10 Best Laptops for Kids

Online learning has become the standard in the 21st-century classroom. Many schools now offer electronic devices in elementary schools, now very often Chromebooks.

Other than e-learning, children also depend on laptops for gaming and entertainment. such as playing Minecraft or watching Disney+, which often isn’t allowed on school devices.

Buying a laptop for children is a wise investment because it allows your youngster to prepare for the new digital environment. And this will frees you up from having to share your laptop, too.

The good news is that laptops have come down in price over the last few years, and you should be able to get a laptop which is more than adequate for your child’s needs, without sending you spiralling in to debt!

Another piece of good news is that the best laptops for kids are very easy to set up and use, so you won’t be overwhelmed by complicated stuff.

From Chromebooks and 2-in-1 tablets to traditional devices, there are plenty of child-friendly laptops on the market, all offering a fast and reliable user experience.

However, Deciding which one best fits your requirements might be tough. You’ll want to weigh up the price against features, usability and durability.

While a good kids’ laptop won’t need all the latest features, it will need to handle the tasks your child will use it for, be that homework, online learning, video streaming or gaming.

Fortunately, we’re here to help. Below, you’ll find a buying guide detailing the key things to consider when buying a laptop for your child, followed by a list of bitesize reviews of what we deem the best laptops for kids.

How to Buy the Best Laptop for Your Kid

Before you buy a laptop for your child you need to be clear of the priorities. Thankfully, These tips can help you decide:

Operating System

Apple macbook laptops run OS X, which is a clean and easy-to-use operating system that’s excellent for creative types. However, it comes at a much steeper price point.

MacBooks can sync up easily to iPhone and iPad, allows kids to access things such as calendars, contacts, notes and even text messages across devices.

Meanwhile, Windows 11 is the most popular operating system out there and can be found on everything from budget entry-level notebooks to high-end gaming rigs from a variety of manufacturers. Windows is much more open than Chrome OS and MAC OS, mostly because you can download apps anywhere on the internet

Chromebooks, which are oftentimes the most inexpensive laptops, run the ChromeOS operating system. These use the Chrome web browser as the laptop’s main interface.

If you buy a Chromebook, your child will use web-based apps like Google Docs to create their work, which is then stored online.

Chrome laptops can also download select Android apps, but they oftentimes have smaller amounts of onboard storage — hence their lower price points.

The downside is that Chrome OS cannot run most standard programs as Mircosoft Office, photoshop, so if you plan to do anything that isn’t web-based, you’ll be better off with a macOS or Windows.

Parental Control

Built-in parental controls and security features would be another thing worth looking into. Control Your Children’s Screen Time & Site Access, and Keep Them Safe From cyber-bullying, online predators, and dangerous websites.

Fortunately, Most Mac and Windows laptops have family settings. But with a Chromebook, the computer is set up this way from the get-go, which makes it difficult for children to find ways around it.

Google Family Link ensures that you can set up your Chromebook for your child to use safely and healthily.

Processor

If you’re shopping for a new laptop for your kids, a midrange Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 is likely your best bet. they’re more capable than the entry-level Celeron series.

Meanwhile, the newer the processor (th gen), the more power and better performance it’ll likely offer.

An Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 processor is fine for general-use tasks like surfing the web, streaming video, writing homeworks, making presentations, and so on.

RAM

laptop uses RAM to hold data temporarily, The more memory-intensive tasks you do, the more RAM you should have. It’ll keep your computer feeling fast and responsive.

As far as RAM is concerned, 4GB is the base amount that windows laptops for kids typically come with, but 8GB is ideal since you can more easily run multiple programs simultaneously.

For Chromebooks and Macbooks, 4GB of RAM will still limit the number of browser tabs you can have open, but that amount is liveable.

We recommend you buy a model with expandable memory so you can upgrade down the road.

Storage

There are three types of storage: SSD, eMMC, and HDD.

SSD is considered to be the best form of storage due to their high speed, resilience, and their great performance. SSD is usually used in making expensive laptops, but when it comes to cheaper or budget chromebooks, they usually go for eMMC storage.

SSDs are much faster and are more reliable than eMMC storage. Getting an SSD for fast OS response will help you a lot.

HDDs have a very slow speeds of about 100mb/s which is about a quarter of an eMMC speed. so they are now considered not suited to be used in modern technology laptops.

