Finding the right laptop is tricky for anyone, but perhaps even more so when shopping for kids or a shared family computer. There are hundreds of options on the market and all of them claim to be the best in some way or another. So how do you identify exactly what you need from this machine?
To help you out, we’ve put together a buying guide that'll advise you on a product that both you and your child will be happy with, whether it's mainly for school and homework or for gaming and entertainment too. All of our options are available on Amazon, John Lewis and Argos from trusted brands like Acer, Apple, HP and Lenovo.
Image | 1 ![]() Microsoft | 2 ![]() Lenovo | 3 ![]() Acer | 4 ![]() ASUS | 5 ![]() Apple | 6 ![]() Microsoft | 7 ![]() Acer | 8 ![]() HP | 9 ![]() | 10 ![]() Dell |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Surface Go 3 2-in-1 Tablet PC | IdeaPad Duet Chromebook | Chromebook CB514 | VivoBook X705 Celeron Laptop | MacBook Air 2020 | Surface 4 | Chromebook Spin 311 | Chromebook 11 | Pixelbook Go | G15 5515 Gaming Laptop |
Features | The Power and Function of a Laptop With the Portability of a Tablet | A Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop From a Reliable Range | A Robust Aluminium Laptop With Mammoth Battery Life | A Larger Screen Option With Big Storage | A Worthwhile Investment With 18 Hour Battery Life and Apple's M1 8-core GPU | A Laptop That Grows With Your Child | Built to Military Grade Specifications | The Perfect Size for Little Hands | Great Choice for a Premium, Lightweight Chromebook | A Trusty Stead for Gaming, Streaming and Entertainment |
Price | £559.15 | £229.00 | £362.32 | £349.99 | £887.00 | £919.00 | £262.52 | £229.00 | £829.00 | £749.00 |
Operating System | Windows 11 | Chrome OS | Chrome OS | Windows 10 | MacOS | Windows 10 | Chrome OS | Chrome OS | Chrome OS | Windows 11 |
Screen Size | 10.5" | 10.1" | 14" | 17.5" | 13.3" | 13.5" | 11.6" | 11.6" | 13.3" | 15.6" |
Weight | 540 g | 920 g | 2.32 kg | 2.1 kg | 1.2 kg | 1.2 kg | 0.49 kg | 1.2 kg | 907 g | 2.3 kg |
Storage | 8GB RAM, 128GB flash | 4GB RAM, 128GB flash | 4GB RAM, 64GB flash | 8GB RAM, 1TB flash | 8GB RAM, 256GB flash | 8GB RAM, 256 flash | 4GB RAM, 32GB flash | 4GB RAM, 16GB flash | 8GB RAM, 128GB flash | 8GB RAM, 256GB flash |
Battery Life | Up to 10.5 hours | 10 hours | Up to 12 hours | Up to 10 hours | Up to 18 hours | Up to 11.5 hours | Up to 10 hours | Up to 13 hours | Up to 12 hours | 9 hours |
Dimensions | 24.5 x 17.5 x 0.8 cm | 24.4 x 16.9 x 1.8 cm | 32.3 x 23.2 x 1.7 cm | 41.1 x 27 x 1.6 cm | 30.4 x 21.2 x 0.4–1.6 cm | 34 x 25.2 x 6.8 cm | 20.6 x 29.6 x 2.4 cm | 20.5 x 28.6 x 1.8 cm | 1.4 x 20.6 x 31.1 cm | 27.2 x 35.7 x 2.4 cm |
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Apple products use their App Store marketplace, which has thousands of games and educational tools available. Their interface is simple and easy to use, and there are also fewer models, so it’s slightly less confusing when comparing products. Plus, if the rest of the family use Apple devices, you can sync everything up.
There are plenty of safety features, too, but you'll need to find and implement these on your own, which may require some tech knowledge if you're not already a convert. And as with all products from this brand, the price tag comes with the infamous 'Apple Tax'.
If you've settled on Apple, you might need to pick up a MacBook adaptor
As well as being the most common, the main draw of products that use Windows operating systems is that they have a specific mode called ‘S mode’, a more locked-down version of their system, which is ideal for young users.
Essentially, this means whoever is using it can only visit websites on Microsoft’s Edge browser, which has great parental controls. Plus, they’ll only be allowed to download content from the official app store, so there’ll be no sneaky applications from dodgy websites.
The Chrome OS operating system allows for your child to use web applications (that you’ve allowed through security) as well as running apps from the Google Play store. This is the app marketplace used on Android phones, so this might be a good option if you or they already use Android.
On the other hand, if your child has been asking for a phone for games but you’re not sure, this could be a good compromise. Chrome laptops are also known for being affordable.
