The best cheap laptop deals

The best cheap laptop on a desk with a user on the keyboard
(Image credit: Unsplash)

SynopsisFind the best cheap laptop deals all in one place.

There are so many choices when it comes to laptops that choosing the right one for you can be overwhelming, and it's important to remember a cheaper price doesn't mean losing out on great quality! Knowing what you're going to be primarily using the laptop for is a great way to gauge what specs you need, and high specs like SSD storage and higher RAM are usually where the price starts to go up but you'll only really need the high-end options if you're doing more intense work, 

If you're looking for a laptop for more concentrated needs, we have dedicated guides to things like the best laptop for drawing and the best laptop for students. Once you have your shiny new machine, why not check out the best laptop bags to make sure you can safely carry your laptop around.

The best cheap laptop deals

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Cheapest laptops on sale: Acer Swift 1CB

(Image credit: Acer)

01. Acer Swift 1

Plenty of ports and metal body mean durable quality

Specifications

Processor : Intel® Pentium® Silver N5000
Graphics: Intel® UHD Graphics 605
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 256Gb
Display: 35.6 cm, full HD

Reasons to buy

+
Great 20-hour battery life
+
Sleek design
+
Fingerprint scanner

Reasons to avoid

-
Tendency to be a bit slower

You will be able to take on your everyday computing needs with ease with this laptop, and boasting the best battery life of all these laptops, you won't have to stop to recharge for a second.

Its fingerprint scanner is a nice security addition, and for the average price of a Chromebook, you get Windows 10, and access to all your favourite apps and programs – from Microsoft Office to Photoshop Elements. Perfect for school, college and university students, its metal body is durable, weights a slight 1.3kg, and has an array of ports for all uses. It's no wonder this takes the top spot as one of the best cheap laptop deals.

Cheapest laptops on sale: HP Pavilion x360CB endorsed

(Image credit: HP)

02. HP Pavilion x360

A beautiful hybrid laptop with aspirations

Specifications

Processor : Intel® Core™ i3
Graphics: Intel® UHD Graphics
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB
Display: 14-inch

Reasons to buy

+
Beautiful build
+
Great value
+
Quality keyboard 

Reasons to avoid

-
Shorter battery life

As with most of these laptop choices, there are a few models to chose from within HP's Pavilion x360 range – starting from the asking price of $349.99 / £349.99 all the way to just under a grand. But we think the entry level iterations are a cracking choice as a everyday-use laptop and great value for money.

For the HP Pavilion x360 14, you'll get Windows 10 Home 64, 4GB of RAM and 128GB storage, and an 11.6-inch HD touch display. You'll also get a beautifully design hybrid laptop that's fun to just hold, and flip backwards or forwards to use as laptop of tablet. The HP Pavilion x360 is more robust than sleek, so if you like a laptop that doesn't feel like it's going to fall apart, at 0.8-inches thick and weighing in at 1.6 kg, this is the laptop for you.  

Cheapest laptops on sale: Acer Aspire 3CB endorsed

(Image credit: Acer)

03. Acer Aspire 3

Massive storage for everyday use

Specifications

Processor: Intel Core i3
Graphics: Intel® HD Graphics 620
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 1TB
Display: 15.6-inch, HD

Reasons to buy

+
Great price and value
+
Huge storage
+
Windows 11 compatibility

Reasons to avoid

-
Can't handle lots of programmes at once

The Acer Aspire 3 A315-51-31RD, is a special laptop. Not only will it serve you well for all your everyday computing needs, but with its 1TB (1,000GB) storage, it'll hold all the documents and media files you're likely to use on it. It even comes with a 2TB hard drive, but with that comes a higher asking price. 

It comes with a large keyboard and a compact number pad, and a medium-sized touchpad. It's all-plastic body is smooth and all-black, with thin bezels. It's also got an 180 degree hinge offering welcome flexibility, for the more robust user. And with HDMI, ethernet, and two USB ports, it's a great, affordable allrounder laptop. 

