A decent price range doesn’t imply it’s a must to accept a sluggish or outdated laptop computer. Many inexpensive fashions as we speak provide stable efficiency for work, courses and on a regular basis looking, and a few even pack in extras like brilliant shows or lengthy battery life. Whether or not you want one thing for college, journey or streaming, there are many price range laptops that ship extra worth than you would possibly anticipate.
Because the choices may be overwhelming, we examined a variety of units to seek out one of the best price range laptops that provide reliable efficiency with out stretching your pockets.
Desk of contents
The very best low cost laptops of 2026
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
Learn our full Apple MacBook Air M4 assessment
Display measurement: 13.6-inch | Touchscreen: No | CPU: Apple M4 | GPU: 8-core GPU | RAM: 16GB | Storage: As much as 2TB | Weight: 2.7 kilos | Battery life: Greater than 18 hours | Obtainable ports: MagSafe 3 charging, 3.5mm headphone jack, 2x Thunderbolt 4
Apple’s M4-equipped 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air stay one of the best ultraportables you should purchase as we speak, and now they’re additionally higher offers beginning at $999 and $1,199, respectively. That’s $100 off the earlier technology, but it surely’s no knock on the standard of those laptops.
Each MacBook Air fashions stay remarkably quick, extremely skinny and light-weight, and ship wonderful battery life. They’re mainly all the pieces you’d need in a premium productiveness pocket book. Certain, it will be good to see greater than two USB-C ports and a display screen that’s quicker than 60Hz, however most patrons possible received’t discover these deficiencies. (And in the event that they actually bug you, you may all the time take into account the 14-inch MacBook Professional.)
Whereas the MacBook Air’s design hasn’t modified from the 2022-era M2 mannequin, it’s nonetheless enticing as we speak, and it additionally holds up properly in opposition to Home windows ultraportables. The Air isn’t Apple’s quickest laptop, but it surely’s one of many firm’s most iconic machines, one which’s elegantly crafted in ways in which PC makers not often accomplish. Its clean metallic case nonetheless feels nice to carry, and its skinny and light-weight design makes it simple to journey with. The two.7-pound 13-inch Air nonetheless feels impressively sturdy for its weight, and the three.2-pound 15-inch mannequin doesn’t really feel that a lot heavier. (And for a lot of, the bigger display screen is definitely worth the portability sacrifice.)
Each MacBook Air fashions lasted for properly over 18 hours in our assessments, in order that they’ll possible final you two work days with no need to be juiced up. And whereas they’re removed from gaming PCs, we had been nonetheless impressed to see them run the graphically intensive recreation Lies of P at 60fps in 1080p.
Sadly, with the value minimize on the M4 Air got here the phasing out of the MacBook Air M3 from Apple’s official lineup. Nonetheless, you may nonetheless discover that laptop computer floating round on websites like Amazon for now. If yow will discover the 16GB RAM configuration, new or refurbished, for $899 or much less, it is a stable different. You’ll be able to even discover some M2 MacBook Airs nonetheless accessible on-line, however we might solely suggest grabbing that in case you discover it for $799 or much less. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior Reporter
- Quick efficiency
- Skinny and light-weight design
- Nice keyboard
- Greatest-in-class touchpad
- Wonderful battery life
- Might use extra ports
- Display is simply 60Hz
$749 at Amazon
Photograph by Daniel Cooper / Engadget
Display measurement: 13-inch | Touchscreen: No | CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 | GPU: AMD Radeon™ Graphics | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 256GB | Weight: 2.2 kilos | Battery life: As much as 12 hours | Obtainable ports: 2x USB Kind-C, 2x USB Kind-A, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm headphone jack
Learn our full assessment of the HP Pavilion Aero 13
Should you like the final aesthetics of machines like Dell’s XPS 13 however don’t wish to pay $1,000 or extra, the HP Pavilion Aero is your greatest wager. We gave it a rating of 87 in our assessment and in contrast it to Dell’s flagship laptop computer. It’s actually not as glossy as that machine, but it surely comes fairly shut with its angled profile, 2.2-pound weight and its anti-glare 13.3-inch show. Regardless of its keyboard being a bit cramped, it’s a stable typing machine and we admire its port choice: one USB-C port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI connector and a headphone jack. You’ll be able to at the moment decide an Aero 13 up for as little as $900, however they’ve gone on sale for even much less. The entire prebuilt base fashions accessible from HP straight include Ryzen 5 processors, and you’ll customise the laptop computer to have as much as a Ryzen 7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.
- Enticing design
- Many ports
- Strong efficiency for the value
$880 at HP
Photograph by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
Show: 14 inches FHD | CPU: Thirteenth-generation Intel Core i3 | GPU: Intel UHD Graphics | RAM: As much as 8GB | Storage: 128GB | Weight: 3.52 lb (1.6 kg) | Obtainable ports: 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-C, USB 3.2 Gen 1 Kind-A, 3.5mm headphone jack
Our favourite Chromebook is Lenovo’s Flex 5 Chromebook, which nails the necessities with construct high quality that feels extra premium than its worth suggests. Engadget’s Nathan Ingraham praised the Flex 5 for providing large worth. The 14-inch touchscreen and backlit keyboard are nice additions for individuals who multitask or use Android apps. The most recent mannequin has an upgraded 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which when paired with the Core i3 CPU, make for a speedy, succesful machine. It’s additionally good to see one USB-A and two USB-C ports, six hours of battery life and a 360-degree hinge that makes it simple to make use of the Flex 5 as a pill. This may very well be the perfect laptop computer for Chrome OS followers who spend a variety of time internet looking, and it’ll hit the candy spot for lots of different patrons on the market, offering a stage of high quality and efficiency that’s fairly uncommon to seek out at this worth level.
