Best Budget Laptops in 2023
Wondering where to find the best budget laptops in 2023? You’ve come to the right place.
Having a laptop is essential in the modern world. However, it can be difficult to find one when you don’t have a massive budget to work with. Luckily, we’ve been trawling the web so you don’t have to. Read on for our guide to the very best budget laptops in 2023 – high quality, visually inspiring designs which won’t break the bank.
Products at a Glance
How we picked the best budget laptops
Naturally, a lot of care and consideration went into deciding which laptops to put forward for this guide. Furthermore, we tried to prioritize certain factors which might be important for the average budget laptop user.
Budget
Of course, the most important factor when buying a budget laptop is pretty obvious – pricing. All of our laptops fall under the $800 category, with most much cheaper.
Performance
However, we didn’t want to put forward laptops which don’t cut it in terms of performance. All of these are capable of running basic programs, light gaming and office work. For bigger tasks, you might want to consider a more specialized and expensive piece of kit.
Build quality
Although it’s difficult to find super high quality materials in many budget laptop offerings, we’ve tried our best to seek them out. Durable, long-wearing frames and other components were a must when we were creating this guide.
Design
Finally, we looked at the design of the laptop. Even when on a budget, it’s likely you’ll want a laptop which looks streamlined and pleasing to the eye. We tried to rule out super-clunky or garish designs.
Best Budget Laptops in 2023
- Durable, high quality build
- Lightweight
- Solid internal processor
- Limited selection of ports
- Slightly more modest performance than advertised
Acer are heading up our list of the best budget laptops in 2023, and for good reason. The Acer Aspire 5 is a fantastic all-rounder which fulfils exactly what a budget laptop should do. It comes in a range of configurations with varying price points, most of which come under the $800 mark unless you buy the biggest and most powerful.
The build quality is high, and durable enough that it should last a long time. It runs smoothly and can handle most tasks you throw at it, although intense gaming, video editing and other high workloads probably won’t work as well. But that’s what you’d expect from a budget laptop.
It’s lightweight and has a bright 1080p display, with a basic webcam and decent speakers – don’t expect the works, but you’d be hard pressed to find better value for money. If budget is a priority, you can’t go far wrong with the Aspire 5.
- Speedy 144Hz Refresh Rate
- Streamlined design
- One of the cheapest proper gaming laptops on the market
- Build quality is average
- Price higher than other budget laptops
Gamers rejoice – the Acer Nitro 5 is our top pick for the best budget laptop in 2023 when it comes to gaming. It’s an affordable option which doesn’t sacrifice too much when it comes to speed and overall gaming performance.
Some of the good bits include a 144Hz display, which makes it a cut above the 120 Hz minimum required for gaming competitively. Plus, there are a range of ports including an Ethernet port and 3 USB-A 3.2 ports.
It performs well in terms of graphics and overall CPU performance considering its price, but you’d have to pay more if you’re a serious competitive gamer. However, that is obviously to be expected.
One last thing – this falls a little outside the $800 price range we consider ‘budget’, but we’re willing to stretch this as it’s a specialist gaming laptop, and they don’t come cheap!
- Super durable
- Great battery life
- Light and portable
- Not a fantastic display
- Don't expect a fantastic performance
If you’re after a seriously budget option, the HP Chromebook 11 ticks some great boxes. It’s an affordable, fun web-based offering which provides a great basis for office work and other light tasks.
What we love: this is a durable, lightweight laptop which fulfills all the basic needs. It has a brilliant 10+ hour battery life and operates on Chrome OS without any major hitches. If you’re working somewhere which uses Google Docs, Hangouts and the like, it’s perfect. And the price is almost unbeatable.
However, the display isn’t very bright. Additionally, the performance is somewhat limited to web-based browsing and Google Apps. But not a bad choice for those on a tight budget.
- Speedy processor
- Great display
- Portable design
- Poor sound quality
- Entry level GPU
We’ve covered the ASUS Vivobook before in our guide to gaming laptops for less than $600. For good reason – this is a dependable and super speedy laptop. It pulls through on both performance and design, and although we love how it elevates gaming, it’s also a generally great choice for a budget laptop.
The gorgeous display is a big plus, coming in at 15.6″ with NanoEdge technology boosting the color and quality of the visuals. This is great for streaming or gaming.
Furthermore, the AMD Ryzen 5 3500U processor is a great CPU at the lower priced end of things, and operates really well considering the price. Other bonus features like a fingerprint sensor on the keyboard make this seem like a much more high-end piece of kit.
However, the sound quality isn’t great. Plus, as with most laptops in this price bracket, it is lacking if you’re looking to edit videos or 3D animations.
Final thoughts
So that’s our round up of the best budget laptops in 2023.
There are plenty of great budget offerings to be found when it comes to laptops. If you’re looking for a gaming laptop, expect to pay a little more. On the other hand, for Chromebooks and other web-based laptops, you will probably be able to trade performance and storage for a cheaper price. It’s worth weighing up what is important to you before diving in, but have faith – a good laptop is possible to find without breaking the bank.
Can you get a good laptop on a budget?
It’s still possible to get a laptop which provides solid performance for a lower price. You won’t have the speed or ultra-high-tech features of more pricey models, but there’s still plenty of good options that won’t break the bank.
How much should I spend on a laptop?
You can pick up a great Chromebook or other web-based laptop for less than $400, but don’t expect a great performance. Closer to the $600 mark is a good baseline, with $600-$800 offering great value models in many cases.
Our Verdict
