Best Dell STEM Students Laptops, light weight in Canada

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: Dell or Framework · light weight

Showing 1–6 of 6 STEM Students laptops
  1. #1
    Champion
    Objective profile
    Dell Precision 3490
    (Core Ultra 7 155H, 64GB, 2TB)
    Dell · 14" · 2025
    C$1,866 – C$2,281
    STEM Student SelvaScore
    84 / 100
    Weight1.40 kg
    Battery9.0 hr
    Display14.0" 1920x1080
    RAM64 GB
    Storage2 TB
    SelvaScore breakdown
    • 83
      Multi-Core Performance Multi-Thread Scalability
    • 70
      System Memory RAM Capacity
    • 53
      Single-Core Speed Single-Thread Velocity
    • 58
      Storage Speed Storage Throughput
    • 61
      Battery Life Autonomous Runtime
    • 58
      AI Acceleration NPU Inference Capacity
    • 70
      Weight Gravitational Load
    • 39
      Thermal Stability Thermal Throttling Resistance
    Canadian retailer links coming soon, check back shortly.
    View full review →
  2. #2
    Runner-Up
    Objective profile
    Dell Latitude 5450
    (Core Ultra 5 135U, 32GB, 1TB)
    Dell · 13.4" · 2024
    C$1,296 – C$1,584
    STEM Student SelvaScore
    71 / 100
    Weight1.40 kg
    Battery9.0 hr
    Display13.4" 1920x1080
    RAM32 GB
    Storage1 TB
    SelvaScore breakdown
    • 65
      Multi-Core Performance Multi-Thread Scalability
    • 56
      System Memory RAM Capacity
    • 42
      Single-Core Speed Single-Thread Velocity
    • 45
      Storage Speed Storage Throughput
    • 61
      Battery Life Autonomous Runtime
    • 58
      AI Acceleration NPU Inference Capacity
    • 70
      Weight Gravitational Load
    • 49
      Thermal Stability Thermal Throttling Resistance
    Canadian retailer links coming soon, check back shortly.
    View full review →
  3. #3
    Top Pick
    Objective profile
    Dell Latitude 5450
    (Core Ultra 7 155U, 32GB, 1TB)
    Dell · 14" · 2025
    C$1,710 – C$2,090
    STEM Student SelvaScore
    69 / 100
    Weight1.40 kg
    Battery10.0 hr
    Display14.0" 1920x1080
    RAM32 GB
    Storage1 TB
    SelvaScore breakdown
    • 48
      Multi-Core Performance Multi-Thread Scalability
    • 56
      System Memory RAM Capacity
    • 48
      Single-Core Speed Single-Thread Velocity
    • 58
      Storage Speed Storage Throughput
    • 67
      Battery Life Autonomous Runtime
    • 62
      AI Acceleration NPU Inference Capacity
    • 71
      Weight Gravitational Load
    • 58
      Thermal Stability Thermal Throttling Resistance
    Canadian retailer links coming soon, check back shortly.
    View full review →
  4. #4
    Objective profile
    Dell Latitude 5340
    (i7-1365U, 32GB, 1TB)
    Dell · 13.3" · 2023
    C$928 – C$1,134
    STEM Student SelvaScore
    63 / 100
    Weight1.35 kg
    Battery9.0 hr
    Display13.3" 1920x1080
    RAM32 GB
    Storage1 TB
    SelvaScore breakdown
    • 34
      Multi-Core Performance Multi-Thread Scalability
    • 56
      System Memory RAM Capacity
    • 48
      Single-Core Speed Single-Thread Velocity
    • 45
      Storage Speed Storage Throughput
    • 61
      Battery Life Autonomous Runtime
    • 43
      AI Acceleration NPU Inference Capacity
    • 75
      Weight Gravitational Load
    • 39
      Thermal Stability Thermal Throttling Resistance
    Canadian retailer links coming soon, check back shortly.
    View full review →
  5. #5
    Objective profile
    Dell Latitude 3340
    (i5-1335U, 16GB, 512GB)
    Dell · 13.3" · 2023
    C$868 – C$1,061
    STEM Student SelvaScore
    57 / 100
    Weight1.36 kg
    Battery9.0 hr
    Display13.3" 1920x1080
    RAM16 GB
    Storage512 GB
    SelvaScore breakdown
    • 47
      Multi-Core Performance Multi-Thread Scalability
    • 42
      System Memory RAM Capacity
    • 70
      Single-Core Speed Single-Thread Velocity
    • 58
      Storage Speed Storage Throughput
    • 61
      Battery Life Autonomous Runtime
    • 43
      AI Acceleration NPU Inference Capacity
    • 74
      Weight Gravitational Load
    • 39
      Thermal Stability Thermal Throttling Resistance
    Canadian retailer links coming soon, check back shortly.
    View full review →
  6. #6
    Objective profile
    Dell Latitude 5320
    (i5-1145G7, 16GB, 512GB)
    Dell · 13.3" · 2021
    C$337 – C$412
    STEM Student SelvaScore
    50 / 100
    Weight–
    Battery7.0 hr
    Display13.3" 1920x1080
    RAM16 GB
    Storage512 GB
    SelvaScore breakdown
    • 35
      Multi-Core Performance Multi-Thread Scalability
    • 42
      System Memory RAM Capacity
    • 43
      Single-Core Speed Single-Thread Velocity
    • 13
      Storage Speed Storage Throughput
    • 49
      Battery Life Autonomous Runtime
    • 43
      AI Acceleration NPU Inference Capacity
    • 82
      Weight Gravitational Load
    • 19
      Thermal Stability Thermal Throttling Resistance
    Canadian retailer links coming soon, check back shortly.
    View full review →

Quick Comparison

#LaptopScorePrice WeightBatteryDisplayRAMStorage
1 Dell Precision 3490 (Core Ultra 7 155H, 64GB, 2TB) 84 C$1,866 – C$2,281 1.40 kg 9.0 hr 14.0" 1920x1080 64 GB 2 TB
2 Dell Latitude 5450 (Core Ultra 5 135U, 32GB, 1TB) 71 C$1,296 – C$1,584 1.40 kg 9.0 hr 13.4" 1920x1080 32 GB 1 TB
3 Dell Latitude 5450 (Core Ultra 7 155U, 32GB, 1TB) 69 C$1,710 – C$2,090 1.40 kg 10.0 hr 14.0" 1920x1080 32 GB 1 TB
4 Dell Latitude 5340 (i7-1365U, 32GB, 1TB) 63 C$928 – C$1,134 1.35 kg 9.0 hr 13.3" 1920x1080 32 GB 1 TB
5 Dell Latitude 3340 (i5-1335U, 16GB, 512GB) 57 C$868 – C$1,061 1.36 kg 9.0 hr 13.3" 1920x1080 16 GB 512 GB
6 Dell Latitude 5320 (i5-1145G7, 16GB, 512GB) 50 C$337 – C$412 – 7.0 hr 13.3" 1920x1080 16 GB 512 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.

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