We're in the thick of summer, which is the best time to start gearing up to go back to school. There are a bunch of amazing deals to be had on many of the products that students will need when they head back to their dorms and classrooms this fall.
From the best phones for students to the best laptops to everything else in between, we've curated a handful of recommendations for campus life. Check out our picks for basic cooking equipment, more advanced gear for foodies and eight inexpensive things to keep students healthy at college.
Below, we've rounded up our favorite back-to-school picks for 2019. Have a look.
Read more: 9 dorm room essentials worth buying early
Note that CNET may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Sure, Apple's excellent AirPods may be the more visible campus status symbol — but Sony's brand new wireless earbuds are the superior product. At $230, they're not cheap. But they sound better, deliver 6 to 8 hours of battery life, and have active noise-cancelling features, making it one of only two models in this class with the feature.
You need tunes for both work and play. Most small Bluetooth speakers stink — but the new UE Wonderboom 2 delivers full sound in a durable, waterproof package at a reasonable price. Note that the original version is also great and is currently available at Amazon for as low as $55.
Tyler Lizenby/CNET
There are not many things you can't cook in a microwave, and — unlike hot plates, camping stoves and other niche cookery devices — most dorms allow them. For $60, this AmazonBasics Microwave includes Alexa voice support and a (somewhat random) popcorn reordering feature. Bottom line: It's a competitively priced cooking device with some useful features you won't find in other microwaves in the same price range.
Ninja
Coffee may be the most essential ingredient for academic success. So, some kind of coffee maker is highly advisable, and this jack-of-all-trades Ninja is a great contender. It can handle regular coffee as well as cold brew and even tea, with separate settings and baskets for beans and leaves (loose or bagged). It has a fold-away frothing arm for latte-style drinks — so not only will it save money on Starbucks runs, it'll make the dorm the most popular spot to study. It includes size settings too, so you can brew a full carafe or a single cup.
Read more: Trusty reusable coffee mugs
Hydro Flask
Modern students are aware of the benefits of staying hydrated, and many are discerning about the container they use. Hydro Flask bottles keep liquids cool for up to 24 hours and hot drinks warm up to 12 hours. And they're tough enough to survive the rigors of campus life.
Read more: CNET's full list of the best water bottles
Burton
I've been using Burton's Spruce 26L backpack for the past year, and I think it's the best, most versatile bag I've ever owned. It's comfortable to wear, looks cool and is made with durable materials, including weather-resistant zippers. From the quick-release magnetic buckles to the fleece-lined laptop pocket, this bag is extremely well-designed from top to bottom. And it comes with Burton's lifetime warranty.
Normally priced at $180, I'm seeing this bag in a variety of colors selling for just over $100 on Amazon. That's a killer deal.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Rocketbook's line of reusable notebooks make it easy to send notes and other jottings to your email or preferred cloud service (Google Drive, Dropbox, Slack and Evernote). On the one hand, using the Fusion notebook is just marginally more convenient than taking a photo of any piece of paper and sending it to yourself. But the notebook has a few nice usability touches — you can mark an icon at the bottom of the page to route notes to up to seven different destinations — and the sustainability angle is compelling. Included with the notebook is a nice Pilot FriXion pen (which doubles as an eraser) and a microfiber cloth that effectively wipes pages clean to be used again.
Note that Rocketbook is offering a back to school discount at getrocketbook.com between Aug. 30 and Sept. 3. Enter the code B2S2019 at checkout to get 25% off an order of $25 or more.
Chris Monroe/CNET
The Lenovo Smart Clock is a minimalist, customizable smart clock that can recommend alarms based on your calendar. It comes with the full power of the voice-activated Google Assistant, so it's basically a Google Home Mini with a clock face. Our favorite feature is also the most visceral — you can snooze your alarms just by whacking the thing.
Óscar Gutiérrez/CNET
You'll be hard-pressed to find a student that won't enjoy playing the Nintendo Switch. But unless your gamer is willing to keep their handheld docked to a TV, you'll want to wait until mid-September to pull the trigger. That's when you'll be able to buy the updated Switch that has longer battery life — or the Switch Lite, which will be $100 cheaper. If you do go for this model, though, make sure you get the new model with longer battery life: here's how to tell which is which.
Sarah Tew/CNET
In 2019, the TV remains central to many forms of modern entertainment. This model comes with a Roku built in, making all of the streaming apps effortlessly accessible. The 32-incher can be found for under $120 at Walmart and even the biggest, 49-inch model costs just $250.
