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The 5 Best Budget And Cheap Laptops of 2025

Updated Feb 06, 2025 at 06:11 pm
Best Budget & Cheap Laptops

While premium laptops have gotten more expensive over time, cheap and budget options have improved significantly in quality. You can easily find great devices that perform just as well as more costly models, from dirt cheap under-$300 Chromebooks to budget gaming laptops with a dedicated GPU costing up to $1,200. Naturally, there are always compromises when it comes to budget and cheap laptops. Some have a lower-quality display and less processing power or lack features like biometrics, so knowing what matters to you most and what you can compromise on is essential.

We've tested over 145 laptops, and below, you'll find our recommendations for the best cheap and budget laptops. You can also check out our recommendations for the best laptops under $300, the best student Chromebooks, and the best budget and cheap gaming laptops.

If you need to upgrade your wireless network at home, check out our router reviews and recommendations for the best Wi-Fi routers.


  1. Best Budget Laptop

    The best budget laptop we've tested is the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023), a 16-inch Windows ultraportable. This model feels well-built and isn't overly bulky or heavy for a 16-inch device, so it's still easy to carry around. You can configure it with an AMD Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7 CPU, which are more than adequate to handle general productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, spreadsheets, and video playback. Models with 16GB of RAM might be hard to find, but thankfully, you can upgrade the memory yourself, which might be cheaper since SO-DIMM sticks are relatively inexpensive days. Its battery life is okay at a little over eight hours of light use, so depending on your workload, you may have to plug it in for a quick charge.

    The overall user experience is good. It has a comfortable keyboard, a large, responsive touchpad, and a decent 720p webcam. Its 1080p display looks reasonably sharp but only gets up to 250 cd/m² of brightness, so visibility may be an issue in well-lit rooms. It also looks a tad washed out due to its narrow color gamut. You get Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity, a fingerprint sensor for quick logins, and a decent port selection with three USB-As, a USB-C, and an HDMI. Unfortunately, the USB-C doesn't support video output, so you'll have to use the HDMI port to connect an external display.

    See our review

  2. Best Budget 2-In-1 Tablet

    If you like the 2-in-1 tablet form factor, get the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021). It's a great option if you just need a simple device for media consumption and web browsing. This model is compact and lightweight, and its battery lasts around 10 to 11 hours of light use. Like other 2-in-1 tablets, you can detach the keyboard to make it easier to hold as a tablet or to save space, which is handy in tight spaces. Its OLED display looks sharp and colorful, and it gets bright enough to combat glare in most indoor settings. There's pen input support, as well as a place to store the stylus on the back cover, but unlike the keyboard, you may have to buy the stylus separately, as it doesn't always come with the device.

    As expected for a budget device, there are a few downsides. First, the keyboard and touchpad. The former has a cramped layout, with keys that require a fair amount of force to actuate, and the latter is small and not always responsive to inputs, so you're better off using a dedicated mouse. Next, the speakers sound terrible, producing a boxy, unnatural sound with no bass whatsoever. Last, the port selection is limited to two USB-Cs, one of which you'll need to charge the device. There are no biometrics like a fingerprint sensor or facial recognition camera, though that's fairly typical for Chromebooks.

    See our review

  3. Best Budget Gaming Laptop

    The MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) is the best budget gaming laptop we've tested. There isn't anything really special about this laptop design-wise—it's your typical bulky gaming laptop with angular lines and some RGB backlighting thrown in for good measure. It's still a great option if you're just looking for something that can handle demanding AAA titles without breaking the bank. Configurable with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, this model can deliver smooth gameplay with high, consistent frame rates. Display options include a 144Hz FHD and a 165Hz QHD panel; we recommend the latter if budget allows, as its faster response time will result in a cleaner image with less ghosting. You'll have to pair it with the RTX 4070 GPU to get the most out of it, though.

    Unfortunately, this laptop falls short when it comes to the build quality and overall user experience. Its plastic chassis exhibits a fair amount of flex in some areas, and the hinges feel loose, which can be concerning, as most people will likely open and close the lid regularly. The laptop also generates significant heat and noise under load, with a 49 °C (119 °F) hot spot right in the middle of the keyboard. There's no Ethernet port, but at least you get Wi-Fi 6E onboard. Just make sure you have a router that also supports Wi-Fi 6E or 7 to benefit from the increased speeds and lower latency.

    See our review

  4. Best Cheap Laptop

    The best cheap laptop we've tested is the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook 14 (2023). It's a great option for younger students or anyone needing a simple device for web browsing and video playback. Although there are many configuration options, we recommend the Core i3 model paired with an FHD touch-sensitive display, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage, which you can regularly find on sale for $400 to $500 USD on Lenovo's website. The cheaper configurations are fine if you have an extremely light workload; just know they'll stutter or slow down more quickly when multitasking and have a lower-quality screen.

