By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated 3 seconds ago

Many Star Trek fans were understandably shocked when Paramount pulled the plug on developing new TV shows. Instead, they have decided to pivot the franchise back to the big screen, and they hired some top-tier talent. The unnamed movie will be written by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. This dynamic duo has some serious geek cred, having written both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. These two specialize in creating stories filled with heart, humor, and pulse-pounding action, and that’s exactly the vibe Paramount wants for their beloved science fiction franchise.

With that being said, the studio hasn’t said much about what this new movie will be about. We already knew that it was going to feature an entirely different set of characters, but beyond that, details have been very sparse. Recently, though, Goldstein and Daley made an appearance at San Diego Comic-Con, and they made a shocking announcement about the movie’s setting: that it would be “further into the future than we’ve been before.” Unfortunately, the ambiguity of this statement and questions about whether this film will reboot Star Trek have offered more questions than answers to a deeply confused fandom.

Giving The Fans What They Want

At Comic-Con, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley were careful not to spoil the Star Trek film they are working on. Initially, Daley said, “the script is in progress, and that we’re very excited about it” before adding, “I really can’t say anything else other than that.” They relented and said more, but much was just marketing. For example, Goldestein described how they wanted “to do a different spin on something that you’ve seen done before.” Unsurprisingly, they want to cater to old and new fans alike: “That’s our hope with this: is to satisfy the fans, but also bring people in who may not consider themselves lovers of Star Trek and surprise them.” 

In the midst of this, however, one of the writers said something fascinating. After confirming that the crew in the film “won’t be the characters that you’ve seen previously in your Star Trek movies,” Goldstein dropped a bombshell. “I think it’ll probably be a little further into the future than we’ve been before.” This is a comment that has left fans confused, and for good reason. After all, there are two very different ways to interpret this comment, which would result in two drastically different possible movies.

Just When You Thought Disco Was Dead

The most literal way to interpret Goldstein’s comment is that the new film will literally take place further in Star Trek’s future than we have seen in any show or movie. At the end of Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, the crew jumped to the 32nd century, which is also where Starfleet Academy took place. That’s as far in continuity as Trek has gone so far, and the new movie might take place even further in the future. Assuming the new film doesn’t reboot continuity, that means it would take place in a future where the Federation is still rebuilding, the Vulcans have reunified with the Romulans, and the Klingons have been mostly wiped out. 

That’s unlikely to happen, though. Chances are high that Paramount doesn’t want to associate their newest Star Trek film with Starfleet Academy, the future-set show that was canceled after one season. Plus, the 32nd century brought with it some major continuity changes (the ones above are just the tip of the iceberg). If Paramount wants to simultaneously appeal to older and newer fans, they’ll set the movie in a more accessible time period. Like, say, the 25th century!

Will You Cheer Or Will You Puke?

How would that work? Goldstein’s comment mentioned the movie taking place “a little further into the future than we’ve been before.” His use of “little” might mean that the movie is taking place slightly further into the 25th century, which is when Picard and Lower Decks take place. Those shows followed up on Golden Age Trek series like The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. After the success of Picard’s final season, fans practically begged for a Star Trek: Legacy show that took place in the 25th century. We never got one, but maybe we’ll be getting an entire movie set just a little further on that familiar timeline.

Admittedly, this is speculation. It’s possible that Jonathan Goldstein meant something else entirely and misspoke in his effort not to spoil the movie. Taken at face value, though, it sounds like the setting determines whether the new Star Trek movie is a spiritual successor to Starfleet Academy or to Picard. Given those choices, it’s a safe bet most fans would rather have new adventures set in the 25th century. If we get a new movie set in the 32nd century, though, it may make many older fans vomit. Worried about your novelty popcorn bucket? Don’t worry…if we’re getting a Starfleet Academy sequel on the big screen, you’ll probably just be puking glitter, anyway!

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Here at Mashable, we’re constantly testing the best laptops based on an exhaustive in-house methodology that combines real-world use with performance benchmarking. In the past two years alone, we’ve tried over 80 different models across a range of price points.

To determine which of them fit the bill for college students, specifically, I researched the top 10 public universities‘ hardware recommendations for the upcoming fall 2026 semester. These include processor types, operating system support, RAM and storage minimums, and other spec requirements for different majors. I honed my guidance based on the common threads I noticed.

