Back to school tech: Top laptops, headphones, smart watches and more for students

CHICAGO (WLS) -- As students start returning to school making sure all their electronics are up-to-date and running properly is key to their educational success. Carl Prouty "The Technologist" at Abt Electronics is he with all the electronics must haves for this school year

All students need headphones, and not just for music. Carl recommends that parents don't need to spend a fortune on them.
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One low-cost option is the Sony On-Ear Smartphone Headphones for $19.51.

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For keeping phones and laptops charged, Carl recommends the Mophie Portable Charger for $29.99-$39.99.
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Having reliable home Wi-Fi is also essential, and Carl recommends the eero 6+ WiFi system can cover up to 3,000 square feet of space for $139.

Carl recommends spending a bit more to get the right smart watch, such as the Apple Watch Series 3 is available at $187.



Choosing a laptop can be costly and inexpensive ones might not meet students' needs. The Carl recommends the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i 17ITL6 17.3" Arctic Gray Notebook Intel i7-1165G7 8GB RAM 256GB SSD, Intel Iris X Graphics, which he said has state-of-the-art features that laptops that cost twice-as-much have. It is available for $698.