In this video we’re going to be checking out the five best cheap laptops available right now. I made this list based on performance, features, price and more. I’ve included options for every type of consumer, so if you’re looking for an affordable Chromebook or a portable powerhouse that can handle editing 4k video, we’ll have the product for you.
The fifth product on our list is the HP Chromebook. This is our best cheap Chromebook. If you’re looking for an inexpensive laptop the newest HP Chromebook is a great affordable option. Currently priced at 290 dollars the 14-inch HP Chromebook delivers some great performance for a sub 300 laptop.
With less hardware demands the HP Chromebook runs more efficiently especially running chrome OS instead of being bogged down with windows variation. Everything loads up in seconds and not minutes and will handle all your daily computing tasks. You just log into your google account and you’re ready to navigate the web in Chrome OS.
You’ll be able to surf, shop, check in on your social media accounts and get through your school and work tasks without lag issues. It’s designed to work in a cloud environment, so the 32 gigabytes of storage shouldn’t be a problem and you’ll get extremely fast performance from the SSD. The trade-off is your port selection is quite limited compared to traditional laptops.
The slim Chromebook weighs just over three pounds making it perfect for taking from class to class or from the library to the coffee shop with over 13 hours of battery life on a single charge to get you easily through your day.
The key features are:
Under the hood. Intel Celeron N4000, Intel UHD graphics 600, 4 gigabytes ram and 32 gigabytes SSD storage.
Play store. Access to apps and games on Google’s play store.
Price very affordable alternative to traditional laptops.
Display. Micro edge w-lead backlit 14-inch, full HD with anti-glare.
Battery. You get up to 11 hours of battery life.
Ports. 1 USB 3.1, 2 USB-C, a headphone and microphone combo plus a microSD media card reader.
The HP Chromebook is an affordable alternative to the more expensive traditional laptops that delivers great performance and even offers some great Chromebook benefits Windows and Mac OS can’t offer especially when it comes to price.
The fourth product on our list is the Acer Aspire 5. This is our best cheap laptop for students. If you’re looking for an inexpensive laptop for work or school the Acer Aspire 5 is great for everyday computing with plenty of power while being extremely portable. Currently priced at 430 dollars it offers solid performance, connectivity and entertainment in one affordable package for students and business professionals on the go.
It’s a great entry level laptop but features a 15.6-inch full HD IPS screen with extremely thin side bezels to give you maximum workspace and comes with acer color intelligence for true to life colors and even holds up really well when viewing from wider angles. Since online communication is vital these days the Aspire 5 delivers crystal clear communication with acer purified voice, featuring two built-in microphones, so you get clear audio, and it filters out ambient and typing noise.
The HD webcam is pretty good with some nice colors and details for all your zoom calls. Typing on the Aspire 5 is really nice, you get a satisfying bump and springy rebound on each keystroke, plus you also get a roomy backlit keyboard complete.
The key features are:
Under the hood. You get an intel core i3 with intel UHD graphics, 4 gigabytes ram and 128 gigabytes SSD for storage.
Security. Comes with a fingerprint reader.
WI-FI 6. For future-proof wireless connectivity.
Display. Bright 15-inch HD display with narrow bezel design and Acer color intelligence delivers crisp, true-to-life colors.
Battery. Up to eight hours of battery life.
Audio. Features Acer true harmony for deeper bass and more volume.
Ports you get one USB 3.1, type C, two USB 3.1 with one for power off charging, one USB 2.0 and one HDMI port with HDCP support.
If you’re looking for an inexpensive entry level laptop that’s slim for easy portability for school or work then the acer aspire 5 slim laptop is just three quarters of an inch thick, lightweight and offers solid performance, connectivity, and entertainment in one affordable package.
The third product on our list is the Lenovo Flex 5. This is our best cheap two in one laptop. If you’re looking for an affordable two in one the Lenovo Flex 5 offers better than average performance and features at a great budget price. Currently priced around 600 the 14-inch Flex 5 offers impressive computing performance than even more expensive competitors.
The chassis is well designed and built sturdy. It’s a little on the chunky side but it’s not unattractive. The 360-degree hinge lets you use the Flex 5 as a touch screen laptop in a variety of versatile ways that works best for you. You can use it in laptop mode for everyday computing, tent mode for sharing or presenting things, stand mode for binge watching your favorite movies and TV shows or tablet mode for more intuitive interaction.
