There are some great laptops for kids to use for homework and online learning or to play games and watch videos on the weekends. During the recent global pandemic, ensuring your child has a laptop that meets their needs has become increasingly vital. These once-luxury items are now essential educational tools and multimedia devices that can entertain children of all ages. It’s a little more challenging to find the best laptop for kids since they handle them less carefully. They also have more basic requirements at first.
Hence, we were more concerned about durability and hoped it would not be overly expensive if something went wrong. It is important to find a durable and lightweight device, something with parental controls, one that is powerful enough to handle schoolwork and entertainment and has long battery life. Our suggestion is to determine your child’s usage needs, the software they will use, and the tasks they will perform before choosing a laptop. Then, make sure you choose a laptop that meets these minimum requirements.
Recommended: Best Laptops for College Students under $500
Top 10 best laptops for kids in 2025
In a market flooded with laptops, you can choose from a wide variety of options. However, finding one that meets all of your needs, budget, and kids’ preferences can be challenging. So we’ve compiled the list of the best laptops for kids (and their families) on the market today to help you narrow down your search.
1Lenovo IdeaPad 1 (Cheapest Windows Laptop for Kids)
With its affordable price tag, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 is a good choice for kids and people looking to buy a laptop for work. A simple design and a very basic configuration make the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 ideal for most people. This laptop has a nice, sturdy plastic chassis. This 14-inch screen has a resolution of 1366 x 768p (HD), the highest resolution in the price range for a screen of this size. Additionally, it has an anti-glare coating on top to reduce reflections. There are very narrow bezels on the sides to give an immersive experience. Though neither the contrast nor the brightness is exceptional, it’s still straightforward to use for kids.
- Display: 14-inch 1366 x 768p HD
- Processor: Intel Celeron N4020
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 600
- RAM: 4GB DDR4
- Storage: 64GB SSD
A larger touchpad would have been better, but it also works well. This IdeaPad 1 is equipped with a Celeron N4020 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of SSD storage, and Intel UHD graphics 600, a basic-level processor that’s good for budget systems. The provided chipset offers two cores and two threads. So, you will get up to 2.80Ghz clock speed with the help of turbo boost frequency. You can use it to perform many daily tasks, including web browsing, MS Office apps, music playback, and movie playback for kids. The battery life is excellent. Up to eight hours of battery life can be expected on a full charge.
There is no USB-C connectivity, but plenty of ports are available for your digital peripherals. Apart from that, two speakers have a stereo sound quality and offer a very immersive viewing experience. In terms of connectivity, this laptop comes with Wi-Fi 5GHz support for internet usage and Bluetooth 4.1 for other wireless features. The device features two Type-A 3.2 ports, an HDMI port, an audio combo jack, and an SD card reader. As long as you don’t plan to use it for anything other than basic home, office, and college tasks, the IdeaPad 1 is the best laptop available in the market.
2Apple MacBook Air M1 (Best MacBook for Learning)
The Apple MacBook Air is easily among the most exciting laptops Apple has released in the last few years. The M1 chip truly makes it stand out. You will feel familiar with MacBook Air when you turn it on if you have an iPhone. MacBook Air is compatible with all Apple products. In addition to delivering up to 3.5x more performance, the Apple M1 chip uses less energy than its predecessor. The system is responsive and fast, thanks to 8GB of memory. The provided chip is incredibly tuned with macOS; that is why Apple can maintain outstanding performance with great efficiency.
- Display: 13.3-inch 2560 x 1600p QHD+
- Processor: Apple M1
- Graphics: Apple-designed 7-Core GPU
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD
In addition to the 13.3-inch Retina Display, Apple has used a 16:10 aspect ratio of 2560 by 1,600-pixel display here. Although the bezels on the Windows laptop are not as thin as on some of its rivals, the display still looks fantastic. It is a great panel with good viewing angles and excellent color accuracy, making it a great machine for productivity. Despite its years since its debut, the metal design is durable and still delivers an envy-inspiring MacBook feel. In addition, it is one of the thinnest laptops available, measuring 11.97 x 0.63 x 8.36 inches and weighing 2.8 pounds.
The Touch ID sensor on the keyboard in the top right corner also allows you to sign in with your fingerprint immediately after turning on the laptop, eliminating the need for passwords. Apple’s True Tone technology adjusts the display’s brightness to match the ambient light, but it does not support HDR or OLED (increasingly appearing in Windows laptops). The battery life is pretty impressive, and Apple’s claim of 18 hours of run in a single change makes sense. However, it is not precisely 18 hours, but you can easily get more than 10 hours of battery life in a single charge. In conclusion, this is a quick learning laptop for kids costing around $1000.
