Teacher Laptops

[rush_tech]

Quick question, if you were buying staff laptops today what spec would you go for? Obviously price is a factor, we currently have drop on docks. Dockable would be a plus point .

[3s-gtech]

We actually did get teacher laptops recently, so I can relate some experience.

 

Go for laptops with USB-C charging and docking with DP capability so they can dock with one cable.

 

Make sure they are not consumer spec so they have TPMs.

 

Look for metal cased models for durability (though these aren’t bombproof).

 

As for internal spec, both AMD and Intel will do you well with the latest models, from experience having used both in recent Lenovos. Even a Ryzen 3 or Core i3 will be decent matched with 8GB+ and a NVMe SSD. AX wifi is a good idea too. Full HD screens a must now.

[Guest Guest]

We brought laptops for staff recently, we went with the below spec they don't support drop on docks though

 

Lenovo v15

Ryzen 5 3500

250Gb SSD

8GB RAM

 

These cost around £400 excluding vat

[VeryPC]

Morning @rush_tech

 

We've got stock in our Sheffield warehouse of a wide range of mobile devices that should meet the requirements for your new teacher laptops! And if we don't have the ideal one for you in stock, we'll be able to get ahold of it!

 

https://very-pc.co.uk/products/branded-devices/windows-devices

 

Drop us a PM, phone call on 0114 321 8609 or email [email protected] and we'll get you sorted!

 

- Ryan

[pixlmixgabriel]

We usually go for Dell Latitude 3470 (they work pretty well for most staff members, usually bought for SLT) - we do try not to make a habit of buying laptops for teachers (they drop them all the f***ing time!) If you are wanting to buy them though, go for 8GB of RAM with a 256GB SSD at least (don't buy spinners!)

 

Hope this helps

[synaesthesia]

One thing to be wary of with the modern Lenovo devices is image retention - we thought it was screen burn in some cases but it turns out the panels retain the background image for so long it's unreal and is a possible data protection issue - the last image seems to stick on the screen for the best part of 10 minutes even after being off for that long. Related to the IPS panels, although these are by far the worst I've seen (in the L14 range)

[Twearden]

Depending on budget, I can very highly recommend Toshiba/Dynabook Satellite Pros. They support USB C docking with power delivery and are great bang for buck.

[SayLHP]

We've got a mix of Lenovo E14's and E495's for ours - they've been great so far. Especially the E14's with the metal casing - prevented any flinging down stairs - so far...

[chazzy2501]

I got HP ProBook 440 G8 with the i5 and the new iris graphics. These have a usbc which with a dock will do all connections and power with a single bi-directional cable. (usbc) not a drop on dock but the next best thing. 440's were £515 academic pricing. G5 Docks are £129.

 

The usbc carries the displayport signal so no loss of quality or compression for the image. (also the dock will work with the ipad pro)

[FN-GM]

(also the dock will work with the ipad pro)

 

And the latest iPad Air.

[jthompson]

I would suggest speccing for USB-C for charging/docking/displays; NIC; TPM; SSD; webcam. Drop on docks are probably going to be phased out by USB-C equivalents. Dell seem to have done so, at any rate.

[hardtailstar]

We brought laptops for staff recently, we went with the below spec they don't support drop on docks though

 

Lenovo v15

Ryzen 5 3500

250Gb SSD

8GB RAM

 

These cost around £400 excluding vat

 

We have the same.

 

They seem robust enough so far even with the usual suspects.

[mullet_man]

We use HP ProBook 450 G6 (nearly 2 year old now)

 

They are i5, 8gb RAM, 256 M2 drives and we use the HP Universal USB-C docks and so far they have worked fine but now in our 2nd year and due to the fact teachers are moving every lesson I've had to replace about 6 docks due to broken USB-C cables the problem with these docks is the cable isn't user replaceable so a broken cable end means broken dock, am thinking USB-C extenders might be a cheaper way as they would be a tenner to replace rather than 200 quid.

 

So far I've had one laptop with a broken USB-C port too.

 

If you go for similar I'd look for docks with user replaceable USB-C cables.

[sippo]

We've just had a request for a new member of staff laptop. We don't like laptops but prefer desktops, anyhow they have asked for a CD/DVD drive which has to be built in. Really?!!

[BKGarry]

We've just had a request for a new member of staff laptop. We don't like laptops but prefer desktops, anyhow they have asked for a CD/DVD drive which has to be built in. Really?!!

 

We actually have a policy in place that states that we do not provide laptops with CD/DVD Drives, as they are increasingly harder to get hold of, if there is a need for a DVD Drive, we advise you budget holder purchases it for you.

[FN-GM]

We've just had a request for a new member of staff laptop. We don't like laptops but prefer desktops, anyhow they have asked for a CD/DVD drive which has to be built in. Really?!!

 

Did they also ask for a Betamax and VHS player?

[the_quick]

For years we now use Probooks for staff and students. I find earlier models to have better build quality and easier to repair. The new ones are bit harder, still they are quite good. Might look at Lenovo Thinkbook/ThinkPad series in the future.

[mullet_man]

We've just had a request for a new member of staff laptop. We don't like laptops but prefer desktops, anyhow they have asked for a CD/DVD drive which has to be built in. Really?!!

 

It's not 2003 anymore tell them hahaha

[cw222]

We went with Dell 5310- 2 in 1 and Dell USB-C single cable docks.

 

Seem to work well, and teachers like the ability to write directly on the screen with a stylus.

 

We've only had a couple of issues with teachers forgetting laptops, although we've had a large amount of lost chargers!

 

Couple of issues:

- Screen Size can be an issue if using as a working screen. (some have wished for a larger monitor)

- If you want to output to 3 monitors, the res on the 3rd port is mega blurry.

 

 

Edit : a couple of our more tech savvy teachers have also been "allowed" Microsoft Wifi Display Adapters so they can walk around the room with the laptop and project / model student work on the board

Edited May 12, 2021 by cw222