The best budget laptops for 2024

Finding the perfect laptop without breaking the bank isn’t as hard as you might think. These days, the best cheap laptops are still plenty of bangers that offer great features without the hefty price tag. Whether you need a laptop for work, school, streaming or just staying connected, there are plenty of affordable options to meet your daily needs. You also don’t have to settle for outdated technology – many budget laptops now come with decent processors, long battery life, and even sleek designs that won’t overwhelm your style.

Of course, not all budget laptops are created equal. That’s why we’ve rounded up the best options to help you get the best value for your money. From student-friendly Chromebooks to lightweight productivity Windows laptops, there’s something for everyone.

What to look for in a budget laptop

First, we at Engadget consider anything under $1,000 in the laptop space to be “budget.” The reason for this is twofold: even the most affordable flagship laptops typically start at $1,000 or more, and if you drop drastically below that (say, $500 or less), you’ll really start to see performance compromises. You can usually find the best cheap laptops in the $500-$1000 range that strike a good balance between power and price. But in this guide, we’ll cover the best options across a wide price range – there are some great options at the low and high end of the budget spectrum.

Undoubtedly, the biggest thing to look for in a cheap laptop is quality and decent specs. You may find configuration options with the latest generation of CPU chipsets, or you may have to choose one with a slightly older processor. Because SSDs provide faster performance, we recommend looking for models with solid-state disk (SSD) storage instead of a traditional hard drive. If you can find a computer with the latest internals, it’s worth the investment. However, running a CPU that’s only one generation behind won’t make a noticeable difference in performance.

Along with processors, you also need to consider the amount of memory and storage you need in your daily drive. First, we recommend laptops with at least 8GB of RAM; anything less than that will struggle to multitask and manage all those web browsing icons. The latter is a bit more personal: how much onboard storage you need really depends on how many apps, files, photos, documents and more you’ll be storing locally. As a general rule, try to choose a laptop with at least 256 GB of SSD (this is only for macOS and Windows machines because Chromebooks are a little different). This should give you enough space for apps and files, as well as room for future operating system updates. If you need a machine for light productivity or Android emulation, some laptops even support Android apps natively, which can add extra versatility.

Once you’ve determined the best performance you can achieve within your budget, it’s worth considering a few different design aspects as well. For better viewing angles and color accuracy, we recommend a laptop with an IPS display, although premium models with OLED displays are more common and can offer deeper blacks and vivid colors. Also pay attention to the port selection – many budget models offer a lot of ports, while high-end models prefer minimalism with fewer connections. If connectivity is important to you, look for options with USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, and an audio jack.

Speaking of practical specs, if you’re shopping on a budget, pay attention to GPU performance gaming laptop. While integrated graphics are fine for casual users, a dedicated GPU will improve gaming and creative workloads. We also recommend checking the display’s refresh rate, as a higher speed will make a noticeable difference in both games and scrolling-heavy applications.

A note about refurbished laptops

Refurbished laptops it’s another option to consider if you need a new car and don’t want to spend a ton of money. Buying refurbished technology can be difficult unless you’re familiar with a brand or merchant’s policies covering what it qualifies as “refurbished.” But this is not possible – we recommend going directly to the manufacturer for repaired devices for laptops. apple, Dell and Microsoft All of their devices have official maintenance processes before they are released to the market, which confirms that the machines are working properly and in good condition. Third-party retailers like it Amazon and Walmart also has its own repair programs for laptops and other gadgets.

The best cheap laptops of 2024

Photo Devindra Hardawar / Engadget

Read our full review of the Apple MacBook Air M2

activation M3 MacBook Air It saw the retirement of the first Air with an M-series chipset. Apple no longer officially sells the M1 MacBook Air (although you can still find at other retailers now), but lowered the starting price M2 Weather Up to $999. The M3 MacBook Air is the best Windows alternative for those looking for a thin and light laptop, but the M2 is an unbeatable value for those on a budget. In our battery test, the M2 performed quite well, offering good battery life comparable to the newer M3 model. The biggest differences between them are that the M3 models support Wi-Fi 6E and switch to up to two external displays when the lid is closed.

So when it comes to buying a new laptop and spending just $1,000 or less, the MacBook Air M2 is the laptop we recommend to most people. Not only do you get an updated Air design that’s slimmer and squarer than before, but thanks to the M2 chip, you get a gorgeous 13.6-inch display, a solid quad-speaker array, and most importantly, stellar performance. For personal and professional tasks, this MacBook Air should have enough power and speed for most people (we’d even recommend it over the 13-inch MacBook Pro for most). At under $1,000, the MacBook Air M2 offers a great value with a sleek design, plenty of ports, and a powerful M2 chip. And the fact that it’s $200 cheaper than before, just because it’s moving up Apple’s lineup, makes it a great opportunity to snag our previous top pick for those in need of a new daily driver. best laptop at a new low price.

Pros

Slim and light design
13.6-inch gorgeous screen
Excellent four speaker setup
Excellent M2 performance

Cons

No ProMotion
Some speed tuning for extended tasks

$899 on Amazon

Photo: Daniel Cooper / Engadget

Read our full review of the HP Pavilion Aero 13

If you like the overall aesthetic of machines like Dell’s XPS 13 but don’t want to pay $1,000 or more, HP Pavilion Aero is your best bet. we gave a 87 points we reviewed and compared it to Dell’s flagship laptop. It’s certainly not as sleek as this machine, but with its angular profile, 2.2 pounds, and anti-glare 13.3-inch screen, it’s pretty close. Despite its slightly cramped keyboard, it’s a solid printer, and we appreciate its port selection: one USB-C port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI connector, and a headphone jack. You can pick up the Aero 13 for as low as $900 right now, but they’re on sale for even less. All of the pre-built core models available from HP come with Ryzen 5 processors directly, and you can customize the laptop with up to a Ryzen 7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD.

Pros

Attractive design
Lots of ports
Solid performance for the price

$880 with HP

Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Your favorite Chromebook does Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebookexemplifies the basics with build quality that’s higher than the price suggests. Engadget’s Nathan Ingraham praised the Flex 5 for offering great value. The 14-inch touchscreen and backlit keyboard are a great addition for those who multitask or use Android apps. The latest model has an upgraded 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which when combined with a Core i3 CPU makes for a fast, capable machine. Also nice to see are one USB-A and two USB-C ports, six hours of battery life, and a 360-degree hinge that makes it easy to use the Flex 5 as a tablet. This could be an ideal laptop for Chrome OS fans who spend a lot of time surfing the web, and it will be of interest to many other buyers out there, providing a level of quality and performance rarely seen here. price point.

Pros

Excellent overall performance for the price
Nice screen
Solid keyboard and trackpad

Cons

Average battery life
A little heavy and thick

$479 on Amazon

acer

Acer’s Aspire 5 the family is strong Windows option if you have less than $500 to spend on a new laptop that offers solid day-to-day performance and plenty of ports. The latest models hit a good middle ground for most people, running on Intel 11th generation CPUs and supporting up to 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. Of course, the higher the specs you get, the more expensive the machine will be – not all Aspire 5 laptops sell for less than $500. The Aspire 5 is equipped with a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS display that provides clear visuals for streaming or web browsing. The number pad is a handy addition for productivity, and the port selection includes USB-A, USB-C and Ethernet ports, making it a practical option for those who need to connect multiple devices. Acer’s latest models also feature Wi-Fi 6 for faster connectivity, and our battery test confirmed good battery life of up to 10 hours – enough for a day’s work or play.

Pros