3Acer Chromebook Spin 311 (Convertible Chromebook for Kids)
This Chromebook Spin 311 from Acer is a well-rounded, versatile device at a great price. Acer Chromebook Spin 311 has a sleek and compact design, which compliments the machine’s size pretty well, and has a stunning aesthetic that matches its power nicely. Despite being matte black, the screen has a subtle diamond-print panel on the back of the screen, which does not affect the main body material. There is never any lag, even while running too many Chrome tabs and listening to YouTube simultaneously.
- Display: 11.6-inch 1366 x 768p HD
- Processor: Intel Celeron N4020
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 600
- RAM: 4GB LPDDR4
- Storage: 32GB eMMC
In other words, the Intel Celeron N4020-based hardware can handle all obstacles to provide a good experience with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Because this Chromebook weighs only 2.65lbs and is only 0.8 inches thick, it’s a portable device that is both thin and lightweight. Unfortunately, the 11.6-inch touchscreen, even with IPS technology, has a 1366 x 768p resolution that is rather dim. Acer has included their high-end ComfyView technology to improve image quality further. Besides, this display provides an accurate and colorful experience. On the top of the display, you will see an HD web camera for video conferencing and other tasks.
This laptop further offers a backlit keyboard and stereo speakers. Like others, it also runs ChromeOS, which is not that price. The large bezels are probably necessary to accommodate the toughened glass touchscreen and overall robust design. You can still click your way around and use the keyboard and touchpad with no problem. However, if you’re a heavy typist, this keyboard may feel a bit flexy. This Acer Chromebook Spin 311 has an excellent battery life of over 8 hours. Virus protection is included. It automatically updates, boots up within seconds, and stays fast as it continues to function.
4HP Stream 11 (Latest Windows 11 OS at a Cheap Price)
HP Stream 11 is a laptop designed specifically for students, and it is currently being offered at a tremendously affordable price. On the lid, you will find an inscribed HP logo half glossy, half matte in the middle. The HP Stream 11 11.6-inch display has a fuzzy resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, but it is an excellent option given its low price. It has a front web camera on the top and provides a 73% screen-to-body ratio. The webcam resolution is HD, and it’s perfectly fine for students and business employees to be utilized for working from home, video conferencing, streaming video content, video calling, etc.
- Display: 11.6-inch 1366 x 768p HD
- Processor: Intel Celeron N4020
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 600
- RAM: 4GB DDR4
- Storage: 64GB eMMC
This model is equipped with an Intel Celeron N4020 processor and 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of local storage eMMC. This processor is designed on the 14nm process while running on the Gemini Lake architecture having a 1.10GHz base clock speed and 2.80GHz top speed. Along with that, it comes with an Intel UHD Graphics 600 integrated GPU inside this laptop. Because of its long battery life, you won’t have to worry about recharging it during the day. Instead, your device will function smoothly when you have the right combination of power consumption, performance, and value. It weighs 2.3 pounds and is 11.08 x 7.59 x 0.66 inches. The HP Stream 11 shares the same design and specs as the previous model.
However, while the small, thin touchpad measures 3.7 x 2.1 inches, it has a soft feel and a good click. The laptop runs on the latest Windows 11 operating system in S mode. It’s nice that the Stream 11 doesn’t have too many changes regarding its port options and that it has a USB Type-C port. In addition, the left side of the laptop features a security lock slot, one USB 3.1 port, one USB Type C port, and an HDMI port, while the right side is equipped with a microSD card slot, one USB 3.1 port, one USB Type C port and an HDMI port. Overall, HP Stream 11 is the best value pick for kids priced under $200, making it one of the most affordable Windows laptops.
5Acer Nitro 5 (Affordable Gaming laptop for kids)
The Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55-53E5 gaming laptop is an economical device with premium components and features. A good laptop at a low price offers good performance. However, the overall quality of this laptop is a bit low—for example, the cheap plastic used in manufacturing this laptop. Moreover, the area around the keyboard track is notorious for picking up fingerprints, and a bezel of almost an inch surrounds the screen. With 1080p, 144Hz refresh, the Acer Nitro 5 offers a sharp, clear 15.6-inch display, but it’s on the darker side.
- Display: 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080p (144Hz)
- Processor: Intel Core i5-10300H
- Graphics: Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti 4GB GDDR6
- RAM: 8GB DDR4 2933MHz
- Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD
In addition to the RTX 3050 laptop GPU, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB NVMe SSD, and a 144Hz IPS display, the Nitro 5 has mid-range current generation specs across the board. Your Nitro 5 is a gaming computer with an Intel Core i5-10300H processor that delivers exceptional performance for all your games. This is a suitable combination to produce optimal gaming performance. Its typical gaming look attracts people with a backlit keyboard. This is a single zone red-colored backlit lighting effect. So, it lacks the RGB effects.
