Question Recommendation for laptop or tablet for dance class

[cas128]

Seeking input to purchase two tablets or laptops for my nephew's dance studio so that he can conduct classes via Zoom. Need the best value (new or refurbished). Main criteria is that they have both HDMI and USB ports -- and need to ability to turn off the "mute background noise" function. It will be connected to a large screen TV.

What is your budget?
$300 each, the less the better

2. What is the size of the that you are considering?
15.6" or less

3. What screen resolution do you want?
no preference

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Portable

5. How much battery life do you need?
Average, okay -- 5-8 hours at least.

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
No games.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
None. Just for teaching dance via Zoom.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
Minimal. Not storing lots of files.

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
Open to any legal option in the U.S. that will offer a warranty.

10. How long do you want to keep the laptop or tablet?
1-2 years.

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
None

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
I've had good luck with Lenovo, Asus and Dell, but open to any. Not sure if Chromebooks would be problematic or a good option.

13. What country do you live in?
U.S.

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.
Just trying to help my nephew get a good deal on a reliable product to get through this period when his class can not be filled with students.

Prefer to purchase online or in the NYC/NJ area.

 

[tennis2]

https://slickdeals.net/f/14263445-y...s-10s-abyss-blue-81we008hus-199?src=catpagev2

 

[velocityg4]

Laptops in that price range are going to be poor quality with horrible webcams.

As it is being connected to a TV. I assume portability isn't necessary. In which case I'd seriously take a look at a used desktop or new Intel NUC. Then spend the rest on a nice quality webcam. Even better buy a used DSLR. They can be had for cheap. The right model can make for an excellent $100 webcam. Which I'd think image/video quality would be important for a remote dance class. Pair that with used third/fourth gen i5 laptop or desktop with SSD. You've got a nice setup for around $300 total.

If it also needs to be a portable device. Get an iPad (2019). It'll have a much nicer webcam and screen than any laptop in that price range. Probably nicer than any Android tablet for the price.
https://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPad-1...?dchild=1&keywords=ipad&qid=1597870682&sr=8-3

For laptops. I'd look at a used Lenovo T450s with SSD and 8GB RAM (about $250). It'll be faster with a better webcam, screen and build quality than any new laptop in that price range.

 

[cas128]

Thank you! Portability is an issue as he will be moving between classrooms. And I'm not entirely sure how tech savvy he is. So, it seems the Ipad or Lenovo T450s will be the better options.