Ranking: Best laptops for students and school-aged kids

Parents who want a little more control over laptop use can easily configure a Chromebook so that screen time is adhered to and problematic web content is hidden. In terms of performance, these devices are available in all classes. The price range easily extends from inexpensive entry-level devices costing less than 200 euros to professionalChromebook devices costing well over 1,000 euros.

At the beginning of the year, we had two extremely affordable Chromebooks with MediaTek Kompanio 520 in the test. Both the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 CB 14M868 as well as the Asus Chromebook CM14 impress with their price. Both devices are under 250 euros. For this, you get a laptop with good case quality, an acceptable TN panel and a long battery life. On occasions such as Prime Day, we discovered both devices for between 100 and 150 euros. The Lenovo device performed slightly better in the test. You can't expect much from the Chromebook, but the author's personal opinion on the inexpensive laptop is:

A Chromebook like the IdeaPad Slim 3 CB is well suited for the first grades. The performance of the MediaTek processor is sufficient for 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 inexpensive device also makes it easier to leave the child in charge of the device.

In fact, it is much easier to manage the Chromebook in a child-friendly way than would be the case with Windows laptops. The fanless Chromebook requires very little power to operate, so it can also be run from a cell phone charger if the battery runs out of power after about twelve hours. The case quality of the IdeaPad Slim 3 exceeds our expectations, considering the low price. The IdeaPad Slim 3 CB currently costs around 235 euros on Amazon.

The Aspire Go 15 is often available quite cheaply. The laptop is a good alternative to the Asus student laptop if you want the device to look a little more attractive. An Intel Core i3-N305 is also at work here, which fulfills the basic requirements for online learning. The matte screen provides 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.

We identified the notebook's fan control as the biggest weakness in the test report. It is constantly turning up, making it almost impossible to work in silence. You currently pay less than 400 euros for the Aspire Go at Notebooksbilliger.de.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5 14 G10 cuts a fine figure as a multimedia notebook. Its OLED display stands out: It is bright, colorful with accurate profiles, offers a smooth 120 Hz and a very good HDR display. Slight, high-frequency PWM flickering should not be a problem, but the surface is reflective. The keyboard has been noticeably improved and now feels much more solid, which makes for a comfortable typing experience - the larger arrow keys are also practical. The clickpad works well, only the clicking noises are a little loud.

The 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 brightness, up to 14 hours when dimmed), but it drains 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. The minor weak points include the rather mediocre speakers and the fans, which can become audible under heavy use. For the price of around 990 euros, the IdeaPad Pro 5 14 G10 is a pretty well-rounded overall package.

The Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 in the basic version is a pretty powerful package and is often available for less than 1,000 euros. At its heart is the lightning-fast M4 chip, which can work completely silently thanks to passive cooling. The IPS display delivers flawless picture quality with DisplayP3 color space. We see points of criticism in the reflective surface and a frame rate of only 60 Hz. It also consumes quite a lot of power at full brightness.

The input devices are good as usual. There are two sides to the battery life: An impressive 16 hours and more 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 less pleasing, as upgrades are expensive and not possible at a later date. The selection of connections is also limited with only two USB-C ports (Thunderbolt) and no card reader, and the latest Wi-Fi 7 is not on board. The included 30W power supply unit is also somewhat weak. Despite these compromises, the MacBook Air 13 M4 is an excellent and very mobile everyday companion.

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

The battery life is okay, even if there are more durable devices out there. The biggest catch is the system performance: The processor is noticeably throttled by HP, which ensures low temperatures and quiet operation, but limits the performance in demanding tasks. Apart from that, the Envy scores with top build quality, a stylish design, a good 5 MP webcam and fast Wi-Fi 6E. A versatile device as long as maximum performance is not constantly required.

More than just a multimedia notebook is the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5 16IMH G9. With its 90-watt GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card, it delivers a surprising amount of performance for AI applications and also for games in between - often more than comparable devices and even on a par with some entry-level gaming laptops. The design and chassis quality are equivalent to the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5 14AKP G10, but this device has an OLED panel.

The 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, the battery lasts a remarkable 10.5 hours when surfing the web via Wi-Fi. Charging is really fast: With its own power supply, the battery is fully charged again in around an hour; it takes a little longer via USB-C. The design may be inconspicuous, but the inner power is just right.