In addition, this computer features two built-in stereos that provide a realistic listening experience with Ultra Audio technology. The Acer Nitro 5 laptop’s battery continues to last much longer than you’d expect from a laptop in this price range. In addition, there are a number of ports available for use, among them the latest USB 3.2 Type C, an additional USB 3.2 Gen 2 (with power-off charging), two USB 3.2, one HDMI 2.0, and an Ethernet port. Overall, this is our primary choice for the best gaming laptop under $800 for kids.
6HP 15 (Mid-Range Windows Laptop for Kids Learning)
HP 15-dy2024nr is a stylish and sturdy laptop that can be purchased for a fair price. The HP 15 is an affordable, mid-range laptop that is competitively priced, making it ideal for children. The system features an Iris Xe graphics card, Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD. With an understated, elegant design, the bezel is slim and sleek, and it accommodates a 720p camera that you can use for video conferencing. During presentations, the device does not wobble, thanks to its solid build quality.
- Display: 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080p Full HD
- Processor: Intel Core i5-1135G7
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD
In addition to weighing 3.75 kg and measuring 0.71 inches thick, the HP 15-dy2024nr is portable enough to carry around a university campus in a bag. HP has opted to use a 15.6-inch screen with Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) with this laptop. There is an excellent keyboard on this laptop, which is smooth, responsive, and tactile. Although, one thing to note is that it does not have backlighting, which means that it isn’t a great option when the light fades. Being a Windows laptop, it runs on the latest Windows 11 operating system, the most recent version with refreshed optimizations.
The laptop offers decent connectivity features with two high-speed USB-A ports, a USB-C port, an HDMI output, a headphone jack, and a micro-SD card slot. In addition, it is equipped with a combination of Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 for wireless connectivity. In the meantime, this laptop comes with more than 5 hours of battery life on a single charge. It also supports a 41Whrs battery with fast charging technology which can charge its battery up to 50% in just under 45 minutes. Probably, this could be the best option for kids with a price tag of $500.
7Acer Aspire 5 (Cheapest Windows Laptop with Backlit Keyboard)
Because students use their computers during school hours and everyone works from home, it’s a great time to buy a new laptop at a great price. Acer’s laptop promises even better performance with a Ryzen 3 3350U quad-core processor and some extras, such as a backlit keyboard and a fingerprint scanner. In addition to having 4GB of RAM and a small 128GB solid-state drive, it has a battery life that is significantly longer than previous models. The sleek aluminum lid and tapered shell of this laptop make it look stylish. You will get a 15.6-inch display surrounded by thin bezels when the lid is opened.
- Display: 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080p FHD
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 3350U
- GPU: Radeon RX Vega 3
- RAM: 4GB DDR4
- Storage: 128GB NVMe SSD
There is also a silver-colored chassis offset by a black keyboard and an Aspire logo along the laptop hinge. Even though it is just 0.7 inches thick and weighs under 4 pounds, the Aspire A515-46-R14K feels lightweight, despite its 14.3×9.9 inch footprint. A 1080p resolution on this screen is also ideal for this size, as it is very sharp. The screen also offers excellent viewing angles with IPS technology. Acer rates the Ace Aspire 5 as having a battery life of 8 hours thanks to its 48Wh, 3-cell lithium-ion.
In addition, the Aspire 5 is equipped with a comfortable keyboard. The individual keys feel good to type on, and each keystroke is accompanied by satisfying feedback. Although there’s one surprise omission, port selection is pretty good for a budget system. A full HDMI port is on the left side, and two USB 3.0 ports and one USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port. Because the Aspire has a 128GB solid-state drive that is cramped, you’ll need this USB port for attaching external storage devices. An audio jack and a USB 2.0 Type-A port are on the right side. On a closing note, this is the cheapest Windows laptop for kids with a backlit keyboard.
8Microsoft Surface Go 3 (Extensive Mobility for Kids)
This device will compete against Chromebooks and Apple iPads, instead of competing against traditional laptops. It’s an excellent choice if you want to buy a laptop for your kid. With its kickstand integrated, the tablet features a rectangular touchscreen display. This portable device weighs only 1.18 pounds and measures 7.98 x 10.82 x 1.89 inches. On the front, it features a 10.5-inch display that offers 1920 x 1080 resolution, and it is an IPS LCD touchscreen. It supports input through the surface pen or any other digital pen available on the market.