I also gave special preference to laptops that are long-lasting and portable enough to be toted around campus, and those that are competitively priced for the current market. Laptops aren’t cheap right now, but a solid splurge can last you well past graduation. (Take advantage of student discounts whenever possible.)

Based on this analysis, I eventually settled on six top picks that make the best laptops for college students. Whether you’re a humanities student, a STEM major, or still undeclared, I’m confident that at least one of my options will be your ideal machine. You can read more about these picks and my research below.

What to look for in a college laptop, based on my research

A Windows laptop with a mid-tier Intel Core or AMD Ryzen 7 processor is suitable for most college students.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Six of this year’s 10 top-ranking public universities tell their incoming students to purchase Windows 11 laptops or MacBooks that are less than two years old. I wouldn’t go any older than that for the sake of future-proofing.

Most of those schools tell their students to purchase laptops with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage at minimum. (Liberal arts majors might be able to get away with 256GB of storage, but you’ll probably have to supplement that with an external hard drive.) More RAM and storage is better if your budget allows; more is mandatory if you’re an engineering, design, or computer science major. Students in those fields are generally advised to get a laptop with at least 24GB to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

You can approach your processor options in a similar way. For Windows laptops, most schools suggest a mid-range CPU like an Intel Core/AMD Ryzen 5 at minimum, and a mid- to high-end Intel Core/AMD Ryzen 7 or 9 chip for more demanding workloads. Several schools recommend tacking on a dedicated GPU for such coursework, too (i.e, Nvidia GeForce RTX/Radeon RX graphics). On the Apple side, the MacBook Air and Pro with the base M5 chip are go-to recs for most students.

Two schools tell their students not to buy ARM-based Windows laptops (with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors) because they can’t run certain software natively, and because they don’t support older peripherals like university printers and scanners. One software example is AutoCAD, a popular 2D and 3D design app that engineering and design students rely on heavily. I love a lot of ARM laptops because they’re fast and long-lasting, and I will say that their compatibility is improving every year. Still, I’ve opted to keep them off my list of 2026 picks out of an abundance of caution; stick with Intel and AMD CPUs for now.

Be sure to budget for an extended warranty with accidental damage protection, as suggested by over half of the top 10 public universities. For reference, AppleCare+ for Mac costs $67.99 to $139.99 a year for students, depending on the MacBook model.

What type of laptop should college students buy?

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

This is a question that only your college can answer for sure, as laptop type recommendations can vary by major. For example, the University of Virginia and the University of California, Davis approve MacBooks for their general student populations, but their engineering departments tell certain tracks to avoid them. Likewise, UCLA’s Anderson School of Management hardware requirement page says, “Mac computers are acceptable to use as primary computers for study at Anderson. However, please note that some elective course software is only available for Windows. Students are responsible for ensuring compatibility and configuring their Macs accordingly.”

I can say for sure that you probably shouldn’t buy a Chromebook. Three schools in my research pool discouraged them for some or all majors, and one school — the University of Florida — only recommended them “as supplemental devices.” I included a Chromebook in a previous version of this guide as a secondary option for note-taking, but price increases amid the ongoing RAM shortage have made many of them just as expensive as Apple’s budget MacBook Neo (if not more so), which is a much nicer and more powerful computer, relatively speaking.

Do you need your own laptop for college?

Yes, you should have your own laptop at college. Most universities let students temporarily borrow laptops through their libraries and/or tech desks. However, these loaners are available on a first-come, first-served basis and wiped upon return (i.e., you can’t save anything on them long-term).

I wouldn’t rely too heavily on your school’s computer lab, either, because you can’t take bring those desktops to class or your dorm. Ultimately, owning your own laptop is way more convenient and ensures you’ll have the exact specs needed for your major’s coursework.

The most recent updates to this guide

• July 25, 2026: Now that the Acer Swift X 14 is back in stock, we’ve added it to this guide in place of the Acer Swift X 14 AI. While these laptops are similar (and both excellent), we prefer the non-AI model.

• July 18, 2026: We’ve overhauled our selection of the best laptops for college students, with new options from Apple, Acer, and Dell; all of the products in this guide have been rigorously tested by Mashable laptop reviewers