Should You Buy a Refurbished Chromebook for your Child?

Find out why Chromebooks are the best computers for kids

Are Chromebooks Good for Kids?

Refurbished Chromebooks are perhaps the best laptop you can get for your child. Why? Because they’re more secure and easier to use than the traditional laptop.

All the work your kids do on a Chromebook is stored in Google Drive, so it can be accessed from multiple devices, even if your kids forget to bring their laptop to school—or don’t want to lug it around in their already heavy backpacks (do kids these days still get a ton of textbooks?).

Microsoft Office on a Chromebook

Google Drive gives you the possibility to use the whole Microsoft Office suite of products, except using the cloud instead of having them installed on your computer. And of course they won’t carry the original Microsoft names anymore either, since Google basically copied/redesigned the software and renamed it—Microsoft Excel becomes Google Sheets, Microsoft Word is replaced by Google Docs, and so on.

You can also install the official Microsoft applications from Google's Play Store, but the Google applications offer the same (if not better) functionality.

And although it’s easy to say that Google just copied all these great Microsoft products, the truth is that the Google versions of these apps are, in my opinion, much better than the Microsoft originals in many ways. And best of all, the license is free and is constantly being updated. Now that’s what I call a deal.

What's the Best Chromebook?

Whether you buy a refurbished Chromebook from Samsung, HP, Lenovo, Acer, Toshiba, or another brand, it’s important to remember that all of these devices are essentially built around Google Drive. Therefore, if you think that your child is going to be using primarily these basic applications, then a refurbished Chromebook would be perfect for them.

However, if you think your child may need more specialized programs for video production, photo editing, graphic design, or music production, you may need to look elsewhere (probably a Mac - you can find a low-cost MacBook on Back Market). Although refurbished Chromebooks are great for kids, they don’t have the same kind of creative power that you’ll find in a refurbished Apple laptop.

So what's the best Chromebook deal on the Back Market website? We'd suggest to just get the newest Chromebook that fits in your budget, Chromebooks from different manufacturers tend to all work pretty similarly, so there's no need to pay too much attention to brands or specs.

Which Chromebook Will Last the Longest?

Just one note: if you want the best Chromebook that will last for a long time, it's better to go for one with an SSD (solid state drive) as opposed to one with an HDD (hard drive disk). SSDs generally last better with time as they don't utilize any moving parts to access memory.

Also, the newer the Chromebook, the longer it will receive software updates. So if you want your Chromebook to last as long as possible, make sure to get a model that has an SSD and isn't more than 3 years old. But if you just want the best Chromebook deal and aren't as concerned about longevity, you can settle for an older Chromebook that has an HDD. One of these Chromebooks can still be an awesome choice.

Back Market

Written by Back Market,  The leading marketplace for refurbished tech.

Our mission is to make renewed tech mainstream. Turning old into "new new", so to speak.

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