My 11yr old son is changing schools next year and the have advised that kids can use their own 'device' in lessons. The school uses Google Workspace, and I would like to think I can get him a device that hopefully should get him through school, or at least GCSE's!
The obvious answer would be Chromebook - but its stupid things like being able to play Fortnite or connect a Garmin device etc. There is no max budget but I wouldnt want to go over £600.
At home would connect to a monitor and keyboard
From reading a thread on here recently it would appear touch screen could be a real benefit, especially with a pen so that has got me looking at 2 in 1's, and Dell currently have some good deals.
What would people suggest, oh and what minimum spec?
Thanks
but its stupid things like being able to play Fortnite or connect a Garmin device etc.
Personally I'd / we do separate that. Good to have a boundary. Jnr has a family account controlled 'Puter for schoolwork and games are played via the X BOX downstairs where we can see him.
Take a look at the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (kickstand tablet plus budget for a keyboard) or Surface Laptop Go (traditional form factor). Both are good value for money in my view, the mid spec is adequate for most purposes and they easily switch out of 'S mode' to full 64-bit Windows 10.
Not sure whether they have the chops for gaming, but personally I'm with Kryton57 on keeping things delineated anyway.
Definitely separate the school device from the fun device at that age!
Unlikely you'll get through GCSEs with one device sadly, but I'd still go for a Dell 14 2 in 1 (obviously as we've just bought one for my daughter for school) - just over £600 IIRC but that was with the pen/stylus too.
If you want to eek out the years of usage (and factor in some gaming) I'd go minimum i3 processor, 128gb ssd but err towards i5 processor/256ssd which you should find for £600.
Definitely separate the school device from the fun device at that age!
+1
Son has school issued Chromebook for work. IT is a great wee thing he plugs into his monitor and keyboard with.
He has bought himself a 'puter for the gamez.
I've been looking at 2 Dell's
Either Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen 5
256 SSD
8GB
Both specs are the same price at £630 including a pen.
From what I have read touchscreen and pen are the way to go for school ?
If you're quick, the Dell refurbished store has 35% off nice 7490's with touch screens.
https://www.dellrefurbished.co.uk/laptops?model_f []=Latitude%207490
Personally I’d / we do separate that.
Aside from anything else, it's a good practice to get into at an early age. We're still trying to convince half our staff to do it.
From what I have read touchscreen and pen are the way to go for school ?
Yes, it was a requirement for the spec of laptop the school said we needed. Not 100% sure why to be honest, but daughter is doing graphics for GCSE so made sense for her, pupils doing history, not really sure if would be relevant!
Touchscreen can be nice but it depends how often it is likely to be used. However, once you do throw a touchscreen in then you are looking at bigger $$. Since laptops went to SSDs, combined with Windows 10 they do seem to be reasonably pacey and maintain it. Well, to be honest, the Windows machines keeping a reasonable pace with age started with Windows 7 but only seemed to really see the benefit of those changes when SSDs became more prevalent. If it were me, I'd probably consider spending a bit more than a minimal budget and get something that should last quite a few years and provide the flexibility to do more then just the minimum for school. Been a fan of the XPS machines but they are not cheap. The Latitudes are also pretty good (well, ones I have had in the past) and the HP Envy range are good. I would also be looking at i5 or equivalent as a minimum.
I got Mrs BC an i7 Envy for Christmas (got a reasonable deal through a work discount scheme - PerksAtWork) which she really likes. Seems pretty decent so far although I'm not totally convinced by the 13" screen. A 14 or 15 would be better.
I've ordered a Dell Inspiron 4 2-1. i5 processor, 8gb RAM, 512 SSD + Pen for £630 using a 20% off code I found.
I figured that its better to buy now and me use it, rather than wait to the end of summer when prices will go back up.
We went for a £550 HP with SSD HD at the start of Lockdown 3 when there was more home schooling. With a proper Windows 10 Operating system everything just worked so much better than anything else. We looked at Chromebooks but the old fart in me said stick to a proper computer.
She has an iPad with pencil for any graphics stuff and using both devices works quite well.
