Back to School 2023: Top Chromebooks and Backpacks for Students

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Heading back to school after a cozy and comfortable summer break can be daunting, but with the right equipment, you can walk, study, and deliver results confidently. On that note, Chromebooks are the type of devices you can rely on as long as dominating the classroom is concerned.

Pair that with a comfortable backpack, and you might as well be the next homecoming king. If you’ve been meaning to pick one of each of those up to kick off the school season after the summer, this guide is the perfect place to get started and make solid purchasing decisions accordingly.

In the write-up, we’ll dish out 10 high-quality Chromebooks and backpacks for those preparing to return to school in 2023. In the meantime, feel free to check out our detailed write-up on back-to-school coloring printables and coloring sheets. With no further ado, let’s get started right away.

10 of the best Chromebooks and backpacks to sort your back-to-school requirements

We’ve divided Chromebooks and backpacks into different subsections, making navigation easier. Each Chromebook and backpack have been vetted before their inclusion in the article, so rest assured that you’ll find nothing but the best picks on the market ahead.

Moreover, the choices ahead have been formulated through various metrics, including quality and cost-effectiveness. Do read until the end for the best results.

Chromebooks

Here are the top 10 back-to-school Chromebooks you can buy right now and effectively sort out work, play, and study side by side.

1. Acer Chromebook Spin 713 – Best all-rounder Chromebook

You read the headline. The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 has drawn attention since it stepped its mechanical foot onto the world, packing a lot of power under the hood and offering excellent build quality. It sports an enticing keyboard and trackpad combo, remarkable speakers, and that sensational, tall 3:2 aspect ratio 13.5-inch screen.

It’s one of the best Chromebooks ever made, and you can tell how Acer is genuinely proud of this one. Students gearing up to head back to school can confide in what the Spin 713 boasts day in and day out, considering its speedy performance, powerful hardware comprising an Intel i5-10210U processor, 8GB RAM, and 128GB SSD, and 2-in-1 form factor.

2. Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook – Perfectly portable

Moving forward, we’ve got our hands on a high-class Lenovo Chromebook that touts itself as the Duet 5. This particular specimen comes after the towering success of the original Duet Chromebook, which, as per its quality, was priced exceptionally thoughtfully for what it was worth amidst a rumbling ChromeOS market.

The Duet 5 Chromebook features a kickstand cover to switch up your viewing mode. Given its versatile form factor, students can interact with the device in several ways. It’s possible to detach the keyboard from the screen, thereby separating the two components, and enjoy unrivaled accessibility in the wake of it.

It comes for about $435, which is pretty competitive, and uses a 13.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080p) screen whose brightness maxes out at 400 nits. And the best part? Despite pushing out rock-solid performance levels, the Duet 5 holds its own for 12-14 hours on a single full charge. These figures are amazingly dependable, and that’s saying the least.

3. Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 – A capable workhorse

Next up, the Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 is another device that back-to-school youngsters can pick up and go on to dominate their class with. It’s a convertible device with a 14-inch FHD screen, an Intel Core i3 processor, 4 GB RAM, and a 128 GB SSD. There’s also EMR pen support to factor into account, should you choose to utilize that.

What makes the Inspiron Chromebook 14 so unique is its relentless performance, no matter the number of Android apps and Chrome tabs you run on the device concurrently. Of course, that’s not to exaggerate things, but as long as you stay within certain boundaries, the Inspiron Chromebook 14 won’t trouble you with laggy load times or anything.

4. Asus Chromebook Vibe CX34 Flip – Elegantly powerful

To talk about another highly capable back-to-school Chromebook that can sort out various use cases for aspiring students, the Asus Vibe CX34 Flip is a force to be reckoned with. It’s a premium device whose specced-out configuration comprising an Intel Core i5-1235U processor, 8 GB RAM, and 256 GB SSD costs upward of $700.

Moreover, it’s one of the first Chromebooks to support a whopping 144 Hz refresh rate. This is an interesting technical facet for students who love gaming in their spare time. Cloud gaming is at an all-time high on ChromeOS, thanks to the availability of platforms such as Nvidia GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, and others.

5. Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook – A great affordable package

If you’re tight on budget and can easily compromise on some of the high-end features of top-tier Chromebooks, the Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook is something to turn your attention to. Behold a sub $340 unit that comes with a 13.3-inch FHD screen and a touch-enabled display as well. The RAM size is 4 GB, and the plenty of 64 GB storage is enough to go by.

At this price point, it’s hard to beat a Chromebook as good as the Flex 5, which is undoubtedly one of the best Chromebooks Lenovo has ever built. The keyboard is comfortable to type on, and the large-sized mylar trackpad is responsive and fluid.

The best part about the Flex 5 is its performance. Run the most sought-after Linux apps on it, or go crazy with the Google Play Store apps in the business—you won’t be bogging down the system anytime soon. The overall battery runtime of the device is pretty reliable, too, lasting students between 8-12 hours regularly.

