No matter how much we plan ahead, I always feel like we are forgetting something important when it comes to back-to-school. What my youngest needs is not the same as what my teen in high-school needs. When we had the oldest two in post secondary school, their needs were completely different as well. As a parent you want to make sure they have the tools to succeed and have a great year. They pack in so much learning in a relatively short period of time. It is worth making sure they have everything they need to have a great school year.
When it comes to setting my kids up with the latest electronic back-to-school gear, I am often lost and turn to them for what is new and needed. My kids are always watching video reviews and bookmarking the must-haves for the year ahead. My teen is all about convenience and technology this year. He does not want more homework than necessary and tries his best to stay on-top of his school work. As his parents, we are going to make sure he has the tools needed to do this. If your child is heading into high school, a laptop is a must! I know many of us are confused as to what is better and what is good value for our money. Luckily I have Microsoft Canada’s Top Picks for back-to-school.
From storing your notes to finishing assignments in tandem or expressing your creativity through sketching, drawing and photo editing, Microsoft has some great options that students are guaranteed to love this fall. Please see below for a snapshot of this year’s laptop, tablet, and accessory picks for back-to-school.
Each device is touch capable and includes Windows Ink on Windows 10, allowing students to take advantage of intelligent sticky notes, screen ketches and smart editing!
Microsoft Canada’s Top Picks for back-to-school
Surface Pro
The Surface Pro gives students the best-in-class laptop, plus the versatility of a studio and tablet. When class is finished, students can pop off the
keyboard and use it for catching up on shows or connecting with friends.
• Weighs as little as 1.69 pounds and its 12.3-inch PixelSense display has stunning resolution on a brilliant touchscreen
• Combines the 7th Generation Intel Core m3, i5 and i7 processors and up to 16GB of memory
• Handles your most demanding creative tasks with up to 13.5 hours of battery life
Price: $1,049.00
Surface Pro Type Cover
The Surface Pro Type Cover gives students the full-laptop experience with slightly spread-out keys for fast and fluid typing, a two-button trackpad built for precision control, and back lighting for continued working after the lights go out.
• Change your tablet to a laptop in a snap with this extremely thin, light, and stable keyboard optimized for lap use when you’re tired of working at your desk
• Made from premium material that are sturdy yet soft to the touch and is ultraquiet while typing furiously in class
• Choose from black, blue, bright blue, red, and teal so you can really personalize your Surface device and express your unique style
Price: $129.99
Surface Mouse
Stand out in class (for all the right reasons) with rapid clicks and silent scrolling with this precision-tuned ultra-quiet Mouse. Sculpted for your hand and designed for a simple work space, Surface Mouse is the perfect partner to your Surface and Keyboard.
• Premium precision pointing and clicking for scalable performance across the screen of any Surface and external monitor
• A clutter-free and reliable experience that works from up to 50 feet away
• Metal scroll wheel that feels solid under your finger while the body fits perfectly in your hand
Price: $64.99
Surface Pen
Surface Pen lets you create without limits. It’s precision ink, rubber eraser, and tilt for shading means greater sensitive and virtually no lag between documenting your thoughts onto your device.
• A natural writing and drawing tool that writes like pen on paper allowing you to rest your hand on the screen of your Surface device just as you would with a sketchbook
• Sketch, shade and paint with artistic precision and finer control with 4,096 pressure points that respond to the lightest touch
• Available in four colors – platinum, black, burgundy, and cobalt blue
Price: $129.99
Surface Laptop
The Surface Laptop compliments students’ personal style with a blend of texture, subtle details and clean lines. Notetaking has never been so easy with the luxurious Alcantara covered keyboard – inspired by fabrics found in high-end Italian auto brands – offering an exceptionally comfortable typing experience for those three-hour lectures.
• Enjoy more space for your ideas with the 13.5-inch PixelSense edge-to-edge touchscreen display
• Choose from platinum, burgundy, cobalt blue and graphite gold tone-on-tone color combinations
• At 2.76 pounds, the device is lightweight but packed with Dolby Audio Premium sound and 14.5 hours of battery life
Price: $1299.00
HP Pavilion x360
For the student that wants an all-in-one device, the HP Pavilion X360 is a convertible PC that can be used four ways – as a laptop, stand, tent, and
tablet – thanks to its unique 360-degree hinge.
• A 15.6” full HD touchscreen allows students to zoom, flick, or tap their way through all work and play needs
• Saving content year after year is a breeze with its massive 1TB hard drive and 8GB of memory
• Features an SD card reader, 3 USB ports, HDMI output and running the latest Windows 10 operating system
Price: $999.00
HP ENVY x360
Students can go full tilt with this super-flexible and supremely stylish HP Envy X360. It delivers laptop productivity, tablet convenience and everything in between on a 360-degree rotating display that flips to the perfect view every time.
• Performance is solid and smooth with a 6 th generation Intel Core i7 processor and 256GB SSD
• An razor-sharp 15.6-inch full HD touchscreen pairs up with nearly 9 hours of battery life to keep going all day in class and into the night at home
• Multi-format SD card reader, 3 USB ports and an HDMI output
Price: $1,199.00
HP Spectre x360
The HP Spectre X360 redefines what is expected from technology. This 8-million-pixel ultra-thin convertible PC allows students to accomplish
more than ever before.
