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Get a great deal by shopping the best budget laptops of 2023
A good laptop for work or gaming doesn’t need to be costly. There are great options within your budget if you know where to look.
When buying a laptop, you need a reliable, high-performance option that suits your needs, whether it’s gaming, designing or editing spreadsheets. In most cases, you don’t need a $3,000 or even a $1,000 laptop to get the performance you need for your day-to-day use.
While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all option, there are affordable but good laptops under $600 that offer great features such as good battery life, ample storage and reliable performance. You just need to know how and where to look for one.
We’ve spent time researching and reviewing different options to make the experience simpler for you. Here, we share a list of our top picks to help you find the best budget laptop.
Read more: Want to level up your game? Browse the best budget laptops for gaming
Explore our picks of the best budget laptops
Our favorite budget option
Specifications
Screen size: 14-inch
Memory: 4GB
Hard drive: 128GB eMMC
Pros & Cons
Offers 18 hours of runtime
Silent operation
Shockproof design
Reviews complain about freezing
Average performance
The Samsung Galaxy Book Go is our favorite pick for a few good reasons. This shockproof laptop is compact and thin so it fits conveniently in your bag, and it runs on the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 compute platform for fast and quiet performance.
The Galaxy Book Go delivers up to 18 hours of run-time on a fully charged battery, allowing you to work on the go, stay connected on social media, or attend virtual meetings. It comes with Windows 11 pre-installed to get you started right away, making it the best affordable home laptop.
Best affordable model for gaming
Specifications
Screen size: 12.4-inch
Memory: 4GB
Hard drive: 128GB
Pros & Cons
Lightweight and fast
Great battery life
Touch operation and control
Microsoft Office not included
Screen is small for some users
Love playing Minecraft or Fortnite? You’ll need a good laptop for that, and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 makes a brilliant pick. This 12.4-inch laptop features a Quad Core 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor for seamless performance, while a PixelSense touchscreen allows for intuitive operation.
Weighing just 2.48 pounds, this Microsoft Surface laptop is lightweight for on-the-go use and has a full-size keyboard with a large trackpad to allow you to browse, click, navigate and scroll with ease. The built-in HD camera and Studio Mics make your video calls simpler, and it offers up to 13.5 hours of battery life, allowing you to work for longer.
Best budget 2-in-1 laptop
Specifications
Screen size: 10.95-inch
Memory: 4GB
Hard drive: 128GB
Pros & Cons
Compact and lightweight
High-quality sharp screen
Seamless detachable keyboard
Small screen size
Stylus not included
For the ultimate flexibility, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook doubles as a tablet. It features a detachable keyboard, which you can use as needed or you can get the optional stylus pen for taking notes or sketching on the go. This laptop runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 Compute Platform for a smooth and fanless performance.
With the integrated Qualcomm Adreno graphics, you get crisp visuals and images for your files, videos, or games. The 5MP front-facing webcam lets you make video calls, while the 8MP rear-facing camera allows you to take stunning photos. This Lenovo laptop weighs 1.4 pounds and measures 0.3 inches in width to offer a lightweight solution for everyday use.
Best work computer
Specifications
Screen size: 15.6-inch
Memory: 8GB
Hard drive: 128GB
Pros & Cons
Large screen size
Ant-glare display
Offers up to six ports
Reviews complain about the quality of the keyboard and laptop
Microsoft Office license not included
If you’re in the market for an affordable powerful laptop for work, you can trust this Dell Inspiron 15 Laptop to handle those everyday work tasks. It comes with Windows 11 Pro for business, while the Intel UHD graphics offers crisp colors for high-quality images and videos. The spacious touchpad makes navigation simple and the roomy keycaps ensure seamless typing.
With an 11th Generation Intel Core i3-1115G4 processor and 8GB RAM, you get seamless performance to load apps quickly, run multiple processes and power through work. This laptop has six ports for convenient connections and three slots for a Wi-Fi card, SSD and SD card.
Best 13-inch laptop for less
Specifications
Screen size: 13.3-inch
Memory: 4GB
Hard drive: 128GB
Pros & Cons
Gorgeous OLED Dolby Vision display
Includes a stylus pen
2-in-1 design for flexibility
Reviews complain about performance
Moderate speakers
The ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED T3300 13.3" Laptop makes an impressive 13-inch laptop if you ask us. It boasts high-efficiency performance for different tasks, thanks to the Intel Pentium Silver processor. The 2-in-1 design offers flexibility and portability, allowing you to carry your laptop around for work or school.
With the Intel HD graphics, you get enhanced image quality for casual gaming, everyday internet use and basic photo editing. This laptop omits the DVD drive and has a smaller screen size to deliver a compact and lightweight design for maximum portability. It also offers two cameras for video calls and photos.
Best computer for college students
Specifications
Screen size: 14-inch
Memory: 4GB
Hard drive: 64GB
Pros & Cons
Affordable option for students
Features a touchscreen
Great battery life
Reviews complain about the touchpad
Limited storage
A laptop is essential for college research and assignments, and this Acer Chromebook 314 Laptop is the ideal pick for that. With an immersive 14-inch Full HD IPS touch display, this Chrome OS laptop is versatile and easy to use. It has over 12.5 hours of battery life to give you more study hours.