- Nice general efficiency for the value
- Good show
- Strong keyboard and trackpad
- Mediocre battery life
- A bit heavy and chunky
$405 at Amazon
acer
Display measurement: 15-inch | Touchscreen: No | CPU: Eleventh-gen Intel Core i3 | GPU: Intel UHD Graphics | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 128GB | Weight: 3.64 kilos | Battery life: As much as 10 hours | Obtainable ports: USB, USB Kind C, Ethernet, HDMI, USB 2.0
Acer’s Aspire 5 household is a stable Home windows possibility in case you have lower than $500 to spend on a brand new laptop computer, providing stable on a regular basis efficiency and loads of ports. The latest fashions hit an excellent center floor for most individuals, working on Intel Eleventh-gen CPUs and supporting as much as 16GB of RAM and as much as 512GB of storage. After all, the upper specs you get, the costlier the machine will probably be — not all Aspire 5 laptops are available at beneath $500. The Aspire 5 comes with a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS show, which delivers clear visuals for streaming or internet looking. The quantity pad is a useful addition for productiveness, and the port choice contains USB-A, USB-C, and Ethernet ports, making it a sensible selection for individuals who want to attach a number of units. Acer’s newest fashions additionally function Wi-Fi 6 for quicker connectivity, and our battery check confirmed as much as 10 hours of fine battery life—greater than sufficient for a day’s work or leisure.
- Extremely inexpensive
- Good efficiency for the value
- Keyboard contains quantity pad
- Good number of ports
$304 at Amazon
What to search for in a price range laptop computer
First, we at Engadget take into account something beneath $1,000 to be “price range” within the laptop computer house. The explanation for that is twofold: even probably the most inexpensive flagship laptops usually begin at $1,000 or extra, and in case you go dramatically decrease than that (say, $500 or much less), that’s the place you’ll actually begin to see compromises in efficiency. You’ll usually discover one of the best low cost laptops hanging an excellent steadiness between energy and worth within the $500 to $1,000 vary. However on this information, we’ll cowl high picks at a variety of costs — there are a variety of wonderful choices on the high and low finish of the price range spectrum.
Arguably the largest factor to search for in an affordable laptop computer is construct high quality and a good spec sheet. You would possibly be capable to discover configuration choices with the most recent technology CPU chipsets, or you will have to go for one which has a barely older processor. We suggest on the lookout for fashions with stable state drive (SSD) storage as an alternative of a standard exhausting drive, as SSDs present quicker efficiency. And if yow will discover a PC with the most recent internals, it’s definitely worth the funding. Nonetheless, going with a CPU that’s only one technology behind possible received’t make a noticeable distinction in efficiency.
Together with processors, you also needs to take into account the quantity of reminiscence and storage you want in a each day driver. For the previous, we suggest laptops with at the very least 8GB of RAM; something with lower than that can have a tough time multitasking and managing all these internet looking tabs. The latter is a little more private: how a lot onboard storage you want actually relies on what number of apps, information, pictures, paperwork and extra you’ll save domestically. As a normal rule of thumb, attempt to go for a laptop computer that has at the very least a 256GB SSD (this solely goes for macOS and Home windows machines, as Chromebooks are a bit completely different). That ought to offer you sufficient house for applications and information, plus room for future working system updates. And in case you want a machine for gentle productiveness or Android emulation, some laptops even assist Android apps natively, which may add additional versatility.
After figuring out one of the best efficiency you may get whereas sticking to your price range, it’s additionally value analyzing a number of completely different design points. We suggest a laptop computer with an IPS show for higher viewing angles and shade accuracy, although premium fashions with OLED shows have gotten extra widespread and might provide deeper blacks and vibrant colours. Take note of port choice, too — many price range fashions provide loads of ports, whereas higher-end ones are likely to prioritize minimalism with fewer connections. If connectivity issues to you, search for choices with USB-C, USB-A, HDMI and an audio jack.
And talking of sensible options, control GPU efficiency in case you’re searching for a budget-friendly gaming laptop computer. Whereas built-in graphics are effective for informal customers, a devoted GPU will enhance gaming and inventive workloads. We additionally suggest checking the refresh fee of the display screen, as a better fee will make a noticeable distinction in each video games and scrolling-heavy apps.
A notice about refurbished laptops
Refurbished laptops are an alternative choice to think about in case you want a brand new machine and don’t wish to spend a ton of cash. Shopping for refurbished tech may be tough in case you’re unfamiliar with a model’s or service provider’s insurance policies surrounding what they classify as “refurbished.” Nevertheless it’s not unimaginable — for laptops, we suggest going on to the producer for refurbished units. Apple, Dell and Microsoft all have official refurbishment processes that their units undergo earlier than they’re put again available on the market that verifies the machines work correctly and are in good situation. Third-party retailers like Amazon and Walmart even have their very own refurbishment applications for laptops and different devices as properly.
