Best Affordable Laptops – For Daily Use 2021

Buying a laptop in 2021 will most likely be determined by several factors but some are. Constant as you can find on my laptop guide here. But for the average user, this list is comprehensive and include budget laptops for

  1. A student
  2. Blogger
  3. Work and many more.

You can now pick up a complete and very portable Windows 10 laptop. With a CPU strong enough to operate, for between $350 and $500 for use at work, in school, or at home. Full-functional Chromebooks and hybrid systems may also be easily found. Which provide both laptop and tablet functions on one device for as low as $300.

You should be prepared to compromise in one aspect or another, however. While it’s certainly possible to find a powerful laptop with a 15-inch screen, you might have to make do with a flimsy keyboard and touchpad. Likewise, you could buy an impeccably made ultraportable. That uses a powerful CPU and a less storage drive to achieve its low price. Understanding these trade-offs, and matching up a budget laptop’s strengths and weaknesses with what you will do with it is the key to making a happy purchase. Here are some of the chosen and tested laptops that fit the mid-range bracket.

1. Best laptop at 300 USD

Dell Inspiron 15 3000 15.6-inch laptop

Keep up the momentum

15.6-inch laptop with responsive performance in a sleek design with 2-sided narrow borders, PCIe SSDs, Express Charge*, and up to AMD Ryzenâ„¢ 7 3700U Mobile Processor.

Key specs

Processor

AMD Ryzenâ„¢ 3 3250U Mobile Processor with Radeonâ„¢ Graphics

Windows 10 Home (S mode) 64-bit, English

Graphics Card

Integrated graphics with AMD Radeon Vega 8

Display

15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-glare LED Backlight Non-touch Narrow Border WVA Display

Storage

256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive

Memory RAM

8GB, 1x8GB, DDR4, 2400MHz

Battery capacity

3-Cell, 42 WHr, Integrated battery

Wireless Connection

802.11ac 1×1 WiFi and Bluetooth

Ports

1 USB 2.0 port
2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports
1 Headset (headphone and microphone combo) port
1 RJ45 – 10/100Mbps Ethernet port
1 HDMI 1.4 port
1 Power-adapter port

Pros

  • Inexpensive, with plenty of configuration options
  • Speakers deliver adequate volume
  • Comfortable keyboard
  • Dedicated number keys
  • HDMI and Ethernet ports included
  • Good battery life

Cons

  • Some models ship with Windows 10 S Mode
  • No USB-C ports
  • Low-quality HD screen
  • Touchpad tracking takes patience

Conclusion

You can find plenty of decent Chromebooks below $400, but relatively few inspiring Windows laptops priced that low. One exception is Dell’s Inspiron 3000 series, which comes in three screen and chassis sizes. The Inspiron 15 3000 configuration reviewed here has a 15-inch screen, starts at just $293, and rings up at $369 as tested. It boasts all of the physical characteristics of a solid low-cost laptop, but this version suffers a bit from lackluster performance and, especially, ho-hum display quality in its lower price ranks. If your budget is strict, you can abide by these deficiencies. If instead, you can afford an extra $30 or so, you can pick up an AMD Ryzen or Intel Core version with a full HD screen that would improve your computing experience immensely.

2. Best Laptop Under 500 USD

HP Pavilion Laptop – 15z-eh000 touch optional

key features

Operating system

Windows 10 Home
Windows 10 Pro 6

Processor and graphics

AMD Ryzenâ„¢ 7 4700U (2.0 GHz, up to 4.1 GHz, 8 MB L3 cache, 8 cores) + AMD Radeonâ„¢ Graphics

Memory

8 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM (2 X 4 GB)
12 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM (1 x 4 GB, 1 x 8 GB)
16 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM (2 x 8 GB)

Storage

128 GB M.2 SSD
256 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
512 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
1 TB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD

Primary battery

3-cell, 41 Wh Lithium-ion prismatic Battery

Wireless technology

Realtek Wi-Fi 5 (2×2) and Bluetooth® 5 Combo (MU-MIMO supported)
Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX 200 (2×2) and Bluetooth® 5 combo (Supporting Gigabit file transfer speeds)

