An inexpensive PC can be a powerful (and, here in 2020, essential) educational tool for your child. Here’s what to consider when shopping for a kid-friendly laptop, as well as our top models to buy. Most are under $500, and all have been tested in depth.<\/b>
\nThe question of whether (and when) to buy your son or daughter a smartphone is fraught with concerns over responsibility, online safety, and much more. The same goes for buying a laptop, except for one very important difference: Many elementary and middle schools consider them essential educational tools, and equip classrooms with machines for their students. Other schools require parents to purchase laptops, offering a selection of recommended models. Their effectiveness at improving learning is up for debate, but the upshot is that your kid might need to use a laptop at school or for school whether you like it or not, especially in these uncertain times that may mandate distance learning. Regardless, they will almost certainly want to use it at home, too, both for fun (messaging their friends, watching videos, playing Fortnite) and homework (looking up information, typing book reports). Kids being kids, the list of factors to consider doesn’t end there. Don’t forget about parental controls, durable plastic, and water-resistant keyboards. At least you won’t have to worry about the cost. Buying a kid-friendly laptop need not break the bank\u2014all of our recommended models cost less than $700, and most are well under $500\u2014and the even better news is that just because they’re inexpensive doesn’t mean that they are necessarily slow or poorly made. Our focus here is on younger kids. If your child is at the university level, check out our roundup of the best laptops for college students. And you’ll find even more choices in our overall roundup of the best budget laptops. Also check our top picks for the best Chromebooks for kids for more on Chrome OS concerns and education aspects, especially for the lower grades. The Best Laptop Deals for Kids This Week* Acer Aspire 5 AMD Ryzen 3 3200U 15.6-Inch 1080p Laptop $349.99 (List Price $439.99; Save $90) HP AMD Athlon 14-Inch Laptop With 128GB SSD \u2014 $249.99 (List Price $329.99; Save $80) Asus VivoBook 15 Ryzen 5 15.6-Inch Laptop With 256GB SSD \u2014 $479.99 (List Price $549.99; Save $70) Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Intel i3 15-Inch Touch Laptop With 256GB SSD \u2014 $379.99 (List Price $429.99; Save $50) *Deals are selected by our partner, TechBargains Which Operating System Is Best? Before you begin to evaluate features, you’ll start with the essential question that has plagued PC shoppers for decades: Which operating system should I choose? This is not the Mac vs. Windows debate of old. New Apple laptops aren’t available for less than $500\u2014not even close. The least-expensive Mac laptop, the MacBook Air, starts at $999 and is still overkill for an elementary- or middle-school student. If you’re an Apple fan and want to raise your son or daughter to be one too, you’re best off giving them a hand-me-down and buying a new MacBook or MacBook Pro for yourself. Reused Macs aside, most parents will choose between Windows 10 and Chrome OS, the operating system from Google. In addition to running web apps within the Chrome browser, Chrome OS can also run apps from the Google Play store designed for Android smartphones and tablets, including Microsoft Office. If you’ve decided against buying a smartphone for your kids but they talk your ear off about wanting to play mobile games, buying a Chromebook might be a good compromise. Windows 10 has also become more useful as an operating system for kid-oriented laptops thanks to the Windows 10 S Mode, which is aimed at the education market and, among other security enhancements, prevents apps from being installed unless they’re available on the Microsoft Store. This means you’ve got the ability to block games and apps based on their content ratings (something you can also do with Google Play apps). When your son or daughter gets older and more responsible, you can easily upgrade to the full version of Windows 10 to remove these limitations. If your child’s school has specific software that runs only on Windows, your operating system choice will be decided for you. If not, you’ll want to take a close look at Chrome OS, since a few Chromebooks include decidedly kid-friendly features (such as easy-grip coatings, or display lids that double as whiteboards). Again, check out the Chromebooks-for-kids story referenced earlier for more on the specifics around this OS. Built for Backpacks: Assessing Ruggedness Unique features like these are what transforms an ordinary cheap laptop into a school-friendly machine that kids won’t outgrow or destroy in a few months. Arguably the most important is how rugged the case is. A few Chromebooks and inexpensive Windows laptops have spill-resistant keyboards, which means that they should survive splashing with an ounce or so of water unscathed. It’s much rarer to find entire laptops that are waterproof; the ones that are (models like Panasonic’s Toughbook line or Dell’s Latitude Rugged Extremes) typically cost several thousand dollars and aren’t geared toward kids at all, but rather workers in outdoors or shop-floor professions. Likewise, it’s relatively easy to find reinforced lids or cases made of rubber to help absorb drops from a few feet, but you just won’t find fully ruggedized machines anywhere close to this price range. Portability is another key concern, especially for middle- and high-schoolers who walk to school with backpacks laden with heavy textbooks. Most laptops in this category with screen sizes from 