Best Laptops Under $1000 in 2023 – our top picks
If you are looking for the best laptop under $1000, then we have you covered right here.
With a $1000 budget, you can get a laptop that runs on the latest processor, has sufficient RAM and storage, and has a decent battery life.
If you browse through laptops, you will find regular laptops for work, gaming laptops with the latest GPUs, 2-in-1 laptops for creators, and more types of devices. So, you will find laptops with Intel’s Raptor Lake CPUs that have over 8GB RAM and a decent battery life of 8 to 9 hours.
With that being said, there are a lot of options available under a thousand dollars. To make your search easier, we have done the homework and rounded up what we think are the best laptops under $1000.
Products at a Glance
How we picked
For this guide, we looked at several laptops from different manufacturers, compared them, and chose the ones we thought were the best. The laptops have been selected based on specs like CPU, GPU, display features, battery life, and other important aspects. Further, we are regularly adding new products to our guide to keep them up-to-date – so do check back here again for new updates.
Best Laptops Under $1000 in 2023 – our top picks
- 15.6-inch FHD resolution
- 64GB RAM and 2TB SSD
- 13th-gen Intel Core i7-1355U processor
- Mediocre battery life
If you’re looking for the best laptop under $1000, then the new Dell Inspiron model is a solid choice.
The laptop comes with a 15.6-inch display with FHD resolution, so you can expect clear, good quality visuals. Plus, this display is a touchscreen, which should give you more intuitive controls and flexibility. Further, the screen has an anti-glare coating, which should give you better viewing angles.
On the inside, the laptop houses a 13th-gen Intel Core i7-1355U processor that has ten cores and 12 threads and a max boost speed of 5.0GHz – so you can expect the CPU to handle daily tasks and light, casual gaming. While this is a recent processor from Intel’s Raptor Lake series, it is made for light laptops and not for demanding video games.
Further, the model we have selected comes with 64GB RAM and 2TB SSD, which should cut down on loading times, speed up booting, and also give you sufficient storage. However, if you don’t need so much RAM and storage, you can choose to go for a different combo.
As far as connectivity is concerned, the laptop has multiple ports, including USB-A 2.0, USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, HDMI 1.4, and more – so plugging in your peripherals should not be a problem.
- AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU
- NVIDIA RTX 4050 GPU
- 120Hz refresh rate
- Mediocre battery life
If you’re looking for a gaming laptop within this budget, then check out the Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3, which we think should be a budget contender for the best Lenovo laptops.
The laptop comes with an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS 8-core processor and an NVIDIA RTX 4050, which should be sufficient for dealing with demanding games and software.
To aid performance, the laptop has 32GB DDR5 RAM along with 1TB SSD, which should make loading times and boot-ups faster.
On the outside, the laptop sports a 15.6-inch screen with 1080p resolution, so you can expect good quality graphics for your video games as well as media consumption. Plus, it is an IPS display with an anti-glare coating, which should give you wider viewing angles and fewer reflections.
If you want to plug in peripherals, then this laptop has a lot of ports, including USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI, and more.
- Powerful M1 chip
- 18-hour battery life
- Lightweight and portable
- Fewer ports
This list of best laptops under $1000 wouldn’t be complete without a great MacBook on it. The 2020 Apple 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.
- 17-inch WUXGA display
- Intel Evo 11th-gen Core i7 processor
- Lightweight and portable
- Mediocre battery life
If you’re looking for a lightweight and portable laptop under a thousand dollars, then you need to check out the LG Gram 17.
To start with, this laptop is quite lightweight. Much like some of the best lightweight laptops, this one weighs only 2.9 pounds. Plus, it has a slim profile with 0.7-inch thickness, which should make it easy for you to slide into a bag.
The laptop sports a 17-inch display, which, considering the weight, comes as a surprise. It has a 2560 x 1600p, which is better than the standard 1080p resolution, so you can expect better visuals.
Under the hood, the laptop comes with an Intel Evo 11th-generation Core i7 processor, which should handle your everyday tasks as well as light gaming and content creation. Plus, the CPU has Intel Iris Xe Graphics integrated into it, so you can expect good graphics performance.
As far as the connectivity options are concerned, the laptop has USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, USB-A 3.2 ports, an HDMI port, and more, so you should be able to connect your peripherals easily.
- 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1255U processor
- 17-inch display
- Touch-enabled display
- HD+ resolution, not FHD
If you want a 17-inch laptop within this budget, then we think that this HP model will make the cut.
The laptop runs on the 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1255U processor, which should handle your everyday tasks like browsing, emailing, media consumption, and even some light gaming. Plus, this CPU comes with integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics, which should give you a good graphics performance while gaming or media consumption.
For faster performance, the laptop comes with 64GB RAM, which should cut down on loading times and make boot-ups faster. Plus, you also get a 2TB SSD, which should be sufficient storage space for most users.
Much like some of the best 17-inch laptops, this one, too, has a touchscreen display, which should give you more intuitive controls. The display has a resolution of 1600 x 900, which is slightly better than HD and should give you clear visuals.
Coming to the available ports, this laptop has multiple ports, which include SuperSpeed USB Type-C, SuperSpeed USB Type-A, HDMI, and more.
How to pick the best laptop under $1000
Here, we’ll break down some of what we think are important considerations when looking for the best laptop under $1000.
CPU
There’s a certain amount of leeway for the CPU, depending on how you 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. However, if you want more computing power, then we’d recommend investing in one of the best Intel 13th-gen laptops or the best Intel 12th-gen laptops.
GPU
Most laptops with entry-level and mobile processors come with integrated graphics cards like Intel UHD Graphics and Intel Iris Xe, which can handle graphics for media consumption, light gaming, and general purposes. However, if you want a dedicated GPU, then we suggest you look at laptops with NVIDIA RTX 3000-series or NVIDIA RTX 4000-series, like some of the best RTX 4090 laptops.
RAM
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 budget laptops, and you will struggle to find anything close to this.
Those who 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. For instance, some of the best battery life laptops come with a battery life of 10+ hours and are often lightweight. 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.
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.
How much should you spend on a good laptop?
If you are looking for a laptop for everyday use such as word processing and surfing the internet, $400 is a good starting point.
Where can I find good budget laptops?
Going to brands direct is a good starting point. We love HP, or the ASUS TUF range for gaming laptops. But there are plenty of other good options.
Our Verdict
If you want to get a laptop for under $1000 for general use, then we think that the Dell Inspiron 15 (3530) is a solid option. The laptop comes with a 15.6-inch display with FHD resolution, which should give you clear visuals. Plus, the display is a touchscreen, which should give you flexibility on controls. The laptop runs on a 13th-gen Intel Core i7-1355U processor, which is a recent processor that promises to handle multitasking and day-to-day tasks. Overall, we think this is a great choice if you a laptop under $1000 for multitasking and work.