• Indulge your creative side by viewing and editing high resolution photos on a 4K display, or sketch and draw with your active pen and Windows Ink
• 16 hours of battery life and HP Fast Charge means uninterrupted all-day performance with a lightning-fast Intel Core i7 processor
• Quad HP speakers, HP Audio Boost, and custom tuning by Bang & Olufsen experts makes entertainment after class come to life with sound you can feel
Price: $1,199.99
Windows 10
Get faster start-ups; a familiar yet expanded Start menu; and great new ways to get stuff done even across multiple devices.
Windows Ink
Quickly turn thoughts into action with Windows Ink.Create lists, sticky notes, and draw to your heart’s content — even before logging in.
Get important tasks done with inking like editing Word docs, PowerPoint slides or doing math equations in OneNote – all with your digital pen.
As the new school year begins, you will find Microsoft has something for every need and budget. Invest in your child’s education and give them the tools they need to succeed today!
For more information and product specs visit www.microsoft.com
This is a compensated post, as always all opinions are my own
I want the surface pro SO badly!!! It looks amazing for travel!
UGH we need to commit to getting the oldest a new computer. I am dreading doing the research on what will work best for her. She wants a GAMING computer which is big $$ and what she needs is a homework computer with high security on it. She tells me she doesn’t want a Mac for that. Macs are not great for gaming according to teen gamer. MEH. I love the HPs noted here and might give those some thought. Thanks for the roundup.
We need a new laptop, ours but the dust earlier this year. Have been putting off getting a new one because there is so much research to do…and wanted to be certain our new computer would fit our needs. Thanks so much for all of the information, you have made my job much easier!
The Surface Pro looks like it’s exactly what I need! Such a great list of items available – love the options!
My husband has a surface pro & he loves it!
Huuby just upgraded to Windows10 on his computer. He was worried that there would be a big learning curve to the upgraded operating system, but it was an easy switch.
As my kiddo is getting older I’m starting to figure out that he needs something for a computer. I definitely need to check in to these computers because I think it would be perfect for him.
That Surface Pro looks great! I really love the flexibility you get with that bad boy.
Oh these are items that I need in my life, between my work, juggling mom life, and homeschool – absolutely useful items!
I love the Surface Pro. It looks very versatile.
Kids have to have a competitive edge, as well as being able to organize their homework and projects more efficiently. Computers, namely laptops, are the way to go. The Surface Pro looks to be an ideal tool to help them with organizing and doing school related tasks
Would love to have the Surface Pro , looks and sounds awesome , thanks for sharing , maybe a Christmas Gift <3
oh my gosh that Surface Pro! It would be a dream to have one. I love everything about it. Love that it is lightweight and touchscreen
I want a surface laptop and I will one of these days…as soon as my current laptop needs to be replaced!
I am currently loving Windows 10 and I’m glad I got it when it was free! A lot of great gadgets on this list for school!
I am in the market for something for my daughter for her schooling needs! Will have to check out microsoft!
My niece just got the Surface Pro for her graduation last year and it’s really great. I’d love to have one of those for myself!
My daughter just started college and wants a Surface Pro. I love how portable it is for taking notes in class.
My kids use a Surface Pro for school. I was really surprised to see how technologically advanced they were.
I would love a surface pro… I have heard great things about it from friends that recently purchased one.
My son bought a Surface Pro and loves it.
We have been talking about investing in a PC for the kids. I think the Surface Pro would be great for them.
That Surface Pro looks great and versatile! That would be something I would love to have! Thank you for the full description! I had no idea of the difference between laptop and surface pro.
My daughter has the HP Pavilion x360 and absolutely loves it! I would not mind getting myself a Surface Pro!
I would love to have this kind of laptop. I don’t even own a laptop of my own. I always use my desktop. I would certainly look in to this for when I would like to get one.
OMG! This is so fantastic. The kids are so excited going back to school because they are inspired by their new supplies. For sure they will be very much motivated with these.
How cool that it also works as a tablet. This is perfect for my son who is currently working on his thesis.
I am currently a Mac girl but I have seen so many positive reviews of Microsoft tablets and laptops lately!! I think if something ever happens to my Mac I would definitely look into getting one!!
Microsoft laptops were my go-to throughout college! They had great processors and were able to handle the intense/video heavy gaming apps I used to play with all my roommates, and they had everything else I needed for school on them!
We have pretty much all HP products in our home. From our HP envy printer to our laptops. They are so user friendly and easy to secure for my son to use.
We’ll be getting our son a laptop soon and we have a budget set for it. Good to know all these options that Microsoft offers.
I have returned to PCs with Microsoft products a few years ago, and I am actually enjoying the experience! I have to say those machines are workhorses, I love HP computers a lot as well!
The x360’s all sound so nice! I am hping to check them out in a store soon.
~Jonnie
That surface pro looks perfect. Things sure have changed since I lugged around a giant “portable” computer lol
The Surface Pro would be handy!
looks like a nice laptop with all the features a student would need and more! I’ll be sure to share this with a few students I know of ; )
I definitely need a new pc this fall. I’m going to save up and will be checking these out. – yolonda
These are some awesome picks. I would absolutely love the Surface Laptop. It has everything I need.