With the current introduction of technology in classrooms, the demand to produce technical and authentically researched essays, theses, and papers is growing. It’s no wonder that your son or daughter is constantly whining for a new laptop to take back to school. However, with all the expensive models out there, you don’t know which one is actually useful for your child and therefore, worth investing.

If you’re heading to back-to-school sales for buying a laptop, research on your own and at the same time, consider these things that we’ve summarized below.

Consider a Portable-Sized Laptop

Carrying a 15-inch to 17-inch sized laptop on campus apart from your heavy textbooks in your bag seems pretty unconventional and inconvenient. Consider a 13 to 14 inch laptop for school, so that you can easily carry it around campus and change classes without burdening yourself. Compare portability with the screen size of the laptop, and get one according to your preference and budget.

Consider The Battery Life of Your Laptop

While we’ve cross-checked portability and screen size off the list, you need to make sure that your preferred laptop has a battery life of at least 6 to 8 hours to last your child’s classes. Your child will not only note down his tutorials and lectures in his laptop, but might use it to browse the internet when making assignments. Compare prices of different laptops, and invest in one that consumes power lower than an average CPU.

Don’t Buy Tablets or Chromebooks

While tablets and Chromebooks might seem pretty portable as per their size and accessibility, they, on the other hand, do not promote productivity as a laptop would. If you’re considering buying a tablet for your child so that he can play games or watch Netflix on it, then pair the purchase with that of a laptop as well.

Always remember that a tablet or Chromebook cannot replace the features provided by a laptop. If you want a device that promotes efficiency and productivity of your child, then consider going for a laptop instead of compromising on a touchscreen tablet.