Best Laptops Under $1000 in 2023
The best laptops under $1000 are devices that can offer users a variety of needs, while not costing too much. These laptops tend to prioritize one particular characteristic over others to cut costs.
You’ll need to consider what specifically you are willing to sacrifice. The best laptops under $1,000 for office work could suit you perfectly if you are only going to use yours at the office or at home, but if you need to be on the move, then you’ll need to choose another device for portability.
In this post, we’ll underscore all of the best laptops under $1k to help you decide which is the absolute best option for you.
Products at a Glance
How we picked the best laptops under $1000
We based this list on functionality. The best laptops under $1000 have to be valuable assets and provide a great experience with a particular characteristic. These laptops need to be great for traveling, thanks to their portability, have an amazing screen for streaming movies, or be perfect for office work due to improved battery life.
Things to Consider
Specifications
Without delving too deep into technicalities, keep a close eye on the CPU, RAM, and SSD size when assessing a laptop’s potential, this is where manufacturer’s can, on occasion trim the spec down towards that of a budgets laptop.
There’s a certain amount of leeway for the CPU, depending on how you’ll use the device. In general, we’d suggest either a Core i5 or i7 for Intel processors and Ryzen 5/7 for AMD CPUs. These should put you in good stead for more demanding tasks such as photo/video editing. For basic web browsing and entertainment, it’s acceptable to skimp on the CPU – i3 and Ryzen 3 are budget options that more than suffice.
As for RAM, we’d suggest at least 8GB. Not only will this be enough for multitasking, but it offers a degree of future-proofing as well. Finally, SSD storage should tally up to at least 256 GB, and ideally 512 GB or more. With these, you’ll have plenty of space for videos, photos, applications, and even a few games with room to spare. Many budget laptops will come in under this spec.
Battery Life
The importance of battery life varies from person to person. As a general rule, we suggest opting for laptops that provide between 6 to 10 hours of use without having to rush for the charger at the sight of the first demanding task. Drop much below the $1,000 dollar mark into the realms of the budget laptops and you will struggle to find anything close to this.
Those that intend to use the laptop on the go, or in situations where power sockets aren’t readily available, should consider laptops with the most efficient batteries. It’s also worth noting that the battery life advertised by manufacturers may not translate to the real world too well, especially for more demanding tasks and uses, making it even more vital to choose a laptop with plenty of battery life to mitigate this.
If you plan to use the laptop at a desk where it will be plugged in most of the time, you can sacrifice some battery life and efficiency for better performance elsewhere. After all, it’s worth putting those $1000 to work on features that matter to you.
Form Factor and Use
Laptops come in many shapes and sizes – Ultrabooks, Chromebooks, MacBooks, 2-in-1 tablet-like hybrids, etc.
Ultrabooks
Ultrabooks adopt the classic laptop format condensed down into a thin and light design. They tend to favor long battery life, sleek looks, and well-rounded performance. For those looking for versatility on a budget, these are the go-to option.
Chromebooks
Chromebooks cost considerably less than other form factors but come with compromises as a consequence. They are essentially a hardware browser using Google Chrome OS (operating system) and suit those already invested in apps such as Gmail, Google Docs, YouTube, and the like. Less power-hungry than alternative form factors, they offer some of the best battery efficiency around. Still, functionality is limited to browsing, light productivity, and the least demanding, casual games. It is surprising how long it can take a seasoned Windows user to get used to using Chrome OS, however. Let’s just say I have a friend who had that issue!
Apple Macbook and Apple Macbook Air
Apple and its MacBook range need little introduction. Generally boasting top specifications, excellent performance for creative tasks, and a fluid interface, they tend to involve quite the premium. The entry-level Apple MacBook Air is worth a gander if you don’t mind being limited to MacOS and associated apps.
2-in-1
Finally, an increasingly common form factor is the 2-in-1 that sits somewhere between a tablet and laptop. Not quite one or the other, the form factor tries to offer the best of both worlds – performance, portability, and ease of use.
Best Laptops Under $1000 in 2023
- Strong performance
- Great quality built
- Amazing graphics card
- Not the best screen
The HP Victus is a gaming laptop without the look of a gaming laptop. If you’re in the market for a great device that can do all of the necessary multitasking, whether it be for work, studying, gaming, graphic design, or the like, this is your best option. The gaming design may not be for everybody, and that is why this one is the best choice. The HP Victus offers the best performance and power from a gaming PC with a casual look.
This laptop has an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, and a 15.6-inch 1080 IPS display with a 144 Hz refresh rate. The power and speed this device can offer will be sufficient for almost everybody, even if you’re not regularly gaming on it.
You’ll find it also offers the best results in workloads such as video editing and photo editing, and if you are a graphic designer, the HP Victus should work wonders. If you’re just using it for video streaming, the 144Hz display will be more than suitable. Although HP isn’t known for having the best screens, they actually did a fine job on this one.
