Our BYOD offer for upper secondary schools

What is on offer?

You will find devices from the following three manufacturers in our line-up: Apple, HP and Lenovo. Again, we only carry selected model ranges from these manufacturers. 

With Apple, we focus on the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro 14 in the BYOD offer for secondary schools. We offer the MBA in two different configurations, the MBP 14 only in one. We do this intentionally: we narrow down the offering for you to guide your purchase. We use the hardware specifications or recommendations of the participating schools as a guardrail. All three configurations offered meet or exceed the hardware specifications. 

We take the same approach with HP and Lenovo. HP Pro (previously ProBook) and HP Elite (previously EliteBook) belong to the manufacturer's business model ranges, as does Lenovo ThinkPad. We deliberately choose the manufacturer's high-end model ranges for the following reasons: longer life, better build quality, better or different warranty conditions and extensions, as well as generally better repairability.

Your school's hardware recommendations

The first "hurdle" you need to clear when choosing your device is to know your school's hardware recommendations. You received these from your school as part of your BYOD information. If your school is listed in the schools list, you will automatically find the appropriate laptop models and can choose which device suits you best.

If your school is not in the school list on our site, please read the hardware recommendations you received from your school as part of the BYOD information.

• Does your school support Windows and macOS or just one operating system?
• Does the work device have to be write-enabled (convertible) or can it also be a classic laptop without a pen?
• What is the minimum processor and RAM recommended by the school?

If both operating systems are possible, a convertible is not mandatory and your school has low hardware specifications e.g. specifies an i5/R5 processor with at least 8 GB RAM, you have free choice.

If the school specifies Windows convertibles and a certain device performance, you can choose from our two convertible categories (read more below). If the school supports Apple MacBooks but still requires a write-enabled device, you'll need to purchase an iPad with stylus or a Wacom tablet in addition to the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. 

Remember, what your school sets as a "minimum" hardware requirement must be met at the time of purchase. Everything that goes beyond that in terms of performance belongs in the category "nice to have" or anticipatory purchase, i.e. you consciously buy a more powerful device.

There are good reasons for your school's CPU and RAM requirements: In the context of your education, software is used that requires a certain performance. In addition, your device should accompany you daily and reliably in class for a few years, not become too slow and the battery should still last in three years. When we display laptop models on your school page, we follow your school's recommendations, sometimes they match exactly, sometimes they exceed them. 

How to choose the right device: Convertibles

Since most schools recommend buying a Windows convertible, i.e. a 2-in-1 laptop with a pen, these make up a large part of our offering. You can basically choose between two performance categories: "Recommended convertibles for pupils" and "Recommended convertibles for higher performance requirements". 

The category "Recommended convertibles for pupils" contains HP Pro and Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga L13 convertibles, which are equipped with an i5 of the 11th/12th (penultimate, last) or 13th (top current) CPU generation from Intel, or with an R5 of the 5000 series (last CPU generation) or the 7000 series (top current CPU generation) from AMD. Whether you choose a device with an Intel processor or a device with an AMD processor, the performance within the category and generation is practically the same. 

In the category "Recommended convertibles for higher performance requirements", you will find HP Elite and Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga X13 convertibles, which are equipped with an i7 of the 12th (latest) or 13th (cutting-edge) CPU generation from Intel, or an R7 of the 7000 series (cutting-edge CPU generation) from AMD. Again, whether you choose a device with an Intel processor or one with an AMD processor, the performance within category and generation is virtually the same. 

When it comes to model lines, the HP Pro and HP Elite differ from each other as follows: the Elite laptops are slightly more compact, contain less plastic, have a slightly better trackpad, and are lighter than laptops in the Pro model line. The same can be said for the ThinkPad Yoga L and X series. The more expensive convertibles, in addition to the aforementioned advantages, also each have a matte display, while the most affordable have a glossy display.

The category "Recommended convertibles for pupils" meets the hardware requirements of the vast majority of schools, especially cantonal and midle schools. This means that you can choose your work device according to personal preferences and budget. In the case of vocational schools, the hardware requirements tend to vary. Please read carefully what your school specifies as a minimum requirement or recommendation and stick to it when buying.

How to choose the right device: Clamshells or classic laptops

If it should or may be a classic Windows laptop and the hardware requirements match, you can freely choose among the models summarized as "Recommended Windows laptops for pupils". This category contains HP EliteBook and Lenovo ThinkPad laptop models, which are equipped with an Intel i5 or i7 of the 11th/12th (penultimate, last) or with an R7 of the 6000 series (last CPU generation) from AMD. Whether you choose a device with an Intel processor or a device with an AMD processor, the performance within the category and generation is practically the same. 

In the category "Recommended Windows laptops for higher performance requirements" you can find HP EliteBook, ZBook and Lenovo ThinkPad laptop models, which are equipped with more powerful processors, more RAM or, in the case of the two ZBook, with a professional certified GPU. 

If you are learning an ICT profession, a profession that works with CAD software or a creative-artistic profession, you will most likely have higher hardware requirements. In this case you can choose from the category "Recommended Windows laptops for higher performance requirements" or the recommended Apple MacBook Pro for pupils. 

Our consulting services

One of the advantages of buying via Projekt Neptun is our consulting service: If you are not sure which device is the right one for your education, write us an email, chat with us or - if you are located in the Zurich area - come to our showroom. We don't want you to choose a device with insufficient performance but also don't want you to spend a lot of money unnecessarily and are happy to help you.

We are available online and offline even before the sales start. Via email at any time: we will answer your inquiry within 24 hours.  Our chat will be open at different times throughout the day. Look for the green chat button at the bottom right of our website. Our showroom will open on Monday, June 5 and will be open three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday until the sale closes. You can find the dates and times here.