However, HDDs can still be used for external storage for a very cheap price when compared with SSDs and eMMCs.

When it comes to storage capacity, 64GB will get you by if your kid predominantly use a cloud service (chromebook) or stream, although a minimum of 128GB will give your kid more flexibility when you’re offline.

If your kids intend to store high-res photos and videos on your laptop, consider a drive of 256GB or more.

Graphics Card

For a teenager you don’t need a high-end Nvdia RTX Discrete graphics card. Something within a reasonable budget with an entry-level dedicated graphics card so you can play budget/casual games ( like Minecraft, Roblox) will suffice.

Display

Since your child will likely be using the computer for both work and play, you’ll want it to have a sharp screen with a good resolution.

Opt for a model that has a Full HD resolution, that’s 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. The bigger these numbers, the more detailed the picture on the screen will be.

If your kid is a teenager that interested in drawing, in this case a laptop that comes with a display that has at least 80% sRGB color gamut is a must if you plan to use drawing software.

Size

Because children have smaller hands and less strength, then you’ll need to choose a smaller laptop which is easy to carry. Anything from an 11-inch screen to a 13-inch screen is perfect.

If a laptop weighs much over 3lbs, they may complain. But then again, they might not. Most small laptops will be fine.

Connectivity

The laptop has everything your child needs to get started with school, but if they need to add extra gadgets like a Bluetooth mouse, a full-sized keyboard or a pair of wired headphones or wireless earbuds, consider what ports are available.

Bluetooth 5.0 ensure the laptop will seamlessly pair to the latest earbuds, speakers. With Wi-Fi 6 standard, you can get the fastest, most reliable download speeds.

Most laptops have a couple of USB slots (USB-A or USB-C) so you can plug in a phone to charge or add a set of external speakers.

Some models have an HDMI port so you can connect monitors, projectors or screens, and others have a specific port for an extra microSD storage card.

For video calls, you’ll often have a webcam and microphone built into the device too. Connecting a pair of wired headphones usually requires a 3.5 mm jack, but not all laptops have this.

Budget

A decent laptop will cost your around $200 to $450 . Under this budget your can buy a Chromebook or a low-grade Windows Laptop.

It doesn’t make sense to buy a high-end apple or windows laptop for children who really need only basic-level computing.

And these affordable devices can be upgraded as your child’s tech needs change.

Durability

For younger kids, durability is a key concern, whether that be through a robust plastic or metal shell; either way, investing in a robust rubber case can enhance the lifespan of most devices.

Portability

Older children will need something with enough power to handle the demands of homework, video calls and gaming. Battery life and portability are further considerations if they’ll be travelling with the device between home and school.

10 Best Laptops for Kids in 2024

Want to buy the best kids laptop for your little one? Check out this list of some of the most popular compact, affordable and powerful laptops that you can consider when you are shopping online for your kids.

1. Apple Macbook Air

Apple Macbook Air with M1 chip laptop for kids

The M1 MacBook Air is a capable machine for everyday computing, productivity, and even video editing.

The newest M2-powered MacBook Air comes with a 13.6-inch display, compared to the 13.3-inch display of the older M1 model.

The M2 is better, but the M1 offers amazing value which can save some money. M1 model has an 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. which also can be configured with up to 512GB SSD Storage.

M1 is an ARM-based processor that offers stunningly fast productivity performance, with little slow down to be seen in tasks and multi-tasking being an absolute breeze.

The Air manages to achieve this without a fan, meaning your kid get a whisper-quiet experience every day.

The 13.3-inch Retina display with 2560 x 1600 pixels resolution looks sharp, clear and vibrant, whether your child is watching – or editing – videos or designing on PowerPoint.

It’s remarkably thin and the metal unibody soars above many rival manufacturers. Therefore, it offers increased portability due to its lightweight as well. but it lack of ports that you get only two Thunderbolt 3 / USB ports and a lonely 3.5mm headphone jack.

Battery life is also excellent. On a single charge, this laptop can last up to 18 hours of regular and constant use.

All in all, this is an impressive machine that, if treated carefully, will be an excellent addition to any teen’s tech toolbox for years to come.

