17 Cool New Laptops For The Education Market In 2017
Making The Grade
Ever a popular item in schools -- and one that channel partners are especially active with -- education-oriented notebooks are getting numerous new additions and refreshes for 2017. In December, HP introduced two new notebooks, while this month, Lenovo and Dell announced a flurry of new education notebook models -- both in their Chromebook and non-Chromebook lines. The products include the ruggedness features and affordability that education notebooks are known for, while many also add functionality such as convertible touch displays, digital pen support and, in a few cases, support for Android apps.
In the following slides, we've rounded up key details on 17 education notebooks recently announced by major vendors.
Acer TravelMate Spin B1
Starting price: Not disclosed; available Q2 2017
Display: 11.6-inch touch screen, FHD or HD
Processor: Intel Pentium
Features: The TravelMate Spin B1 includes a 360-degree folding touch display, and is geared to work with a Windows Ink-supporting stylus. Durability features include a shock-absorbent middle rubber frame and spill-resistant keyboard. Acer also promises a strong 13 hours of battery life for the notebook.
Dell Chromebook 11 Convertible (3189)
Starting price: $349; available Feb. 7
Display: 11.6-inch LCD touch screen, HD
Processor: Sixth-gen Intel Celeron
Features: The Chromebook 11 Convertible's 360-degree folding touch display includes Corning Concore Glass and Gorilla Glass NBT for durability and scratch resistance. The notebook also features fully sealed keyboards and touchpads to protect against spills, along with a metal bracket for torque resistance on the power port.
Dell Latitude 11 Convertible (3189)
Starting price: $579; available Feb. 7
Display: 11.6-inch
Processor: Seventh-gen Intel Celeron or Pentium
Features: The Latitude 11 Convertible features a 360-degree touch display as well as the same durability features as the Dell Chromebook 11 Convertible. The difference is in the processor, that the notebook runs Windows 10 instead of Chrome OS, and that it works with the optional Dell Productivity Active Pen.
Dell Chromebook 11 And Latitude 11 (3180)
Starting price: $219 for Chromebook 11, $349 for Latitude 11; both are available Feb. 7
Display: 11.6-inch
Processor: Sixth-gen Intel Celeron (Chromebook 11) and seventh-gen Intel Celeron or Pentium (Latitude 11)
Features: Each notebooks features an ergonomically designed, fully sealed keyboard, with click pads (for spill protection) and a 180-degree lay-flat hinge for the display. The Latitude 11 runs Windows 10, while the Chromebook 11 runs Chrome OS.
Dell Chromebook 13 (3380)
Starting price: $299; available Feb. 7
Display: 13.3-inch HDF
Processor: Sixth-gen Intel Celeron or Core i3
Features: The Chromebook 13 display features Corning Gorilla Glass for durability and a 180-degree hinge for laying the notebook flat. Other durability features include a spill-resistant keyboard and rubberized edges. The notebook also promises up to 10 hours of battery life and faster memory than on previous models in the line.
Dell Latitude 13 (3380) Education
Starting price: $519; available Feb. 7
Display: 13.3-inch
Processor: Sixth- and seventh-gen Intel Celeron, Pentium, Core i3/i5
Features: The Latitude 13 Education includes the same durability features as the Chromebook 13, but offers faster processors as well as Windows 10 (instead of Chrome OS). The notebook also includes optional 4G LTE mobile broadband so that users can stay connected to the web when Wi-Fi isn't available. Educational institutions are offered a discounted rate for the LTE connectivity.
HP ProBook x360 11 Education Edition
Starting price: $289; available now
Display: 11.6-inch HD LED touch screen
Processor: Intel Celeron N3350 or Pentium N4200
Features: The HP ProBook x360 11 Education Edition has a 360-degree folding touch display and durability features that include Corning Gorilla Glass 4, industrial rubber and a spill-resistant keyboard. The notebook comes with a digital pen and also includes an optional dual-camera system (with a 1080p HD camera embedded on the keyboard deck). The notebook is configurable with up to 8GB of RAM, as well.
HP Stream 11 Pro G3 for Education
Starting price: $189; available now
Display: 11.6-inch HD
Processor: Fifth-gen Intel Celeron N3060
Features: The HP Stream 11 Pro G3 for Education includes a fan-less design, which enables both a quieter classroom as well as a thickness of just 0.71 of an inch and weight of just 2.57 pounds. The notebook also promises strong battery life of up to 10 hours, 45 minutes on a charge.
Lenovo ThinkPad 11e and ThinkPad 11e Chromebook
Starting price: ThinkPad 11e is $519, available in February; ThinkPad 11e Chromebook is $369, available in May
Display: 11.6-inch HD
Processor: 11e processor hasn't been disclosed; 11e Chromebook will include Intel Celeron N3450
Features: Both notebooks feature durable gorilla glass, water-resistant keyboards and mechanically anchored keys. The notebooks also feature 10 hours of battery life. One difference between the models is that the ThinkPad 11e runs Windows 10, while the ThinkPad 11e Chromebook runs Chrome OS.
Lenovo ThinkPad 11e Yoga and ThinkPad 11e Yoga Chromebook
Starting price: ThinkPad 11e Yoga is $599, available in February; ThinkPad 11e Yoga Chromebook is $449, available in May
Display: 11.6-inch HD IPS touch screen
Processor: 11e Yoga processor hasn't been disclosed; 11e Yoga Chromebook will include Intel Celeron N3450
Features: The notebooks have a 360-degree folding touch display, durability features including Corning Gorilla Glass and 10 hours of battery life. The 11e Yoga runs Windows 10, while the 11e Yoga Chromebook runs Chrome OS. The 11e Yoga also includes a Windows Ink-supporting digital pen.
Lenovo N23 Chromebook and Lenovo N23 Yoga Chromebook
Starting price: N23 Chromebook is $199, available in February; N23 Yoga Chromebook is $279, available in April
Display: 11.6-inch HD IPS
Processor: N23 Chromebook comes with Intel Celeron N3060 or N3160; N23 Yoga Chromebook comes with an ARM processor, MediaTek MTK 8173C
Features: Durability features of both notebooks include reinforced ports and hinges, mechanically anchored keys and water-resistant keyboards. Both notebooks also offer up to 10 hours of battery life on a charge. Meanwhile, Lenovo said the N23 Yoga is the company's first Chromebook that can run Google Play Store apps.
Lenovo N24
Starting price: Not disclosed; available mid-2017
Display: 11.6-inch IPS touch screen
Processor: Not disclosed
Features: The Lenovo N24 "is a joint cooperation with Microsoft for the education segment," Lenovo said in a blog post. The notebook will come with "newly added" digital pen support and 360-degree screen rotation. Lenovo has released few details so far on the N24, saying it was "taking this opportunity to pre-announce" the new notebook.
Samsung Chromebook Plus
Starting price: $449.99, available Feb. 12
Display: 12.3-inch QHD touch screen
Processor: ARM processor (Samsung's OP1)
Features: The Samsung Chromebook Plus features a 360-degree folding touch display with Gorilla Glass 3, and has a thickness of just 0.55 of an inch with a weight of just 2.38 pounds. The notebook also enables the use of Android apps from the Google Play Store, and comes with a built-in digital pen (which is stored on the side of the laptop).