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The 10 Cheapest But Highest Quality Laptops

laptop

Can you find a cheap laptop that offers decent quality? While electronics prices are rising, it's still possible to find a bargain on laptop computers without breaking the bank. Here are the ten cheapest laptops you can buy in 2022.

10. Lenovo IdeaPad 1

  • Price: $249.99

Best Products suggests Lenovo's IdeaPad 1 as a cheaper alternative laptop for brilliant performance under $300.

Specifications:

The 14-inch screen is high definition for a clear, bright picture large enough to see small characters. It's a basic laptop with an entry-level Intel Celeron N4020 dual-core processor. It runs on 4 GB of RAM with 64 GB of eMMC storage with a battery that lasts up to 8 hours on a full charge. It connects to other devices through two USB Ports, a micro SD card reader, and HDMI. The 2022 edition comes with Microsoft Windows 11 in notebook styling.

Strengths: The IdeaPad 1

This laptop features a large screen for full viewing, an attractive ice blue exterior finish, and ample connectivity. The speakers are stereo with Dolby Audio technology compatibility. New purchases qualify for one year of Microsoft Office 365 with Xbox Game Pass services for three months, all free of charge. The processor is strong enough for editing office documents, streaming video, and browsing the web. The battery life is on par with the price for a decent value. Audio and video quality is above average for an inexpensive unit. The free services boost its value. It easily runs some PC games for entertainment. It's lightweight at 3 pounds and compact at one inch thick.

Weaknesses:

The processor and screen quality are basic yet acceptable. It's not a high-performance machine as the wifi and Bluetooth connectivity does not feature the latest technologies. The memory and storage are limited, so don't expect lightning speed or the ability to store large programs without impacting available space.

Who would benefit from this laptop?

The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 is best for students, office workers, and at home for basic browsing, streaming, and work with office applications. You can play some games, listen to music, watch videos, browse the web, and store up to 64 GB of data. It's a solid entry-level machine for taking along on the go, thanks to its portable size. If you plan to use it all day, find a charging outlet to give it a boost between uses. Anyone on a budget can appreciate the benefits of this inexpensive laptop.

9. Microsoft Surface Go 3

  • Price: $374.99

Specifications:

The Microsoft Surface Go 3 has a 10.5-inch display with PixelSense touchscreen technology. It also has a pixel density of 1,920 x 1,280. This laptop runs on an Intel Pentium Gold dual-core processor with up to 8 GB RAM and 128 GB SSD storage. It connects via Surface Connect Port, MicroSD card slot, wifi 6, and USB-C. The battery lasts up to 11 hours on a full charge. The front and rear cameras are convenient for taking photos and engaging in internet video calls for teleconferencing and visiting with friends and family.

Strengths:

The Pentium Gold processor is suitable for streaming content, light productivity work, and browsing the web. It's a 2-in-1 PC that converts from tablet to laptop and back. The device has a compact, elegant aesthetic and weighs just 1.2 pounds. It's light and portable for taking with you on the go. It has a 2-in-1 PC for dual styling with two cameras for front and back photography and video features. It's got double the ram of closest competitors for the price, with high marks for reliability. The 11-hour battery time on a full charge is another benefit that beats many other laptops in this price range.

Weaknesses:

The pen and keyboard are not included and must be purchased separately. The processor is mediocre in power production. The screen size is small at 10.5-inches. It's an entry-level laptop. It does not come with Microsoft 365 or Xbox Game Pass like others. These must be purchased separately. It comes with a Microsoft Windows 11 operating system.

Who would benefit from this laptop?

The compact weight and size make this laptop an excellent choice for students, for office teleconferencing, light duty for home business, and home laptop for personal use. It's powerful enough for streaming, teleconferencing, browsing the web, and playing games that do not require lightning-fast speeds or advanced storage capacity. Anyone who travels regularly would benefit from the small and light size.

8. Aspire 5 Slim Laptop

  • Price: $447.99

Specifications:

The Aspire 5 runs on an AMD Ryzen 5500U six-core processor with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB SSD storage. The battery lasts up to 10 hours on a full charge. Its display is a generous 15.6-inch Full DH IPS display with wifi six connectivity, a USB-C port, three USB-A ports, an ethernet port, and HDMI. It also has AMD Radeon Graphics, a backlit keyboard, and the Windows 11 operating system. It weighs just under 4 pounds.

Weaknesses:

The processing speed is mediocre. It's fast enough for basic functions but can not handle some applications requiring faster speeds, storage, and memory. It's the lower end of the Aspire 5 upgraded version for nearly double the cost.

Who would benefit from this laptop?

