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FOX11, Los Angeles - Backpacks, binders, pencils and supplies. You've spent wads of cash already, and now you're realizing that your children are all needing to do homework online at the same time but you only have one computer. What to do? We have inexpensive laptops for families on a budget AND some premium options for the high school or college bound creatives who need more horsepower.
In the video above, the laptops we featured, in order are:
Acer Chromebook R11
Low cost: $200
HD Screen resolution
Lasts through a full day of school
Doesn't run traditional desktop applications
Many apps require an internet connection
HP Spectre X360
2-in-1, Tablet and Laptop
Hi Res 4K Display
Draw on the screen with Active Pen
Microsoft Surface Laptop
Custom feel with 'Alcantara'
Compact and lightweight
"Hello" Facial Recognition Technology
DELL XPS 13
Durable Aluminum body with soft carbon fiber wrap
Powerful enough for video editing
Large, bright InfinityEdge Display
Set it and forget it. It updates on its own. It is so low maintenance you'll forget your children are using it. Our Tech Ninja uses them for his own children...Chromebooks. Many schools are using Google apps in the classroom so this will work well for most households.
One of the top selling on Amazon, the Acer R11 is an "entry-level" Chromebook that you can get for $200. A previous model is what Tshaka bought for his children 3 years ago and he says it's just as fast as it was when he first bought it. Well, the R11 here is the newest version and sports an HD screen with enough battery life to get young students through a full school day.
The tradeoff with a Chromebook is that you can't run traditional desktop applications like Microsoft Word, but if they're for a grade school student,more than likely you won't need to. They're likely using Google Docs and Google Slides in school. That said, if you have an Office365 subscription, you can run Word in the browser.
Now, if you need something with more horsepower that will run traditional desktop applications like Powerpoint or Photoshop, you'll want to check out these laptops. The HP Spectre X360 is blinged out! It's a 2-in-1 device that introduces a 4K display. It also comes with an active pen and Windows ink, the device allows you to draw and sketch so if you're a student in an app design class for example, you can sketch your design ideas right on your laptop.
The Surface Laptop is Microsoft's first straight-forward laptop and features a new material on the keyboard area called, " Alcantara." It's a durable, velvety material that gives the laptop a custom, premium feel but what's really cool is how you log in to the laptop. Windows "Hello" is a facial recognition feature which allows you to log right in using your face.
Last, Dell's XPS 13 is a favorite of many tech review websites. This is a ruggedly designed thin and light with what they call an Infinity display. It's almost borderless. This one has the horsepower for some video editing and Photoshop,so it's also a great option for the creative student.
The last three run the latest 7th generation processors from Intel, and are Windows 10 laptops. They'll all run you $700-$1500 dollars depending on how you configure them when you buy.