6 Best Laptops for Kids and Students of All Ages

Looking for your kid's first laptop but not interested in spending a ton or passing over a computer that they'll immediately break? This budget pick is ideal for younger students due to its lower price point and sturdy build. Our experts appreciate that this 2-in-1 option functions as both a tablet and a laptop once you attach the ergonomic keyboard. Plus, because it comes pre-loaded with a variety of kid-friendly games and educational content including coding apps and math games, your little ones can stay entertained whether they have Wi-Fi access or not.

Perfect for kids ages 6 to 12, our pros also like that this machine is extra rugged and durable, boasting a splash-proof keyboard, built-in rubber siding and a tempered glass screen protector. It also features a webcam privacy cover so you can physically cover your webcam when not in use, and is compatible with everything your kid needs for play and schoolwork, including video conferencing like Zoom, Google Docs and Sheets, Gmail and more.

Chromebooks like this one from Lenovo are a good option for those that plan to spend most of their time online and don't need quite as powerful of a machine for doing more advanced tasks and running complex programs. While we haven't gotten our hands on the Duet 5, when looking at the since discontinued original Lenovo Chromebook Duet, our pros found this budget PC to be a great option that doesn't look or feel low budget. We appreciate that it's lightweight (starting at 1.5 pounds before adding the accessories) but still has a fairly good sized display (13.3 inches).

Like a few of our other picks, you can use this a stand-alone tablet or laptop thanks to the detachable keyboard and touch screen. It also has a crystal clear 5MP front-facing camera for those Zoom lessons or video calling Grandma, and four speakers for clean audio. Just like other Chromebooks, we like that you log in to this model with your Google account to make it simple to access Google Drive, Gmail, Google Docs, Google Play and more.

With up to 13.5 hours of battery life, according to the brand, and weighing less than 2.5 pounds, this laptop is a great option for the high school student on the go. Not only will it be light enough to slide into their backpack every day without giving them a back ache, but its Intel Core i5 processor has enough power to get through their many school tasks while still being a fraction of the price of some higher end options.

While our Lab tests found that the battery life was closer to 10 hours, it still exceeded some other options out there on the market and can easily function throughout the entire school day. We like that this model features a 12.4-inch interactive touchscreen and we found the full-sized keyboard was comfortable to use. It also has a 720HD camera, perfect for logging in to online classes, and comes in four different colors so kids can personalize to their liking.

As one of the best MacBooks we tested, this 2020 MacBook Air with a M1 chip is the perfect high school graduation gift or choice for older students. The M1 chip makes this laptop fast and efficient, and it will have no trouble processing all of the new schoolwork your kid has at the beginning of the year, or streaming their favorite shows to relax after a hard day at class. With a 7-core GPU, fingerprint touch ID, up to 2TB of storage space and up to 18 hours of battery life (among other great features), this small but mighty machine can cut through hours of work without so much as a peep, thanks to its fanless design. It also features True Tone technology to ensure that your screen will change color temperature depending on your environment so you'll have the most comfortable viewing experience at all times. It's slim, lightweight and has a crystal clear retina display that's almost too good to be true.

If you're looking for the best MacBook for older kids, this pick is more budget-friendly than some of their other models while not sacrificing on power or efficiency.

Featuring an easy start up, quick charge and a backlit keyboard for those late night work sessions, this laptop by Lenovo is a great college present for hard-working students. Our experts liked how nice and soft the keypad felt while testing, and appreciated how simple it was to use this laptop and boot it up. It has a large 16-inch OLED display, a 1080p webcam and unique facial-recognition login (alongside the fingerprint login), making it a great option for Windows lovers. We also liked the long charger that makes it easy to plug in from far away, and smooth trackpad and extra tracking ball in the middle of the keyboard.

The electronic shutter can make sure your camera stays off when not in use while a low blue-light display helps reduce eye strain. Overall this laptop has a good amount of power, some unique special features and easy usability to improve the experience of older students who need something a bit more advanced. While the battery life is up to 20.5 hours according to the brand, our experts found the battery to be not quite as long-lasting as some other options on this list while testing, lasting only 1 hour when running a powerful program at full brightness. But don't worry, it will still likely last a whole day at school as long as kids aren't using too taxing of programs (like playing video games all day).

This high-powered Chromebook may be a bit on the pricey side, but is one of the best Chromebooks on the market. While testing, our experts appreciated that the keyboard felt comfortable to use and liked the backlight as well as the special button specifically for capturing a screenshot. Like other Chromebooks, this laptop works well with your Google Account and Google Drive, so it's an especially good choice for users who often find themselves working in Google Docs, Gmail or Sheets. While it won't run more complicated programs that you may need a more powerful machine for, it is great for surfing the web, getting some homework done or streaming their favorite shows. Plus, it flips around to function as a tablet as well, but is still sturdier than some other 2-in-1 options with detachable keyboards. We particularly like that it features so many ports to attach all your externals at the same time.

If you're interested in an ASUS Chromebook but shopping for younger kids and not quite ready to spring for something at this price, the cheaper ASUS Chromebook 202 is another great option that won't break the bank, is rugged (and water-resistant) enough to stand up to usage by younger kids and can still get the job done.