The Verge back to school guide for 2026 is out, and editors Cameron Faulkner, Brad Bourque and Sheena Vasani framed it as a 28-product list for students heading into a new academic year. The shopping guide mixes practical school supplies with dorm, commuting and downtime gear, which is how a graphing calculator ends up sharing space with a retro gaming handheld. Retail affiliate disclosure included, because commerce content does not run on vibes.
The Verge said Vox Media may receive a commission when readers buy through its links. The guide also includes price filters: under $20, $21 to $50, $51 to $150, $151 to $400 and $401-plus.
What is in The Verge back-to-school guide?
The list covers writing tools, alarm clocks, bags, room gear, laptops, cameras, calculators, transportation, hydration, earplugs and reading devices. The first batch of named picks includes the Shark TurboBlade Bladeless Tower Fan, Apple MacBook Neo, Canon PowerShot Elph 360 HS, Anbernic RG Rotate, Texas Instruments TI-84 Evo Graphing Calculator, Blackwing Pencils Audition Pack, Igloo Retro Square Lunch Bag, Razor A5 Air Kick Scooter, Owala FreeSip Sway, Loop Quiet 2 earplugs and Kindle Paperwhite.
For dorm cooling, The Verge lists the Shark TurboBlade Bladeless Tower Fan at $250 through Best Buy, Shark and Target. According to the guide, the fan pivots, twists and oscillates, has 10 power settings, can push air up to 80 feet at full power and uses a washable filter.
The laptop pick is Apple’s MacBook Neo, listed at $589 on Amazon for the 256GB model and $599 at Walmart and Best Buy. The Verge describes it as a value option for note-taking and essay writing, with an iPhone-grade CPU and 8GB of RAM. The editors also caution that it is not aimed at engineering students, while calling it stronger than similarly priced Chromebooks or Windows laptops.
The guide’s camera section names Canon’s PowerShot Elph 360 HS at $379 from Amazon and B&H Photo, or $380 from Canon. The listed specs include a 20.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, 12x optical zoom, optical image stabilization, a 3-inch LCD and a hybrid auto mode that records video alongside still photos.
For between-class gaming, The Verge includes Anbernic’s $95 RG Rotate handheld. The guide says it has an aluminum body, a 3.5-inch IPS LCD that swivels over the controls when stored and Android support for compatible emulators.
The calculator pick is Texas Instruments’ TI-84 Evo, shown at $99 on Amazon, down from $160, plus $130 at Walmart and $105 at Target. The Verge highlights its color screen and USB-C charging as updates over older TI graphing calculators.
Lower-cost items include the $20 Blackwing Pencils Audition Pack, the $18 Igloo Retro Square Lunch Bag and the $21 Loop Quiet 2 earplugs at Amazon. The guide says the Igloo bag has a 108-ounce capacity, enough for lunch or nine 12-ounce cans, while the Loop earplugs include a case and multiple tip sizes.
Other student-life picks include the Razor A5 Air Kick Scooter, listed at $140 from Dick’s Sporting Goods and $149 at Amazon and Walmart, and the 32-ounce Owala FreeSip Sway bottle at $35. The Kindle Paperwhite rounds out the excerpted list at $160, with The Verge pointing to its waterproof design, slim build and battery life of more than a month per charge.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.
