Back to School Tech

When it’s time for Back To School, school tech gets a lot of attention. You may be thinking about a new kid-friendly tablet computer. We don’t have little kids, so I won’t be able to personally review these, but there are several articles out there that examine the best tablets for kids. Some of the features you need to consider are:

• First – SAFETY – Are the Parental Controls robust enough?
• Durability – How careful is your kid? Are they a neatnik or a clutz?
• Battery Life – how long will the battery last without plugging it in? How long will it take to recharge?
• Storage – Consider photos, emails, and texts
• Access to games and apps
• Size – Will it easily fit into your child’s backpack? Will it get lost in the couch cushions?
• WiFi – How hard will it be to connect to WiFi in different locations?
• Price – What’s your budget?
• Operating System – Android? iOS? etc. What is the primary OS used by you? By your child’s school system?
• Ports – Will your child need to plug anything in to the tablet?

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School Tech – Best Tablets For Kids:

We’ve read PC Magazine for years and trust their recommendations. Here’s a link to their latest review of tablets. They like the Apple iPad 11th generation and the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 the best.

Why they picked the iPad:

“The base-model iPad features an expansive 11-inch screen with a dense resolution of 2,360 by 1,640 pixels. Its A16 chip ensures that your kids can easily run all of the age-appropriate apps from the App Store. This tablet also provides your child with access to iMessage, enabling them to chat with family members or friends who also have an Apple device.”

Why they picked the Samsung Galaxy:

“The Samsung Galaxy A9+ packs a decent amount of power for its price and works with Android’s built-in parental controls. Quality speakers and an 11-inch, 1,920-by-1,200-pixel screen with an adaptive refresh rate of 90Hz are among the highlights for entertainment. Meanwhile, three more years of software upgrades and a microSD card slot mean the tablet can grow with your child’s needs.”

Laptop Magazine has been around for quite a while too and they generally have very good recommendations, especially for school tech. They like the Amazon Fire HD 10. Here’s why:

“I’d say the best kids tablet you can get right now is the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition. Why? Well, for one, it has a larger 10-inch, 1080p full HD display. As such, screen quality is slightly better on this tablet. It’s brighter and the colors are slightly more vivid. This tablet also comes with 3GB of RAM, dual cameras, a USB-C 2.0 port, and up to 1TB of expandable storage. … The Fire HD Kids Tablet offers about 12 hours of battery life.”

Chris has been reading Tom’s Guide for years! Tom (and his staff) does a deep dive into tablets using a nephew as the guinea pig. Tom’s Guide ALSO likes the Apple iPad 11th Generation best, with the Amazon Fire HD 10 as a close second.

Why he picked the iPad:

“The Apple iPad is the undisputed heavyweight for content and versatility. It’s a powerhouse for all ages, but please — for the love of your sanity — buy a rugged case before you even take it out of the box. It’s an investment, but a fragile one. Looking beyond the design (which will just be covered up by a case to protect it from clumsy moments), the three superpowers here are its big and bright display for all your kid’s needs, impressive performance and power efficiency to keep running on long journeys, and the amount of child-friendly experiences you can find on the App Store.”

Why he picked the Amazon Fire:

“If you want value that actually makes sense, start with the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids. It’s built for the “oops” moments of early childhood. With a specific focus on younger kids, the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids tablet is a fantastic option for any child to grow up with — packing enough performance and battery life to keep that 1080p panel going for a long time, comprehensive child safety controls for setting limits”

Conclusion:

My personal favorite, especially if you are already an iPhone family, is the iPad. But only if you get a rugged case for it. With the plethora of apps, and the parental controls which can be customized, this school tech should last your child for many years. I purchased my iPad in 2022 with Apple’s Magic Keyboard and am still pleased with it every time I use it. I can do almost everything with the iPad that I do with my laptop.

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.