11 inches to 13 inches weigh about 2.5 pounds. Go above 3 pounds, and you’re putting a real burden on your child’s shoulders. Battery life is important, too, but it’s no longer the limiting factor that rendered the laptops of a decade ago useless if they spent more than a few hours away from a power outlet. Even some of the cheapest laptops now boast times of about 10 hours on PCMag’s battery rundown test, thanks mostly to their power-sipping Intel processors. What Specs Should My Child’s Laptop Have? The final consideration is how your kids will use the laptop, which in turn determines the processor, storage, and memory configurations you should select. Tasks such as taking notes, writing papers, or making PowerPoint slides require little more than the bare minimum, which means that an Intel Celeron or Pentium processor will suffice; a few budget Chromebook models now also use AMD or MediaTek mobile processors. These collectively are the lowest performance tier in budget laptops. The next step up is an Intel Core i3, which you should consider if your kid’s teachers regularly have them stream online educational videos. An Intel Core i5 or i7 is all but impossible to find on a laptop or Chromebook that costs about $300. If you opt for a more powerful processor so your kids can stream videos, you might also want to consider a 2-in-1 convertible or detachable laptop, which can double as a tablet thanks to a hinge that rotates 360 degrees, or a screen that detaches completely from the keyboard base. Most hybrids and convertibles are more expensive than the price range we’ve discussed to this point, but you can find a few high-quality models for less than $500, in lines such as Microsoft’s Surface and Asus’ VivoBook. These are best for middle-school-age children or older, since these machines are by nature less durable than a conventional laptop. As for memory and storage, a common minimal configuration is 4GB of RAM and 64GB of flash memory. The former (memory) amount is adequate in a budget Chromebook but skimpy in a Windows 10 machine; 8GB is really the best baseline for anything Windows. You’ll definitely want to consider bumping up the storage capacity to 128GB, since the operating system files on a Windows 10 PC can take up more than 20GB, leaving your kid with a paltry 40GB or so of built-in storage. The exception is if you choose a laptop that has a roomier but slower (and more easily breakable) spinning hard drive, or one with a built-in SD card reader. In the latter case, you could stick with the base configuration and ask your kids to store their bulkier files on SD cards if needed, which you can buy in 32GB capacities for about $20 each. Time for Fun: What About Graphics and Games? Just because you’re selecting from among relatively slow processors and limited memory capacities doesn’t mean that gaming is out of the question when your kid is done with his or her schoolwork. Some games are, of course, even educational. For instance, Microsoft has an education version of its immensely popular open-world construction game Minecraft. Students can use it to explore real-world history like the Oregon Trail, solving math problems as they begin to understand how long and challenging the trail was, researching fur-trading companies to learn about the economic concepts of monopolies and supply and demand, and more. Minecraft and other similar games will run on Core i3 systems with as little as 4GB of RAM, but if your kid is looking forward to playing them, you’ll make the experience much more enjoyable by selecting a laptop with 6GB or 8GB. If your child is planning on doing more intense gaming, you’ll need to step up the power and the price to a full-fledged gaming laptop or gaming desktop. You won’t find current-generation gaming laptops for less than $650; $750 to $800 is really the on-ramp for machines with game-worthy GeForce GTX dedicated graphics chips. (See our guide to budget gaming machines.)So, Which Laptop Should I Buy for My Child? Giving your son or daughter a laptop endows them with a portal into the immensely powerful internet, even if the laptop itself may not be all that potent. It’s up to you (and your kids’ teachers) to make sure that tool isn’t harmful. Fortunately, both Chromebooks and Windows laptops have parental control features, and a laptop’s size relative to a smartphone makes it easier to both monitor activity and set ground rules like disallowing computer use after homework is finished. Check out our top picks for laptops designed for school-age kids below. You can also check out our roundup of our favorite tablets for kids, as well as our top phones for kids. Where To Buy The Best For a Big Screen and Playful Color Choices Asus VivoBook S15 (S533) $699.99 at Amazon See It The Best For Digital Art Projects Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 $999.11 at Amazon See It The Best For Older Kids Comfortable With Chrome OS Acer Chromebook 514 $279.99 at Best Buy See It The Best For Classroom Augmented Reality, Digital Sketching Lenovo Chromebook Duet $299.00 at Best Buy See It The Best For Schoolwork on the Go Microsoft Surface Go 2 $399.99 at Best Buy See It The Best For Getting Into Gaming on a Big Screen Acer Nitro 5 (2019) $799.99 at Walmart See It The Best For Around-the-House Streaming HP Chromebook 15 (2019) $449.99 at HP See It The Best For Style-Minded High Schoolers Dell Inspiron 13 5000 (5391) $599.99 at Dell See It The Best For Word Processing in Chrome OS HP Chromebook x360 12b $379.99 at HP See It The Best For Very Tight Budgets Lenovo Chromebook 3 (11-Inch) $312.00 at Walmart See It Featured in This Roundup: Asus VivoBook S15 (S533) Pros: Great value for feature