Why Students Love Their HP Laptops

HP has been a major force in the PC and laptop arena for decades. For nine years between 2001 and 2018, they sold more units than any other company in the world. HP has been known for designing and manufacturing quality products since its inception in 1939. The company, based in Palo Alto, is widely recognized as the symbolic founder of Silicon Valley.

So, are HP laptops a good choice for K-12 or college students? Let’s explore these four points.

Let’s first acknowledge that a laptop for an elementary school student needs to be durable and engineered to gracefully take a few hard knocks, as when a first grader drops his laptop on the floor or spills something on the keyboard. But for high school and college students, durability takes a back seat to performance.

Second, it’s important to point out that many K-12 school systems use Google Classroom and either provide or recommend Chromebooks. So, if you’re planning to buy a laptop for your student, be sure to ask whether the school system requires Chromebooks.

Third, while Chromebooks offer many advantages over Windows-based laptops, high school and college students will probably need laptops that run Windows. That’s because programs needed in various academic fields are only available for and can only run within the Windows operating system.

And finally, students of just about every age want a laptop that’s “cool,” just as some clothing brands are cool and popular. That could mean owning a top-of-the-line model, or something as simple as decorating the laptop to make it stand out and express the owner’s personality. Kids go to great lengths to decorate their laptops with everything from paint, to stickers, to “glitterizing” the laptop cover and “skinning” the key tops with different colors — as shown in this YouTube video.

HP has done a great job designing laptops for every segment of the student population. They’ve got laptops specifically made for the youngest children as well as more capable models that satisfy any grad school power user, and many other models in between. In fact, HP currently offers more than 280 laptop models.

For the youngest students, the HP Chromebook 14 is a winner. It has a large, 14-inch screen that’s backlit with white LEDs for a sharp, crisp display. The battery is easily sufficient to power the unit all day on a single charge, and it’s built to last. Basic specs include:

Even with its budget price, its white plastic housing is durable and has a futuristic look that puts one in mind of far more expensive laptops. For elementary students, especially those whose schools use Google Classroom and the G-Suite from Google, it’s a great fit.

For children in fifth or sixth grade, HP also recommends the HP Pavilion x360 14t convertible laptop. It runs Windows and makes a nice transition from using a Chromebook.

As students advance into deeper studies of math, science, and many of the social sciences, a more powerful laptop that runs Windows gives them access to specialty programs created only for Windows machines. It also gives them a full-featured system that works just as well offline as it does online.

The HP Pavilion X360 14-Inch Convertible Laptop is the company’s recommendation for older students. It’s a robust machine with these basic specs:

This convertible laptop works in the customary clamshell mode as well as three others. It converts to a tablet and works in standing and tent modes to give users the versatility needed for drawing, note taking, creating digital art, and more.

For many people, buying HP laptops is a process that begins with comparing features and price points. However, there’s more to consider, and chief among these is the hope the new laptop won’t fail for at least several years. HP offers warranty protection for just one year, so if a component fails later, you’re faced with having to pay for repairs out of pocket.

Upsie has a better answer. If your HP laptop fails, Upsie’s extended service contract is the tool you need to fix it. Upsie contracts cover your investment for your choice of 2- or 3-years, and you can buy coverage any time up to 60 days after buying your laptop. These contracts cover accidental damage from drops, liquid damage, dead pixels, screen burn-in, and other display problems as well as failures of internal components.

Visit Upsie’s Laptop Extended Warranty Page to learn more about laptop warranties and Upsie’s extended programs.