iPad mini.

Featuring an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display and the powerful A15 Bionic chip, this tablet is extremely portable and very fast for its size. Whether you want to take a note of something, record an entire lecture or research something, you can do it on the iPad mini.

With support for Apple Pencil 2, this tablet transforms into a canvas for everything and anything you might want to do. Remember, that Apple Pencil 2 is an optional purchase and totally worth the $129 price tag.

There are several options available in the iPad mini lineup. You can choose between 64GB and 256GB of storage with either Wi-Fi and cellular options. What you end up buying is entirely up to you.

However, if you truly want to experience the best of iPad mini, then grab the 5G cellular model. It's totally worth it as it lets you stay connected all the time, even if you're away from Wi-Fi.

Baseus 65W GaN USB-C Charger

You will manage to drain your devices once you’re completely immersed in your school life. When you do need to power up, make sure it’s done using something reliable and fast.

Let Baseus handle your wall adapter needs with its 65W GaN charger. It features 2 USB-C ports capable of pushing up to 65W of power if used alone and power is distributed between those 2 ports when multiple devices are connected.

The story doesn’t end there. You even get a USB-A port which can be used to charge anything you may have. In short, you can charge three devices at once at full speed.

You don’t even have to worry about damaging your devices as this charger has a lot of safety features baked in. Therefore, just focus on powering up rather than the dreaded blue electronic smoke.

Baseus 65W USB-C Power Bank

A power bank must be able to charge everything in your backpack when needed. It needs to contain an ample amount of power, should be portable and built like a tank.

You have a ton of gadgets with you that need charging, including a laptop. If it's a laptop that accepts USB-C as a charging method, then this power bank will be able to power you up in no time. In fact, if you went for the MacBook Air, this thing will charge you up at full speed.

You even get 2 USB-A ports on this thing, allowing you to charge up your phone and tablet or anything you may have. 3 devices in total can be charged up using this power bank and that's a huge win.

Apart from speed and ports. You get a nice little display that will show you how much charge the power bank has left and the total power being consumed by connected devices.

With its massive 20,000mAh capacity you can charge your mobile devices several times before this thing needs a charge itself.

Bellroy Classic Backpack 2nd Edition

Last in our list is the thing that will help you carry your things around - a backpack. But a regular backpack isn't going to cut it. It needs to be great, made with high quality materials and should be available in a plethora of colors to match your vibe.

That backpack is the Bellroy Classic 2nd-edition. It's praised by many out there and the new version has a ton of improvements to entice new buyers.

There are plenty of compartments here. Primarily meant to be a 'laptop backpack,' you can carry your laptop around with no problems at all. There's a small compartment next to it for carrying a notebook or you may even keep your tablet there. Right next to that is space where you can keep a ton of other stuff. Just take a look at the image below and you'll get the idea.

There's a small pocket up top to keep your phone or anything else for quick access while the compartment at the front is great for keeping your wallet, keys and everything else.

Available in 6 different finishes, choose the one that fits you best.

Buy Bellroy Classic Backpack 2nd Edition - $149