As the cost of premium laptops has increased over time, the quality of low-cost and budget choices has substantially increased. From dirt cheap under $300 Chromebooks to low-cost gaming laptops with a dedicated GPU costing up to $1,200, you can easily discover some amazing gadgets that offer a pleasing user experience. Although the list is currently small, it will expand as we review new laptops.
You may discover our recommendations for the top inexpensive and budget laptops below after we examined more than 60 different models. You can also have a look at our suggestions for the top laptops in each of the price ranges of $300, $400, and $500.
15-inch Lenovo Chromebook C340
The 2-in-1 Chromebook Lenovo Chromebook C340 15 (2020) is the top affordable laptop we’ve evaluated. The battery life of this 15-inch model seems a bit over 12 hours with light use. Both the Intel Pentium Gold and Core i3 CPUs are available, and both are powerful enough to run Chrome OS smoothly. You’ll probably suffer slowdowns if you have a lot of Chrome tabs open at once because it only has 4GB of memory available.
The 1080p display has enough of room for multitasking and looks quite sharp. Because it is a 2-in-1 convertible, you may use it as a tablet or put up the laptop in tent mode for media viewing. The display’s drawback is that it doesn’t become extremely bright, so it might not be the best option if you frequently operate in brightly lit areas. Long sessions of typing on the keyboard feel fantastic, and even though the touchpad is a little small, it accurately registers all motions and gestures. Although it has a fan, the device never becomes hot or noisy, making it ideal for businesses and peaceful classrooms.
Check out the Acer Swift 3 14 if you require Windows and don’t mind paying a little bit more (2020). It is more portable because it is a smaller 14-inch laptop, but less screen space is provided as a result. In addition to having a greater port variety and a longer battery life than the Lenovo, its USB-C enables Thunderbolt 4. The camera is the primary compromise; the picture appears to be drastically underexposed, and the microphone has a staticky sound. This laptop is available with an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor, up to 16GB of memory, and up to 512GB of storage.
Chromebook from Lenovo
Seeking something reasonably priced to view movies, TV episodes, or web videos while you’re on the go? Obtain the 2-in-1 Chrome OS tablet with a kickstand and a detachable keyboard, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021). It is small and light, and the battery can play videos for about eight hours. With no uniformity concerns like backlight leakage or clouding, the stunning 13.3-inch OLED display produces vivid colors and deep, inky blacks. A surprisingly good webcam for video conversations is located above its gorgeous display, and there is a camera on the rear if you need to take a picture.
The speakers’ quality can only be described as adequate. You’re better off with a set of headphones because they don’t become too loud and have a slightly off-putting tone. If you need to get some work done, be aware that the touchpad isn’t particularly snappy and the keyboard seems crowded. As a result, it’s fine for a few quick emails but not the best for writing a lengthy paper. Nonetheless, if you want good picture quality at a reasonable price, this is a fantastic alternative.
Legion 5 Gen 6 from Lenovo
The Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 6 15 is our top selection for a low-cost gaming laptop (2021). With a solid design, a roomy full-size keyboard, and a variety of ports, including an HDMI 2.1 port, this 15.6-inch laptop has a lot to offer. Both the AMD Ryzen 5 5600H and Ryzen 7 5800H CPUs are capable of delivering fluid gaming, and there are a variety of GPU options, from the low-end NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 to the top-tier RTX 3070.
You have a variety of display options. The optimum visual experience can be had by purchasing a 1080p 165Hz or a 1440p 165Hz display, respectively. Sadly, this laptop isn’t particularly portable due to its size and weight, and you’ll also need to bring the charger because the battery life when gaming is only about an hour.
Chromebook 315 by Acer
The Acer Chromebook 315 (2020) is the greatest budget laptop we’ve tested if you’re looking for something affordable to get the job done or buying for a grade school student. Although being a 15-inch laptop, it is portable, and its battery comfortably lasts a full day of light use with plenty to spare. A full-size keyboard with a Numpad on the right side, a sizable touchpad, and a number of useful ports, including two USB-As, two USB-Cs, and an SD card reader, are included. Video output and charging are supported by the USB-C connectors.
Being a cost-effective technique, there are a few drawbacks to be aware of. First, even when the screen is bright enough for indoor use, you could still experience some sight concerns in well-lit spaces. The available CPUs (Intel Celerons) can only handle light tasks, so if you multitask a lot, this might not be the ideal choice. Last but not least, you can only purchase 128GB of storage. Nevertheless, if you use cloud storage, this isn’t a big deal, and you can even expand your capacity using an SD card.
IdeaPad Gaming 3 from Lenovo
We suggest the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 if you’re seeking for an affordable gaming laptop (2021). You may choose between a 15.6-inch laptop with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H or Ryzen 7 5800H Processor and a variety of GPUs, ranging from a budget GTX 1650 to a high-end RTX 3060 with support for ray-tracing and DLSS. You can start off with less and update it yourself later because the memory and storage disk are user-upgradable. You can spend more money on a more effective GPU and display.
When it comes to the display, your options are a 60Hz, 120Hz, or 165Hz panel. We advise selecting the 120Hz or 165Hz option because they will offer a more responsive and fluid gaming experience with fewer screen tearing. There is an excellent webcam if you wish to stream, and the keyboard is comfortable to type on. If you want to play games while you’re on the road, you’ll need to bring a power adaptor with you because the battery life is rather short. Under strain, it also becomes hot and noisy. If you want to support team blue, there is an Intel version of this laptop, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i (2021), however it has fewer GPU options.
We’ve listed what we believe to be the top inexpensive and budget laptops available right now in our recommendations above. Our suggestions above are what we believe to be the best cheap and budget laptops available right now. We take price into consideration (a cheaper laptop wins over a more expensive one if the criteria are met). We take into account the cost (a less expensive laptop wins over a more expensive one if the price difference isn’t significant), comments from visitors, and availability (no laptops that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
Conclusion
Here is a list of all of our laptop reviews, arranged by price from low to high if you would rather make your own choice. The table only displays the results of the model we tested; for details on other variations, it is best to read the complete evaluation. Keep in mind that the majority of laptops come in a variety of configurations. e difference isn’t worth it), user comments, and accessibility (no laptops that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
