- This article originally appeared on Android Central and has been inducted into our Back to School guide
As the fall semester approaches, the best back to school accessories for MacBook are just a part of the long list of supplies students need as they prepare for the year ahead. But, these accessories can make school life much easier, or at least more comfortable.
MacBooks are among the best laptops available, machines that will last a full school day on a single charge, are easy to carry, and are powerful enough for any schoolwork a student may encounter. And, the best back to school accessories for MacBook can help get the most out of that Apple portable, whether it’s expanding storage space, getting more screen real estate, or making it easier to work on.
To help you (or your student) find the best back to school accessories for MacBook, we’ve collected our top picks here, from external monitors and hard drives to laptop stands and more. If you find Apple machines a bit too pricey for a student, consider buying one of the best Chromebooks out there, since they have similar portability and battery life as well as surprising performance yet cost much less than an Apple laptop.
This backpack has enough space to accommodate any MacBook or MacBook Pro, as well as books, pencils, pens, and other school supplies. Features four exterior pockets for various necessities like a portable hard drive or SSD, and is available in several excellent colors.
Fun and affordable, with a clip-on design, 10 hours of playtime, IPX67 waterproof rating, six color options and plenty of volume for something so small, JBL’s Clip 4 is just the portable speaker for students with a more active lifestyle. It’s made to easily connect to any device via Bluetooth as well, including that brand-new MacBook you just splurged on. Simply press the Bluetooth button, connect with your laptop, and you’re playing tunes in seconds. Just what you need for a hectic back to school season.
Best for dorm rooms where you don’t necessarily have a lot of space, this small yet impressive Bluetooth speaker from B&O has a powerful set of lungs packed in an elegant design that you’d be tempted to bring with you to the beach and college parties – good thing it’s got a IPX67 rating. It has “True 360” omnidirectional sound so you’ll hear it loud and clear from any side, as well as a whopping 18 hours of playtime. Best of all, it has Alexa built-in so it can moonlight as a smart speaker, saving space.
If you like to use your MacBook with an external monitor, this Twelve South stand is an excellent choice. It stylishly keeps your MacBook from taking up a lot of precious desk space and comes in either silver or space gray.
For those that use your laptop without an external monitor, but want to elevate it and get a little extra cooling, check out Bestand’s aluminum cooling stand. Elevating your MacBook at an angle, this stand offers a little extra help keeping your computer cool, and is great for use with external accessories like keyboards and mice.
Upgrade your typing experience this back to school season. It’s true that MacBooks have among the best keyboards out there, but if you want to sit away from that screen a bit, the Logitech K380 might just be the ticket. It’s among the best small keyboards we’ve tested, slim and compact yet also incredibly comfortable to type on and very affordable. It also has three-device simultaneous connectivity so you can switch from your laptop to your iPad to your iPhone seamlessly.
Satechi is known for its solid products that feel like they could take a beating, even this X2 Bluetooth keyboard that’s among the slimmest keyboards we’ve used. Optimized for Mac, it boasts backlit keys that are amazingly comfortable to type on, multi-device connectivity (up to 4, in fact), and the exact color scheme that most MacBooks have for a match made in Apple heaven.
It’s almost impossible that something so tiny and lightweight – small enough to easily slip in your shirt pocket – can carry up to 1TB of data. It’s also built to be robust. In fact, Seagate is so confident about its build, it’s added a loop so you can attach it to a carabiner clip to hang on your backpack. We also love its smart woven fabric exterior. Since it’s an SSD, you can be assured that it’s fast and secure.
Keeping your files safe and portable may be this external SSD’s top priority, but it also takes pride in its rugged build. This thin and tiny storage drive comes with a two-meter drop protection and an IP55 rating, which means it’s protected from dust ingress and low pressure water jets. Rain or shine, it can take a beating, making it your ideal companion for doing on-the-field school work and projects.
We can honestly say that the HP E14 G4 portable monitor is the most appealing portable monitor we’ve used (and we’ve tested quite a few of them). Touting a 1080p resolution and a whopping 400 nits of brightness in an unbelievably thin and light form, this might just be all you need if you need a bit of extra screen space. It’s even got a 65W power passthrough and a nifty anti-glare feature.
If you’re ready to upgrade to a 4K monitor, you cannot go wrong with Dell’s curved offering. The Dell 4K S3221QS is a 32-incher with a stunning woven back design in white, making it better looking than most monitors, and a deep 1800R curvature for an even more immersive experience. Because it is Dell, it’s got 300 nits of brightness, much like the popular XPS line.
This new release from Beats is a more accessible alternative to those premium Airpod Pros you’ve been eyeing. It’s more affordable for back to school season than the classic Airpods while offering features that are more on par with the Pros, including ANC, transparency mode, on-ear touch controls, and a great sound. It’s also easy to use and has a good battery life that slightly beats out that of the pros.