Best Apple STEM Students Laptops Under C$2,000 in Canada · Page 2

What a STEM Student laptop means: a laptop that holds up to engineering coursework,fast CPU for compilation, enough RAM to run simulations or a VM, GPU headroom for the occasional ML or CUDA assignment, while still portable enough for daily campus life. Typical use: MATLAB, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Python and Jupyter notebooks, compiling C++ or Rust, occasional CUDA work, recorded lectures. Fits engineering, computer science, physics, math, and data-science majors,undergrads through PhD.

Also relevant for: STEM laptops · engineering laptops · CS student laptops · MATLAB & simulation

Updated: July 2026
Products evaluated: 2281
How we work: Editorial principles →

Showing: Under C$2,000 · Apple or Framework or Microsoft

Showing 11–16 of 16 STEM Students laptops
  1. #11
    Objective profile
    Apple MacBook Air 15-inch
    (M5, 2026) (M5, 16GB, 512GB)
    Apple · 15.3" · 2025
    C$1,267 – C$1,549
    STEM Student SelvaScore
    67 / 100
    Weight1.51 kg
    Battery15.0 hr
    Display15.3"
    RAM16 GB
    Storage512 GB
    SelvaScore breakdown
    • 59
      Multi-Core Performance Multi-Thread Scalability
    • 42
      System Memory RAM Capacity
    • 93
      Single-Core Speed Single-Thread Velocity
    • 43
      Storage Speed Storage Throughput
    • 81
      Battery Life Autonomous Runtime
    • 63
      AI Acceleration NPU Inference Capacity
    • 67
      Weight Gravitational Load
    • 11
      Thermal Stability Thermal Throttling Resistance
    Canadian retailer links coming soon, check back shortly.
    View full review →
  2. #12
    Objective profile
    Apple MacBook Air 15-inch
    (M4, 2025) (M4, 16GB, 256GB)
    Apple · 15.3" · 2025
    C$1,183 – C$1,446
    STEM Student SelvaScore
    64 / 100
    Weight1.51 kg
    Battery15.0 hr
    Display15.3" 2880x1864
    RAM16 GB
    Storage256 GB
    SelvaScore breakdown
    • 57
      Multi-Core Performance Multi-Thread Scalability
    • 42
      System Memory RAM Capacity
    • 84
      Single-Core Speed Single-Thread Velocity
    • 43
      Storage Speed Storage Throughput
    • 81
      Battery Life Autonomous Runtime
    • 63
      AI Acceleration NPU Inference Capacity
    • 67
      Weight Gravitational Load
    • 15
      Thermal Stability Thermal Throttling Resistance
    Canadian retailer links coming soon, check back shortly.
    View full review →
  3. #13
    Objective profile
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13.5
    (i7-1185G7, 32GB, 1TB)
    Microsoft · 13.5" · 2021
    C$1,391 – C$1,700
    STEM Student SelvaScore
    54 / 100
    Weight1.31 kg
    Battery9.0 hr
    Display13.5" 2256x1504
    RAM32 GB
    Storage1 TB
    SelvaScore breakdown
    • 52
      Multi-Core Performance Multi-Thread Scalability
    • 56
      System Memory RAM Capacity
    • 40
      Single-Core Speed Single-Thread Velocity
    • 34
      Storage Speed Storage Throughput
    • 61
      Battery Life Autonomous Runtime
    • 43
      AI Acceleration NPU Inference Capacity
    • 76
      Weight Gravitational Load
    • 39
      Thermal Stability Thermal Throttling Resistance
    Canadian retailer links coming soon, check back shortly.
    View full review →
  4. #14
    Objective profile
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
    (i7-1255U, 8GB, 512GB)
    Microsoft · 15" · 2022
    C$1,173 – C$1,434
    STEM Student SelvaScore
    54 / 100
    Weight1.38 kg
    Battery12.0 hr
    Display15.0" 2496x1664
    RAM8 GB
    Storage512 GB
    SelvaScore breakdown
    • 43
      Multi-Core Performance Multi-Thread Scalability
    • 25
      System Memory RAM Capacity
    • 45
      Single-Core Speed Single-Thread Velocity
    • 58
      Storage Speed Storage Throughput
    • 74
      Battery Life Autonomous Runtime
    • 43
      AI Acceleration NPU Inference Capacity
    • 72
      Weight Gravitational Load
    • 31
      Thermal Stability Thermal Throttling Resistance
    Canadian retailer links coming soon, check back shortly.
    View full review →
  5. #15
    Objective profile
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
    (i5-1235U, 8GB, 256GB)
    Microsoft · 13.5" · 2022
    C$809 – C$989
    STEM Student SelvaScore
    46 / 100
    Weight1.27 kg
    Battery9.0 hr
    Display13.5" 2256x1504
    RAM8 GB
    Storage256 GB
    SelvaScore breakdown
    • 60
      Multi-Core Performance Multi-Thread Scalability
    • 25
      System Memory RAM Capacity
    • 42
      Single-Core Speed Single-Thread Velocity
    • 34
      Storage Speed Storage Throughput
    • 61
      Battery Life Autonomous Runtime
    • 43
      AI Acceleration NPU Inference Capacity
    • 78
      Weight Gravitational Load
    • 39
      Thermal Stability Thermal Throttling Resistance
    Canadian retailer links coming soon, check back shortly.
    View full review →
  6. #16
    Objective profile
    Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
    (i5-1235U, 8GB, 256GB)
    Microsoft · 12.45" · 2022
    C$786 – C$961
    STEM Student SelvaScore
    43 / 100
    Weight1.13 kg
    Battery10.0 hr
    Display12.45" 1536x1024
    RAM8 GB
    Storage256 GB
    SelvaScore breakdown
    • 32
      Multi-Core Performance Multi-Thread Scalability
    • 25
      System Memory RAM Capacity
    • 42
      Single-Core Speed Single-Thread Velocity
    • 34
      Storage Speed Storage Throughput
    • 67
      Battery Life Autonomous Runtime
    • 43
      AI Acceleration NPU Inference Capacity
    • 84
      Weight Gravitational Load
    • 24
      Thermal Stability Thermal Throttling Resistance
    Canadian retailer links coming soon, check back shortly.
    View full review →

