Ranking: Best laptops for students and school-age kids

Parents who want more control over what their child does with electronics can easily configure a Chromebook so that a screen time limit is adhered to, and problematic web content is not accessible.

In terms of performance, Chromebooks are available in all performance categories, from inexpensive entry-level devices costing less than 200 euros to professional Chrome-powered devices costing well over 1,000 euros.

At the beginning of 2024, Notebookcheck had two extremely affordable Chromebooks with MediaTek's Kompanio 520 in review. Both the IdeaPad Slim 3 CB 14M868 and the Chromebook CM14 impress with their price of under 250 euros. For that, you get a laptop with good-quality casing, a very basic TN display and long battery life. On occasions such as the Prime Day, we saw both machines available for between 100 and 150 euros. The Lenovo performed slightly better in Notebookcheck's testng although you still should not expect much from the Chromebook.

A Chromebook like the IdeaPad Slim 3 CB is well-suited for the first few grades. Performance-wise, the MediaTek processor is sufficient for Web surfing and streaming, the screen is fine and, above all, the possibility of parental control over websites that can be visited calms the nerves. The low price also makes it easier to leave your child in charge of the device.

In fact, it is much easier to make a Chromebook child-friendly than a Windows laptop. Besides, the fanless machine requires very little power to operate, so it can also be powered using a small phone charger if the battery runs out of power. The case quality of the IdeaPad Slim 3 exceeded our expectations, considering the low price.

The IdeaPad Slim 3 CB currently costs around 200 euros on Amazon.de.

The Aspire Go 15 is often available at a discount - for cheap. The laptop sport a little more attractive looks than certain alternatives. An Intel Core i3-N305 is at work here, which fulfills the basic requirements for online learning. The system's matte-surface screen has good brightness and can also be used outdoors to some extent.

With the Aspire Go, Acer delivers a laptop that meets the essential requirements for those on a tight budget.

Notebookcheck's testing identified the notebook's fan control as its biggest weakness. The thing is constantly turning up, making it almost impossible to work in silence.

You have to pay less than 400 euros for the privilege of acquiring the Aspire Go.

The IdeaPad Pro 5 14 Gen 10 is a solid multimedia notebook. Its OLED display in particular stands out, bright and colorful, with accurate profiles, a smooth 120-Hz refresh rate and very good HDR performance. The slight, high-frequency enough PWM flickering should not be a problem for most users. Its reflective surface is what some might dislike.

The machine's keyboard has been noticeably improved as compared to previous-gen model and now feels much more solid, which makes for a comfortable typing experience - the large arrow keys aid in that. The clickpad works well, only the clicking noises are a little loud.

Battery life is a mixed bag: For everyday tasks such as surfing the Web or watching videos, the battery lasts a pleasingly long time (over 9 hours at full display brightness, and up to 14 hours when dimmed), but it gets drained quickly under full load. The performance of the AMD processor is absolutely sufficient for everyday use and beyond. The case is more stable than its predecessor and the connectivity is good.

As for drawbacks, we'd name the rather mediocre speakers and the fans, which can become audible under heavy CPU or GPU load. Either way, for around 990 euros, the IdeaPad Pro 5 is a good enough option.

The base MacBook Air 13" SKU is a pretty powerful machine that is often discounted to way under 1,000 euros. At its heart is the lightning-fast M4 chip, which works silently thanks to passive cooling. The IPS display delivers flawless picture quality, with DisplayP3 color space fully covered. Some might not like the panel's reflective surface and a frame rate of only 60 Hz; it also consumes quite a bit of power at full brightness.

Its input devices are good, as expected. There are two sides to the battery life: An impressive 16 hours are possible with the screen dimmed, but the runtime melts down to around 7 hours at maximum brightness. The limited 256 GB SSD in the base model is even less pleasing, as upgrades are expensive and the user themselves won't be able to carry one out themselves.

Connections are limited to two USB-C ports (Thunderbolt). There is no card reader, and Wi-Fi 7 is not onboard, just Wi-Fi 6E. The included 30-W power supply unit is somewhat weak.

Despite the compromises listed, the M4-powered MacBook Air 13" is an excellent and very mobile everyday companion.

The Envy x360 2-in-1 14 (2024 model) is a stylish convertible that is very suitable for creative applications. Its 120-Hz OLED display is a real eye-catcher with vibrant colors, good response times and precise pen input, ideal for note-taking and drawing. The machine's keyboard and touchpad also have a high-quality feel to them and are pleasant to use.

Its battery life is okay, even if there are longer-lasting machines out there. Performance is Notebookcheck's biggest gripe. Processor throttling is evident, which ensures low temperatures and quiet operation, but limits performance in demanding tasks. That issue aside, the Envy scores with top build quality, a stylish design, a good 5-MP webcam and fast Wi-Fi 6E. A versatile device, the HP is a good option, as long as maximum performance is not a priority.

More than just a multimedia notebook, the IdeaPad Pro 5 16IMH G9 comes equipped with a 90-watt GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card, delivering a surprising amount of performance for AI applications and also for an in-between gaming session. Graphics-wise, the system is faster than many rival system and as fast as some entry-level gaming laptops. Its case design and quality are equivalent to the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5 14AKP G10; what the latter misses out is the display tech used.

