- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Best Laptop
- Best Windows
- Best 2-In-1 Tablet
- Notable Mentions
- Recent Updates
- All Reviews
- Comments
Shopping for a laptop under $400 can be challenging. Most laptops in this price range are Chromebooks, which are great options for simple tasks like web browsing, text formatting, and video playback. However, they might not be powerful or versatile enough for professionals, especially those who need to run regular Windows x86 applications. That said, you can find some Windows laptops as long as you don't mind compromising on some features, like a dimmer display or lack of biometric login.
We've bought and tested more than 140 laptops. Below, you'll find our recommendations for the best laptops under $400. See our picks for the best laptops under $300, the best laptops under $500, and the best Chromebooks.
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Best Laptop Under $400
School7.6Gaming4.1Multimedia7.6Workstation5.3Business7.1Build Quality7.0Brightness7.7Typing Quality6.5Touchpad6.1Ports7.0Battery Life (Web Browsing)13.3 hrsThe best laptop under $400 we've tested is the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook 14 (2023). This 14-inch Chromebook is great for younger students or anyone needing a simple device for light tasks like text processing, web browsing, and video playback. It's a little chunky compared to more premium models on the market but still compact enough to be portable. Plus, its battery lasts around 13 hours of light use. We recommend the Core i3 configuration paired with 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and an FHD touch-sensitive IPS display, which you can often find on sale for around $400 USD on Lenovo's website. Cheaper configurations exist; however, you'll have to compromise on performance and display quality.
The FHD IPS display is one of the best features of this laptop. Its brightness reaches around 360 cd/m², which is rare on budget Chromebooks. That's sufficiently bright for good visibility indoors, possibly even outdoors on a cloudy day. Above the display is an excellent 1080p webcam, so people can see and hear you clearly on video calls. Regarding the keyboard and touchpad, the former feels spacious but mushy, while the latter is small and occasionally unresponsive. Unfortunately, there are no biometrics for quick logins, which is to be expected for a budget-friendly device.
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Best Windows Laptop Under $400
School7.4Gaming6.0Multimedia6.4Workstation7.6Business7.5Build Quality7.5Brightness6.4Typing Quality8.0Touchpad8.1Ports7.0Battery Life (Web Browsing)8.3 hrsIf you prefer or must use Windows, get the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) instead. For just a little over $400 USD, you can get a model sporting an AMD Ryzen 5 5625U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. This configuration can easily handle general productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, spreadsheets, and video playback. The RAM is user-upgradeable, so you can add more yourself after purchase—this will give you more headroom for heavier multitasking. There are 16GB models if you're willing to spend more, though upgrading the RAM yourself might be cheaper, as SO-DIMM sticks are relatively inexpensive these days.
This 16-inch model feels pretty well-built for the price, and it isn't overly bulky or heavy, so it's still easy to carry around. Its battery life is okay; it lasts a little over eight hours of light use, so depending on your workload, you may have to plug it in for a quick charge. You get a comfortable keyboard, a large, responsive touchpad, and a decent 720p webcam. Its 1080p display looks reasonably sharp but dim, so visibility may be an issue in well-lit rooms. There's a fingerprint sensor for added security as well as a decent port selection comprising three USB-As, a USB-C, and an HDMI. Unfortunately, the USB-C doesn't support video output.
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Best 2-In-1 Tablet Under $400
School7.0Gaming3.5Multimedia8.0Workstation3.7Business5.9Build Quality7.0Brightness7.5Typing Quality6.0Touchpad5.7Ports2.5Battery Life (Web Browsing)10.5 hrsIf you need a device mainly for media consumption but with the flexibility to do some work when needed, there's yet another Lenovo device (Lenovo makes a lot of budget laptops), the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021). It's a 13-inch Chrome OS tablet with a detachable keyboard, similar to Microsoft's popular Surface Pro tablet PCs. This form factor lets you take the keyboard off when viewing content, which is convenient in tight spaces like an airplane, and it also makes the device easier to hold as a tablet. You can simply pop the keyboard back on when you need to type something out. It isn't a particularly good keyboard, as it feels rather cramped, but it'll get the job done.
What makes this device stand out is its beautiful OLED display. It's sharp, bright, and colorful, and like all OLEDs, it displays deep, inky blacks, making it a great device for dark room viewing. The speakers get reasonably loud, although they don't have much bass and sound slightly unnatural. It doesn't have a 3.5mm headphone jack, so it's best to use wireless headphones. The battery lasts around eight hours of video playback or 10 hours of light use, giving you plenty of time to get through multiple movies and TV show episodes. The display supports pen input if you want to take notes or draw, but you must buy the stylus separately.
Notable Mentions
- Acer Chromebook 315 (2020): The Acer Chromebook 315 (2020) is cheaper than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook 14 (2023). It has a bigger screen and slightly longer battery life, but its CPU isn't as fast. Also, this laptop will only receive software updates until June 2026. See our review
- Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (2023): The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (2023) is a good alternative to the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook 14 (2023) if you want a model with a faster processor. It has a better keyboard and touchpad but a much shorter battery life and a dimmer display. Also, it's only under $400 when it's on sale, as the base model usually sells for $599 USD. See our review
- Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 (2022):
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 (2022) is a cheaper alternative to the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021). It's a smaller 10.9-inch device, so it's easier to carry around. Its display gets brighter to combat glare, but it's an IPS panel with a much lower contrast ratio, so you won't get the deep blacks that you'd get on the Duet 5.
See our review
Recent Updates
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Replaced the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2023) with the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) because the Lenovo increased in price. Added the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 (2022) as a Notable Mention.
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Aug 28, 2024: Added the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) as a Notable Mention. No change in recommendations.
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Jun 04, 2024: Minor text edits for conciseness and clarity. No change in recommendations.
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Apr 08, 2024: Replaced the Microsoft Surface Go 3 (2021) with the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021) because the Surface is closer to $500 and harder to find.
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Feb 07, 2024: Added the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (2023) as a Notable Mention. Minor text changes for clarity.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best laptops you can get for under $400. 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. 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.