- Display: 10.5-inch 1920 x 1080p Touch
- Processor: Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y
- Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 615
- RAM: 4GB LPDDR3
- Storage: 64GB eMMC
Besides that, this display can produce excellent colors and brightness. Compared to laptop screens in the same price range, this one is brighter and prettier. You can also watch movies on it. A touchscreen 2-in-1 that is the most advanced Surface to date is Designed to offer all the benefits of Windows 11. In addition, The laptop is powered by the Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y processor. It is a dual-core chipset specially designed for this machine. This chipset has been developed using the 14nm process, based on the Amber Lake architecture. The basic dual-core processor can generate up to 3.40GHz top speed, while the base clock speed is 1.10GHz.
This laptop gets the Intel UHD Graphics 615 integrated GPU to handle graphics-related problems. Moreover, it packs 4GB LPDDR3 RAM and a 64GB eMMC drive pre-installed. Multiple cameras are installed; a 5MP front-facing camera and another 8MP rear-mounted camera. Speaking about its design, you will see a kickstand at the back to use as a laptop stand. You can use this laptop without any keyboard, but you should get the Signature Type Cover keyboard for a better experience. Apart from that, it comes with one USB C and a headphone jack. In contrast, it supports dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0. Microsoft Surface Go 3 is a highly lightweight laptop, and it is one of the best options available for under $400 for kids and seniors having limited knowledge of technology.
9Lenovo Chromebook C330 (Cheapest Chromebook for Kids)
All important tasks for kids can be completed on the Lenovo Chromebook C330 (81HY0000US). It has a diagonal screen size of 11.6 inches and a resolution of 1,366 by 768. White plastic covers the device’s body, and the lid has Lenovo and Chrome logos, along with thick bezels around the display. The glossy touch overlay on the laptop does get reflections since viewing angles are comprehensive. The overall weight is 2.64 pounds, along with dimensions of 11.5 x 0.77 x 8.48 inches.
- Display: 14-inch 1920 x 1080p FHD
- Processor: MediaTek MT8173C
- GPU: Imagination PowerVR GX625
- RAM: 4GB LPDDR3
- Storage: 64GB eMMC
Another nice feature is the keyboard, which complements the elegant design. The keyboard is easy to use and feels comfortable. In addition, I’m satisfied with the touchpad’s performance. In addition to that, 64GB flash storage, and 4GB RAM, the laptop comes equipped with a MediaTek MT8173C processor, which is not great for multitasking but fine for basic users, particularly students. If you didn’t know, then it is an octa-core processor with a 2.4GHz max clock speed. Besides, this is an ARM-based 64-bit chipset with four Cortex A73 and four Cortex A53 cores. Meanwhile, it includes the PowerVR GX6250 integrated GPU for graphics performance.
A USB-C port, a USB-A port, and an HDMI port, as well as a slot for an SD card, are located on the left side. Google Drive cloud storage comes with the Chromebook for two years, just like most Chromebooks. The right side of the device has a Kensington lock slot, an audio jack, a power button, a volume rocker, and a power switch. There is only one DC port, and a DisplayPort connection can be made through the USB Type-C port. Lenovo Chromebook S330 offers decent performance and stylish design for under 200 dollars. So, if you are looking for a Chromebook for your kids with full HD resolution, you should consider this laptop.
10Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 (Bonus for Gaming)
In addition to offering a reasonable price for the IdeaPad Gaming 3, Lenovo has packed a lot more value into the gaming laptop. In an understated yet attractive package, unlike anything, you’ve ever seen before. The laptop is backed by the AMD Ryzen 5 5600H coupled with a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU. Probably, this is one of the best graphics available at this price point. The provided graphics card is decent enough to play high-end games and low to medium settings. The CPU also belongs to the latest AMD 5000 series with a base clock speed of 3.3GHz and goes up to 4.2GHz.
- Display: 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080p (120Hz)
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5600H
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 256GB PCIe SSD
This is a Hexa-core CPU with 12 threads built on TSMC’s highly power-efficient 7nm processing node. So, it performs very well even in extensive gaming usage by consuming limited power. Moreover, an 8GB of DDR4 RAM is packed with a faster 256GB of NVMe SSD. At the front, there is a 15.6-inch full HD display at 1920 x 1080p resolution making it a sharp panel. For a gaming laptop, the refresh rate is equally important as the resolution. So, the laptop brings a high 120Hz high refresh rate to deliver smooth gameplay. If we consider the price, most of the laptops do arrive with a standard 60Hz refresh.