This laptop is best for anyone who prefers a larger screen. It's good for low-light situations, thanks to the backlit keyboard. It's an attractive laptop with a strong processor for the price, updated graphics, and a fast solid-state drive. It's a solid entry-level laptop that can easily browse the web, research, perform the functions of Microsoft Office 365 or the Student Edition, and do online communications. The graphics make it suitable for many PC games.

7. Hewlett Packard HP 14

  • Price: $329.00

ZDNet recommends the HP 14 as one of the best cheap laptops with the best quality.

Specifications:

The HP 14 is powered by an AMD 3020e processor with 4 GB RAM, 64 GB eMMC storage, and the Windows 10 Home operating system. The screen is a 14-inch HD display. Graphics are built into the processor, and the battery averages 10 hours of run time per full charge. It also has a keyboard, multiple ports, and a 720-pixel webcam.

Strengths:

The battery has a fast charge feature that charges up to 50% within 45 minutes. The processor has built-in graphics for gaming, video streaming, and other functions. The webcam is an excellent value for the price, and it comes with a large 14-inch HD display for full viewing of small details on the screen. The storage is ample for school or light productivity work at the office or home.

Weaknesses:

The display screen is not the best and is under 1080 pixels. It's an entry-level computer that functions at the level of its price range with few bells and whistles. The operating system is outdated and below the new standard Windows 11. It's not upgradeable.

Who would benefit from this laptop?

This laptop benefits from being a "great workhorse" for school or work. Although not as light and compact as some, it is capable of light productivity work and browsing and can easily handle Microsoft 365 tasks. The webcam is perfect for taking photos, videos, or video conferencing.

6. Dell Chromebook 3100 Education

  • Price: $240

Specifications:

An Intel Celeron N4020 processor powers the Dell Chromebook 3100 Education with 4 GB RAM and 16 GB eMMC storage. The operating system is Chrome OS with an integrated card. The 11.6-inch screen has a 720-pixel resolution. The weight of this laptop is 3.4 pounds. It has an embedded touch, camera, microphone, WLAN capability, Intel Dual Band Wireless AC 9560 and 2x2, and Bluetooth 5.0.

Strengths:

The screen comes with an embedded touch feature. The camera and microphone make it a good laptop for teleconferencing for school and work or video chatting with friends and family or taking pictures and videos to share. It's a durable laptop tested to withstand thousands of free fall drops at 30-inches, thanks to the rubberized edges that minimize impacts. Its spillproof feature can also withstand liquid beverage spills up to 12 ounces.

Weaknesses:

The limited storage is a drawback for anyone who needs to save a large amount of data. The laptop is entry-level and incapable of running programs that take up high amounts of space or require additional power and memory. There is a limited number of ports.

Who would benefit from this laptop?

The Chromebook 3100 Education is ideal for students of all ages. It is light and compact for easy carrying in a backpack. It can withstand the accidental falls common with students of all ages. It's spill resistant, an excellent feature for people who take a working lunch and use their laptops near liquid beverages. It's also tamper-resistant, and anyone who values their privacy and needs an affordable laptop might find this a good deal for the cost.

5. Samsung Chromebook 4+

  • Price: $123.99-$299

Specifications

An Intel Celeron N4000 processor powers the Samsung Chromebook 4+ with 6 GB RAM and 64 GB eMMC storage. The screen is 15.6 inches in FHD with 1920 x 1080 p and an antiglare display. It runs off a Chrome OS operating system. The battery averages 12.5 hours of run time on a full charge. The connectivity is lightning fast with Gigabit wifi. It comes with built-in virus protection.

Strengths:

This laptop has one of the best display screens for a cheap laptop with full high definition, antiglare, and great pixel values. The screen is an outstanding feature with good storage capacity and a strong battery for a full day's work up to 12.5 hours on a single charge. It's upgradeable to 128 GB of storage for a fee of $80, making it an exceptional value for the price. The benefits are the advanced security system, military-grade durability, compact and light design, and fast connectivity.

Weaknesses:

Users cannot upgrade this laptop, but you can order it with additional storage. There is a limited number of ports, and it is limited by its processor, memory, and storage, compared to more expensive laptops.

Who would benefit from this laptop?

The Samsung Chromebook 4+ is one of the best values for the cost of a cheap laptop. It's among the most affordable and offers students, office workers, and home users a solid and dependable device for light to moderate productivity work, browsing the web,

4. Lenovo Chromebook C340-11

  • Price: $165.99

Specifications:

A1.1 GHz Intel Celeron N4000 dual-core processor powers the Lenovo Chromebook C340-11. It comes with integrated onboard graphics. It has a 32GB SSD hard drive, 4 GB RAM, and a chrome operating system. The touch screen is an HD, 11.6 inches, IPS LED-backlit display. The 360-degree hinge transforms the laptop into a tablet for a 2-in-1 device. The battery life is 10 hours.

