Parental “update”: does a student need a laptop? If 10 years ago a non-childish discussion would have developed here, today the answer is obvious: it is necessary for homework, access to educational resources, creativity and… entertainment, no matter how scary this word may be for those who are sure that school is work and hard long-term work for children.

Today, schools not only offer students a variety of digital services, but even require their use. If a child studies in a school where special educational programs are used, the services that are necessary for learning become many times more.

At what age does a student really need a computer? Probably, first-graders do not need it yet (but this is not certain). But already in high school, a computer is just as necessary for learning as a briefcase, pencil case, or form for fizra.

The question of whether a child needs a computer or not is different today: what kind of PC should I choose?

Desktop or laptop?

Laptop. Simply because it is much more convenient and mobile. The last circumstance will be especially important if your child attends not only school, but also additional classes or extensions. The ability to use a computer not only in a school classroom, but also in an artist’s or language course is priceless.

In addition, it is not necessary to take away from the student the opportunity to decide where exactly to build his hut. Yes, it will be convenient for you to hand the laptop to the child and, for example, send it to the grandparents, knowing that he will not have the opportunity to fight back from doing the homework. On the train or in the car, in the park or on the beach – the whole family will appreciate the mobility of the device.

Like a desktop, a laptop can be used to organize a convenient workplace for a student at home, in particular a small one. At the same time, you will get rid of a bunch of wires, which are very interesting to pets (and younger brothers and sisters too).

Taking into account the cost of the monitor, a laptop will cost less than a desktop, allowing you to work anywhere and with anyone. Even when the electricity went out. Well, if you instill in children a caring attitude towards nature, then you will have a reason to explain to them that the production and operation of a laptop leaves a smaller carbon footprint than a PC.

The laptop, of course, has its drawbacks. It can be forgotten or even lost. But there is a reason to strongly instill in your child a sense of responsibility for his actions and for his own property. The laptop is not so reliable, it is enough to remember the tea spilled on the keyboard. But this is another intimidating factor in favor of following simple household rules.

Well, the technical shortcomings that can negatively affect the child’s health are completely surmountable.

Productivity

The main characteristic of any laptop is its performance. It depends on the two most important nodes – processor and RAM.

A student needs a laptop to solve his tasks on it: to work with texts, tables and presentations, to process simple illustrations and to use a browser to access various information resources on the Internet. For this, it is not necessary to buy a powerful and expensive laptop. “Typical” will be enough – for standard office work.

Today, these are laptops with 8 or 16 gigabytes of RAM and not the most productive AMD Ryzen 3, Intel Core i3 or Intel N-series processors. The latter will generally be an ideal choice, as they are “sharpened” for solving office tasks.

To store documents and materials on a laptop, you need a fairly capacious drive. 256 GB of storage is quite enough for a schoolboy — it will accommodate software, documents, and graphics.

Screen

This is perhaps the most critical feature when it comes to a laptop for a student. A bad screen is the worst enemy of vision, especially children’s vision. Therefore, this danger must be eliminated by all possible means.

First of all, the size. Compact laptops with a screen diagonal of 14 inches and below will not fit. This is not only harmful to children’s eyes, but also not very convenient, especially for working with pictures. Large laptops from 16 inches and above weigh a lot, so they also fall away. Devices with a screen diagonal of 15.6 inches remain. They are not too heavy, suitable for children in size and less strain on the eyes.

The matrix is ​​another important indicator. Today, the most optimal IPS screens, which provide a wide viewing angle, excellent color rendering, and high brightness and contrast. In addition, such matrices are equipped with high-quality illumination, which allows you not to strain your vision. The optimal resolution for comfortable work is 1920×1080 pixels.

Corps

Another important indicator when we talk about a laptop for a student. The load of this device will have to be experienced in any case. Therefore, it is worth making a choice in favor of not plastic, but metal cases, ideally from aluminum, which will allow the laptop to serve its young owner for a long time. But knocking on the laptop with a hammer, after all, should not be allowed.

Here we pay attention to the weight. Light laptops are frankly expensive, their purchase will be unwise. It is necessary to compromise. 1.5-1.7 kg is quite a comfortable weight of the device lying in a school backpack. Some textbooks, by the way, weigh a little less.

Multimedia

You should not expect miracles from a school laptop in terms of sound quality or a built-in camera. The main thing is that both the camera and speakers are present. As well as the connector for connecting headphones.

Food

The laptop can work autonomously – this is its important advantage. And it is worth paying attention to how much its battery “holds”. For a schoolboy, the minimum indicator will be 5 hours. In this case, some days you can not take the power supply with you.

By the way, the power supply unit is also an important factor. Children lose little things – and there is nothing you can do about it. Therefore, the power supply must be easily replaceable. Ideally, with the most common USB Type C connector.

Producer

Today, there are many laptops of various manufacturers on store shelves: import substitution stimulated the emergence of interesting options. Now the buyer is not chasing the brand, but the brand is chasing the buyer: now fashion, brand promotion and other marketing features are not as important to us as what is “under the hood”.

And if the manufacturer has convinced the buyer of his brand, then his product will be taken even without loud slogans against the background of epic music. “Firm” is its own production (and not the sticker of nameplates), a careful selection of components with their preliminary testing, clear warranty conditions and a network of service centers with spare parts warehouses.

And is there a “firm” for sale at a reasonable price? E. It is worth looking at laptops from domestic manufacturers, for example, OSIO. The brand is new and still little known. But these computers are manufactured by a company with a name: Kazan ICL has been operating on the market for more than 30 years and, in addition to production, is engaged in the implementation of complex IT projects and software development. That is, she has enough competences in the field of computer hardware.

At ICL, it is not just assembly, but full-fledged production – a whole laptop factory in Innopolis. And there is a network of service centers in many cities, so in case of trouble, the upset child’s device will be quickly fixed.

The ICL line includes laptops that are close to ideal for a school student. Check out the OSIO OSiO BaseLine B150i-001c for example. Light, productive, with a good matrix and with a humane price in relation to the family budget. You can also choose the color of the case. Girls will appreciate it! And in a couple of years, such a laptop can be replaced with something more fashionable, cool or pink.

Family bonus

And yes, we thought about the topic of a laptop for a schoolboy here, but any schoolboy was once a preschooler… What is a laptop for a child under 7 years old? This is a video babysitter (cartoons and games!), distance learning with a speech therapist and/or a teacher of the same English, online classes with a PE instructor. This is even telemedicine, when a “remote” pediatrician can examine a young patient from all sides, talk to him and his parents through a laptop screen. If you have the opportunity to develop your child’s computer literacy before school, give him this handicap. He will thank you!

A beautiful ending

Scientists from ITMO University and Beijing Pedagogical University conducted a study and found that the high level of computerization and the spread of mobile technologies has a positive effect on children’s abilities in reading, mathematics and natural sciences.

This is the best ending to the article that we could come up with, because what could be better than intelligent youth! And whether to buy a laptop for the child or not is up to you.