2. Acer Swift 3

Acer Swift 3 laptop for kids

Acer Swift 3 is a decent laptop for kids due to its stylish magnesium-aluminum design, impressive screen-to-body ratio, comfortable typing experience, loads of ports, and long battery life.

It has a large 14-inch full HD 1080p screen with 100% sRGB color gamut. text and graphics look super sharp and vibrant throughout.

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700U Octa-Core processor, large 8GB of RAM (there’s also a 16GB available should your child need more) and 512GB of storage ensures the laptop will perform well when browsing on multiple tabs and streaming a movie.

The integrated Radeon graphics can put up solid performance with popular free-to-play games like Fortnite, Rocket League, and League of Legends, but isn’t built for visually rich AAA games like Cyberpunk 2077.

Connectivity is generous (2x USB-A, 1x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, 1x HDMI 2.1, and a headphone jack) and the keyboard comes with a nice bright backlight. There also a fingerprint reader to add some biometric security into the mix.

The battery life is impressive, lasting well over a day at school, with a quick 30-minute charge allowing your child an extra four hours of work time.

Acer Swift 3 comes with Windows S-mode, which makes it perform much more like a Chromebook by only letting users install apps from Microsoft’s Store. This helps to make it faster and more secure for your child.

3. ASUS VivoBook 14

ASUS VivoBook 14 laptop for kids

The Asus Vivobook 14 is an incredibly cheap laptop and it should be sufficiently durable thanks to its robust metal lid. It’s surprisingly stylish and lightweight too, for a budget option.

The 14-inch IPS panel has a Full HD resolution, 52% of sRGB color gamut, comfortable viewing angles, and a decent contrast ratio. this is absolutely fine for most kids.

The Asus VivoBook 14 offers up an 11th Gen dual-core Core i3-1115G4 processor, Intel UHD graphics and 128GB SSD storage.

With only 4 GB of memory, this laptop can’t handle much more than basic word processing, watching video and web browsing, but there is a dock for you to add more, just buy a new RAM and install.

With a battery size of 37Wh, The battery life is decent that can easily through a typical 8-hour day with charge to spare.

Arguably the best part is that the Vivobook runs Windows 11 and support S Mode, meaning it will be compatible with anything your child might need to do for school.

What’s more, it often comes bundled with Office365, so your kid can get on with their homework straight away.

Impressive speakers and a strong port selection complete the top drawer line-up of this reasonably priced device. The VivoBook 14 is an all-rounder that almost none can match at this price.

4. Microsoft Surface Go 2

Microsoft Surface Go 2 laptop for kids

Microsoft Surface Go 2 is one of the lightest and portable 2-in-1 laptops you can buy for your kids, yet features powerful configurations in a very affordable price.

Inside a very thin body are a powerful Intel Pentium processor, 8 GB of RAM, and 128GB SSD Storage, enough to cater to your child’s school works and entertainment needs.

The 10.5” IPS touchscreen is bright and sharp, perfect for browsing, playing, and binge-watching movies. It comes with 1920 x 1280 pixels resolution, 100% of the sRGB color gamut and 400 nits of brightness.

Surface Go 2 has one USB-C port, an SD card port, a 3.5mm headphone jack for peripherals and a full HD camera that produces crisp, clear video calling, and great photos.

Its detachable keyboard and stylus make the Surface Go 2 incredibly versatile. though both are sold separately.

Battery life is brilliant, with it lasting over eight hours on a single charge. So It won’t conk out halfway through the school day.

Surface Go 2 features sturdy metal build quality, the integrated kickstand is really helpful for propping it up on a desk while typing on the keyboard case. The keys are certainly snug – but work well with small hands.

Like the Acer Swift 3, it runs the restricted Windows S-mode, so it’s more secure and speedy like a Chromebook, with tighter app install controls for your kid.

The long battery life, compact size, along with its thin and light design, and cheap price tag, makes it an ideal device for kids who need something to carry around campus.

5. Acer Nitro 5

Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop for kids

Your kid don’t necessarily need a high-end laptop to play Minecraft, but the more powerful his laptop is, the more he can experience Minecraft.

The Acer Nitro 5 is a budget-range gaming laptop that offers an excellent gaming experience.

The laptop is sturdy and features a hard-edged futuristic design with sleek angles and lines, a plastic chassis with red accents, and the iron-red backlight for its keyboard to illuminate the keys.

