The 5 Best Budget And Cheap Laptops For Students of 2025

The best budget laptop for students we've tested is the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023). This model feels quite sturdy despite sporting a full-plastic chassis, and it's still relatively portable for a 16-inch device, thanks to its thin and lightweight design. The battery lasts around eight hours of light use, so you might need to plug it in to get through the day, depending on your workload. The overall user experience is good; it has a comfortable keyboard, a large, responsive touchpad, and a decent 720p webcam. Its FHD+ display looks reasonably sharp but dim, meaning visibility might be an issue in very well-lit settings. You get Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity, a fingerprint sensor for quick logins, and a decent port selection comprising three USB-As, a USB-C, and an HDMI.

You can get this laptop with an AMD Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7 CPU; both are more than adequate for most student workloads, like text processing, web browsing, and video playback. They can handle moderately CPU-intensive tasks like programming, but anything that requires lots of GPU processing power is out of the question, as the integrated graphics processor is pretty weak. You can get this laptop with 8GB or 16GB of RAM. If you have trouble finding a 16GB model, you can get an 8GB model and upgrade it via the empty SO-DIMM slot, which might be cheaper. Storage options max out at 1TB—the SSD is also user-replaceable.

If you want to spend even less, our pick for the best cheap laptop for students is the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook 14 (2023), a 14-inch Chrome OS model. Size and price aside, the most important factors compared to the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) above is that it has much less processing power and runs Chrome OS, so it's more limited in what it can do. This means it's best suited for students—particularly younger grade school students—who only need a simple device to browse the web and write papers. It has a compact design that makes it easy to carry around, 13 hours of battery life in light uses, Wi-Fi 6E, and a surprisingly good 1080p webcam. The keyboard feels a bit mushy, though, and the touchpad is small and not always responsive to inputs.

Regarding the configuration, you can get this laptop with an Intel N100, N200, or Core i3 CPU paired with 4GB or 8GB of RAM. We highly recommend getting the Core i3 configuration paired with an FHD display, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage, which you can regularly find on Lenovo's website for around $400 to $500 USD. Not only will you get a smoother experience (especially when multitasking), but you'll also get a much nicer display. The cheaper configurations are fine if you have a very limited budget; just know that the overall user experience won't be as good.

Apple doesn't really make budget laptops, but with the release of the new M4 MacBook Airs, many retailers are selling their stocks of the M2 Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022). For around $700 to $750 USD, you can get a model with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which is likely more than adequate for most students with a light workload. Admittedly, that's still more expensive than our top pick, the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023), and some would argue that it encroaches on the mid-range tier price-wise. That said, you're getting a lot for the money, like an exceptionally sturdy build, a sleek design, tons of processing power, a gorgeous screen, and Apple's amazing haptic touchpad.

At 11 hours of light use, the battery life isn't as impressive as what we've seen in the last year (competition is getting stiff), but it's still great. Our biggest gripe with this laptop is its limited port selection, comprising only two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3s and a MagSafe proprietary charging port. You can charge the laptop via USB-C, but that would leave you with a single USB port for anything else. Plus, the M2 chip can only support a single external monitor, which might be a dealbreaker for fans of multi-monitor setups.

FYI: We've received the new M4 Apple MacBook Airs (13- and 15-inch) and will begin testing them soon, so stay tuned for the full reviews. These models are largely spec bumps, bringing increased performance, a 12MP webcam with Center Stage support, and better external display support, allowing you to connect to monitor in addition to the built in screen.

If you're shopping for a younger student who only needs a device for simple homework assignments and media consumption, consider the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021), a 2-in-1 Chrome OS tablet. Like Microsoft's popular Surface Pro tablets, this form factor lets you detach the keyboard when you're just consuming media, and you can pop it back on when you need to type something out. It fits easily into small bags, and you won't have to worry about bringing a charger, as the battery lasts around 10 hours of light use. If you need to charge it, you can do so over USB-C, so you don't have to deal with a proprietary charger.

This tablet's standout feature is its OLED display. It gets bright enough to combat glare in most indoor settings, and unlike the display on most budget devices, it doesn't look washed out, thanks to its full sRGB and DCI P3 coverage. As with all OLEDs, there's still a risk of permanent burn-in, but it won't be an issue if you watch varied content. Unfortunately, the keyboard feels rather uncomfortable to type on due to its cramped layout and high operating force, and the touchpad is small and sometimes unresponsive. The upside is that the type cover keyboard comes with the device, so you don't have to spend extra for it.

For students on a limited budget but still want a device that can deliver a good gaming experience, check out the MSI Katana A15 AI (2024). Available with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, this 15-inch model performs well, delivering smooth gameplay with high, consistent frame rates in most modern AAA titles. You can choose between a 144Hz FHD and a 165Hz QHD panel; we recommend the latter, as its faster response time will result in a cleaner image with less ghosting, and its wider color gamut will make colors look more vibrant.

Naturally, there are a few compromises; in this case, it's the build quality and user experience. The laptop's all-plastic chassis flexes in certain areas, which isn't necessarily a dealbreaker but can be concerning if you bring it with you often for on-the-go use. The hinges also feel loose; this is more of an issue since most people will open and close the laptop regularly. Another complaint is that the laptop generates significant heat and noise under load. For online gaming, while there isn't an Ethernet port, there's Wi-Fi 6E; just make sure your router also supports Wi-Fi 6E or 7 to benefit from the increased speeds and lower latency.