The 16IMH G9's 16-inch OLED display with touch, 120 Hz and a resolution of 2,048 × 1,280 pixels impresses with excellent color reproduction and decent brightness, even on battery power. Despite the powerful hardware, battery life is a remarkable 10.5 hours when surfing the Web via Wi-Fi. Charging is really fast; with the stock power supply, the battery is fully charged in around an hour. USB-C charging is supported as well but won't be as fast.

The design might be inconspicuous, but the power is more than enough to tip the scales in the IdeaPad's favor.

There hasn't been a 15-inch Yoga for a long time, but with the Slim 7 15 Aura, Lenovo delivers a model built around Intel's fresh Lunar Lake platform. On paper, the system's 15.3-inch IPS touch display has a lot to offer: 2.8K resolution, 120 Hz, full P3 colors, HDR support and a pleasingly high brightness that doesn't fade on battery power. In Notebookcheck's testing, however, the refresh rate proved to be a dud, with the 120 Hz not being quite smooth enough - or fast enough, at ~20 msec. The mouse pointer jumping by a few pixels instead of moving gracefully is quite an issue, given the product's price; hopefully, it was merely a problem with the test device.

Its keyboard comes with backlighting and the usual set of hotkeys. Battery life is a mixed bag: While up to an impressive 17 hours are possible during light Web surfing, under load, the system surrenders after around 2.5 hours. The new Lunar Lake Core Ultra 7 processor including the integrated Arc 140V graphics is plenty strong for everyday tasks and the new Co-Pilot+ features; however, those who primarily want to play games should look elsewhere.

Lastly, the notebook's quad speakers and Wi-Fi 7 support are worth praising.

Framework laptops have an very much modular design, and are easy to repair. If the device no longer meets your requirements, many components can be replaced easily and inexpensively. You can even buy a new mainboard with the latest-gen SoC. Keyboards, screens and housings are also available. The best thing about replacing a mainboard is that the old mainboard can continue to work as a computer. All mainboards from Framework work with no battery, with just a charger connected. You can also order the matching housing or print it out yourself using a 3D printer.

There are also expansion cards available that can add connections and functions to a Framework laptop.

Notebookcheck tested a Ryzen 7 7840U-powered Framework Laptop 13.5. The portable computer is compact and offers an excellent battery life of more than 12 hours when surfing websites. Performance is appealing and thanks to the integrated Radeon RX 780M, 3D performance is not bad, either. Perhaps the biggest drawback here is that not all of the four USB-C ports support USB 4 and DisplayPort.

The Framework Laptop starts at 929 euros. For this, you get a DiY kit with a Ryzen 5 7640U and 2.2K display with no RAM or operating system installed. Both will then have to be purchased elsewhere. The Ryzen 7 SKU costs around 300 euros more. At least four expansion cards must also be purchased, which cost 10 to 20 euros for connections.

The Vivobook S 15 OLED uses a Snapdragon X Elite processor and in everyday use, it is hardly noticeable that an ARM chip is running the show instead of an Intel or AMD CPU. Windows and many native apps run surprisingly smoothly - a clear improvement on previous ARM Windows attempts. Nevertheless, software compatibility is not perfect, and there are limitations compared to x86 systems, especially when it comes to games.

Worth highlighting is the machine's 15-inch OLED panel with 120 Hz, which delivers excellent picture quality with great colors, no user calibration required. It might not please those who dislike glare displays, as well as those who need full pen support, though.

Its battery life is decent but not record-breaking. The casing is durable enough, and all the key ports are available.

The Snapdragon X Elite SoC installed is about as fast as recent U-class Intel Core Ultra chips. Unlike Apple M-series based laptops, however, it does need active cooling, which can be even louder than some x86 laptops (with higher-performance system profiles on, that is). Last but not the least, while the Asus has a some future-proofing with regards to AI, some prospective buyers will wonder if the notebook's price is justified, given the limitations of Windows-on-ARM.

This is a compact subnotebook with great maintenance and upgrade options, as well as ports. The XMG Evo 14 (M24) lets you install up to 96 GB of RAM down the line, and the internal SSD is easy to replace.

The machine's matte 14-inch IPS display pleases with its high resolution, smooth 120-Hz refresh rate and accurate colors, which also allow image editing within the sRGB space. Battery life is good overall, even if certain rival devices have a little more staying power.

Under the hood, you have a choice between AMD and Intel processors, with the AMD variant (Ryzen 7 8845HS) offering good and above all stable performance, including the powerful Radeon 780M iGPU. All of this is housed in a metal casing and is available at a fair entry-level price. So if you value flexibility, connectivity and performance, consider giving the Evo a chance.

A work machine for more demanding tasks, the ThinkPad L16 G1 (AMD model) delivers ample performance thanks to its Ryzen APU. The powerful AMD iGPU can take on demanding applications, too. Also noteworthy is the machine's high-quality keyboard, which makes even longer working days pleasant.

In terms of features, the ThinkPad impresses with a wide range of fast connections including USB 4, and with good security features. However, there are also compromises to be found here. The display in particular lags behind other componentry, quality-wise, and is hardly suitable for demanding multimedia tasks or image editing. Here, as with the casing, savings are evident, presumably necessary to keep the price moderate.

Fan behavior needs additional tuning as well. Still, if you are looking for a robust system with a top-notch keyboard and plenty of performance for a fair price, and can overlook the display weaknesses, you will find a capable companion here.