Nov 9, 2023 8:00 AM

The Best Cheap Laptops We’ve Tested

We’ve tested lots of affordable Windows laptops, Chromebooks, and 2-in-1 tablets. You don’t have to spend more than $700 to get a good computer.

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4 / 11

Computers have put people on the moon and sent cute robots to Mars. You'd think somewhere in the miraculous technological utopia of our age, we'd also be able to get a decent laptop without spending a fortune. All I want is something portable enough that it won't give me back strain from toting it around all day, and powerful enough to get basic work done. A light, fast-enough laptop for under $700—is that so much to ask? Fortunately, it's possible, but there are trade-offs. You can't edit videos or play hardcore games on them, and the displays won't be as sharp as on pricier models.

We've tested tons of cheap laptops, and for everyday tasks these will do everything you ask of them—and leave some money in your bank account. Keep an eye on the operating system; many of these still come with Windows 10, but some offer a free upgrade to Windows 11.

Be sure to check out our other computing guides, including the Best Laptops, Best Touchscreen Laptops, Best Linux Laptops, Best Budget Gaming Laptops, Best Gaming Laptops, and Best MacBooks. Our How to Choose the Right Laptop guide can also help.

Updated November 2023: We've added the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus as our top Chromebook, the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 as an alternative, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, and some more general buying advice. We also updated prices and links throughout.

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Photograph: Asus
Best Overall
Asus Zenbook 14 (2023)
Asus' Zenbook 14 offers a combination of good performance, great battery life, and an OLED display—all for $700. Only the lowest-specced model makes our price cutoff, but for that price you get an AMD Ryzen 5 7530U CPU, with 8 GB of RAM and a 256-GB SSD. That may not sound like much, but we were impressed with the performance, especially given the price tag. Graphics and gaming aren’t entirely workable, with rather pitiful frame rates throughout, but battery life is outstanding, clocking in at 12.5 hours (measured looping a YouTube video at full brightness).
This is a small, portable machine too (3.1 pounds and 19 mm thick), though it manages to pack in plenty of ports despite the slim form. There are two USB-C ports (one of which is needed for charging), one full-size USB 3.2 port, a full-size HDMI output, and a microSD card reader. The keyboard has small arrow keys but is otherwise very nice to type on. If you have the extra cash, you can bump the specs a bit to get the model with 16 GB RAM and a 512-GB SSD for $869.
$699 at Walmart
Photograph: Lenovo
Great Value Laptop
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5
Our former top pick, Lenovo's AMD-based IdeaPad 5, which comes with a Ryzen 5 processor, is still a great budget laptop. You get plenty of power, a nice 14-inch IPS display, 16 GB of RAM, and a 256-GB SSD. The 360-degree hinge converts it to tablet mode or stand mode for watching movies. To take full advantage of the 2-in-1 design, be sure to grab the digital pen ($40), although there's no place to stow it. The screen could also be brighter. The processors here are a generation behind the Zenbook above, and the screen isn't nearly as nice. Unfortunately, the newer IdeaPad 5 is more expensive.
$598 at Amazon (14 Inch, 5000 Series)
$850 at Amazon (16 Inch, 7000 Series)