- 144Hz Display
- Military Grade certified built
- Great power and performance
- Battery life could be better
- The backlight is not great
Do you want to enjoy a good night of gaming, but don’t have enough to get a high-end gaming PC?
The ASUS TUF Gaming F17 is an one of the best laptops under $1k that will gift you the power of an Intel Core i5 11th Gen processor, a GeForce RTX 3050, 8GB of RAM, and an incredible 17.3-inch 144Hz Screen with Full HD (1920×1080) IPS-Type display. As one may expect, it’s even more powerful and cheaper than most among the best tablets for gaming.
The stock RAM on this device might be the only downside, as you may be better off with 16GB or even 12GB. For the price of this laptop, however, you can just buy additional RAM and still be under the $1,000 threshold.
The i5 along with the GPU synchronize amazingly to make sure almost any game runs smooth as butter. If you’re looking for a gaming laptop under $1k, the ASUS TUF Gaming F17 is one of the best options around.
- Great performance
- Lightweight and portable
- Amazing screen
- Comes with the stylus
- Keyboard is not the greatest quality
This HP Envy is both a laptop and a tablet. It’s a 2-in-1 device that you can carry around without too much restraint as it doesn’t weigh a ton, like most alternative laptops. The HP Envy x360, much akin to every other 2-in-1, has a 360-degree keyboard that can be folded to turn the laptop into a full tablet.
This device makes it onto the list of best laptops under $1000 thanks to its portability, given that it weighs less than four pounds. It also runs on an AMD Ryzen 5 with 35GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD for storage, and a full HD 15.6-inch screen.
This is the type of device that, for less than $1,000, will allow you to get almost anything done, anywhere, because you can easily carry it around while still having a relatively powerful laptop tucked in your hands.
- Reliability of the M1 chip
- Great battery life
- Great quality materials
- Beautiful design
- Too few ports
This list of best laptops under $1000 wouldn’t be complete without a great MacBook on it. The 2020 MacBook Air M1 is not the latest by the brand but is still one of the best laptops on the market, amplified by its sub-$1,000 price tag. If you are an Apple fan, you shouldn’t think twice before grabbing this great asset.
This MacBook utilizes the mythical M1 chip processor, one of the best inventions behind the brand. The hybrid architecture of the chip, along with the TSMC 5nm process, offers a 16 billion transistors unit, capable of completing any task you throw at it with high energy efficiency and speed.
The MacBook Air M1 is also designed with the well-known Apple looks, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD for storage. If you are a graphic designer looking for the best results, this should be the one to go.
Features and considerations
The first thing to consider is your workflow or entertainment needs. What is the main purpose of a laptop situated under $1,000? Depending on the main tasks that the laptop will be doing, you’ll be able to determine which aspects of the device are a priority and which aren’t. For example, if you are going to use a laptop for video streaming, a great display and screen resolution are key, while if you are on the go and need to carry your laptop around with you to various places, you’ll need to look for a device that’s designed to be portable.
As a guide, the main features a great laptop sub $1k should have are listed below:
- Portability
- Screen resolution
- Battery life
- Size and weight
- Processor power
That’s all for the best laptops under $1000, stringing along a ton of awesome options to choose from without the exorbitant price tags. These devices serve as a steal, but may not offer the most functionality or immense features that many buyers expect.
You could always go with a tablet instead, but the 2-in-1 and included keyboards both make the sub $1k laptop a prime entry point for both entertainment and work-related tasks on the go.
How long do laptops last?
According to HP, typically a mid-range laptop should last around three years. Although some may last longer depending on how you care for them.
The older your laptop is the more dated its hardware and operating system becomes which may cause your laptop to underperform.
Laptops that are overused such as gaming laptops or laptops for work may stop working earlier, however.
Despite this, it is common for a laptop to last up to six years so do bare this in mind when you make your investment. To increase the longevity of your laptop the option is still there to update its hardware such as the RAM and battery. This may be a more sensible option if you are looking for a lower-cost upgrade when compared to buying a completely new machine.
How can I find a good cheap laptop?
There’s no need to splash out thousands of bucks on a decent laptop. Check out Amazon and Best Buy for great deals, and read through this guide for our top picks.
What is the average price of good laptops?
If you are looking for a laptop for everyday use such as word processing and surfing the internet, $400 is a good starting point.
For those hoping to do a bit more on your laptop, roughly $600 will get you a pretty decent machine. Especially, if you are hoping to use it for studying.
Of course, for much more demanding such as gaming and video editing you are going to want to stretch your budget a bit higher.
Our Verdict
It’s important to note that you can acquire great devices without breaking the bank. From a MacBook to an ASUS, the competition nowadays is making tech companies create serviceable devices for every market.
If you ask us, the best laptop under $1,000 is the HP Victus 15.6 thanks to its original looks, power, and battery life. This is a versatile device that will ensure to leave you without feeling envious of other laptops.