Weighing just over 3 pounds for portability, it takes up minimal space in your backpack. Its Intel Gigabit Wi-Fi functionality ensures a reliable internet connection, while two USB ports make data transfer easy. It’s equipped with a fast Intel CPU for seamless processes, and it comes with a protective sleeve for storage.
Best lightweight option
Specifications
Screen size: 14-inch
Memory: 4GB
Hard drive: 64GB
Pros & Cons
Affordable price
Long battery life
Backlit keyboard
Reviews complain about slow performance
Limited storage
At just 2.87 pounds, this ASUS 14-inch FHD Laptop is a lightweight option for on-the-go use. Whether for school or work, this ASUS laptop comes with a full-size backlit keyboard for ample visibility in low-lit areas, and the large 6-inch touchpad allows for convenient scrolling and navigation.
An Intel Celeron N4020 processor delivers optimal performance for different tasks, and the fanless design ensures a noise-free operation. This ASUS laptop also features a NumberPad Design for quick typing and improved productivity. With up to 12 hours of battery life, you don’t have to worry about being interrupted while working.
Best 15-inch laptop for less
Specifications
Screen size: 15.6 inch
Memory: 8GB
Hard drive: 128GB
Pros & Cons
Anti-glare coating
Fast charging with HP Fast Charge technology
Micro-edge display for quality visuals
Delicate construction
Average audio quality
If you prefer a laptop with a larger screen, this HP 15z-ef3000 15.6" Laptop is definitely the ideal pick. It features a 15.6-inch micro-edge bezel display for quality pictures, while an AMD Ryzen 5 5625U processor delivers ample power to run multiple processes.
AMD Radeon graphics deliver optimal performance and quality visuals for gamers and streamers, while the HP True Vision 720p HD camera with noise reduction makes for seamless video calls and meetings. It has dual speakers for quality sounds, and the thin and light design allows you to travel with ease.
Best affordable touchscreen model
Specifications
Screen size: 14-inch
Memory: 4GB
Hard drive: 64GB
Pros & Cons
Great mid-price Chromebook value
14-inch FHD IPS touchscreen display
Great battery life and portability
Limited space
Average performance
If you prefer a touchscreen computer, this Lenovo Slim 3 Chromebook Touch-Screen Laptop is the ideal pick. It features a 14-inch FHD IPS touchscreen display for convenient operation and quality images, and it’s equipped with MediaTek Kompanio 500 Series processors to deliver the multitasking performance you need.
The integrated Arm Mali-G52 MC1 chipset with shared video memory delivers quality images for movies, casual gaming and everyday internet use. Its 4GB system memory ensures ample performance for basic multitasking, while a 64GB eMMC flash memory ensures fast load times and supports basic storage.
How long do affordable laptops last?
Depending on your use and care, affordable powerful laptops can last two to five years, offering optimal value for your money. For some models, you can get additional years by replacing the battery, keyboard, RAM and hard drive.
There are also some factors that determine your laptop’s lifespan, such as software updates, low screen resolution and cost of repair. For instance, old hardware may not support new software updates, forcing you to replace your laptop.
Also, in some cases, replacing your laptop may be more cost-effective than making repairs or upgrading it. Some parts like screens and trackpads can be costly. Regardless, affordable laptops make ideal picks when looking for your first laptop or a temporary solution.
Which budget laptops are best?
Laptops come in different features and capabilities for every user, whether you’re a gamer, student, graphic designer or a typical user. Regardless of your budget, it’s possible to find the best inexpensive laptops that suit your needs. Here are our favorites after reviewing different options:
Dell Inspiron 15 Laptop: For work, this Inspiron 15 laptop features an anti-glare, 11th Gen Intel Core i3-1115G4 processor, 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD for a seamless experience.
ASUS 14" FHD Laptop: If you like carrying your laptop everywhere you go, this ASUS weighs only 2.87 pounds for a lightweight on-the-go option. With an anti-glare coating and a backlit keyboard, it has different convenient features.
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook: This Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 laptop is our pick for the best 2-in-1 solution. It doubles as a tablet and offers up to 10 hours of battery life.
Acer Chromebook 314 Laptop: This Acer laptop is the ideal choice for students, delivering 64GB of storage, 4GB RAM, 12.5 hours of battery life and a 14-inch IPS display for hassle-free school work.
We’ve scoured the internet and identified the best budget laptops for every user. Even if you’re unfamiliar with all things computers, we’re confident that these options truly are the best budget computers.
Prices updated on 07/25/2023. We are not responsible for any changes to the prices mentioned above.
Written by
Odinga Fanuel
With over nine years working within media, Odinga Fanuel is passionate about sharing reliable information with everyday readers. For Smart Shopper, Odinga specializes in writing about tech products, household appliances, travel, automotive and more.
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