While we often believe that a bigger screen is better, this isn’t always true when considering a laptop and will depend on where they'll use it. Though it will be preferable if your child intends to use their laptop primarily for entertainment, the bigger the screen, the more it’s going to weigh, which is worth a thought if they need to take their machine to school.
Screens around 11-13 inches usually weigh around 1-1.5 kg, which we think is a manageable amount for them to lug around whilst still having enough screen surface to see everything properly. Anything over this is better suited to kids who'll use their laptop mostly at home for streaming, gaming and TV.
Considering something more portable? Read our reviews of the best tablets for kids
There are two types of storage used on a laptop: RAM and flash memory. The bare minimum we would recommend is 4GB of RAM and 64GB of flash memory. This would be more than adequate for school purposes.
However, if you’re wanting the laptop to be an entertainment device too, then consider bumping this up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of flash. If you’re selecting a Windows operating system, then it may be worth going even higher. The files that run their system can take up a huge amount of space, which would not leave much room for games or other apps.
While it is still important, battery life is not the issue it was 5 or 10 years ago. Most laptops, even the economical options, will last a full day at school or an evening session at least.
However, we’d recommend something that lasts at least 9 hours. This way, they can use it both at school and for some entertainment in the evening if they (or you) would like without plugging in. It can then be popped on charge overnight ready for the next day.
Don't forget a good laptop backpack if they'll be carting it to school or college
This ranking has been compiled by the writing team at mybest UK via careful evaluation of the points made in the buying guide and thorough research of each product and comparing multiple verified customer reviews across the EC sites used.
£559.15
Operating System | Windows 11 |
---|---|
Screen Size | 10.5" |
Weight | 540 g |
Storage | 8GB RAM, 128GB flash |
Battery Life | Up to 10.5 hours |
Dimensions | 24.5 x 17.5 x 0.8 cm |
£229.00
Operating System | Chrome OS |
---|---|
Screen Size | 10.1" |
Weight | 920 g |
Storage | 4GB RAM, 128GB flash |
Battery Life | 10 hours |
Dimensions | 24.4 x 16.9 x 1.8 cm |
CB514-1HT
£362.32
Operating System | Chrome OS |
---|---|
Screen Size | 14" |
Weight | 2.32 kg |
Storage | 4GB RAM, 64GB flash |
Battery Life | Up to 12 hours |
Dimensions | 32.3 x 23.2 x 1.7 cm |
£349.99
Operating System | Windows 10 |
---|---|
Screen Size | 17.5" |
Weight | 2.1 kg |
Storage | 8GB RAM, 1TB flash |
Battery Life | Up to 10 hours |
Dimensions | 41.1 x 27 x 1.6 cm |
£887.00
Operating System | MacOS |
---|---|
Screen Size | 13.3" |
Weight | 1.2 kg |
Storage | 8GB RAM, 256GB flash |
Battery Life | Up to 18 hours |
Dimensions | 30.4 x 21.2 x 0.4–1.6 cm |
£919.00
Operating System | Windows 10 |
---|---|
Screen Size | 13.5" |
Weight | 1.2 kg |
Storage | 8GB RAM, 256 flash |
Battery Life | Up to 11.5 hours |
Dimensions | 34 x 25.2 x 6.8 cm |
£262.52
Operating System | Chrome OS |
---|---|
Screen Size | 11.6" |
Weight | 0.49 kg |
Storage | 4GB RAM, 32GB flash |
Battery Life | Up to 10 hours |
Dimensions | 20.6 x 29.6 x 2.4 cm |
11-v001na
£229.00
Operating System | Chrome OS |
---|---|
Screen Size | 11.6" |
Weight | 1.2 kg |
Storage | 4GB RAM, 16GB flash |
Battery Life | Up to 13 hours |
Dimensions | 20.5 x 28.6 x 1.8 cm |
£829.00
Operating System | Chrome OS |
---|---|
Screen Size | 13.3" |
Weight | 907 g |
Storage | 8GB RAM, 128GB flash |
Battery Life | Up to 12 hours |
Dimensions | 1.4 x 20.6 x 31.1 cm |
£749.00
Operating System | Windows 11 |
---|---|
Screen Size | 15.6" |
Weight | 2.3 kg |
Storage | 8GB RAM, 256GB flash |
Battery Life | 9 hours |
Dimensions | 27.2 x 35.7 x 2.4 cm |
Chromebooks are excellent laptops for homework because they can be used with either the Google suite of free 'office' tools (Google Docs, Sheets, Slides etc) or software like Microsoft Office and Photoshop. There are also over 200 Chrome apps that run without internet connectivity including Gmail and Google Drive.
Though it will depend on individual development, most kids will be ready to start learning to use a laptop (supervised, of course) at around 2 or 3 years old. This doesn't mean you have to buy them one straight away though – some parents prefer to wait until they start needing one for school, at around age 12-15.
Written and researched by Lewis Clark
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