Laptop for a Teacher That Isn't Too Expensive. Advice?

Rabbitsfoot on 20/10/2021 - 14:19
Last edited 20/10/2021 - 17:06

Hi. I would love your advice.

As a teacher, i need a laptop that is:

not too heavy.

Has great battery life. (last a school day).

And is upgradable, so It can hopefully last me ages.

My current laptop is great. But its a gaming laptop. so doesn't work as good as I want it too.

Any suggestions would be great.

I am happy for it to be used/refurbished, ugly.

Let me know thoughts.

EDIT:

Budget max $1000. but I am hoping that it won't get that expensive.
Upgradable = ram and battery
Screen size= 11-15inch

Computing Computer Laptop

Comments

  • OmboKing on 21/10/2021 - 20:36

    Teacher here. Personally I use an iPad for classroom applications, have used them for the past 8 years and I am onto my third one. If I need to do any desktop publishing type tasks then I will use my 2013 MacBook Air. But you can do most of what you need on the iPad.

    Long battery life, super portable, can connect easily to projectors, and well under $1000 for the entry level iPad which is more than sufficient.

  • kaleidoscope on 21/10/2021 - 20:38

    As a teacher, i need a laptop:

    Try educational store discounts coupled with some seasonal sales to get a really good deal. Recently posted apple edu store discounts are pretty neat.

    Lasts a school day

    Looks like you are mostly using it for or at work which means you can get some tax benefits which is even better and stretches your budget a fair bit.

    am happy for it to be used/refurbished, ugly.

    Even better

    —-

    My recommendation:

    See if you can go with something like entry level macbook air m1 series (yeah i’m aware the rrp is over your max budget, but see if the tips above can help you with that). They should last you a good few years without breaking a sweat. Unless you must use softwares that are only limited to windows environment you can’t go wrong with it.

    ✌️

  • wkaxon on 21/10/2021 - 20:48

    Make sure the laptop you buy is touchscreen, it might seem like a touchscreen wouldnt do much but it improves your experience significantly

  • nikey2k27 on 21/10/2021 - 21:19

    teach laptops should be cheap as students like to trash them. I aim for $599 per year my mate buys a new one each year. Students trash them or try to take them. tax right off.

    • mdavant on 21/10/2021 - 21:55
      +3

      "tax right off"

      I hope you don't teach any of my offspring. :P

      • Charity on 23/10/2021 - 13:36

        Lol. Nothing he said was correct in any way. If Nikey is a teacher, people really need to home school.

  • mdavant on 21/10/2021 - 21:20

    Dell latitude 7000 series from Dell outlet

  • reddwarf on 21/10/2021 - 22:07
    +1

    refurbished lenovo x270 with i5 7200cpu 8gb ram , preferably nvme storage and 9 cell battery , make sure the lcd is 1920x1080
    some of them available online / ebay are still under warranty (original 3y) with tech onsite

  • cycleri3 on 22/10/2021 - 07:28

    Look into dell inspiron 14 when on sale. They are pretty light, have upgradable ram and can be had for around 1000 to 1200 when on sale.

    https://www.dell.com/en-au/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-14-lap…

    • Sean8802 on 22/10/2021 - 20:25

      Coming from someone who worked for Dell for 3 years I wouldn't recommend the Inspiron line, they are pure junk. They are just recycled Latitude frames from a few generations ago with cheap components inside.

  • harrywwc on 22/10/2021 - 08:31

    I would bump your budget up to around $2000. You'll get a lot more bang for your buck there.

    Also, if this is "exclusively" for work, then two opposite things come to mind:

    1 - why isn't the school buying this? surely they have a 'laptop for chalkies' program?

    2 - if they can't / won't / whatever, and you have to buy this yourself, then this should become a claimable expense on your taxes

    Now, admittedly, (2) won't give you the whole 'extra $1000' back over the 3 to 5 years that you can depreciate the thing at, but it will help.

    check with an accountant for details.

  • TimApple on 22/10/2021 - 10:59
    +1

    Macbook Air.

    • unwashed00 on 22/10/2021 - 11:56

      A prime example of upgradable. Not

      • spammingb on 22/10/2021 - 15:26
        +1

        Why would you need to upgrade when M1 has 2x the performance and battery life of any Windows laptop? lol

        • Sean8802 on 22/10/2021 - 20:26

          OP wants a user replaceable battery obviously when it wears out. That cannot be done on a M1 as it is glued to the top cover.

        • dave999 on 23/10/2021 - 11:11

          You do know that is simply not true, it is just Apple marketing.

          They make great products, but clearly their great marketing has worked on you.

          The Ryzen 5800U is generally equal in single core and almost double in multicore compared to the M1 - https://gadgetversus.com/processor/apple-m1-vs-amd-ryzen-7-5…

  • forkus on 22/10/2021 - 11:55

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/658633

    See if this meets your criteria

  • Brouw3r on 22/10/2021 - 12:32
    +1

    I bought my wife a Huawei Matebook D14 for $800, doesn't seem like you can get one for this cheap anymore but the product itself is great for the price. Decent battery life, snappy and quite a premium finish.

