Back-to-school laptops & Chromebooks
NEED AN AFFORDABLE AND DURABLE LAPTOP FOR THE ANKLE BITERS’ FIRST DAY BACK AT SCHOOL? WE TEST 10.
AS TEMPTING AS the latest high-end laptop is, many of us can do just fine with a much more affordable model — especially if said laptop is going to be living most of its life in someone’s school bag. It’s possible to pick up quite capable little notebooks for as little as $300 these days, and there are loads of options for less $600. You don’t have to do without the latest features either — they come equipped with USB 3.0, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, all-day battery life, and even touchscreens.
For those of us who mostly just need to access the internet and edit documents, Chromebooks can offer excellent bang for buck. They are often aimed at students, and are built tough, with fast boot times and 10-hour or longer battery life.
Both Chromebooks and Windows laptops are available as 2-in-1 models — typically with touchscreens that fold back through 360°. While affordable laptops are often around 11–13 inches, there are also some larger 150-inch models for those who want a full keyboard and extras such as a DVD drive or Ethernet port. As always, don’t forget to shop around — staticice.com.au is a great tool for price comparisons.
Alcatel Plus 12 AN AFFORDABLE 2-IN-1.
WITH A MICROSOFT Surface style design, the Alcatel Plus 12 can be a tablet or a laptop. It runs Windows 10, comes with a keyboard and pen and has a 11.6-inch touchscreen. The Plus 12 only costs $588 and is available through Vodafone. In line with the affordable price, the unit features a fanless Intel Celeron N3350 CPU, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage (expandable via microSD) and a 1,920 x 1,080 screen. It’s got enough grunt for day-to-day use, but can slow down with demanding applications. The keyboard and trackpad are solid but unremarkable, and handily fold around into a protective case. The pen works pretty well for drawing and note-taking, and the screen is bright and very sharp. The 6,900mAh battery will push it along for almost 8 hours and the Plus 12 charges via USB-C. Weirdly, though, it has no standard Type-A USB ports — only a USB-C. The Plus 12 is also equipped with a 5MP front-facing camera, 3.5mm audio jack, Wi-Fi, a fingerprint scanner and micro HDMI out.
Dell Inspiron 11 3000 EXTREMELY PORTABLE.
AVAILABLE IN BOTH 2-in-1 and more affordable standard laptop style, the Dell Inspiron 11 3000 comes in bright blue or red, or white. We tested the $499, non-touchscreen model, which uses a fanless Intel Pentium N3710 CPU, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. It features an 11.6-inch screen, which is unfortunately only 1,366 x 768, but still bright and sharp with decent colours. The trackpad is quite good, and while a little bouncy, the keyboard gets the job done. The efficient CPU will struggle with higher-end apps, but has more than enough power for normal use. By reducing the brightness a little, we managed up to 8.5 hours on the 32Whr battery. The Inspiron 11 also has the connectivity you need, including 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microSD, a webcam, 3.5mm audio, USB 3.0 and HDMI 1.4a.
The laptop measures in at 29.2 x 19.6 x 1.8cm and weighs in at a portable 1.2kg. While not the most powerful, it’s a compelling deal for the price.
ASUS Chromebook Flip C213 TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
AIMED AT THE education market, the Flip C213 is designed to be efficient, tough and easy to repair. The 2-in-1 laptop runs Chrome OS, and has a 360° fold back screen for tablet style use. The 11.6-inch touchscreen has a slightly disappointing 1,366 x 768 resolution, but is quite sharp and vivid. At its heart is a fanless Intel Celeron N3350 CPU, 4GB of RAM and a 32GB eMMC SSD that keep it very snappy in use. Designed for student use, it has an anti-scratch outer shell, with rubber bumpers, a spill-resistant keyboard and the ability to survive a 1.2m drop. The keyboard and trackpad are better than most, and the laptop easily runs for over 12 hours of normal use. The Flip has 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 4x USB 3.0 ports, a 3.5mm audio I/O jack and a microSD card reader. It also has front and back webcams, surprisingly good speakers and charges from USB-C.
It’s not the slimmest laptop out there at 30.7 x 19.9 x 2.1cm, and is a chunky 1.25kg.
Acer Chromebook Spin 11 AN EDUCATION FOCUSED 2-IN-1.
AVAILABLE FOR $559 on the Acer store (but a little more elsewhere), the Acer Chromebook Spin 11 is an affordable little Chromebook for students. It’s built tough (and can take a kid standing on it) with a polycarbonate shell and rubber bumpers and a spill resistant keyboard. The extra protection does mean it’s not super slim, at 29.6 x 20.6 x 2.1cm and weighing 1.4kg.
The Spin 11 uses a robust 360° hinge, so the 11.6-inch touchscreen can be folded back through 360°. The IPS panel itself has a slightly underwhelming 1,366 x 768 resolution, but is vibrant and sharp, albeit prone to glare. The laptop is kitted out with a fanless quadcore Intel Celeron N3450, 4GB of RAM and a 32GB SSD. It has more than enough grunt to keep Chrome OS snappy, even when multitasking. The device comes with a stylus, has 802.11ac Wi-Fi, USB 3.0, front and rear webcams, and a microSD card slot. Battery life is top notch, and without going overboard we managed a touch over 10 hours.