Daughter Needs a Laptop for High School - Recommendations

Brianqpr on 31/10/2017 - 12:01
Last edited 31/10/2017 - 16:08 by 1 other user

So, my daughter is going into year 10 in 2018. Until now we have leased a laptop from the school (HP probook) but this service will no longer be offered next year and its up to us to find a suitable device for 2018 and beyond.

I'm looking for something durable and with enough battery life to get through a school day and obviously being OZB good value for money. Probably a 13 inch schreen would be the best size as she's got to carry it to/from school every day. Not sure if any of the devices in the current Dell ebay sale might fit the bill?

The specs the school says are needed are as follows. They've mentioned Windows, Apple (not preferred as overpriced in my view) or Chromebooks as a possibility. All suggestions welcome!

BYOD Device Guidelines
Hardware
The device must support both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz wireless networks.
The device must support the 802.11n wireless protocol.
It is recommended that the device should support the 802.11ac wireless protocol.
It is recommended that the device should have a minimum of 4 GB of memory.
The device should have a battery life of a minimum of 6 hours. An 8 hour battery life is recommended.

Operating System
The device must be running either the current version or the previous version of the following operating systems:
Microsoft Windows;
Apple Mac OS X;
Apple iOS;
Google Chrome OS; or
Android.
Must be version 5.1 (Lollipop) or above; and
Must support proxy auto-configuration configuration option.
Software
The device must be running an up-to-date Antivirus and Antimalware program.

Computing

Comments

  • ausdday on 31/10/2017 - 12:29
    +1

    Apple iOS; ??

    Does that mean iPad / iPad Pro / iPhone is considered as laptop? :)

    Actually, maybe you can ask your daughter, what the laptop is normally used for? If it's just for browsing internet and some simple document, and iPad with external keyboard can do the job well. It will fit all the spec nicely, and light enough to be carried around.

    And if they are used for things like image processing, coding, etc, then a higher spec laptop is needed.

    • k-rokfm on 31/10/2017 - 12:45

      Although if she will (and probably will for 10, 11, 12) be writing essays and things like that I find a normal laptop/computer much easier for these tasks.

      Likely if you were going for a PC rather than a tablet that the apple environment will not offer great value for money for tasks such as these

      • ausdday on 31/10/2017 - 13:01
        +1

        IMO, you would want to get at least i3, with 8GB or more RAM, Full HD display, and with an 256 SSD harddrive. I tried to go cheap once, getting a $400 Intel Dual Core. It's so slow that I gave up the laptop after just 2 days. I don't really want to waste my life waiting on that PC.

        • k-rokfm on 31/10/2017 - 13:10

          Yeah but to get into the apple environment is quite expensive. The base model macbook is $1900 and air is $1500, both with those base specs while (my very quick google) the first computer I went into at JBHI FI HP 15-BS109TX well beats those specs for $1k (except for SSD as its 1TB HDD) but if youre just using it for school you dont really need the SSD.

          Dont get me wrong, apples are great computers. But for a schoolgirl (who no doubt would also want a mac) does not need a mac - assuming the above requirements are true

        • ausdday on 31/10/2017 - 13:35
          +1

          @k-rokfm:

          Lol. I am not into Apple environment as well. Personally, I feel they are quite overrated and overpriced (let the neg begins … ).

          Here's Dell 2-in-1 that I was looking at on ebay. $719.20 after 20% discount. The only drawback I can see is that it only has 4GB of RAM, and it didn't mention battery life.
          http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Dell-Inspiron-13-5000-2-in-1-7th-…

        • Brianqpr on 01/11/2017 - 10:06

          @ausdday: Yes I looked at that, not sdure if the battery life is long enough though?