Quick Comparison

#LaptopScorePrice WeightBatteryDisplayRAMStorage
11 Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M5, 2026) (M5, 16GB, 512GB) 67 C$1,267 – C$1,549 1.51 kg 15.0 hr 15.3" 16 GB 512 GB
12 Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4, 2025) (M4, 16GB, 256GB) 64 C$1,183 – C$1,446 1.51 kg 15.0 hr 15.3" 2880x1864 16 GB 256 GB
13 Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13.5 (i7-1185G7, 32GB, 1TB) 54 C$1,391 – C$1,700 1.31 kg 9.0 hr 13.5" 2256x1504 32 GB 1 TB
14 Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (i7-1255U, 8GB, 512GB) 54 C$1,173 – C$1,434 1.38 kg 12.0 hr 15.0" 2496x1664 8 GB 512 GB
15 Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (i5-1235U, 8GB, 256GB) 46 C$809 – C$989 1.27 kg 9.0 hr 13.5" 2256x1504 8 GB 256 GB
16 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 (i5-1235U, 8GB, 256GB) 43 C$786 – C$961 1.13 kg 10.0 hr 12.45" 1536x1024 8 GB 256 GB

How we ranked these

SelvaScore is independent. Rankings reflect our editorial judgment, not vendor relationships. No laptop manufacturer pays for placement, and affiliate revenue from retailers does not affect which laptop wins this list.

Every laptop here has been evaluated through the same lens for this use case. The same machines are evaluated differently for other use cases. What works for one use case doesn't always work for another.

Read about how we work →

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