You get nice colors and brightness from the full HD 14-inch IPS touch screen and it’s quite responsive and snappy. Typing is pleasant. The backlit keyboard has stable key switches that are comfortable and satisfying to type on. You may find the touchpad is a little stiff, but it still tracks quite accurately.
The key features are:
Specs. AMD Ryzen 5 with AMD Radeon graphics, 16 gigabytes ram and 256 gigabytes SSD storage.
Ports. Two USB A, one USB C, an HDMI port plus a full-size SD card reader.
360-degree hinge. Prop it up like a tent, rest it like an easel, or fold it flat and use it as a tablet.
Lenovo’s digital pen. Offers 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity and includes two customizable buttons.
Integrated speakers. Dual 2-watt stereo speakers that sound ok for general use.
Battery. You get up to 10 hours of use, plus a quick charge, to eighty percent in just one hour.
If you’re looking for an affordable two in one the Lenovo Flex 5 14 inch is a great option. It packs enough computing power to get your productivity tasks done quickly and the included digital pen makes interacting with the screen faster and easier. All at a very enticing price point.
The second product on our list is the Acer Nitro 5. This is our best cheap gaming laptop. If you’re an avid gamer and want a cheap gaming laptop that can still handle some of your favorite games, the Acer Nitro 5 is going to be a great option for you. Currently priced at 700 the Nitro 5 can handle almost all games but for some of the more demanding titles you may have to drop the frame rate a notch if you max out your graphics or punch it to 60 frames per second and downshift the graphics.
Your games will look sharp and vivid on the 15.6-inch full HD display. The built-in speakers punch out solid dynamic sound which is good for watching videos but for gameplay you’ll still want to throw on some gaming cans for better immersion.
The thermals are pretty good too with custom engineered cooling with twin fans and Acer’s cool boost technology. If you have some extra dollars there’s also an AMD Ryzen 5 with an NVidia GeForce GTX 1650 TI model but it puts you close to one 1 000.
The key features are:
Under the hood. You’ll find an intel core i5 with NVidia GTX 1650 graphics, 8 gigabytes ram and 256 gigabytes SSD for storage.
Display. Full HD 15.6-inch IPS.
Battery. Up to 10 hours.
WI-FI 6. For future proof wireless connectivity.
Two built-in stereo speakers. You get intelligent bass, dialogue and volume enhancement with waves maxxaudio and deeper richer sounds with Acer true harmony.
Ports. You get one USB 3.1 type C, two USB 3.1 with one for power off charging, one USB 2.0 and one HDMI 2.0 port with HDCP support.
The Acer Nitro 5 hits the sweet spot for gaming performance and price on a large 15.6-inch display that can handle most of the demanding games so you can get some quality gaming in between classes.
The first product on our list is the MacBook Air. This is our best overall cheap laptop. If you’re looking for a cheaper option for the MacBook pro, then the MacBook Air is a more affordable option. Currently priced at one thousand dollars the MacBook Air is still a bit pricey but when you take into consideration that the game changing M1 chip gives you close to the MacBook pro’s performance for under a thousand dollars it’s really a bargain.
Plus, you get the added benefit of having the air’s incredible design and portability so students and professionals can work on more demanding workflows while on the go. You get two thunderbolt 3 inputs with USB C connectivity which is great at this price point but with no other connectivity ports you’re going to need dongles and hubs if you have a lot of peripherals.
It’s not just performance that you get, the 13.3-inch retina display with true tone is extremely vivid with p3 color gamut support for color accuracy so you can feel confident working on photos and videos knowing you’re getting exactly what you see.
The key features are:
Under the hood. Apple M1 chip with 8 core CPU, 8 gigabytes ram, 256 gigabyte SSD and a 13-inch 2560 by 2560×1600 retina display.
Fanless. It has great thermals with no fans, so it runs whisper quiet with no performance throttling.
Battery. Runs up to 18 hours.
WI-FI 6. It’s future-proof for the next gen wi-fi.
P3 wide color gamut. You get 25 percent more colors than other displays with 100 percent SRGB for incredible color accuracy.
Three mic array. The mics focus on your voice for conference and video calls.
Touch id. Added security with a fingerprint scanner.
If you’re looking for one of the best laptops around at an affordable price the MacBook Air may still be more of a financial investment but it is extremely future proof, and you get an incredible bang for your one thousand dollars that sets it apart from any other laptop.