    The display of the Core i3 model mentioned above is bright enough for use in well-lit settings and reasonably color-accurate. The keyboard feels spacious but a tad mushy, and unfortunately, the touchpad is small and sometimes unresponsive. However, its 1080p webcam is surprisingly good, and its battery life is outstanding at around 13 hours of light use. If you're unfamiliar with Chrome OS, know that this operating system is limited in the type of applications you can install, so you must ensure you can do everything through a Chrome browser or Android app.

    See our review

  5. Best Cheap Gaming Laptop

    The best cheap gaming laptop we've tested is the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023). Although it's nearly two years old, this 16-inch all-AMD system still holds up pretty well, delivering a fairly smooth gaming experience in demanding games. For less than $1,000 USD, you can get a model sporting an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU, a Radeon RX 7700S GPU, a 165Hz FHD display, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. The storage size is probably the biggest downside, but fortunately, the SSD is user-replaceable (there are two storage slots), and so is the memory.

    This laptop feels surprisingly sturdy for the price. It's rather bulky, though, so it isn't the best for on-the-go use. Plus, the battery lasts only a little over an hour when gaming. There's an Ethernet port to ensure you get a stable internet connection when gaming online. As for the Wi-Fi adapter, the included one only supports Wi-Fi 6, but like the memory and storage, it's upgradeable. Unfortunately, while thermal throttling isn't a problem, the laptop gets quite hot, with the top portion of the keyboard deck reaching a whopping 54 °C (128 °F).

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022):

    If you can stretch your budget slightly, the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) is an amazing deal worth getting over the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023). Since Apple has bumped the base RAM configuration to 16GB, many retailers are selling their remaining 8GB models for as low as $799 USD. It provides a significantly better user experience than the ASUS, sporting a sturdier all-aluminum chassis, a nicer Retina display, a large haptic touchpad, and a higher-quality webcam. It also has better performance, allowing you to tackle mode-intensive tasks.

    See our review
  • Acer Swift Go 14 (2024):

    The Acer Swift Go 14 (2024) is another great alternative to the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) if you can afford to spend a little more. It has a nicer display, a wider port selection, better performance, and a longer battery life.

    See our review
  • Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2023): The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2023) is a good alternative to the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook 14 (2023) if you prefer Windows. It has a better keyboard and touchpad, but its battery lasts only around six to seven hours of light use. See our review
  • Acer Nitro V 16 (2024):

    The Acer Nitro V 16 (2024) is a good alternative to the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) if you prefer a model with an NVIDIA GPU. NVIDIA's upscaling (DLSS) and Frame Generation generally work better than AMD's implementation, giving you higher frame rates and superior visual fidelity. However, it has fewer ports and is harder to find.

    See our review
  • Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (2023): The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (2023) is a decent Chromebook with more processing power than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook 14 (2023). It also has a better keyboard and touchpad. However, its display doesn't get nearly as bright, so it's only suitable for use in dark to moderately lit rooms. Its battery life is also shorter at around eight to nine hours of light use. See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Feb 06, 2025:

    Replaced the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) with the MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) because the MSI performs better. Replaced the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024) with the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) because the ASUS can run more games.

  2. Dec 13, 2024:

    Removed the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) from the Notable Mentions as it's getting hard to find. Added the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) and the Acer Swift Go 14 (2024) as Notable Mentions.

  3. Nov 19, 2024:

    Removed the Lenovo Yoga 6 13 (2023) from the Notable Mentions because it's hard to find. Made no change in recommendations, but added the Acer Nitro V 16 (2024) as a Notable Mention.

  4. Sep 25, 2024: Replaced the Microsoft Surface Go 3 (2022) with the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021) because the Surface Go 3 is discontinued and getting hard to find. Replaced the Lenovo LOQ 15 (2023) with the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024) because the Lenovo is discontinued and no longer available.

  5. Jul 29, 2024: No change in recommendations. Added the Lenovo Yoga 6 13 (2023) as a Notable Mention.

All Reviews

Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best cheap and budget laptops you can get. We factor in the price (a cheaper laptop wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no laptops that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).

If you prefer to make your own decision, here's the list of all of our laptop reviews, sorted by price from low to high. Keep in mind that most laptops are available in various configurations, and the table only shows the results of the model we tested, so it's best to see the full review for information about other variants.

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Best Budget And Cheap Laptops: Main Discussion

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  1. Update: Replaced the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) with the MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) because the MSI performs better. Replaced the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024) with the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) because the ASUS can run more games.

    What do you think of these changes? Let us know

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