best buys
The best laptops for kids that have good storage, battery life and speed 2021
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Wondering where can you buy the best laptop for your kids?
Even though you might not want to encourage your children to have even MORE screen time, having their own laptop is a great way to help with learning and is more suitable than a tablet for school work, thanks to the keyboard.
Your kids might have their beady eyes on your MacBook Pro (what kid doesn't want one?), but always bear in mind that spending over £500 on a new laptop for your child could be a mistake, as often they'll inflict more bumps and scrapes than an adult would!
Buying a good laptop can be useful for kids as they head towards the secondary school years and it also can be used for gaming once they've finished their school work for the day.
We've rounded up our choice of five of the best models for all needs and budgets – you can read all the pros and cons, below.
We've chosen from a range of laptop brands including Lenovo, Acer, HP, Microsoft, Asus and even Apple (yes we found one that's affordable!) most of which are available from online retailers such as Curry's PC World and Amazon.
1. Acer Chromebook Spin 11, £299
* Screen size: 11.6 inch
* Storage: 64 GB
* Operating system: Chrome OS
* Intel® Celeron™ N4000 Processor
- Dual-core
- 1.1 GHz / 2.6 GHz
- 4 MB cache
This Chromebook 2-in-1 is one of the best laptop models that we've found for kids. It's just what you need when you want the convenience of a tablet and the practicality of a laptop as it does double-duty.
It can cleverly convert from laptop to a tablet complete with 11.6 inch touchscreen and also be propped up for streaming and watching all your child's favourite shows.
The Chromebook Spin 11 can be used for typing out emails in laptop mode or swiping through websites in tablet mode and it's not just for learning either as it can also be used for gaming.
The pack also comes with a Wacum pen, meaning that your child can quickly scribble notes, ideas and drawings down just as they would on a sheet of paper.
And as another plus, the battery life is up to 10 hours, so ideal for taking on-the-go or keeping busy during car journeys. It also has a super fast Intel® Celeron™ N4000 Processor.
2. Microsoft Surface Go, £469
* Screen size: 10 inch
* Storage: 128 GB
* Operating system: Windows 10 S
- Intel® Pentium® Gold 4415Y Processor
- Dual-core
- 1.6 GHz
- 2 MB cache
The Surface Go wins points for its compact size and portability, combining the lightweight build of a tablet with all the features of a laptop.
It's more expensive than other starter laptops, but is a great all-rounder for a whole variety of tasks, from writing assignments, to watching movies or playing games.
It weighs only 562g and has a full HD touchscreen, with around nine hours of battery life and two full HD cameras.
The keyboard is available separately as is the Microsoft Surface Pen (useful for adding notes), which does bump up the overall price.
3. Apple iPad 10.2 + keyboard
* Screen size: 10.2 inch
* Storage: 32 GB
* Operating system: iPadOS
- A10 Fusion Chip
- 64-bit architecture
- Embedded M10 coprocessor
If only Apple will do, the iPad 10.2 is a great alternative to a laptop. It has much of the same functionality, plus you can snap one up for under £500.
You'll have to invest in the Apple Smart Keyboard (see more details here) and also the Apple Pencil (if you want them to be able to write on the screen – see here ) which does bump up the overall price, or you can buy in a bundle with a cheaper Logitect keyboard (see image and link). Overall this is a great way to get a very swish, entry-level Apple model.
After work is over for the day, your child can switch off by playing games from Apple Arcade or watching shows on Apple TV.
4. HP 14 Inch Celeron 4GB 32GB Chromebook White, £199
* Screen size: 11.6 inch
* Storage: 32 GB
* Operating system: Chrome OS
- MediaTek MT8183 Processor
- 2.0 GHz
- 2 MB cache
The HP 11 is a classic lightweight Chromebook. It can last for up to 15.5 hours on a single charge, so your kids will never have to worry about losing power at an inconvenient time.
Costing just under £200, it's a real bargain buy and perfect for a first laptop. While it might not have the sleek look of more expensive models, it's very easy to use, so ideal for kids that are just starting to use their own device.
If you want a laptop for mostly online work (or play!), this is a great choice. It's perfect for browsing online for homework projects or playing educational games, but is not recommended if your child needs desktop programs. Online applications such as Google Docs will have to be used instead of desktop packages such as Microsoft Word.
5. LENOVO IdeaPad, £399.99
* Screen size: 15.6 inches
* Storage: 128 GB
* Operating system: 10 S
- Intel Core i3 1005G1 processor
- Dual-core
- 1.2GHz / 3.4GHz
- 2 MB cache
Equally perfect for school work or logging onto Minecraft, the Lenovo IdeaPad will impress even the fussiest teen (it's also available in pink for those that like their tech to look as pretty as possible!).
Its pluses include a large 15-inch screen and an impressive Intel Core i3 processor, but it has a shorter battery life between charges than some other models – around 7.5 hours.
We think its a great buy as you get a large screen and lots of storage in a decent all-round package.
As well as price, there are lots of other considerations before you buy a laptop, such as battery life, screen and storage size, and what type of operating system to choose.
If your child is keen on playing games as well as learning, then you should also look for a device that can support this with added storage (Ram), plus a large display.
You should also check with your child's school to see if they have any particular requirements for screen size or if certain programs are needed for their homework.
Choosing a Chromebook instead of traditional laptop could be a great idea as they are often lower in price, see more below on the differences between them.
The features you get depend on how much money you want to spend on a laptop. Some devices come with detachable keyboards included, others you have to buy one at an extra cost.
Getting your laptop insured against damage is often a good idea. Retailers such as Curry's PC World often have their own cover, which can be bought for under £5 a month and will pay out if junior spills their drink over the keyboard for example!
Laptop jargon explained
Core: This is part of the CPU (see below) and receives and carries out instructions.
CPU: A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor or main processor, is the electronic circuitry within a computer that executes instructions that make up a computer program.
Display: The laptop's monitor or screen. Usually screen sizes are between 10 and 15 inches.
Ghz: Short for gigahertz, GHz is a unit of measurement for AC (alternating current) or EM (electromagnetic) wave frequencies. The higher the GHz number, the faster the processor can run and process data – i.e. load pages.
GB: Also known as a gigabyte, which is a unit of storage data. A measurement in GB shows how much storage data a PC, laptop or tablet has. A gigabyte contains 1000 megabytes (see below).
MB: Aka a megabyte, which is a unit of storage data. A measurement in MB shows how much storage data a PC, laptop or tablet has.
Processor: e.g. Intel, See CPU above.
RAM: Random access memory (RAM) is your system's short-term data storage. The more programs your system is running, the more memory, or RAM, you'll need.
What laptop models are good for kids?
Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo and Microsoft are all decent brands with entry-level models ideal for kids and teens. If you have a larger budget there's always Apple.
Where can you buy the best laptops for kids?
Try Curry's PC World, Amazon, John Lewis, Argos and also directly through Microsoft or Apple.
What features to look for
The most important features to look for are a good amount of storage, battery life and speed.
Display and screen size is also important, especially if children are going to use the device to play games.
What are the different operating systems you can choose from?
Laptops use operating systems like Microsoft Windows, Google’s Chrome OS and Apple’s macOS.
Windows is the most common, working with the most applications. Chrome laptops are usually especially cheap but have an operating system with fewer applications, often with access to the same Android apps found on smartphones.
What's the difference between a Chromebook and laptop?
The main difference is the operating system.
A Chromebook runs on Google's Chrome OS, which is basically its Chrome browser dressed up a bit to look like the Windows desktop.
It updates itself automatically and the updates take a fraction of the time of Windows and Mac updates to install.
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