Cheapest laptops on sale: Surface Go 2

(Image credit: Microsoft)

04. Surface Go 2

Microsoft's ultra-portable laptop

Specifications

Processor: 8th Gen Intel® Core m3 Processor
Graphics: Intel® UHD Graphics 615
RAM: 4GB / 8GB
Storage: 64GB / 128GB
Display: 10.5-inch

Reasons to buy

+
Great price
+
Solid graphics
+
Lovely display and speakers

Reasons to avoid

-
Not the best battery life

The Microsoft Surface Go 2 is a beautifully portable 10.5-inch laptop that does what it does brilliantly. This is a laptop for browsing, not high-end 3D modelling, but with the higher end iteration going up to 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, it will handle several tabs, media players and websites running at the same time easily.

The lower end Surface Go 2 comes in at just under $400/£400, but does not come with the Surface Go Type Cover (which, for $129.99, we would say is essential to get). You'll get 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, and around eight hours of constant use from a fully charged battery. Running Windows 10 Home, and weighing in at around 544 grams, all of this makes this a reliable, ultra-portable laptop for everyday needs.

Cheapest laptops on sale: Acer Aspire 5

(Image credit: Acer)

05. Acer Aspire 5

Thin, light and a total bargain

Specifications

Processor: Intel® Core™ i5
Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® MX250
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256GB
Display: 15.6-inch, full HD

Reasons to buy

+
Affordable price tag
+
Great entry-level laptop
+
Good battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
Touchpad can be slow

Representing the more mid-range level of laptops in the list, the Acer Aspire 5 is a great laptop if you want a future-proof laptop, whose components won't go out of date soon, under the $400/£400 mark.

This is a durable budget laptop that will see you through all the doc-opening, web-browsing and email-answering you want. And with its sizeable screen, and a weight of 2.20kg (4.85 pounds), the Acer Aspire 5 is quite a large laptop, but certainly not too heavy to carry around for everyday needs.

The best cheap laptop deals (for a bit more money)

Cheapest laptops on sale: MacBook Air

(Image credit: Apple)

06. Apple MacBook Air

The cheapest Apple MacBook out there

Specifications

Processor: Intel Core i5
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 6000
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB – 256GB SSD
Screen: 13-inch (1440 x 9000)

Reasons to buy

+
Lightning fast processor
+
Epic battery life
+
Thin and light

Reasons to avoid

-
Limited port selection

This is the most expensive laptop that you'll find in our cheapest laptops on sale list, but if you've got a little bit more to spend, and you want that money to reflect increased specs and flawless design, this is the MacBook Air is a great choice. It's also the cheapest option you'll get if you head over to the Apple store. 

That makes it well worth mentioning here, considering the brilliance of Apple's pre-loaded programs, which have helped to make Apple products the go-to devices for creatives all over the world for the last couple of decades. This iteration has an upgraded processor and more RAM than previous versions, as well.

Cheapest laptops on sale: PixelBook Go

(Image credit: Google)

07. PixelBook Go

The best Chromebook for everyday use

Specifications

Processor: 8th-generation Intel Core m3
Graphics: Full HD
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 64GB
Screen: 13.3-inch, LCD touchscreen

Reasons to buy

+
Silky smooth running
+
Really long battery life
+
1080p webcam

Reasons to avoid

-
No biometric login options

The diminutive sibling to Google's higher-end Pixelbook, the Pixelbook Go starts around under the $700/£700 mark, which is definitely at the higher end of budget laptops. However, for sheer class and ease of use, due the stellar components that you get, this is a great bargain, and one of the best entry level Chromebooks out there. 

Of course, being a Chromebook, this will work on Google Chrome OS operating system, running cloud-based applications and storing a lot of data online, so a solid internet connection for its user is essential. Its design is slim and light, its frame made from magnesium alloy with a matte finish, and it weighs in at 2.3 pounds and is 0.5-inches thin. On top on that, it offers a back-lit keyboard, and a 1080p front-facing camera,  two elements that you won't find on most of the laptops here.

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Beren Neale
Ecom Editor

Beren has worked on creative titles at Future Publishing for over 13 years. Cutting his teeth as Staff Writer on the digital art magazine ImagineFX, he moved on to edit several creative titles, and is currently the Ecommerce Editor on the most effective creative website in the world. When he's not testing and reviewing the best ergonomic office chairs, phones, laptops, TVs, monitors and various types of storage, he can be found finding and comparing the best deals on the tech that creatives value the most.

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