Laptops still remain one of the handiest and most versatile tech products money can buy, but not all of us have a thousand quid to spend on one. Budget laptops may be more limited in what they can do, but you can get a bargain with one of these budget models.
It’s possible to get a pretty solid laptop without spending a lot, especially if you’re smart and buy something during the current sale season. You can even get Intel Core i3 devices with touchscreens and SSDs, and we’re constantly monitoring the best prices.
If your budget is just a bit higher, we recommend looking at our best budget (under $500/£500) laptops; otherwise, here’s a selection of sub-$500/£300 models that will suffice for casual tasks and get you out of a straitjacket.
Some will be available for much less and occasionally, perhaps with an additional voucher code, you can get one for less than $100/£100. Just be prepared for very basic specs.
Best places to buy budget laptops
There are plenty of places where you can buy a cheap laptop, including the following:
And in the UK:
You can also go directly to manufacturers:
There are many more great deals on all kinds of technology on our main deals site.
Best cheap laptop deals in the US
Asus E410 (renewed)
1
From: Amazon
Laundry: $195
Now:
$139
($56 off)
The Asus E410 is still the best budget laptop money can buy, and at less than $140 for a refurbished model, it’s a real bargain and is backed by the 90-day Amazon Renewed Guarantee.
HP envy 2
![HP envy 2](https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/HP-Envy-2.jpg?quality=50&strip=all)
2
From: BestBuy
Laundry: $799.99
Now:
$499.99
($300 off + Norton 360 Deluxe)
A thin, light, and powerful laptop for less than $500 is rare, but this full-size Envy 2 in Nightfall Black is a great option thanks to a massive $300 discount and you get 6 months of Norton for free.
Acer Aspire Vero
![Acer Aspire Vero](https://pricespy-75b8.kxcdn.com/product/standard/800/5913164.jpg?quality=50&strip=all)
3
From: BestBuy
Laundry: $629.99
Now:
$449.99
($180 off)
This eco-friendly laptop from Acer has a chassis made from recycled materials and this model has a Core i5 processor and 512GB SSD for less than $450.
Apple MacBook Air (M2)
![Apple MacBook Air (M2)](https://bilder.macwelt.de/4349601_original.jpg?quality=50&strip=all)
4
From: BestBuy
Laundry: $1,199
Now:
$1,049
($150 off)
The latest M2 MacBook Air fluctuates quite a bit in price, but there’s a decent $150 discount on the base model. Available in all colorways.
Acer Aspire5
![Acer Aspire5](https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/acer-aspire-5-1.jpg?quality=50&strip=all)
5
From: Amazon
Laundry: $379.99
Now:
$317
($62 off)
Performance and ruggedly built on a budget, the Acer Aspire 5 is a fantastic laptop for over $300. It features an Intel Core i3-1115G4 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of PCIe SSD storage.
Best cheap laptop deals in UK
Asus VivoBook E510MA
![Asus VivoBook E510MA](https://images.techadvisor.com/cmsdata/deal/3811513/asus_vivobook_e510.jpg?quality=50&strip=all)
1
From: Amazon
Laundry: £279.99
Now:
£234.53
(£45.46 off + Microsoft 365)
This full-size Vivobook is already cheap and you can save even more and also get an annual subscription to Microsoft Office 365. A bargain if we ever saw one.
Acer Aspire 1
![Acer Aspire 1](https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/10226581.webp)
2
From: Box
Laundry: £299
Now:
£199
(£100 off)
Get this 14-inch Acer with 64GB of storage and plenty of ports for less than £200. That’s a bargain price if a basic Intel Celeron processor is all you need.
Alternatively, you can get the 128 GB model from Curries for £229.
Lenovo IdeaPad 3
![Lenovo IdeaPad 3](https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Lenovo-IdeaPad-3-Amazon.jpg?quality=50&strip=all)
3
From: Amazon
Laundry: £399.99
Now:
£279
(£120.99 off)
A laptop this good for under £300 is a rare find. Lenovo’s IdeaPad range is reliable and this model comes with a Ryzen 3 processor, 128GB SSD and a full 15.6in screen.
HP 15s
![HP 15s](https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/HP-15s-fq2003sa.jpg?quality=50&strip=all)
4
From: Very
Laundry: £369
Now:
£279
(£90 off + Microsoft 365)
This full-size laptop from HP is a bargain price for basic tasks on a large screen.
You also get a year of Microsoft 365 worth £59.99.
Acer 315 Chromebook
![Acer 315 Chromebook](https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Acer-315-Chromebook.jpg?quality=50&strip=all)
5
From: Curries
Laundry: £379
Now:
£229
(£150 off)
There’s a cool £150 off the original RRP of this Chromebook from the trusty Acer, which has a Full HD display, Intel Pentium processor and 128GB of storage.
How to find a lot on a budget laptop
We review budget laptops all year round and our favorite model right now is the Asus E410, which offers a great all-round experience, despite expected weaknesses such as poor maximum screen brightness. While the most affordable SKU can be picked up directly from Asus for £229.99, a more powerful version is available from the likes of Curriesrunning on Intel Pentium silicon, rather than a Celeron chipset.
The mere fact that most laptop lines have different SKUs means you have to be careful what you buy: that laptop you just read about in that glowing review may not necessarily be the same laptop you just found for a soft price. Check for things like screen size and resolution, processor model, and amount and type of RAM and storage.
For many people, those cheaper options will be more than enough for their needs, but it always helps to have an idea of what to look for in the first place. This way, if you see a great laptop deal that we haven’t mentioned here, you can find out if it’s a good buy or not.
The main things to look out for are the processor, memory, and both the type and amount of storage. At under $500 / £300 you’re unlikely to find anything higher than an Intel Core i3 / AMD A-series or Ryzen 3 processor; if you find a Core i5, pick up that laptop right away. You won’t find a better deal.
You’ll also see Intel Pentium and Celeron processors listed, and these are less powerful options commonly found in older models and Chromebooks/CloudBooks, but still more than capable if your needs are simple. By that, we mean you’re looking for something that’s good for homework, answering emails, browsing the web or social media, and watching a single video.
These setups come with integrated graphics and at this price you shouldn’t expect to find a dedicated graphics card. Your laptop will be more than capable of playing YouTube and movies, plus some casual games, but if you’re really after something capable of high-fidelity gaming, we’d suggest bumping your budget up to £ 500+ and going for a Core i5 as the bare minimum.
At this price you’re likely to find 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD, although at the budget end of the market you’ll often find solid-state storage being replaced by a traditional mechanical hard drive. The advantage of this is more storage space; the downside is that they are slower, a bit noisier and more fragile.
The size of the screen and the overall design of a laptop become purely personal choices. You’ll find anything from 11-inch to 15.6-inch screens at this price point; a handful with Full HD displays (1080p), but most with HD displays (720p). Smaller laptops are generally more portable, but it’s easier to get things done on a bigger screen; especially if you want to watch videos, play casual games or work with spreadsheets.
Don’t forget about Chromebooks, which your kids might be familiar with from school. The difference between this and traditional Windows laptops is the operating system installed on it; with Chromebooks instead of Chrome OS. You’ll also find CloudBooks, which runs Microsoft’s understated Windows 10 S.