Photograph: Acer
Best 15-Inch Laptop
Acer Aspire 3 (12th-Gen Intel, 2022)
There are a lot of budget 15-inch laptops available. The Acer Aspire 3 offers the best value among those that I've tested. You should get the model with an Intel Core i5 (or AMD 5000 series chip), integrated graphics, 8 GB of RAM, and a 15.6-inch IPS display (1,920 x 1,080 pixels). It's big, and the display is not the sharpest, but it won't strain your eyes. There are ports galore (Ethernet, USB, USB-C, HDMI, headphone jack), and it's powerful enough for most everyday tasks. The keyboard is decent, and at 4 pounds, this machine is one of the lighter budget 15-inch laptops around. It's a shame the speakers don't get very loud.
Alternatives
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 for $329: This new 15-inch model sports an Intel i3 processor, 8 gigabytes of RAM, and a 256-gigabyte SSD. The screen is quite nice for a laptop this size, and battery life was solid in my testing (almost 11 hours in average use). That said, the i3 processor really struggles with Windows 11. If you can afford it, I recommend going for an Intel i5 processor or better (see more buying advice below).
$449 at Walmart
Photograph: Microsoft
Best 13-Inch Laptop
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Microsoft’s updated Surface Laptop Go 2 (8/10 WIRED Recommends) is a great student pick and a good cheap alternative to the MacBook. Our reviewer said it's “an absolute joy to use.” The keyboard is one of the best for getting your essays typed up, and the 11th-generation Intel chip, while not the latest, is plenty capable for most people. If you can afford it, spring for the model with 8 GB of RAM. Unfortunately, battery life is not great; we managed seven hours on average.
$700 at Amazon
$1,000 at Microsoft (256 GB)
Photograph: Acer
Most Powerful
Acer Swift 3 (2021)
We loved Acer's 2021 version of the Swift 3, but it was over $700 at launch. Now that it's more affordable, this notebook is a better buy. It wraps a powerful 11th-gen Intel Core i7 chip, 8 GB of RAM, and a 256-GB SSD in a thin, no-nonsense design with a 1,920 x 1,080-pixel IPS LCD display. (IPS is a little nicer than some types of LCD.) The Swift 3 scored well for battery life in our video-based battery drain test, and it boasts four USB ports, including one USB-C port. I've also used the Intel i5 model, which gets even better battery life, but with a noticeable loss of computing power.
$542 at Amazon
$598 at Walmart

Photograph: Lenovo
Best for Chromebook Lovers
Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus
Chromebooks have a reputation for being underpowered. To change that, Google recently rolled out a big upgrade called Chromebook Plus, an umbrella category for a new class of devices from various manufacturers. The “Plus” stands for better performance—faster processors, more memory, more storage, and better video cameras. Our favorite of the models we've tried so far is Lenovo's Flex 5i Chromebook Plus (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It's the fastest Chromebook we've tested. It features a 3.75-GHz Intel Core i3-1315U CPU, 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of flash storage. The Flex 5i has two USB-C ports (one is used for charging) plus one USB-A port. You also get a microSD card slot for expanding the storage capability, making this a good choice for those who don't want to keep everything in the cloud. The 14-inch touchscreen uses a 2-in-1 design, making it ideal for media streaming. As on most Chromebooks, the screen isn't the best, with mid-level brightness and a standard 1,920 x 1,080-pixel screen resolution.
Plus Alternatives:
Acer Chromebook Plus 515 for $399: Acer's 15-inch Chromebook Plus (8/10, WIRED Recommends) comes with a 12th-generation 3.85-GHz Intel Core i3-1215U processor with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of flash storage. One of the nice things about these new Plus models is that the groan-inducing slowness that once afflicted cheap Chromebooks is nowhere to be found. Even this base model is plenty fast, and battery life is a solid 8.5 hours of full-screen video playback time. This one offers two USB-C ports (with DisplayPort supported), one USB-A port, and an HDMI 1.4 output jack. The latter takes the place of the microSD card found in the Lenovo above, making this one a better choice if you frequently need to give presentations or otherwise use the HDMI port.
$499 at Best Buy
$499 at Lenovo
Photograph: Apple
Best Cheap Tablet
Apple iPad Air (2022, 5th Gen)
Do you really need a cheap laptop? Could you get by with a tablet? The 2022 Apple iPad Air (8/10, WIRED Recommends) will be the perfect laptop replacement for some people. If you want great battery life and something that doubles as a way to browse the web from the couch, watch movies in bed, and still get a bit of work done during the day, the iPad Air fits the bill. If you don't want to spend that much on the Air, the base model iPad ($329) is even cheaper, or you can go with the more modern-looking, brand-new 10th-generation iPad for $449.
The rub lies in getting work done. If you're mostly working with word-processing documents, web-based tools, and other tasks the iPad is good at, it works great. Apple has also made strides in improving multitasking in iPadOS 16. But if your work involves software that doesn't run on the iPad, get a real laptop.
$559 at Amazon
$599 at Apple
$600 at Target
Photograph: Microsoft
Best Cheap Windows Tablet
Microsoft Surface Go 3
The Surface Go 3 gives you most, though not all, of the power of Windows in a very lightweight, portable form. It makes a fine media machine when you're not working. There's a lot here to love: It's fanless, the 10.5-inch display is sharp and bright, a microSD card slot means you can add extra storage space, and the cover is a really lovely little keyboard.
Problems? The battery life is worse than in its predecessor. Microsoft also gets you in the details: The nice keyboard cover is still sold separately for a whopping $99.
$630 at Amazon (Core i3)
$630 at Microsoft (Core i3)
$630 at Best Buy (Core i3)

