Whether your child needs a laptop for schoolwork or pure entertainment, the best Chromebooks for kids are the way to go. Laptop needs will vary from kid to kid, but ideally look for a Chromebook that's lightweight enough to carry at school and durable enough to withstand accidental drops. The best kids' Chromebooks have batteries that can last through a 10-hour school day without needing a charge and sufficient memory and storage space to handle your child's homework, games, and more.
Chromebook screen size can vary from about 10 to 15 inches — but smaller is better if your child will be carrying their laptop at school. If your kid will be putting their Chromebook in a backpack, you'll also want to make sure it's lightweight — under 3 pounds is ideal for preventing shoulder strain. Durable laptops are important for kids, especially if they're using them on the go. Look for Chromebooks with rubber bumpers on the edges or spill resistance. Bonus points if the computer is drop-resistant, too.
It’s important to ensure your child has enough storage on their Chromebook, but one benefit of Chromebooks is that most everything that is done on the computer is backed up to Google Drive (which frees up storage space). Many Chromebooks have 16 or 32 GB of storage, which should suffice for most kids. But if your child is downloading large files, you may want to opt for more. Chromebooks frequently offer 4 GB of memory, which should work for most kids — but if your child uses a lot of power-sucking software, consider upgrading to a Chromebook with at least 8 GB of memory.
These four Chromebooks are highly-regarded on Amazon with tons of reviewers indicating that they are great for kids. And even if your kiddo does end up breaking their Chromebook, these are all relatively low-cost options that are easy to replace, if necessary.
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1The Overall Best Chromebook For Kids
This Asus Chromebook is a fantastic laptop for children since it’s durable, small in size, and has sufficient memory and storage. The Chromebook features a rubber bumper on its edges for protection, allowing it to withstand drops up to 3.9 feet. It even has a spill-resistant keyboard. With an 11.6-inch screen, the computer is small in size and super lightweight — just 2.65 pounds — so your child can easily carry it back and forth from home to school. 10 hours of battery life means that the computer will last all day long, no recharging necessary. The computer has 4 GB of memory and 32 GB of storage, which will suffice for most kids. It's also available with 16 GB if your child doesn't need as much space.
Lots of Amazon reviewers reported that they were surprised they could get such a quality Chromebook for a fair price tag. Reviewers on the site give the laptop a 4.2-star rating overall, among 3,100 and growing reviews.
Enthusiastic Amazon review: "This computer is great for my kids! Like a lot of schools, my kids' school uses the Google platform, so a Chromebook is what they need. These laptops are tough and durable. My kids have both said this model performs way better than their last Chromebooks, which of course got broken. I bought them for the toughness and the speedy performance is a bonus! The price is reasonable when compared to other Chromebooks with comparable specs. Everybody is happy! Dad is happy. 15 year old high school sophomore is happy. 11 year old 7th grader is happy. How often can you say that?"
2The Best Budget Chromebook
Kids can sometimes be pretty rough with their belongings, and a low-cost Chromebook won't be such a travesty to replace if it gets broken. This pick from Lenovo has a super low price tag, without sacrificing the features your child needs. The Chromebook boasts a 10 hour battery life, 16 GB of storage (and you can upgrade to a 32 GB option, if needed), and 4 GB of memory. And the computer is actually super portable thanks to its light 2.7-pound weight and compact 11.6-inch screen. In terms of durability, the computer is drop resistant up to 29.5 inches and has a water-resistant keyboard.
Reviewers on Amazon give this pick a solid 4.5-star rating, indicating that it’s really the best bang for your buck.
Enthusiastic Amazon review: "We received this as a gift for homeschooling purposes and it has been wonderful. My children use chromebooks at school and my youngest was able to link ours to her school account. All her work instantly popped up and it has helped with homeschooling tremendously. It's very kid friendly. They are able to complete work on Google Classroom and participate in class Zoom calls."
3The Upgrade Pick: A Large Chromebook With Lots Of Storage
If you have an older kid who needs a laptop, this upgraded HP Chromebook is a worthwhile investment. The computer boasts a super-impressive 128 GB of storage space, which is ideal for larger downloads. It has a big screen (15.6 inches) and a super long battery life, too — it’ll last up to 13 hours on a single charge. The Chromebook also features a touch screen, which many kids find fun and simple to use, and has 4 GB of memory.
While this pick is the priciest on this list, lots of Amazon reviewers indicate that it’s well worth the money.
Only downside to this pick? At 5.64 pounds, it is on the heavier side, and it doesn’t have any special features that protect it from damage, so it may make for a better at-home laptop.
Enthusiastic Amazon review: "We've had this for a couple months and so far its been great. The kids have used it for distance learning with no issues so far. The big screen is good for less eye strain. Also the battery life has been sufficient."
4A Lightweight 2-In-1 Chromebook
This Lenovo Chromebook is the ultimate pick when it comes to versatility; the convertible device can be used both as a laptop and as a tablet thanks to its 360-degree hinge. Best of all, the device is super thin and portable — it’s less than 1 inch thick and weighs only 2.64 pounds. Its compact size means that it’s super easy to carry and put in a bag or backpack, lowering the likelihood that it will be dropped and potentially broken. The Chromebook features an 11.6-inch touchscreen, 64 GB of storage, and 4 GB of memory. The device boasts 10 hours of battery life.
Amazon reviewers simply adore this pick; they give it a standout 4.4-star rating on the site, among 2,700 and growing reviews.
Enthusiastic Amazon review: "We needed a chromebook for my kids’ online schoolwork. The school provided chrome books are junk, and so we searched for a reliable chromebook that was easy to use. This chrome book connected instantly to our WiFi, was easy to set up between the different users in our household and has a crystal clear screen. The 2-1 feature is great for my 9 year old, especially when reading ebooks. We love this chrome book so much that we bought another. Definitely recommend to anyone looking for a reliable and easy to use chrome book."
