Seeking Chromebook Recommendations for Year 7 Student - Black Friday Deals - Budget $500

Sean Genter on 26/11/2023 - 18:46
Last edited 26/11/2023 - 19:21 by 1 other user

Hey OzBargainers,

I'm on the hunt for a Chromebook for my daughter, who's heading into Year 7. I'm looking to score a great deal during the Black Friday sales and would love your recommendations.

Criteria:

Budget: Below $500 (slightly flexible if needed).
Usage: Mainly for schoolwork.
Durability: Child-friendly and durable build preferred.
Size: Looking for a 14-inch screen for better visibility.
Other Preferences: Any insights on battery life, performance, or particular features that could enhance the student experience would be much appreciated.
Your experiences and suggestions will be incredibly helpful in making the right choice. Thanks a bunch!

Computing Chromebook

Comments

  • bobokingdom on 26/11/2023 - 19:58
    +4

    First thing first, did the school asked for a Chromebook? Only buy a Chromebook IF the school recommended it.

    • Sean Genter on 26/11/2023 - 20:43

      Hey bobokingdom, thanks for the input! The school hasn't recommended a Chromebook, but since we haven't given our daughter an iPad or phone yet, I'm thinking a laptop/Chromebook could help her stay connected with family, work on typing speed, and become more tech-savvy. Any Chromebook, laptop or any other suggestions?
      Cheers!

      • altomic on 26/11/2023 - 21:03

        what does the school recommend for a BYOD?

        • Sean Genter on 26/11/2023 - 21:33

          they said they don't or can't recommend a specific product. They are using Chromebook at the school, that is what they said when I called and asked them for a recommendation.

          • bobokingdom on 26/11/2023 - 21:53
            +1

            @Sean Genter: Oh, I see. Give them a call again and ask "Does your school prefer Windows, MacBook or Chromebook for kids?" Sometimes the school office staff has no idea about Technology, give them a choice and they may find you an answer. OR visit the school website, and looking for BYOD section.

            If the school recommaned a ChromeBook and your daughter doesn't mind a 15.6 Inch ChromeBook, take a look at this: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/812811.

      • bobokingdom on 26/11/2023 - 21:44

        For my son (Year 5, NSW Public School), the school suggest Windows or MacBook, they claim ChromeBook and iPad has compatibility with WiFi. "Please note: iPads and Chromebooks have great difficulty connecting to the Department of Education network so please avoid purchasing these devices wherever possible." In his previous school (when he was Year 4 last year), BYOD was an iPad so I am not sure why iPad doesn't work with the current school.

        Most schools will ask the kids to install MS Office Apps on their laptop so they can work on their docs when they are offline. For ChromeBooks, they will just use the Web App with more limited functionality.

        In my case, i bought a Lenovo L13 Yoga for my son because it has Touch Screen, Pen, 3 years warranty and has good built quality. One of the benefit of having a brand new laptop is factory warranty AND a new battery. Buying 2nd hand ThinkPad is a good alternative, but the health of the battery may not be top notch (and battery replacement from a reliable source may not be cheap >$100).

        If you are buying a 2nd hand laptop, make sure it has FHD IPS screen. (HD = Big Texts, TN Panel = washed out colour).

        • SBOB on 27/11/2023 - 06:58

          Please note: iPads and Chromebooks have great difficulty connecting to the Department of Education network so please avoid purchasing these devices wherever possible

          I found the issue at our primary school, despite many 'non tech savy' teachers saying the same thing, was the only limitation for adding a Chromebook to the dpe (NSW) wifi network was a lack of knowledge or reading the instructions.

          I did it in about 30s standing out the front as the teacher my child asked wasnt able to do it.
          Ive had no issues with a Chromebook for a primary student, for high school, they'll likely start year 7 with the same Chromebook and see what happens.

  • scotty on 26/11/2023 - 21:10
    +1

    $500 budget for a year 7 BYOD:

    • Chromebook — search for Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i. $462 from Bing Lee eBay but unfortunately out of stock — i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 13.3" FHD. Don't buy Chromebook with ARM or Celeron processors as these are severely under powered.

    • Refurbished — look for refurbished Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga, HP Elite x360, Dell Latitude 2-in-1, etc that fit into your budget. For example ThinkPad X390 Yoga i5/16GB/512GB or HP Elite Dragonfly i5/16GB/512GB — these are well built, still quite fast for most activities. I'm a strong proponent for 2-in-1 format for students as some subjects would require you to write or draw on the screen.

    • JimmyF on 26/11/2023 - 21:23

      I had a flex 5, worst piece of shit ever….. had 3 'hinges' replaced under warranty and just gave up and sold it after the 3rd. No I wasn't rough, chromebook never left the house, but opened and closed about 3-4 times a day. Hinge never broke as such, the plastic casing did :/

      Not my post, but basically these issues https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Lenovo-IdeaPad-1xx-3xx-5xx-7xx-…

      anyhow YMMV just my comments from my usage. I feel a student would kill this thing within months.

      Other than the hinge issue, the rest of the unit was great!

      • scotty on 26/11/2023 - 22:25

        That can be said about Lenovo's IdeaPad line — cheap if you are only looking at the "spec". We too also have a Flex 5 with hinge problem. Not sure whether Flex 5i has fixed it.

        However if the criteria is "Chromebook under $500" I would still recommend it over others.

        • JimmyF on 26/11/2023 - 22:35

          Yeah I don't know enough about the Flex 5i line to know if the hinge issue has been fixed either, not willing to part with my money to find out! But the units look too similar, but I assume by now Lenovo would have had to fix the issue!

          But the Flex 5 line was crap in that depart and looks like you too have the Flex 5 hinge issue. Pretty much every unit has it. There was a class action case in the states over it.

          EDIT Quick google seems to say maybe not?

          https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/9rvjqjql

        • Sean Genter on 27/11/2023 - 16:52

          Hey Scotty, appreciate your insights. I'm wondering, if I stretch the budget to around $1000 or more, would that open up better value options? What would you recommend in that range?
          Thanks again for your help—really grateful for the advice from everyone here!

          • bobokingdom on 27/11/2023 - 18:07

            @Sean Genter: MacBook Air M1 with 256GB = $1168 @ JB Hi Fi.

            or this HP https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/815518

            Just keep an eye on Ozbargain, you still have lots of time before next school year….Boxing Day Sale, End of Year Sale, New Year Sale, Back-To-School Sale…..lot of options between $800 - $1200 range.

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