Photograph: OnePlus
Best Android Tablet
OnePlus Pad
Android has come a long way in the past year as Google has enticed developers to build more tablet-optimized apps (leading by example too), which has, in turn, spurred interest from manufacturers in creating new tablets. The OnePlus Pad (8/10, WIRED Recommends) utilizes all the multitasking improvements in Android and is a compact little tablet that's perfectly capable of work. Just make sure you grab the magnetic keyboard cover during checkout (usually $149, but sometimes OnePlus has a promotion that includes it for free).
For the price, it's a powerful slate with a 144-Hz, 11.61-inch LCD screen. The battery lasts a while, it'll get a decent length of software updates, and the selfie camera sits in the center, so you won't be at a weird angle in your video calls.
$480 at Amazon
$480 at OnePlus
Photograph: Amazon
Best Chromebook Tablet Hybrid
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook
Lenovo's IdeaPad Duet 5 detachable laptop/tablet hybrid Chromebook is a great affordable 2-in-1. The design is fun, and you can use it as a laptop or tablet. The OLED display isn't common on a laptop at this price, and it's wonderful (you get inky blacks and vivid colors). A part of what keeps the price down is that the Duet 5 uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 ARM chip. It isn't as powerful as Intel Core processors, but it should be enough for running Chrome OS. I do recommend spending the extra for the top-end model, which comes with the more powerful Snapdragon chip. For additional information, check out our Best Chromebooks guide.
$470 at Amazon
$499 at Lenovo
$499 at Best Buy
Photograph: Hector Roqueta Rivero/Getty Images
How to Find a Good Laptop
Laptop Buying Tips
For our full take on what to look for in a laptop, see our guide Choosing the Right Laptop. The condensed version (even if your budget is limited) is to try to get at least an Intel i5 processor and at least 8 GB of RAM. 16 GB is even better. Recent versions of Windows (both 11 and 12) use an astronomical amount of RAM (sometimes as much as 6 GB in my testing). If you only have 8 GB total, that doesn't leave much RAM for applications, and results in a slower laptop.
Aim for these specs: Try to get a laptop with at least a 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage in the form of a solid state drive. We suggest getting a 13- or 14-inch display that's close to FHD (1080p resolution). If you're going to use it for watching movies, consider a 2-in-1 model (although these do tend to cost more).
If your budget is tight and you want the most bang for your buck, or you just want to keep something out of the landfill, consider the used or refurbished laptop market. I've had great luck buying used laptops on eBay from all sorts of sellers (both pros and regular people).
To score the best deal, make sure you know the market. Do some research to figure out what kind of machine will suit your needs. The easiest to come by, and therefore (usually) the best deals, tend to be the more boring, business-oriented models. I happen to like ThinkPads, which are used by—and then dumped all at once by—large corporations, which means there are lots to choose from, and they're cheap.
Finding used laptops on eBay: Once you know what you want, search for it on eBay. Scroll down and check the option to show only "Sold Listings." Now take the 10 most recent sales, add up the prices, and divide by 10. That's the average price; don't pay more than that. Keep the lowest price in mind—that's the great deal price. Now, uncheck the Sold Listing option. See what's between the lowest price and the average price. Those are the deals you can consider. I suggest watching a few. Don't bid or participate at all. Just watch them until the end and see how high the auctions end up going.
Once you have a feel for the market and what you should be paying, you'll know when you've found a deal. When you find it, wait. Don't bid until the last few minutes of the auction. You don't want other bidders to have a chance to react. Remember that if you miss out on something, it's not the end of the world. There's always something new being listed on eBay.

Scott Gilbertson is a senior writer for WIRED. He was previously a writer and editor for WIRED’s Webmonkey.com, covering the independent web and early internet culture. He studied at the University of Georgia. You can reach him at luxagraf.net.

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