While some students may be reluctantly starting another school year in the weeks ahead, there is at least some cool technology that can help them ease the transition back from summer vacation.
From touchscreen laptops and handy AI tools to apps for math and smartwatches you wear on your wrist and tap when it’s time to get to class, today’s tweens and teens have no shortage of great gear to help stay on top of homework and assignments. Budget permitting, here are a few suggestions ranging in price from $18 to $1,500 — all worthy of an A-plus.
Lightweight laptop
Super thin and light – and thus easy to tote around in a backpack – the LG gram 2in1 is 0.65 inches thin and weighs only 1.25 kilograms, yet is powered by a beefy Intel Core Ultra 7 processor to handle both your school life (including Copilot+ AI applications through Windows 11) and your downtime (for gaming, streaming videos, music, podcasts and more).
Even more impressive, perhaps, is its stunning that bends back on a 360-degree hinge to become a tablet for you to use with your fingertips or with the included digital stylus pen for notetaking during class. Its price tag starts at $1,499.
Money-saving printer
Being a student is stressful enough; you also shouldn’t have to worry about running out of ink at the worst times (like the night before a book report is due), not to mention paying through the nose for those pricy cartridges.
Instead, the , which retails for $229, includes enough ink out-of-the-packaging to print several thousand pages. When it’s time to buy more ink, it comes in affordable bottles that last up to another 4,500 pages in black and up to 7,500 pages in colour — a savings of up to 90 per cent compared to cartridges, according to Epson. As well as a printer, this wireless all-in-one is also a scanner and copier.
Super smart assistant
Enhanced with more conversational artificial intelligence, the $99 is an Alexa-powered smart speaker that is small in size but big on sound. Summon your knowledgeable personal AI assistant to answer homework questions, whether it’s related to math, science, English, history, geography or any other subjects.
Students can also set alarms and reminders, create shopping lists, or use their voice to control their smart home gadgets, such as adjusting a compatible thermostat or lights. Ideal as a bedside companion, its small screen displays the time, weather, song titles and more.
Thin tablets and smartwatches
A tablet, such as the market-leading , is also an exceptional companion for students. Starting from $499, the iPad is just as ideal for reading digital textbooks as it is for notetaking and comes with support for Apple Pencil and wireless keyboards (sold separately).
Available in one of four colours and powered by Apple’s speedy A16 chip, this slender 11-inch tablet features a bright Liquid Retina display, 128GB of starting storage and twin cameras (including a front-facing FaceTime camera with Center Stage, which always keeps you in frame and in focus, even if you move around while chatting with friends, classmates or family).
Speaking of Apple, students using an iPhone could also benefit from wearing an Apple Watch — the model retails from $329 — for its slew of features that include helping you stay organized, monitor fitness, health and sleep info, match your style (with customizable watch faces and colours) and pay for things at participating retailers by waving your wrist over a sensor.
Affordable back-up
What’s smaller than your pinky but can store hundreds of thousands of files? From $18 for the 32 gigabytes model, the is a fast and reliable two-in-one storage solution.
It comes with a USB-C connector on one side (for modern laptops, tablets and smartphones) and a USB-A connector on the other side for legacy machines. This makes it super simple to transfer files between devices, whether it’s school docs, eBooks, photos, videos, music and other files. A swivel design lets you rotate the body of the drive to protect the connectors when not in use.Ìý
High-tech backpack
To store all your tech and other school supplies, such as textbooks, pens and clothing, the that retails from $29 offers a lot of bang for the buck.
Available in one of 12 colours, this comfortable and water-resistant backpack can fit your laptop (up to 15.6 inches) in a protective back pouch, plus it offers a pocket to place a power bank (backup battery), sold separately, which you can connect to via USB cable (included) for added convenience. For $9 more, a slightly larger model can support laptops up to 17 inches.
Additional features include a sturdy handle, adjustable straps and mesh side pockets for a water tumbler, umbrella or smartphone.
NOTE: All prices accurate at time of publication
Marc Saltzman is the host of the Tech It Out podcast, which can be found a .