Regarding the battery life, it can last for 3-4 hours in everyday usage, which can be reduced further during extensive use. So, the battery backup is pretty average. Apart from this, it comes with sturdy build quality but seems to be on the heavier side. All the essential connectivity ports are available on this gaming machine. Overall, if you need a very well-positioned cheap gaming laptop for kids, this is for you.
Buying Guide – How to Choose the Best Laptop for Kids?
The modern era of technology makes it essential for parents to purchase quality laptops for their children. They are the best way of introducing them to technology. But picking out a laptop for your kid isn’t as easy as it sounds. To make the right choice, you will have to consider several brands of laptops. Following are some tips to keep in mind when choosing a laptop for your children.
Processor & GPU
Intel Core processors from the i3 and i5 generations are generally sufficient for students. However, depending on the apps they will need to run, an i5 or better processor may be necessary for college students who intend to use their laptops through their university years. You should expect the processor speed of a new laptop to be between 3.50 and 4.20 GHz. Of course, those with higher demands, older children, or gamers will prefer the higher end.
Apart from that, GPU matters a lot if you want to purchase a gaming laptop for kids. Usually, for casual gameplay, you can rely on integrated GPU. But it should go with a dedicated GPU for more-intensive gameplay. We recommend going with the latest RTX 30 series (RTX 3050, RTX 3060, RTX 3070, RTX 3080, etc.) for extensive gaming.
RAM & Storage
The RAM, also known as Random Acess memory, is a temporary memory that helps process data. Hence, if a laptop goes out of memory, your laptop will start legging. So, you need to decide how much RAM your system requires. For a casual workload, 4GB RAM is enough, especially if you buy a laptop for your kids. Meanwhile, we recommend going with 8GB RAM if you want to use your laptop for a longer horizon.
Moreover, SSDs are faster than Hard Disk Drives (HDDs), reducing the startup time of your laptop from 5 minutes to 15 seconds. Applications will load more quickly, as well. Moreover, using a hard drive in a moving vehicle could lead to data corruption for students who work at the last minute on their way to class. SSDs are more expensive than HDDs, but they are well worth the extra expense.
Size Matters
Let’s start by acknowledging that you are purchasing the laptop for your kid. It is important to find a laptop that your kid can handle. A small laptop is suitable for children because it is easy to use. The small size and ease of use make the laptop ideal for children. Creating this bond with the laptop is also easier for the child. Kids can sometimes feel as though big laptops are only for the big people, and you wouldn’t want your child to feel that way.
Durability
Durability is another important feature to consider when buying a laptop for your child. A laptop that cannot withstand pressure is clearly beyond the reach of even the richest. It is important that the teacher you choose can remain in your child’s life for a substantial period of time. Sometimes, it is difficult to determine whether a laptop will last. People are generally advised to choose laptop computers from reputable brands since they are more reliable. You should read reviews before making your choice if you don’t know much about laptop brands.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of laptop is good for a 10 yr old kid?
In my opinion, it depends on your kids’ requirements. If the kid is used to playing games as well as casual multitasking, you need to look for a gaming laptop. otherwise, it’s fine to go with basic configurations, such as an i5 processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, and a portable design.
Should I buy a Chromebook instead of a standard laptop?
Yes, you can definitely give it a try if your budget is limited. I think a Chromebook should be an ideal choice for tasks like, Web Browsing, Watching Movies, and playing casual games.
Final Verdict
The laptops above are among our favorites for kids. Choosing the best laptop for your kids will be a challenge. Hopefully, your child will become more productive with it and feel more comfortable with it. A comfortable keyboard combined with a long battery life will be of great benefit to kids. Make sure that your child gets the right laptop accessories to get the most out of it. You also need to decide whether you want to go with a Chromebook or any other operating system, such as Windows or macOS.
The latest trend goes with Chromebook in the budget segment because the OS has improved a lot over the years. In my opinion, if you want a Chromebook, there are a lot of options available, around $200 to $300. Eventually, it will save your hard-earned money in many ways. Some of the suggested Chromebooks are Acer Chromebook Spin 11 and Lenovo Chromebook C330. Regarding the budget-centric Windows laptops, Lenovo IdeaPad 1 and HP Stream 11 are the most preferred choices from our side.
If you have a decent budget and want a quick learning laptop, you should blindly go with Apple Macbook Air M1. It fits in each category, whether Web Browsing, taking notebooks, extensive multitasking, etc. For gaming lovers, Acer Nitro 5 and MSI GL65 are there to serve you in the budget segment. So, it solely depends on your requirements to find the right laptop. What are your thoughts? You should keep us informed with your valuable feedback. So we can improve the content quality.