This Nitro 5 laptop has a 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS display with 144Hz refresh rate and 300 nits of max brightness. which looks great in motion when playing shooters like Call of Duty Warzone.

On the inside are the powerful 10-generation Intel processors — specifically, an Intel Core i5-10300H CPU with 4 cores and 8 threads. The CPU can also boost up to 4.5Ghz for gaming.

That’s then paired up with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD. This is all well beyond the suggested specs for Minecraft, so you can enjoy ray tracing and stutter-free gameplay.

You also can push this laptop beyond the basics and use it for video editing, and other more intense games thanks to that GPU.

The Nitro 5 is effortless to upgrade, and you can always add more RAM or storage based on your child’s needs to prolong the laptop’s life.

Dual fan cooling is made possible via the Acer Coolboost technology with increased fan speeds and cooling ability. It can increase thermal performance by up to 25 percent during intense gaming sessions.

Moreover, there are all varieties of connection points in this laptop. Therefore, it permits adjoining different generations of USB ports and jacks.

The Acer Nitro 5 holds a 4 cell 57.5 Wh Lithium-Ion battery. With less than four hours of battery life, you can hardly take this on the go.

gaming is only one aspect. Gaming laptops are great for productivity as well. Since they’re more powerful than regular laptops, you can load a ton of intensive programs (Blender, After effects or photoshop) that a normal laptop wouldn’t normally be able to handle all that well.

6. Acer Chromebook Spin 311

Acer Chromebook Spin 311 laptop for kids

Acer chromebook spin 311 is fine with casual computing and lighter workloads, but it can slow down when multitasking. Yet it can be yours for under $200.

It’s being powered by AMD A-Series 1.80 GHz Dual-core processor which is quite decent for the price tag and for the tasks kids will do. Along with the AMD, there are 4GB of RAM and even 32GB eMMC storage which is really basic but great to see considering the price tag.

Acer Chromebook 15 is fairly thin and lightweight which allows the kids the portability they would require throughout their journey.

With a reinforced 11.6-inch touchscreen display with 1366 x 768 pixels, it’s robust enough to cope with the school commute, whilst being ideal for children to email, watch Netflix, stream movies or FaceTime their friends.

This laptop includes Bluetooth and WiFi connection, 2 USB-A ports and 2 USB-C ports, SD memory card reader, and a built-in HD webcam. The only downside is there’s no HDMI port for connecting it to a TV or school projector.

The battery life is very satisfying which is also another important factor. Thanks to the optimized Chrome OS, the average battery life on a single charge is about 13 hours.

You can put it in tent mode or fold flat backwards and use as a tablet, and you still get an effective keyboard and touchpad.

Like all Chomebooks, it’s simple to use and has loads of built-in parental controls, so you can create a profile for your child and when that’s signed in you can stop them from browsing in private, manage which websites they are allowed to visit and block adult content.

You’re limited to apps from the Google Play Store, but it has everything necessary for school, including Google Docs, Sheets and Gmail.

7. Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i

Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i chromebook for kids

A tablet and laptop in one, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i is versatile, lightweight and very affordable, making it a great all-round option for children.

It has a 10.5-inch IPS screen with full HD 1080p resolution that delivers a clear, crisp picture.

Lenovo’s IdeaPad Duet 3i serves up the Intel Celeron N4020 processor and 4GB of memory both deliver smooth performance. There’s 64GB of storage on-board, which is fine for document storage.

For older kids needing a bit more space to store projects and essays, this laptop comes with a free one-year trial of Google One that equates to an extra 100GB of cloud storage at your fingertips.

Your child can easily switch the device from laptop to tablet by removing the detachable magnetic keyboard, transforming the Chromebook into a tablet.

Two USB-C ports for peripherals and charging, exterior volume control button and sound output round out features on tablet.

The keyboard is small, which older teenagers may find a little too compact, but it is perfectly sized for younger children with a touchscreen that’s easy to navigate.

The included Hugo Tech Mart Pen will allow your kids’ creativity to run wild as they sketch and doodle.

It weighs less than 1kg, so it’s ideal for popping in your child’s school bag. And the battery life lasts over 10 hours – which is certainly enough for a day at school or long car journeys.

A tablet and laptop in one, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i is versatile, lightweight and very affordable, making it a great all-round option for children.

8. Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i chromebook for kids

Chromebooks are always fairly speedy devices, but the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i has top performance as it contains a reliable Intel i3 processor, 8GBof RAM and 128GB SSD Storage. This means it’s able to handle multiple apps and tabs open at once without any major lags or stuttering.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i comes with a 13.3in Full HD screen, and it’s slim and light enough to tackle even the toughest day on campus.

The 360-degree hinge allows for the typical tent, stand, tablet or clamshell laptop configurations.

It does feel sturdy, classy, and the Graphite Grey colour makes it look premium.

In addition to the solid build, the Flex 5 has a reasonable port selection including two USB Type-C ports, one USB Type-A port, a combo audio jack, a microSD reader, and a Kensington lock.

For such a small device, the keyboard is surprisingly comfortable and quiet. and you get a optional Lenovo stylus so your kid can draw and sketch, too.

The IdeaPad Flex 5i isn’t an endurance runner but it lasted me an average of 8-9 hours between charges.

If you want to maximize performance while minimizing the damage done to your wallet, then the new IdeaPad Flex 5i may be worthwhile.

9. ASUS Chromebook C203XA

ASUS Chromebook C203XA for kids

If you’re looking for a non-nonsense laptop for your child to use for school, the ASUS C203XA Chromebook is robust, compact and really budget-friendly.

It’s equipped with an Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB eMMC storage. The configuration is pretty basic but allowing the kids to have full potential for their needs.

The anti-glare screen is 11.6-inch with 1366 x 768 pixels resolution, offers a good viewing experience. This is also a great size for a kid that isn’t too big nor too small.

This Asus Chromebook C203XA is completely ruggedized on the outside, including a water resistance rating. The screen design offers 180 degrees ability which means that the screen can be laid flat without breaking it.

It’s a laptop basically ready for drops and spills. It can survive almost anything.

The keyboard is excellent. The typing on this Chromebook is a dream and so is the material used on the inside—its soft touch and immensely smooth. There’s nothing else quite like it on the market.

The port selection is strong, with a focus on variety. There are a USB-C port, a USB-A, a headphone jack, a microSD, and even an HDMI.

The configuration and chrome OS are very well optimized and balanced which offers the users a long-lasting battery. On a single charge, the battery can last up to 10 hours which is perfect for kids who don’t want to sit by the outlet most of the time.

For multitaskers, we suggest the 14-inch ASUS Chromebook Flip C433 with 8GB RAM and more powerful Intel Core m3-8100Y Processor.

10. HP X360 Chromebook

HP X360 Chromebook for kids

HP Chromebook x360 is a nice-looking and nice-feeling device. It’s lightweight, thin, and made out of durable plastic which gives it a sturdy design.

This HP Chromebook x360 has a 14-inch IPS touchscreen display with an HD 1366 x 768 pixels resolution and 220-nit rated brightness.

The bezels are a bit on the thicker side at the bottom of the screen, but the side bezels are quite thin, letting you feel immersed in your favorite content when stacking web pages side by side.

The device is powered by Intel Celeron N4020 Dual-Core Processor , Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 600, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB eMMC Storage.

The two-in-one design means you can use the HP Chromebook x360 as a tablet. You can also tent it, connect an external keyboard and mouse and use it as a small all-in-one computer.

The backlit keyboard on this laptop is actually pretty good, with a respectable key-travel. The keys are well spaced and have a nice non-clacking feel to them.

The battery life is about eight hours—enough for a day’s work. As for ports, you get two USB Type-C ports, a USB Type-A port, a microSD card reader, and a headphone jack.

Performance is good, 14” HD screen helps reading, touch and 360 gives better user experience. Moreover, it comes at a very affordable price. All of this makes It an excellent laptop for a school kid.

Conclusion

Laptops have become essential for kids as they use them for online classes, gaming, and even interacting with friends.

That’s why we’ve curated a list of affordable, well-made machines that are great for children.

From Chromebooks, macbook air to Windows laptops, these are the best picks for kids.

Buying the right devices for your family really depends on usage and whether they’re required purely for entertainment or for homework and projects too.

Go through them all, read out their specifications, and pros/cons, and then choose the one that suits you the best.

About the author : Clinton Kane

A technical content writer, passionate about sharing high-quality knowledge of pc technology, software, and creative workflows.