Gear up for learning

How to choose tech for the new school year

Getting ready for school usually comes down to three purchases: the machine you work on, the place where you work comfortably, and the small stuff that travels in the backpack. Start with where the studying actually happens. If most of the work is done at a desk at home, a second monitor adds more than a pricier laptop. If the commute is long, weight and battery life matter more.

Laptop or tablet?

For younger pupils a tablet is often enough: e-textbooks, video lessons and notes all work, and the battery lasts a school day. In high school and university you need a keyboard and a proper screen — that's where a laptop is the right call. Check three things: memory (8 GB minimum, 16 GB lasts longer), SSD capacity (256 GB tends to fill up by the third year) and screen resolution.

The home study desk

The cheapest way to make studying at home better is a monitor: 24–27 inches costs less than a new laptop, and two windows side by side make homework faster. Add a keyboard and a mouse — a laptop keyboard isn't built for hours of typing every day. If classes also happen online, check the webcam.

Bags, headphones and storage

The laptop travels in a padded bag or backpack that protects the screen. Headphones help you focus in a shared room, a power bank saves a long day, and a flash drive is still the simplest way to hand work to a teacher.

Printing at home

Essays and worksheets still end up on paper. For schoolwork an affordable all-in-one printer is enough — scanning and copying matter more than print speed. Budget for cartridges and paper from the start: a cheap printer with expensive cartridges costs more over a year than the other way round.