Student Special: Top Tech for back-to-school

Tablets
Taking notes on pen and paper is so passé, especially when Samsung’s new S Pen packs enough firepower into its toothpick frame to fuel an early Apollo space flight. The S Pen, an appendage to the S6 Lite, Samsung’s latest Galaxy tablet, can be used for note-taking and multi-tasking. Handwritten notes transform into typed text and can be exported into a Word doc or PDF. When you’re done, the Pen snaps onto the side of S6 Lite using magnetic magic.

Phones
5G is a blessing for everyone apart from flat-earthers, but they don’t count. Sony’s Xperia 1 II is the Sporty Spice of smartphones, carrying 5G connectivity, a fast autofocus Alpha camera, and a 4K, 6.5” display.

Nokia 5.3, which costs under €200, is ideal for students on budgets. Most budget phones are plastic atrocities, so prepare to be pleasantly surprised by the 5.3’s superb camera set-up.

Mint+, an Irish company that sells refurbished tech, should be the first port of call for anyone on the hunt for top quality gadgets, bargain bin prices, and eco-friendly attributes.

Mint’s second-hand basement includes iPhone 8 64GB’s, from starting prices of €279. These Apple smartphones come equipped with 14 hours worth of battery life and 4.7-inch displays.

Apps
As students return to college en masse, the free Covid Tracker app will help you stay safe. This government app issues an alert if you’ve been in close contact with someone who has tested positive. It speeds up contact tracing and offers advice, news and information.

Exit Entry is a smart way to plan for the future, should you survive college. This Irish mobile app links students with job opportunities. Students create a personal profile, through two short assessments, and the app matches you with potential jobs.

Broadband
Screen lag during online lectures is unlikely following the advent of 1GB broadband speeds. Providers such as SIRO and eir have delivered this level of connectivity for a while, but now Virgin are getting up to 1GB speed. The deal is available to new and existing customers and can be packaged with or without telephone, TV and mobile services.

Games
Student life wouldn’t be the same without feet up, beer in hand, downtime and there’ll be plenty of that over the year ahead, following the release of the next generation consoles. PlayStation 5 is launching November 19, costing €399 for a digital-only console and €499 for a Blu Ray drive version, which plays physical games. In the same month, Microsoft launches its Xbox S console at a €299 price while its spruced up XBox Series X will retail for €499.