My Thoughts

What We Like

  • Attractive design
  • Metal construction feels very solid
  • Responsive touchscreen

What We Don’t Like

  • No full HD display
  • Display is a little washed out
  • Entire case flexes when using the keyboard

Bottom line

HP is currently selling its latest Pavilion 15z laptop equipped with one of AMD’s fastest U-series CPUs for just under USD 490. Users must click “customize & buy”, select the “natural silver” color option, backlit keyboard option, and the Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 module to see the final price. Opting out of Wi-Fi 6 can save users another USD 10 if desired.

The sale is notable for two reasons. Firstly, the Ryzen 7 4700U is faster than the pricier 10th gen Intel Core i7-1065G7 and even the 11th gen Core i7-1165G7 in multi-threaded loads. Secondly, this Pavilion 15z uses a newer chassis design that is significantly sleeker and more modern than the older, rounder models. In other words, users aren’t getting last year’s trimmings just because they’re paying cheaper prices.

The main drawback is the IPS display which covers just ~60 percent of sRGB instead of the usual >90 percent on pricier mid-range or higher-end models. Don’t expect colors to be as vibrant or accurate as on an HP Envy or Spectre. RAM and storage are limited but technically user-expandable.

3. Best laptop under 400usd

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15.6-inch laptop

Key Specifications

Processor Model

AMD Ryzen 3 3000 Series

System Memory (RAM)

8 gigabytes

Graphics

AMD Radeon

System Memory (RAM)

8 gigabytes

Solid State Drive Capacity

128 gigabytes

Screen Resolution

1920 x 1080 (Full HD)

My Thoughts

While the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 has its weaknesses, it also has some strengths too – not least the low price that you can now pick the laptop up for. It definitely ticks those boxes if you’re primarily concerned with day-to-day computing tasks, affordability, and durability.

REASONS TO BUY

  • +Robust, durable build
  • +Comfortable typing experience
  • +Affordable price

REASONS TO AVOID

  • -Screen could be brighter
  • -Average battery life
  • -Low-powered components

4. Best Laptop at 450 USD

Acer Aspire 5 (A515-54-51DJ)

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Price as reviewed$530
Display size/resolution15.6-inch 1,920 x 1,080 display
CPU1.6GHz Intel Core i5-8265U
PC Memory RAM8GB DDR4 2667MHz
Graphics128MB Intel UHD Graphics 620
Storage256GB SSD
Networking802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless; Bluetooth 5.0
Operating systemWindows 10 Home (64-bit)

My Thoughts

The Acer Aspire 5 is a 15.6-inch thin-and-light that definitely delivers more performance for your money than you might expect. Though it starts low, the $450 configuration I tested is a comfortable middle ground that’s full-featured enough for typical work, home, and school tasks. But even if you decide to go all out on upgrades, this model doesn’t break the $900 mark and you’ll get a workhorse laptop that won’t win any beauty contests but should last you well into the future.

Best laptops @ 450USD

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Dell – Inspiron 15.6″ FHD Touch Laptop

Price at review 449 USD
Display size/resolution1920 x 1080 (Full HD) 15.6 inches
CPUAMD Ryzen 5 3000 Series
Processor Speed 2.1 gigahertz
PC Memory RAM8 GB
GraphicsAMD Radeon Vega 8
Storage256 SSD
Networking802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless; Bluetooth 5.0
Operating systemWindows 10 Home in S mode

My Thoughts

Though we have no hands-on this PC gauging by the reviews it’s proving one of the best budget laptops for the Buck. Ryzen 5 series is a powerful processor in combination with the AMD vega makes this a good Laptop.

More Laptops @ 450USD

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Front Zoom. Lenovo - Ideapad 3 15 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i3 - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Abyss Blue.

Front Zoom. HP - 15.6" Laptop Intel Core i3 - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Natural Silver.

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