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what laptop size

I am a parent of twin girls going to uni this year and been looking at laptops to buy them. Most have a 15.6" screen but seen some nice HP Pavillion ones with 14" screen that are slim and light. They also have mini ipads too.
Would a smaller 14" screen be better to take to lectures or would they most likely just leave them in their rooms in which case a bigger screen is better.
Would be interested to know the preference of existing uni students.
Original post by PaulR7693
I am a parent of twin girls going to uni this year and been looking at laptops to buy them. Most have a 15.6" screen but seen some nice HP Pavillion ones with 14" screen that are slim and light. They also have mini ipads too.
Would a smaller 14" screen be better to take to lectures or would they most likely just leave them in their rooms in which case a bigger screen is better.
Would be interested to know the preference of existing uni students.

I think 13" and 14" are more convenient. Smaller tend to be more expensive.
What they do with them depends on them and how they work, some people like carrying them around and others arent as reliant.
Dont forget the additional risk of damage and theft..

You would probably be better buying them in conjunction with your daughters so they get what they want within your budget.
Reply 2
Avatar for PaulR7693
PaulR7693
OP
5
Original post by 999tigger
I think 13" and 14" are more convenient. Smaller tend to be more expensive.
What they do with them depends on them and how they work, some people like carrying them around and others arent as reliant.
Dont forget the additional risk of damage and theft..

You would probably be better buying them in conjunction with your daughters so they get what they want within your budget.

Thanks. Yes they are involved in the decision but are not sure how they will use them once they are at uni. We are leaning towards the smaller screen at present, possibly this...
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-14s-dq1504sa-14-laptop-intel-core-i5-256-gb-ssd-silver-10203705-pdt.html
Original post by PaulR7693
Thanks. Yes they are involved in the decision but are not sure how they will use them once they are at uni. We are leaning towards the smaller screen at present, possibly this...
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-14s-dq1504sa-14-laptop-intel-core-i5-256-gb-ssd-silver-10203705-pdt.html


Get them to carry something of a similar weight around
I would personally wait till you buy anything. A laptop can be bought in 48hrs or less.
You might also want to think about insurance for accidental damage, theft and breakdown.
When the shops open go and have a look in John Lewis. One of the few shops that has laptops you can touch.
There are also some student discounts for laptops.
I used to own a 15.6" laptop and now I own a 14" laptop. The screen size difference is not big enough to make any real difference, and if you really want a large screen you can always attach a larger monitor.
Reply 5
Avatar for nutz99
nutz99
19
A 14” laptop is ideal. My son has a 13” model and his girlfriend has just got a 14” model. For portability they are much easier than the 15.6” model. You won’t get better for the price than the Currys model that you’ve linked. That is a good price for an i5.
Don't buy from Currys! You can always get a better deal elsewhere.

14" or 13.3" would be good sizes to go for.

If all they are doing is MS Office or Libre Office plus web browsing, the CPU and RAM specifications are relatively unimportant. An SSD is important. SSD are simple to retrofit if a laptop comes with a slow mechanical hard drive.

Avoid laptops with those grey coloured plastic keyboard keys. Matt black laptop keys are better for typing on. Lenovo Thinkpad business laptops have good keyboards (for a laptop). HP and Dell business laptops are also worth buying.

3 year old used premium business laptops make great student laptops at very cost effective prices of under £200 - during normal times. With Coronavirus, prices have risen. Wait for it to blow over and prices to come back down before buying.

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