6. Acer Chromebook 516 GE – Fit for gaming alongside school

The Acer Chromebook 516 GE (the GE stands for Gaming Edition) can be considered a competitor to the aforementioned Asus Vibe Flip CX34 Chromebook, although with a relatively less scary price tag. The device costs about $679 and sports some of the best technical specifications on a Chromebook yet.

We’re talking the likes of a 12th-generation Intel Core i5-1240P processor, a 120 Hz refresh rate, Intel Iris XE graphics, a 256 GB PCIe NVMe SSD, 8 GB LPDDR4X RAM, and a QHD display as well. This is all top-of-the-line when it boils down to ChromeOS, so rest assured that you’re getting the ultimate package here with the 516 GE.

7. Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 – Style and substance

The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 is one of the best back-to-school Chromebooks that students can purchase and roll with it for the time to come. With a comfortably spaced-out Auto Update Expiration date of June 2028, this stylish unit is nothing short of eye candy, boasting an attractive Fiesta Red color option alongside the other.

What is otherwise one of Samsung’s best Chromebooks to date isn’t all about magnificence either—the device is quite capable when it boils down to it, sporting a QLED 13.3-inch display and a 10th-gen Intel Core i3 processor along with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB of storage.

8. Acer Chromebook Spin 514 – AMD-powered budget champ

At this point, it’s no secret that Acer, thanks to its back-to-back hits in the ChromeOS space, is one of the best Chromebook manufacturers in the world right now. And thanks to that, we can’t help but include multiple back-to-school Chromebooks that hail from the Taiwanese tech giant.

The Spin 514 AMD edition that came out in 2021 costs about $349 and packs a Ryzen 3 3250C processor, 4 GB DDR4 RAM, and 64 GB eMMC flash memory. It’s got a backlit keyboard and a 2-in-1 form factor that arrives in the wake of the “Spin” moniker—considering that the device is pretty versatile and its touchscreen is quite responsive.

The main reasons you should get this Chromebook revolve around the device’s top-tier build quality, which is practically second to none in its price bracket. It’s also highly durable and pushes out remarkable performance levels for students looking to work with Microsoft Office files or Google Workspace.

9. Asus Chromebook CX9 – Next-level design

Grabbing the ninth spot on this list is our personal favorite, and let us tell you that the Asus Chromebook CX9 takes no prisoners, being one of the best examples of superior craftsmanship. The CX9 is a solid unit and, quite frankly, something of an overkill for back-to-school settings.

Students looking for the finest tech in the ChromeOS space should readily opt for this one, provided their budget allows them to. That is to say, the CX9’s most top-notch configuration costs about $1,200, but what you get in return is an Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor, 512 GB SSD, 16 GB RAM, Wi-Fi 6, 14-inch FHD IPS display, and tank-like durability.

10. Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga C13 Chromebook – Mid-range daily driver

Finally, the final Chromebook we can recommend to adolescents is the Lenovo ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook. It has a fingerprint scanner as a bonus feature for lightning-fast sign-in times and a decent amount of ports that amount to substantial I/O.

These include two USB-C and USB-A ports, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a microSD card reader slot, and an HDMI port for ease in video conferences. Although the C13 Yoga Chromebook costs north of $550, you can grab it online for a great price right now. The cherry on top is its 12-13 hours of battery runtime, which should be enough to sort your entire school day.

Backpacks

Got your perfect pick of Chromebook sorted? Great. The following is our cherry-picked list of the most worth-buying backpacks available online. These will ensure that all of your back-to-school essentials, such as earbuds or headphones, and especially your Chromebook, fit in like a glove while offering the luxury of comfort side by side.

1. MATEIN Backpack

Starting this cluster of purchase-worthy back-to-school backpacks is this high-quality MATEIN bag, available for quite a rockstar price at the time of writing. As opposed to its $39.96 MSRP, you can grab the unit for as low as $23.99 right now. It comes in many colors, allowing you to pick your favorite one, and offers many pockets.

Furthermore, the backpack sports a USB charger port on the exterior, and an in-built charging cable is on the inside too. This backpack has a lot of depth; we’ll have to give it that. As for the overall build, the manufacturer says that the bag is made of water-resistant and durable polyester fabric, making the entire unit sturdy, rigid, and reliable.

2. Bikrod School Backpack

The second spot on this list of the best back-to-school backpacks for students in 2023 goes to the Bikrod School Backpack. This particular product has gained popularity online, enjoying a 4.6/5.0 overall rating and plenty of positive reviews that laud the backpack for its quality. It’s spacious from the inside and comes with many pockets too.

The Bikrod School Backpack can be picked up in various colors, ranging from Blue, Grey, Black, Camouflage, Purple, and mixes of two different color tones. Given the size of the unit, it can fit a laptop whose screen size measures 17.3 inches diagonally. So far, only the likes of the Acer Chromebook 317 have been able to claim this feat in the ChromeOS sector.

