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10 best

Budget Laptops

of September 2024

112M consumers helped this year.

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Budget Laptops--Good Alternatives for Less Money

Yehudah Posnick

People are looking for ways to stay connected all the time, whether it’s social media or important emails. But there’s only so much that you can do with your smartphone. If you’re looking for a means to get some actual work done while traveling, a laptop is the best alternative. There are companies that have a niche for affordable laptops. Some refurbish older models, which still have the specs to allow for Internet access. Other companies purposely build laptops by taking the specs down a notch, resulting in a more affordable model. And there are also Chromebooks, which are intended for you to store your data on your Google Drive.

But there are still specs to consider. Even budget laptops are under warranty for at least a year—but you’d like to get more use out of your laptop than that. And maybe you’ll want to upgrade at some point—so it’s good to know which models can be upgraded.

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting a budget laptop. It'll help you:

Choose the right type of budget laptop for your preferences,
See useful tips about that particular type of budget laptop,
Read reviews of different budget laptops, and what customers are saying,
Select the right brand of a budget laptop, and
Compare prices and find the best deals.

Types

Chromebooks: These use the Chrome OS, instead of the more popular Windows operating system--so don’t expect to be able to install games . A Chromebook will typically have only 4 GB of memory and a small hard disk of around 32 or 64 GB. It’s expected that you’ll use Google Docs for word processing and preparing spreadsheets or presentations, and save everything on your Google Drive. For example, the Acer Chromebook 314 is available for as little as ￡189 for a 32-GB hard drive, and ￡242 for a 64-GB hard drive.
Refurbished laptops: Amazon has a program called “Amazon Renewed”, taking older HP or Lenovo laptops, restoring them to the factory settings, testing all of the components and replacing them if necessary, and installing the latest Windows operating system on them. If there is any problem with the functionality within one year of purchase, you can get a replacement model or a refund.
Buying from lesser-known manufacturers: There are budget laptops from smaller companies, such as Jumper or Fusion5. The specs are on par with state-of-the-art HPs, Dells, or Lenovo laptops, but for a fraction of the price. It will be quite adequate for schoolwork--but won’t be so good for Zoom meetings or games.

What Reviewers Have to Say

Drawbacks of refurbished laptops: You will indeed save money when buying a refurbished laptop--but what are the drawbacks? There might be less battery life: you might find that you can’t charge up the backup battery to more than 80%. A refurbished laptop should have a licensed version of Windows installed on it--and you should verify that before purchasing one.
2-in-1 Chromebooks: There are Chromebooks that function as tablets as well. They’ll have a detachable keyboard, leaving you with just the touchscreen! An example is the Acer Chromebook R11.
Good enough for the children: Users were happy with a Jumper laptop, in that it only cost around ￡230. At such an affordable price, they didn’t mind giving it to their children to use, either for schoolwork or for keeping busy during summer vacation.
Weight: Since you will probably want to carry your laptop with you, look at the product’s weight, to see if it’s not too heavy. Jumper’s EZpad computers can range from 800 g to 1.32 kg.

Important Features

Can you upgrade?: If you choose to buy a laptop from a lesser-known manufacturer, or a refurbished model, you can always see if it’s possible to do a further upgrade. You can try adding more memory or installing a larger hard disk. For example, the Jumper EZbook X3 laptop has an expansion slot that allows you to add an additional SSD hard disk, with as much as 1 TB of capacity!
Office 365 included: If you get a budget laptop with Windows, you’ll see that some dealers offer an initial Office 365 subscription. That gives you use of the Microsoft Office applications for a year--that’s anywhere between $70-$100. And you can extend the subscription after that.
WiFi connectivity: You’ll probably want a laptop to have WiFi connectivity--otherwise, you’ll always have to be hooked up to a router with an Ethernet cable. Check that the laptop’s WiFi is dual-band, allowing for both 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies. The 2.4 GHz band extends further and can go through walls and other obstacles. But there may be interference from other smart devices in your home. So, the 5 GHz frequency is a good alternative, to ensure good connectivity.

Top-Rated Brands

LincPlus is based in Shenzhen, China. They manufacture PCs, tablet computers, and computer accessories. They also make affordable 2-in-1 laptops, which can function as tablets as well. Their laptops have less memory and hard disk space, in order to remain more modestly priced.

Jumper is a maker of laptops, tablet PCs, and mini-PCs. The company was founded in 1997 in Shenzhen, China. They specialize in making affordable yet fashionable, lightweight portable computers.

HP was formed in 2015, upon a split from the Hewlett-Packard company, which was founded as an electronics company in 1939. HP is their division for personal computers and printers. They make gaming and business laptops, as well as laptops for school and everyday use, as well as inexpensive Chromebooks.

Lenovo is based in Beijing, China, and has been a formidable name in electronics since 1984. They entered the laptop computer market in 2003, with their “ThinkPad” computer. Lenovo is known for making phones, laptops for business and home use, monitors, workstations, and more.