-Riya Ganguly
With the pandemic raging unchecked for the last year and half, online classes have become the new normal for children. As school activities and classes have been condensed to a screen time of over six to eight hours for developing children, it has become increasingly imperative to choose the correct electronic device to facilitate their easy access to online study materials and make learning simple/convenient and interactive. But how do you choose the correct device for your child?
Tablet or laptop?
Parents often find themselves at loggerheads in deciding to buy the correct type of device for their children. What is the difference between a tablet and a laptop, and which is suitable for your child? You need to consider three factors to take this decision: affordability, size and portability, durability and functionality.
Tablet for younger students: A tablet, being smaller in size than a laptop and therefore more portable, is preferable to a laptop for students in their elementary years. With easier touch-to-screen navigation and better battery life, students in their formative years are not hindered by complex keyboard functions and can easily attend online classes and access study material facilitated by a tablet’s user-friendly display and easy access keys and functions. Furthermore, the smaller size and greater durability of tablets in comparison with the relatively bulkier laptops in addition to tablets’ significantly low prices are a point in their favour when we take a growing child with changing requirements into account.
Laptop for older students: As students progress to higher classes, their coursework becomes more demanding with greater screen time and more reading and writing involved. With better keyboard access and a larger screen with better resolution, older students will find a laptop far more convenient than the tablet, which they may find restrictive. Despite being more expensive, bulky and less portable, a laptop with its greater storage and RAM and increased functionality with a functional keyboard and multiple ports will facilitate easy studying and research for students in higher classes, enabling them to meet deadlines on time.
Here are the top four tablets to choose from for younger students:
Best overall: Samsung Galaxy Tab S7
Widely recommended for student use, Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 with its sleek portable style and high-end performance is perfect for online classes.
Display- 11 inches
Storage- up to 128 GB with 6 GB RAM
Battery life- 14 hours
Features- Stylus (S-pen), attachable keyboard, sleek lightweight design, great battery life
Starting price- INR 55,999/-
Best under budget: Lenovo Tab M10 HD
Uncertain about the high prices? Lenovo Tab M10 HD is the ideal tablet to choose while sticking to a budget, the eye protection and colourful display and kid’s pack making learning an exciting experience.
Display- 10.2 inches
Storage- 32 GB and 3 GB RAM
Battery life- 8 hours (browsing)
Features- special eye protection technology, kid’s pack with bumper case and protective film, bad posture alert
Starting price- INR 11,675/-
Best choice for toddlers: Amazon Fire HD 10
Perfect for toddlers and younger children, Amazon Fire HD 10 is the ideal low budget durable tablet younger children can use to attend online classes.
Display- 10.10 inches
Storage- 32 GB and 2 GB RAM
Battery life- 8 hours (browsing)
Features- detachable Bluetooth keyboard (productivity set), fully laminated display, safe to use for children
Starting price- INR 14,990/-
For the Apple customers: iPad Air 4 (2020)
For the loyal Apple customers preferring iOS to Android, the iPad Air 4 tablet is the perfect pick for students, the keyboard and apple pen (available separately) making typing and taking notes easy for students.
Display- 10.10 inches
Storage- 64 GB, 4 GB RAM
Battery life- up to 10 hours (multimedia)
Features- all-screen design, magic keyboard and apple pen (available separately)
Starting price- INR 54,900/-
Here are the top four laptops to choose from for older students:
Best overall: HP Envy 13
With its bright and vivid display, portable design and long battery life, HP Envy 13 is a great laptop for students.
Display- 13.30 inches
Storage- 256 GB, 8 GB RAM
Battery life- up to 14 hours
Features- backlit keyboard, compact design, long battery life, 2-in-1 flip style, touchscreen enabled
Starting price- INR 69,990/-
Best under budget: Lenovo IdeaPad s130
Difficulty in finding a laptop with great specs and value for money? Lenovo IdeaPad priced below INR 30,000 is the perfect pick for students, great for multitasking enabled by the 2-in-1 flip compact style
Display- 15.60 inches
Storage- up to 256 GB, 4 GB RAM
Battery life- up to 8 hours
Features- compact and light (less than 2kg) design, long battery life, 2-in-1 flip style, value for money
Starting price- INR 24,290 /-
For the Apple customers: MacBook Air M1
For the ones preferring the Mac OS to Windows-10 OS, MacBook Air M1 is the model to choose. Ultrathin with outstanding battery life, this is among the more affordable MacBooks, the retina display being an attractive feature for student use.
Display- 13.30 inches
Storage- up to 128 GB, 16 GB RAM
Battery life- up to 15 hours
Features- retina display, sleek and portable design, good battery life.
Starting price- INR 92,900/-
Best 2-in-1 touchscreen laptop: HP Pavilion X360
If you can’t decide between a laptop or a tablet, HP Pavilion X360 is the answer to your confusion. Touchscreen enabled with tablet mode, the additional pen makes it the ideal device to take notes in class.
Display- 14.00 inches
Storage- up to 512 GB, 8 GB RAM
Battery life- up to 9 hours
Features- touchscreen enabled, convertible to tablet/tent mode, optional pen available, backlit keyboard, lightweight and compact.
Starting price- INR 62,999/-
Also read: Indian parents manage increased school costs, device dependency: BIC Cello Survey