3. Ytonet Backpack

Students looking forward to spending the school year ahead in a shipshape condition should get a versatile backpack that can fit their Chromebook and stationery and gym equipment for sports classes. That way, keeping themselves organized and ready for future tasks gets easier.

The Ytonet Backpack is the item of the hour, in this case, being a highly-rated product on Amazon. It’s got hundreds of customers backing up its name (no pun intended) for not just one but a variety of different reasons. It comprises an anti-theft pocket, reflective strips for heightened security and vision, and a dedicated shoe compartment.

4. Bluefairy Kids Backpack

Looking for something that will turn heads? Pair the Bluefairy Kids Backpack’s “Camo Red” color scheme with the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2, and look at an excellent show of accessories across the board. This lightweight, durable, and cost-effective backpack is spacious from the inside.

Moreover, the backpack is designed in a way that maximizes storage efficiency. It’s machine-washable too, but you’re better off washing it by hand to prolong the bag’s lifetime. The different colors of the backpack are priced accordingly, but for reference purposes, the Camo Blue color shown in the photo above costs $28.99.

5. Rickyh School Backpack

Sifting through multiple options online, but have you found anything of interest yet? Give the Rickyh School Backpack a shot—the color choice is surreal. From Football Blue and Graffiti Black to Camouflage and Red, this particular backpack has a whole array of different patterns and designs.

And it’s not the case that the Rickyh Backpack is all style and no substance. The item is light to carry, weighing about 1.2 pounds, and features a sizable laptop compartment and an inner mesh pocket, among other partitions. The stress points of the backpack are double stitched, and many purchasers have echoed this in their respective reviews.

6. Sunborls Kawaii Backpack

You don’t have to keep things monotonous when hitting school. After all, your accessories can often paint a picture of yours, and you don’t want that image to be anything other than dashing. The Sunborls Kawaii Backpack fits that description, offering multiple purchasable colors and a 3-piece combo to sort your school endeavors out.

Its shoulder straps appear to be widened, and the high-quality embedded sponge pads prevent pressure from building up too much, allowing you to carry the backpack easily and comfortably. The Sunborls Kawaii Backpack costs about $20.99, but only if you buy it in recent times. Its MSRP has been reduced by 48% right now.

7. School Backpack for Teen Girls

On the search for something elegant and decent to make you stand out among the crowd as you return to school? This Backpack for Teen Girls fits that description just the right way, costing about $38 for the Solid Beige color. You can also purchase other variations, such as Marble, Dark Green, Black Butterfly, and more.

The backpack’s size is ideal for a 15-inch laptop. Since most Chromebooks fall within the 14-inch range, save for a few exceptions, this bag should do the job for you and then some. The ergonomic cushioned back extends support for carrying the backpack over lengthy periods of time, so that’s something to go on as well.

8. Dickies Signature Lightweight Backpack

Dickies is a world-renowned backpack manufacturer recognized worldwide for its array of top-end products that seemingly blend budget-friendliness. The simple black color coupled with the brown leather sets potential buyers back for $46, but given the sturdiness and the overall value proposition, we’d say you get your money’s worth with this item.

Reviewers have commended the Dickies Signature Backpack for how roomy it is from the inside. One user, in specific, mentioned how they had a massive 18-inch laptop, along with a bunch of other classroom stuff. The backpack was able to fit everything in nicely without cramming the items together.

9. Galaxy Backpack for Teens

You’d think the Galaxy Backpack for Teens is all charisma and flash, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. It’s a rigid backpack in terms of build quality yet comfortable to wear all the same, thanks to an adjustable belt and the usage of an apparent high-quality material.

The recommended age for this backpack is between 6-18 years, although there are no restrictions regarding its use case. Over 300 people have bought the product, only to be left highly satisfied with their experience of the Galaxy Backpack.

10. Bunie School Backpack

The Bunie School Backpack comes in two eccentric color forms, costing a cent short of $35. This backpack is a 3-piece set, similar to the Sunborls Kawaii Backpack for girls, and comes with a chest bag, a pencil case, and a large-sized backpack.

The pattern on the exterior is geometric, which grants the unit a catchy appearance, and there’s the bonus feature of a hidden earphone hole as well, in case you use wired headphones. It’s great for different settings and not just back-to-school scenarios, such as hiking, biking, traveling, and running.

Conclusion

The school season is about to kick off again, and students worldwide are hard at work preparing for a challenging time ahead. Once you have your essentials sorted, though, not a lot is left to take care. Apart from your usual year-long focus and determination, that will help you get your desired grades.

To get to that level, though, you will need handy accessories, and what companion more than a Chromebook and a backpack to make you feel comfortable in and out of school? This guide has gone through some of the best options available in both categories, so you should have your choices narrowed down by now.

Let us know in the comments ahead if you found the guide helpful. Chrome Ready wishes you good luck!