There hasn't been a 15-inch Yoga for a long time, but with the Slim 7 15 Aura lenovo is now launching a model with Intel's fresh Lunar Lake platform. Its 15.3-inch IPS touch display has a lot to offer on paper: 2.8K resolution, 120 Hz, full P3 colors, HDR support and a pleasingly high brightness that doesn't fade even on battery power. In the test, however, there was a catch with the refresh rate: the 120 Hz did not always run smoothly, which could lead to an unsteady mouse pointer - hopefully a problem with the test device and not the series.

The keyboard comes with backlighting and the usual hotkeys. The battery life is split in two: While up to an impressive 17 hours are possible during light web surfing, under load it is already over after around 2.5 hours. The performance of the new Intel Core Ultra 7 processor (Lunar Lake) including the integrated Arc 140V graphics is strong for everyday tasks and the new Co-Pilot+ features; however, those who primarily want to play games will find more powerful alternatives. The quad speakers and the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard are also very pleasing. A promising upper-class multimedia notebook, provided the display teething troubles are eradicated.

Framework laptops have an extremely modular design and are easy to repair. If the device no longer meets the requirements, many components can be replaced easily and inexpensively. You can even buy a new mainboard with the latest processor. 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 also work without battery with a corresponding external power supply. You can also order the matching housing or print it out yourself using a 3D printer. There are also a number of expansion cards that can add connections and functions to the laptop.

We have the Framework Laptop 13.5 with Ryzen 7 7840U. The laptop is compact and offers an excellent battery life of more than 12 hours when surfing. The performance is appealing and thanks to the Radeon RX 780M, 3D performance is not neglected either. Perhaps the biggest drawback here is that not all of the four USB-C ports support USB-4 and DisplayPort.

The Framework Laptop 13.5 starts at with a price of 929 euros. For this, you get a DiY kit with Ryzen 5 7640U and 2.2K display without RAM and operating system. Both would have to be purchased from other sources. With Ryzen 7, the laptop costs around 300 euros more. At least four expansion cards must also be purchased, which cost 10 to 20 euros for connections and up to 140 euros for memory expansion.

With the Asus Vivobook S 15 OLED uses a Snapdragon X Elite processor and in everyday use it is hardly noticeable that an ARM chip is running here 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 always guaranteed, and there are clear limitations compared to x86 systems, especially when it comes to the selection of games.

One highlight is the 15-inch OLED panel with 120 Hz, which delivers excellent picture quality with great colors straight from the factory. However, the surface is very reflective and there is no touch function. The battery life is good, but does not stand out as outstanding. Otherwise, the Vivobook scores with a sturdy casing and sufficient ports.

The computing power of the Snapdragon X Elite is absolutely sufficient for everyday tasks and is on a par with current Intel Core Ultra chips. However, you should not expect passive cooling like Apple's M processors here; the fan behavior is more similar to classic Windows laptops. In the faster performance modes, the fans can even become disproportionately loud - whether this is a software issue or due to the heat development of the chip under high load remains to be seen. In view of the price, which is sometimes higher than comparable Intel or AMD models from Asus itself, it is important to weigh up whether the new AI features are worth the extra cost and the compromises mentioned.

A compact ultrabook that makes hardly any compromises when it comes to connections and maintenance: This is how the Schenker XMG Evo 14 (M24). Its many ports and good upgrade options set it apart from many of its competitors. Up to 96 GB of RAM are possible and the SSD is easy to replace.

The matte 14-inch IPS display pleases with its high resolution, smooth 120 Hz and accurate colors, which also allow image editing in the sRGB space. The battery life is good overall, even if some other devices have a little more power.

Under the hood, you have the 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, lots of connections and solid performance, you'll find an exciting overall package here.

As a work device for high demands, the Lenovo ThinkPad L16 Gen 1 AMD wants to score points. Its strengths clearly lie in its performance thanks to good AMD processor performance and a powerful iGPU, which also masters demanding applications and even 3D tasks. Particularly noteworthy is the high-quality keyboard, which makes even long working days pleasant.

In terms of features, it impresses with a wide range of fast connections including USB4 and good security features. However, there are also clear compromises: The display cannot keep up in terms of quality and is hardly suitable for demanding multimedia tasks or even image editing. Here, as with the case, there have been noticeable savings for the moderate price.

The fan control is also not always optimal, which sometimes makes the fan unnecessarily loud. Unfortunately, this text does not provide any information on battery life. So if you are looking for a robust workhorse with a top keyboard and plenty of performance for a fair price and can overlook the display weaknesses, you will find a capable companion here.