Four Laptops for Back to School
By Mike Agerbo
August 22, 2017
Product Discovery
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These days, parents often find themselves shopping for laptops during back-to-school. Regardless of whether your child is going to middle school, high school, or heading off to university, a laptop is an indispensible tool. In fact, laptops have become so indispensable that some schools have moved to BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device, models that require students to bring a laptop to school every day. Whether your child needs a device to fulfill a BYOD requirement or just to make their lives easier, it helps to have an idea of what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a new laptop for your child this year, here are a few models I recommend:
Price: $329.99
Chromebooks are a popular choice for BYOD programs because they’re affordable while offering enough functionality for schoolwork. The Acer CB5-132T-C7R5 is a prime example of a Chromebook that would be perfect for a middle or high school student. This is a well-built device that comes in at a mere 2.76lbs and 1.6 inches: perfect for students who carry their devices to and from school daily. It sports a touch screen and convertible design, easily turning this device into a tablet. In addition to these features, the Acer CB5-132T-C7R5 lasts for up to 14 hours on a single charge and has internal storage of 32GB. It’s also fast and handles day-to-day multitasking well.
Price: $299.99
If you’re in the market for a Chromebook, this is another fantastic choice. The ASUS Flip C100 is even smaller than the Acer model, weighing just 1.96 lbs and measuring just 10.1 inches. This device also has a touchscreen and convertible design. This Chromebook can last up to 9 hours on a single charge and has 16GB of Solid State Drive, or SSD, storage.
Price: $299.99
While Chromebooks are a fantastic option, especially for kids heading back to school, you or your child might prefer a more traditional notebook. The advantage to these devices is a more robust operating system and faster performance. If you’re shopping for one of these devices for back-to-school, the HP Stream is an affordable choice with Windows 10. It comes in at 14 inches, just 3 lbs, and sports a cool blue coloured shell. The HP Stream lasts up to 10 hours on a charge and a 32GB SSD. It also comes with a one-year subscription of Office 365 Personal and 1TB of OneDrive storage, which is a fantastic deal.
Price: $1,349.99
While the HP Spectre X360 is a much bigger investment than the other devices I’ve covered, it’s a sound one for older students like those going into university. The Spectre X360 is 13.3” and just 2.89 lbs, making it very portable. Despite its lightweight profile, the Spectre packs a lot of power thanks to an Intel Core i5 processor and 256GB of SSD storage. With battery life of up to 13 hours, the Spectre is the perfect companion for long study sessions. Like the Stream, the Spectre comes with the Windows 10 operating system installed. If it’s within your budget, this device is definitely a solid investment.
1. Acer CB5-132T-C7R5 Chromebook
Price: $329.99
Chromebooks are a popular choice for BYOD programs because they’re affordable while offering enough functionality for schoolwork. The Acer CB5-132T-C7R5 is a prime example of a Chromebook that would be perfect for a middle or high school student. This is a well-built device that comes in at a mere 2.76lbs and 1.6 inches: perfect for students who carry their devices to and from school daily. It sports a touch screen and convertible design, easily turning this device into a tablet. In addition to these features, the Acer CB5-132T-C7R5 lasts for up to 14 hours on a single charge and has internal storage of 32GB. It’s also fast and handles day-to-day multitasking well.
2. ASUS Flip C100 Chromebook
Price: $299.99
If you’re in the market for a Chromebook, this is another fantastic choice. The ASUS Flip C100 is even smaller than the Acer model, weighing just 1.96 lbs and measuring just 10.1 inches. This device also has a touchscreen and convertible design. This Chromebook can last up to 9 hours on a single charge and has 16GB of Solid State Drive, or SSD, storage.
3. HP Stream 14” Notebook
Price: $299.99
While Chromebooks are a fantastic option, especially for kids heading back to school, you or your child might prefer a more traditional notebook. The advantage to these devices is a more robust operating system and faster performance. If you’re shopping for one of these devices for back-to-school, the HP Stream is an affordable choice with Windows 10. It comes in at 14 inches, just 3 lbs, and sports a cool blue coloured shell. The HP Stream lasts up to 10 hours on a charge and a 32GB SSD. It also comes with a one-year subscription of Office 365 Personal and 1TB of OneDrive storage, which is a fantastic deal.
4. HP Spectre X360
Price: $1,349.99
While the HP Spectre X360 is a much bigger investment than the other devices I’ve covered, it’s a sound one for older students like those going into university. The Spectre X360 is 13.3” and just 2.89 lbs, making it very portable. Despite its lightweight profile, the Spectre packs a lot of power thanks to an Intel Core i5 processor and 256GB of SSD storage. With battery life of up to 13 hours, the Spectre is the perfect companion for long study sessions. Like the Stream, the Spectre comes with the Windows 10 operating system installed. If it’s within your budget, this device is definitely a solid investment.