When you’re shopping for a laptop, there are a lot of factors to consider. For example, do you need a touchscreen, or would you rather have a larger keyboard? How important is battery life? Are you fine with making do without certain bundled accessories such as an optical drive? Would you like to buy a Windows laptop, or are you more comfortable using the macOS system instead? There are also hundreds of design decisions to make, ranging from basic specs such as processor speed and available storage space to extra features such as speakers and camera quality. Fortunately, many laptop manufacturers offer models that deliver solid performance in multiple areas and cost less than $1,000. Here are some of our top picks for the most affordable laptops.
HP Envy x360 13
Look no further than HP’s Envy x360 13 if you’re in the market for a 2-in-1 laptop. For only $699.99, you get a sleek device that’s built well, has plenty of power under the hood, and even lasts all day on a charge. It’s not the thinnest or lightest 2-in-1 around, but its build quality is fantastic compared to most budget laptops. And it’s surely one of the most attractive notebooks out there. It also boasts AMD Ryzen performance, a crisp touchscreen display, and a comfortable keyboard. In short, shoppers on a tight budget should be very happy with this laptop.
Lenovo Chromebook Duet
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet is a very affordable Chrome OS tablet. The kickstand and keyboard cover certainly makes it more of a traditional laptop than most of the other affordable Chromebook options. However, at its core, the Duet is still definitely a big-screen tablet that’s meant for media consumption (and light to moderate productivity). If you can do most of your daily work on a 10-inch tablet, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is great. It has good build quality, an impressive keyboard and trackpad, and a surprisingly long-lasting battery. But the small screen makes it less useful if you intend to actually use it for intensive work on a regular basis.
Acer Chromebook Spin 713
The Chromebook Spin 713 has one of the best screens you’ll find in a sub-$300 laptop, with a 3:2 display that can show off even more content than a standard 16:9 screen. The screen alone would make the Spin 713 worth considering, but it also has a solid keyboard and an all-day battery life. The ports include USB-A, USB-C, an HDMI port, and a microSD card slot, making the Spin 713 an impressive all-around pick.