We're in the thick of summer, which is the best time to start gearing up to go back to school. There are a bunch of amazing deals to be had on many of the products that students will need when they head back to their dorms and classrooms this fall.
From the best phones for students to the best laptops to everything else in between, we've curated a handful of recommendations for campus life. Check out our picks for basic cooking equipment, more advanced gear for foodies and eight inexpensive things to keep students healthy at college.
Below, we've rounded up our favorite back-to-school picks for 2019. Have a look.
Read more: 9 dorm room essentials worth buying early
Note that CNET may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Sure, Apple's excellent AirPods may be the more visible campus status symbol — but Sony's brand new wireless earbuds are the superior product. At $230, they're not cheap. But they sound better, deliver 6 to 8 hours of battery life, and have active noise-cancelling features, making it one of only two models in this class with the feature.
You need tunes for both work and play. Most small Bluetooth speakers stink — but the new UE Wonderboom 2 delivers full sound in a durable, waterproof package at a reasonable price. Note that the original version is also great and is currently available at Amazon for as low as $55.
Tyler Lizenby/CNET
There are not many things you can't cook in a microwave, and — unlike hot plates, camping stoves and other niche cookery devices — most dorms allow them. For $60, this AmazonBasics Microwave includes Alexa voice support and a (somewhat random) popcorn reordering feature. Bottom line: It's a competitively priced cooking device with some useful features you won't find in other microwaves in the same price range.
Ninja
Coffee may be the most essential ingredient for academic success. So, some kind of coffee maker is highly advisable, and this jack-of-all-trades Ninja is a great contender. It can handle regular coffee as well as cold brew and even tea, with separate settings and baskets for beans and leaves (loose or bagged). It has a fold-away frothing arm for latte-style drinks — so not only will it save money on Starbucks runs, it'll make the dorm the most popular spot to study. It includes size settings too, so you can brew a full carafe or a single cup.
Read more: Trusty reusable coffee mugs
Hydro Flask
Modern students are aware of the benefits of staying hydrated, and many are discerning about the container they use. Hydro Flask bottles keep liquids cool for up to 24 hours and hot drinks warm up to 12 hours. And they're tough enough to survive the rigors of campus life.
Read more: CNET's full list of the best water bottles
Burton
I've been using Burton's Spruce 26L backpack for the past year, and I think it's the best, most versatile bag I've ever owned. It's comfortable to wear, looks cool and is made with durable materials, including weather-resistant zippers. From the quick-release magnetic buckles to the fleece-lined laptop pocket, this bag is extremely well-designed from top to bottom. And it comes with Burton's lifetime warranty.
Normally priced at $180, I'm seeing this bag in a variety of colors selling for just over $100 on Amazon. That's a killer deal.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Rocketbook's line of reusable notebooks make it easy to send notes and other jottings to your email or preferred cloud service (Google Drive, Dropbox, Slack and Evernote). On the one hand, using the Fusion notebook is just marginally more convenient than taking a photo of any piece of paper and sending it to yourself. But the notebook has a few nice usability touches — you can mark an icon at the bottom of the page to route notes to up to seven different destinations — and the sustainability angle is compelling. Included with the notebook is a nice Pilot FriXion pen (which doubles as an eraser) and a microfiber cloth that effectively wipes pages clean to be used again.
Note that Rocketbook is offering a back to school discount at getrocketbook.com between Aug. 30 and Sept. 3. Enter the code B2S2019 at checkout to get 25% off an order of $25 or more.
Chris Monroe/CNET
The Lenovo Smart Clock is a minimalist, customizable smart clock that can recommend alarms based on your calendar. It comes with the full power of the voice-activated Google Assistant, so it's basically a Google Home Mini with a clock face. Our favorite feature is also the most visceral — you can snooze your alarms just by whacking the thing.
Óscar Gutiérrez/CNET
You'll be hard-pressed to find a student that won't enjoy playing the Nintendo Switch. But unless your gamer is willing to keep their handheld docked to a TV, you'll want to wait until mid-September to pull the trigger. That's when you'll be able to buy the updated Switch that has longer battery life — or the Switch Lite, which will be $100 cheaper. If you do go for this model, though, make sure you get the new model with longer battery life: here's how to tell which is which.
Sarah Tew/CNET
In 2019, the TV remains central to many forms of modern entertainment. This model comes with a Roku built in, making all of the streaming apps effortlessly accessible. The 32-incher can be found for under $120 at Walmart and even the biggest, 49-inch model costs just $250.