Strengths:

The average battery life and 2-in-1 features are premium features for a cheap laptop. Other notable aspects are its touch screen, compact size and weight, and adequate processor with built-in graphics.

Weaknesses:

This is an entry-level laptop with a small display and limited speed. It is not upgradeable by the user, nor does it come with a stylus.

Who would benefit from this laptop?

This is the ideal laptop for students or professionals requiring compact travel devices. It performs well for internet browsing, light productivity work, and teleconferencing or video chatting with friends and family.

3. ASUS VivoBook 15 Laptop

  • Price: $397.58

PC Magazine recommends the ASUS VivoBook as one of the best quality laptops at a budget price.

Specifications:

The ASUS VivoBook 15 has a 15.6-inch full HD 1920 x 1080 screen with a 4-way NanoEdge bezel display. The processor is the 10th Gen Intel Core i3-1005G1 CPU running at up to 3.4 GHz with 8 GB DDR 4 RAM and 128 GB M.2 DDD for storage. The keyboard is ergonomic and backlit with a fingerprint sensor for security. The operating system is Windows 10 Home. It also has an integrated Intel UHD Graphics card coprocessor.

Strengths:

The VivoBook 15 has a large screen with premium features for its cost. The ample storage space and fast processor make this laptop an exceptional value for its cost. Fingerprint sensors ensure security.

Weaknesses:

The operating system is not the most recent available OS.

Who would benefit from this laptop?

This laptop appeals to anyone who prefers a larger screen and a more powerful processor. It's suitable for students, office workers, and home use.

2. Acer Chromebook 514 Laptop

  • Price: $453.99

Specifications:

The Acer Chromebook 514 laptop features a 14-inch Full High Definition Touchscreen with a 1080p x 720 p resolution. It's powered by a Media Tek Kompanio 828 Octa-Core Processor with a CPU speed of 2.6 GHz, 8 GB RAM, and a 64 GB eMMC SSD hard drive. The operating system is Chrome OS. with a backlit keyboard and battery life of up to 15 hours.

Strengths:

This laptop offers the longest battery life on our list, with 15 hours on a full charge. Other premium features include the FHD touchscreen with 1080p resolution, fast booting through the powerful process, and a built-in graphics card for gaming. It's loaded with all the Google apps with a new purchase. It connects to the internet via an 802.11ax wifi 6 Dual Band connection with Bluetooth 5.2.

Weaknesses:

The processor is mediocre compared to the ASUS Vivobook's 3.5 GHz processor.

Who would benefit from this laptop?

This laptop is best for users preferring a larger screen. It's good for students, for home use, and for office professionals engaging in light productivity work. It's also suitable for playing PC games that do not exceed its power and storage limitations.

1. AUS Chromebook Flip CM3

  • Price: $329.99

Specifications

The ASUS Chromebook Flip CM3 has a 12-inch HD touchscreen with a NanoEdge Display. The screen features a 1366 x 912 resolution in a glossy finish. The processor is a MediaTek 8183 2.0 GHz with eight cores. For storage, the Emmc hard disk is 32 GB with 4 GB RAM, wifi 5, and a Chrome OS operating system.

Strengths:

This laptop has one audio jack, one USB Type-A port, and a Type C USB port with a microSD card reader for connectivity. It's suitable for internet browsing, light productivity work, and connecting with friends and family through video chat. It's also capable of teleconferencing and streaming video and audio with proficiency. The compact size and weight make it ideal for anyone on the go. It also has a 360-degree hinge that converts laptop to tablet, tent or stand modes.

Weaknesses:

The process is mediocre in GHz with low storage space and RAM. The wifi 5 is not the most current edition available. It has limited USB ports. You have to buy the stylus separately.

Who would benefit from this laptop?

Anyone on a budget of $500 or less, requiring good connectivity, preferring touchscreen features, and a flip screen display with multiple modes from laptop to the tent, stand, and tablet mode would appreciate these premium features in a less expensive laptop. It's ideal for students, office professionals, or home use.

Dana Hanson

Written by Dana Hanson

Dana has extensive professional writing experience including technical and report writing, informational articles, persuasive articles, contrast and comparison, grant applications, and advertisement. She also enjoys creative writing, content writing on nearly any topic (particularly business and lifestyle), because as a lifelong learner, she loves to do research and possess a high skill level in this area. Her academic degrees include AA social Sci/BA English/MEd Adult Ed & Community & Human Resource Development and ABD in PhD studies in Indust & Org Psychology.

Read more posts by Dana Hanson

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