If you’re buying a laptop for an older child, then rubber bumpers probably aren’t a priority. Speed, performance, and price are likely your top concerns, and you want to make sure their laptop has the right kind of specs for effective multitasking. For more deals on laptops and other remote learning essentials, make sure to head over to our guide to deals on homeschool supplies. The best laptops for kids will incorporate a powerful processor and a decent amount of memory to facilitate quick app switching and smoother performance when they’re browsing the internet, running complex applications, or attending virtual classes. This device has 4GB of memory, which should be sufficient for both schoolwork and media streaming, and 64GB of onboard storage. That’s not a lot, but Chromebooks tend to have limited storage on the assumption that users are relying on the cloud—the Duet actually comes with a one-year free trial of Google One for just this purpose. The downsides to this device are the same downsides for most 2-in-1 devices: the screen is small for a laptop (10.1 inches) and the port options are very limited. The Duet only has a single USB-C port, but this can be solved with a good USB-C hub. It also packs a surprising number of port options including two USB 3.0, HDMI, a headphone jack, and an SD card reader. The keyboard has larger letters and a shorter travel distance to make things easier for beginner typists. Like other Chromebooks, the C214 runs the streamlined Chrome OS and has very limited onboard storage—just 32 GB depending on the configuration. This forces users to rely on cloud storage for their files, which Google’s One and Drive applications will happily facilitate. It’s available with 4GB of RAM, which should be fine for kids’ productivity tasks.