set Snappy performance for the price Stylish, slim design with multiple color options Long battery life Strong port selection and useful extras (fingerprint reader, microSD slot) Cons: One component configuration only Bottom Line: The Asus VivoBook S15 is not only an excellent value for the price, but an excellent laptop all around. We found lots to love about this sleek, affordable notebook for everyday users. Read Review Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 Pros: Robust computing performance Excellent value Soft-touch, durable chassis Screen supports touch input Webcam privacy shutter Two USB Type-A ports Cons: Relatively heavy for a 14-inch ultraportable Dim 250-nit display Bottom Line: Thanks to a brand-new AMD Ryzen processor, Lenovo’s IdeaPad Flex 5 14 offers an extraordinary blend of performance and value for money, making it one of the best popularly priced 2-in-1 convertibles we’ve tested. Read Review Acer Chromebook 514 $ 349.00 Pros: Sharp-looking aluminum design for a budget machine. Excellent battery life. Touch display (as tested) looks great. Comfortable backlit keyboard. Big touchpad. Cons: Processor could use a pick-me-up. Ho-hum speakers. Bottom Line: Aluminum-clad and ready for all day off the plug, the Acer Chromebook 514 is a reasonably-priced standout on the premium Chromebook stage that’s right-priced for students and budget buyers. Read Review Acer Nitro 5 (2019) $ 879.99 Pros: Solid 1080p gaming and a giant display at a low price. Room for storage expansion. Decent webcam. Cons: Lackluster screen. No SD card slot or Thunderbolt 3 port. Hard-to-read keyboard. Bottom Line: For less than $900, this 17.3-inch version of Acer’s Nitro 5 bargain gaming rig plays top games at top quality settings at close to 60fps. Its screen is merely adequate, but the laptop as a whole is a great value. Read Review HP Chromebook 15 (2019) $ 450.00 Pros: Sleek solid-metal chassis. Big, bright display. More-than-adequate audio. Core i3 CPU delivers strong performance for a Chromebook. Roomy, responsive keyboard with number pad. Cons: Too-short battery life. Bottom Line: With its big screen but modest battery life, HP’s Chromebook 15 is a snappy model that’s best suited as a stay-at-home entertainment system. Read Review Lenovo Chromebook Duet Pros: Low price includes keyboard Handy tablet gestures and Android phone integration Decent cameras Good battery life Cons: Tepid performance Only one USB port and no headphone jack Cramped keyboard No memory card slot Bottom Line: Budget-strapped consumers and students with light computing needs will be captivated by Lenovo’s Chromebook Duet, a detachable 2-in-1 that tops better-known 2-in-1 tablets on value. Read Review Microsoft Surface Go 2 Pros: Thin, light design with excellent build quality Nifty built-in kickstand Impressive audio volume Face-recognition camera with 1080p quality Fanless, silent operation Cons: Keyboard cover not included Pricey once kitted up with accessories and ideal components Bottom Line: The markedly improved Microsoft Surface Go 2 offers better computing performance, a larger display, and longer battery life than the original, making it a solid work-from-home (and idle-time) companion among Windows tablets. Read Review Dell Inspiron 13 5000 Pros: Smart partial aluminum construction. Skinny display bezels help create a modern, compact look. Solid application performance. Comfortable keyboard. Has both USB-A and USB-C ports. Cons: No more than 256GB of SSD storage available. Display on the dull side. Bottom Line: With its stylish, mostly aluminum design and peppy everyday performance, the Dell Inspiron 13 5000 offers solid-enough ultraportable value. We’d just like a sunnier screen and roomier storage options. HP Chromebook x360 12b Pros: Appealingly petite convertible design. Welcoming 3:2 aspect-ratio touch screen. Comfortable keyboard. Good battery life. Convenient ports and optional stylus. Cons: A tad pricey given the CPU and screen size. Dim display. Marginal processing performance and skimpy storage. Bottom Line: HP’s Chromebook x360 12b is a handsome compact convertible that falls short of excellence due to a murky screen and leisurely CPU. Read Review Lenovo Chromebook 3 (11-Inch) Pros: Under-$200 price Light carry weight Decent build quality and keyboard for the money Built-in SD card reader Long battery life Cons: Low-quality, low-res screen with big bezels Clumsy touchpad Cramped 32GB of storage Bottom Line: If you’ve got less than $200 to spend on a laptop for a child or as a secondary machine, Lenovo’s Chromebook 3 is an acceptable option, though its small, low-quality display leaves much to be desired. Read Review More Inside PCMag.com The Best Laptops for 2020 The Best 2-in-1 Convertible and Hybrid Laptops for 2020 The Best Gaming Laptops for 2020 The Best Cheap Gaming Laptops for 2020 About the Author Tom Brant tom_brant@pcmag.com Tom is PCMag’s San Francisco-based news reporter. He got his start in technology journalism by reviewing the latest hard drives, keyboards, and much more for PCMag’s sister site, Computer Shopper. As a freelancer, he’s written on topics as diverse as Borneo’s rain forests, Middle Eastern airlines, and big data’s role in presidential elections. A graduate of Middlebury College, Tom also has a master’s journalism degree from New York University. Follow him on Twitter @branttom. See Full Bio More From Tom Brant The Best Laptops for Kids in 2020 The Best Chromebooks for Kids in 2020 Aorus 15G Lenovo Chromebook 3 (11-Inch) The Best 2-in-1 Convertible and Hybrid Laptops for 2020 See More Comments Please enable JavaScript to view the comments. 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