I Need a Cheap, Reliable Chromebook for My Kid! What Gadget Should I Buy?

In this edition of “What Gadget Should You Buy?” we advocate the finest spending budget Chromebook for a school kid.

I have tapped our lovely audience in earlier posts for this sequence, but right now I have the enjoyment of serving to a colleague. Gizmodo senior reporter Andrew Liszewski is in look for of a laptop computer for his 6-yr-outdated son who will primarily use it for homeschooling.

As this method is meant for a K-12 student, it won’t need to have to operate demanding jobs in actuality, Andrew tells me the notebook will be perpetually managing Google Meet up with and or else uploading paperwork. Apart from plenty of effectiveness to power simple duties, the notebook requirements at least a 13-inch display screen, a tough chassis that can endure a handful of knocks, and ideally a convertible form factor (or at the very least a touchscreen). Andrew, who is replacing an previous MacBook that stopped charging, would like to expend no a lot more than $US400 ($555).

Presented their relieve of use and lower price tag of entry, my intuition is to endorse a Chromebook, a notebook that operates on Google’s lightweight, cloud-centric Chrome OS. Respectable budget Windows devices exist, but if you want an inexpensive laptop that is uncomplicated to use and performs reliably more than time, Chromebooks are frequently the most effective area to start.

With that claimed, the Acer Chromebook Spin 513 is a potent possibility. At $US350 ($486) to $US400 ($555), the Spin 513 sneaks into Andrew’s funds and checks all the ideal bins. It flaunts a modern day style and design and has a crisp 13.3-inch, 1080p display screen, a convertible chassis, and prolonged battery everyday living. The monitor is fairly dim and this is not the fastest equipment owing to its Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c, but it’ll get the task done so lengthy as Andrew’s child does not sprout desires of getting to be a popular YouTuber.

Picture: Lenovo

If Andrew can obtain one particular in his funds, the Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook is a comparable choice with quickly performance, a handsome design and style, and a webcam Monica Chin at The Verge calls “surprisingly usable.” It can be acquired on Amazon for $US400 ($555) but I can’t warranty our resident Canadian will locate one particular for the similar rate.

These are, admittedly, on the edge of Andrew’s budget and possibly much more premium than they want to be. If we’re searching at the most affordable Chromebooks that’ll get the occupation performed, Acer’s Chromebook 315 Touch expenditures only $US229 ($318) and packs a significant 15.6-inch, 1080p touchscreen show, and a good Intel Celeron N4000 processor HP’s Chromebook x360 14 has good performance and a smooth design and style (nevertheless a part of me dies suggesting a laptop with a 1366 x 768-pixel display) and the Asus Chromebook C424 fees only $US250 ($347) and has a 14-inch, 1080p screen, but lacks touch assist.

Andrew instructed me he’d prefer a convertible around a removable but if the latter is not entirely out of the question then Lenovo’s Duet 5 Chromebook should be a contender. It has an OLED screen, an eye-catching layout, and the bundled keyboard is surprisingly usable. Is it overkill? No question. But regrettably, the more affordable version of Lenovo’s hybrid tablet is too modest, as is the direct Asus rival, the Chromebook Removable CM3.

Photograph: Alex Cranz/Gizmodo

Put down your pitchforks Home windows users, I won’t exclude budget Personal computer alternatives completely. Microsoft’s Area Laptop computer Go has a little 12.3-inch display and number of ports, but the make top quality is exceptional and you can get a person on sale with a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 for just $US399 ($554). Asus’s Vivobook 15 is even less expensive and will come with surprisingly able parts, but yet again, no touchscreen.

If I had to endorse only a single gadget to Andrew, it’d be the Acer Chromebook Spin 513 (or this on-sale Spin 514) for its sleek, versatile style and design and very long battery everyday living.

Would you propose some thing else? Enable us know in the feedback! And if you will need aid determining on which gadget to buy, then fill out our basic questionnaire.