    • Brianqpr on 31/10/2017 - 14:00

      They do a lot of stuff using google docs etc and I think a laptop is better than ipad etc for a lot of what she does. She's been using a HP probook for the last 3 years leased off the school but this is expiring and they no longer offer the service,

  • Quantumcat on 31/10/2017 - 12:32
    +1

    I have been recommending the surface pro every time someone asks for a laptop recommendation and I won't stop now.
    * Small - 11 or 12 inches and hardly weighs a thing
    * with the pen, use it to scribble notes, removing the keyboard if necessary
    * they seem pretty durable, I've been very rough with mine and the only damage is many sections of missing black finish where it has be knocked and rubbed

    Disadvantage is it may be more expensive than a similarly specced regular laptop, but you can get a surface pro that fits those requirements second hand for less than $500. I'm unsure what the current going rates are but I bought my pro 2 second hand the year after it came out for $600 and it's now several years old with 3 models that have come out since. So surely it isn't worth more than $300. And it fits the requirements as above. Your kid could get a pro 3 which would be more than enough in terms of specs and you'll probably find a second hand one for less than $500

    Better to get something a little better than the bare minimum so it can be used for a few years instead of asking for an upgrade next year

  • coco1458 on 31/10/2017 - 13:08

    As much as I don't have any recommendations, look for a laptop that is user upgradeable or where the battery is removable as those may come in handy if she decides to continue studying beyond year 12.
    I've had my 2011 MacBook Pro 13" and it's got me through high school and university with a new SSD and battery.

  • hikaru78 on 31/10/2017 - 13:36

    i just recently bought and ispiron 11 with touch screen on ebay with the 20% off. Paid extra to get the 2 year onsite warranty. Came to around 480 Daughter loves it

  • The Wololo Wombat on 31/10/2017 - 13:53
    -2

    Get her a Mac Air. 13"

    Seriously. It will last and save her/you money in the long run and it's ease of use will benefit her education.

    I am high school teacher and I see the difference that Macs make to education. Unless she is a 'power user', get a Mac.

    DO NOT get her an iPad. Worst devices for education.

  • spersephone on 31/10/2017 - 14:29

    I have been using an iPad with a keyboard for about four years. I have also got a MacBook Air, but for portability, I much prefer the iPad. I am a teacher, and was using it in my own work as well. Having a good quality keyboard attached turns it into a mini computer. Without the keyboard, not so much. But I can type up minutes of meetings, documents, use spreadsheets etc, make movies and more with the iPad. I can actually do more with my iPad than with my computer.

    I previously used Windows, and had a Windows laptop for work but absolutely hated it - there were too many limitations for me, after what I was used to do being able to with my iPad. I do use lots of other apps that make it even more useful, and many people may not realise what is out there and how good it can be.

    As for battery life, the iPad is better than the Macbook Air (also getting pretty old). But they're both better than any Windows laptop I've had previously. However, I have always chosen fairly low level, cheap Windows laptops, so I assume if you're willing to spend a bit you can get a much better one for battery life.

    • MondaySleeper on 31/10/2017 - 15:17
      +3

      For me its always other way around, too many restrictions on apple OSs - you cant do this, do that… e.g even copying a file in iOS is a pain. If you use a good windows device, its far far better than Apple re usability.

      • spersephone on 31/10/2017 - 15:19

        I make use of apps like Evernote, Goodreader and Dropbox for many of my files - it works very well for the way that I use it.

  • st33p on 31/10/2017 - 15:41

    Do you have idea how much do you want to spend? I would start from there, then adjust the spec.
    What would be acceptable weight as well?

    I have the benefit of being able to replace my work notebook every few years, and been buying Lenovo X1 Carbon so I can pass it to the kids.
    They are not cheap, but they are light, 14" screen and the battery last at least 6 hours (the current gen. last at least 12 hours)
    The place that I currently work have hundreds of X1 Carbon since gen 1 and they are still working and battery still last at least 4 hours.
    I know the T470 battery last a while as well, although they are heavier.

    @quantumcat : I would not suggest surface pro, as the battery life is not that great. I have a few colleagues using them, and they said the battery last around 4 hours.

    • Brianqpr on 31/10/2017 - 15:57

      As little as possible in terms of cost, but if it needs to last 3 years being taken to and from school I'm realising I will probably have to get something decent and durable and pay the $$$ it takes to obtain that. Macbook air I know is very well built and has good battery life. I have a natural aversion to Apple but she would love it, it would probably do a good job and has decent warranty coverage.

      Weight wise the bag she takes every day is already really heavy with books etc so 1kg here or there doesn't make a lot of difference!

  • Chris L on 31/10/2017 - 20:00

    I bought a laptop for my daughter (Yr10 in 2018) last weekend. A Lenovo Yoga 520-AK from HN at 20% off, with 14" FHD touchscreen, 7th gen i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, backlit keyboard, 360 flip, 1.75kg. Worth considering.

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