  • seabombs on 22/10/2021 - 12:51
    +1

    If you don't mind second-hand/refurbished I'd look at a Thinkpad T480. You can get a still decent 4C/8T 8th gen Intel CPU, whatever RAM and SSD size you want (both upgradeable), and the killer feature is it still has the external battery which you can upgrade to a chunky 72Wh. Also acts as a bonus carry handle!

    Would be well under $1k these days.

  • OldSchoolHarry on 22/10/2021 - 13:51

    You can get a used A-grade Dell Latitude e5480 or e7480 from eBay for around $350-$400 during 15-20% off sales. These are great value for money and will last ages. Even if you have to upgrade the battery down the line, it would still be cheaper.

  • mountaineer on 22/10/2021 - 14:30
    +2

    Just a MacBookPro will last you many many years til you thinking why this machine just doesn't die :)

  • Lordarainyday on 22/10/2021 - 14:38

    Mac book air - can never go wrong with a Mac - the best purchase - battery lasts for ages -got mine MacBook Pro back in 2015 or 2013 - Still going strong - please do not waste ur time anymore looking at other brands - no offence - Mac will do the job - depends if u have android phone - makes it harder to integrate - but if u have an iPhone - it’s a breeze . Cheers

  • realfancyman on 22/10/2021 - 16:39

    What state are you in? I'm in IT in an SA public school and we get massive discounts from the manufacturars.

  • Aneurism on 22/10/2021 - 17:30
    -1

    Mac Users seem to have the same weird mentality as vegans

  • happydude on 22/10/2021 - 18:58

    Done - https://online.acer.com.au/refurbished/acer-travelmate-p614-…

    Acer TravelMate P614, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD - Touch Screen ($899.00)
    - Windows 10 Home
    - Intel Core i5-10210U Processor
    - 14" FHD IPS Touch Screen
    - Onboard Graphics
    - 8GB & 256GB SSD
    - Wireless-AC, 802.11ac/a/b/g/n
    - 1.12Kg, Up to 18 hours battery life
    - Fine Tip Backlit Keyboard
    - USB 3.1, Type C, HDMI
    - 1 Year Mail in Warranty

  • BinnyC on 22/10/2021 - 22:28

    Dell XPS13 should be good.

  • yahms on 23/10/2021 - 01:43
    +1

    I realise it’s been said many times already but—
    Try find an m1 MacBook Air. Education store, plus claim appropriate use against tax may get you under 1000 actual cost anyway

    I own one and your comments resonate with me

    not too heavy.

    I got an air because it’s very light and easy to sling in a bag without taking up all the space or feeling like ur carrying a slab

    Has great battery life. (last a school day).

    M1 air will easily go a school day- I’ve found that heavy use of office apps will drain other laptops quick. Not so the m1. I think I got 6 hours out of it with light web usage and 15-30 min of zoom and it was in the 70s for battery % lol. Heavy usage won’t affect it as much as current windows x86 stuff basically you won’t suddenly lose 1% a minute by opening the wrong app. Annoyingly it will do zoom for like 8-10 hours and feel as warm as that coffee you forgot to drink from yesterday, so you can’t use battery as an excuse

    And is upgradable, so It can hopefully last me ages.

    if you want to upgrade components inside the laptop after buying it, that is such a freeing thing and I love the feeling of giving an old laptop some late life boost - but I’ve found you end up with old tech bits laying around and you’ve got an old laptop still, one that you’ve sunk money into, this is subjective but I don’t buy a car so I can replace its engine if it’s not enough - I’ll replace the car. Simpler to sell an entire unmodified laptop and buy a new one to last another 6 years. Just my view on it :)

    My current laptop is great. But its a gaming laptop. so doesn't work as good as I want it too.

    What did you mean work as good? Is it slow or too hot or too heavy or doesn’t last on battery?

    Let me know thoughts.

    They are : I love laptops, all flavours. Love what dell has done with the xps 13. They all are impressive in their own way. Yet my m1 amazes me.

    There are definitely cheaper laptops but for under 1500 none will have the same mix of :

    Small
    Light
    Good screen
    Good battery life
    Fast(meaning it will last)
    Reasonably priced
    Premium build

    ** Sorry - wordy post **

  • bloo58 on 23/10/2021 - 13:27

    Lenovo offer an education discount for people with an @edu email address, maybe check them out

    https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/aueducation/

  • filfa on 23/10/2021 - 13:31

    I will always recommend a Dell Inspiron for a budget pick, something on the higher end will be around $1k. If you can stretch for an XPS, bonus.

    I will however never recommend a HP (Work in IT with a HP fleet with constant warranty repairs)

    Lenovo is also a solid pick, and they have an edu portal

    The days of upgradeable batteries are virtually gone, however battert, ram and SSD are easily changeable in most models

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