The 7 best cheap laptops for any budget

At first glance, the Surface Laptop Go 2 looks strikingly like a MacBook Air, which is probably not a coincidence. And while it's not going to be mistaken for a MacBook when it comes to performance or display, it's still the best laptop under $600. You can also get the upgraded model with 8GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD for practically the same price as the entry-level version. Compared to the other cheap laptops featured below, this device is fully specced out.

Simply put, it's a fantastic all-rounder, and you can't do much better than Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Go 2. Unlike the rest of the 2-in-1 Surface line, this is no tablet, but a bona fide, full-fledged laptop. It has the advantage of a sturdy, flat keyboard that’s a touch more tactile than the Surface tablets’ clip-on boards and up to 8GB of memory (which we’d recommend to keep it speedy). This Microsoft laptop sacrifices little in the way of portability, too. It’s light and has a slim design, which means it’s ideal for carrying around.

With that does come a cost in screen size. At only 12.4 inches, it’s a smaller display than other laptops on this list. But the high brightness and crisp resolution more than make up for the shortfall. Throw in a respectable 13.5-hour battery life (although it’s closer to 10 in our hands-on experience), a serviceable webcam, and regular optimization updates that keep it running the latest version of Windows without a hitch, and it ticks all the right boxes. 

It’s quieter than its predecessor, too, and noticeably less sluggish when handling more intensive tasks like image editing. Don’t expect to be playing any games on it, but for working, web browsing, and streaming, it’s a winner.

Overall, we think the Acer Aspire 5 is the best cheap laptop for students, but if you're looking for the best Chromebook for college, then you should also consider the Lenovo Idea Pad 3.

Lenovo’s 11-inch IdeaPad 3 is fairly stripped down, but that’s not such a bad thing. For a super-low price, you get a crisp HD display, up to 10 hours of battery life, a solid keyboard, and a reasonably decent selection of ports, including multiple USB-C ports and a microSD reader. (For the record, being able to transfer microSD data to your laptop can come in very handy, especially for class presentations and hopping from dorm to dorm.)

Overall, at just under 2.5 pounds, this Chromebook laptop is a lightweight, simple machine that will get you through basic everyday tasks like taking notes, writing papers, streaming, and, of course, scrolling social media. Is it fancy? No. But does that matter? Absolutely not.

Samsung’s 11.6-inch Chromebook 4 is about as unpretentious as it gets. Technically, it's a Chromebook, not a laptop, but if you just need a device for accessing the internet, this is the best you'll find at the price. This Chromebook has a somewhat low-resolution display and a non-detachable keyboard, so don’t expect to use it as a tablet. And thanks to Chrome OS, you’ll have to get by with Google’s software ecosystem (which you may even prefer to Windows).

One USB 3.0 and one USB-C port aren’t much, but you’ll at least be able to use some accessories with the Chromebook 4. The biggest advantages here, however, are its 1.87-pound weight, less than an inch of thickness, and a battery that’s rated for 12.5 hours on a full charge. Samsung’s Chromebook 4 is about as nondescript as cheap laptops get, but for the price, it’s plenty portable and capable of getting you through a work or school day.

If you want to listen to music or watch TV and movies, the HP Pavilion x360 is a good choice because it has impressive audio quality and its convertible 2-in-1 design makes it really versatile in terms of viewing modes. The Micro Gears allow the display to roll around the base in one continuous movement; so from notebook mode, you can rotate it around to tent mode, and it'll stay there until you want to adjust again. Plus, the 14-inch screen is larger than what you'll find on most cheap laptops and Chromebooks.

Under the hood, you'll find minimal hard drive capacity (128GB) on this particular model, but 8GB of system memory to help you multitask as needed. Overall, it's a great, affordable laptop for everyday use. 

Here's the bottom line on the HP Pavilion x360: You won't get as much performance as you will with a proper ultrabook like the MacBook Air, but this is still one of the best budget laptops under $500 and the top option for those who prefer a convertible 2-in-1.

The Asus Vivobook's 15.6-inch, full HD NanoEdge bezel display is pretty stunning at such a low price point, and the laptop's Intel Core i3-8145U processor provides the necessary power for a seamless, on-the-go user experience. You'll also get ample space to store all your files, programs, photos, and other stuff that you need to take along with you.

The only potential issue we found is with the backlit keyboard; while it's ergonomic, some users have said that they’ve run into issues with the backlight not working properly, but this didn't happen in every case. (Either way, both Amazon and Asus have good customer support programs that should help you sort out any problems).

If you need more than a Chromebook but can't go above the $400 price point, then the Asus Vivobook is a solid cheap laptop for college and more.

For shoppers searching for the best cheap gaming laptop, there are only a few options worth considering. Most specced-out gaming laptops will cost a minimum of $1,000, but Acer has one of the few exceptions to that rule.

The Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop is capable of handling most games, although it lacks the graphical powers of gaming PCs (and most gaming laptops, in truth). However, few budget laptops are built for gamers' needs, and with a 9th Generation Intel Core i5-9300H processor and a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card (as well as plenty of ports), the Nitro 5 will get the job done.

This budget laptop also has a 15.6-inch full HD display and a durable frame designed for optimal cooling. Yes, you can get some work done on this laptop as well, but you won't want to.