Student Tech That Travels with You

Heading off to college or university is a big step in a person’s education, and in their independence. It’s often the first time a young adult lives on their own (or with a roommate) and starts building a life away from their family. It’s hard when kids grow up and leave the nest, but don’t worry — that means you’ve done a great job.

Students and parents alike are looking forward to the holidays as college kids return to their hometowns. So, what happens when you’ve got to balance school work, entertainment and traveling light? You get smart about tech that travels with you.

Pack Light — And Flex Your Tech

The ideal piece of technology for a student on the move is a small but powerful computer that can handle schoolwork while providing entertainment. It’s got to have long battery life if it’s going to be used on a long train or plane ride, and it should have awesome speed and graphics for watching movies or working on creative projects. Think portable, functional and flexible enough to meet the demands of student life.

Here are a few models to consider:

• Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5:  With a 14” touchscreen and flexible configuration options, you can use the IdeaPad however you want, wherever you want, whenever you want. Its battery lasts up to 10 hours. Despite its generous screen size, it fits easily into a tote bag or backpack.

• HP Envy x360: Use this 13.3” touchscreen as a tablet, a laptop or both. It has 512GB of internal storage and excellent graphics. Its battery lasts up to 13 hours.

• ASUS ZenBook Flip S: This sleek, top-of-the-line 2-in-1 features amazing screen resolution and a 2.8GHz processor. It’s got great speed and storage, and up to 22 hours of battery life on a single charge.

Another good option is to purchase a high quality tablet like the iPad Pro and add flexible accessories like a smart keyboard and AirPods. This all packs up neatly and can be used in whatever configuration you want or need (for example, as a tablet with AirPods when you’re watching a movie on the train and as a laptop when you need to study or edit a paper).

If you’re not interested in a 2-in-1 device or a traditional tablet with accessories, consider a high-quality laptop that’s compact and lightweight. The MacBook Air is an excellent option that is available at a variety of price points. This 13” mid-range MacBook Air model has a 1.1 GHz Dual Core Intel processor, 256 GB drive storage and 8GB of onboard memory. It’s slim, under 3lbs and the battery lasts up to 11 hours on a full charge.

There’s No Place Like Home

There’s no place like home for the holidays (or the weekend) so make sure the students in your family have tech that enables them to travel back and forth with ease. When they can work or study anywhere while enjoying great entertainment on the go, it’s a win for everyone.