Gone are the days of huge PC towers taking up tons of desk space. Laptops with abundant power are everywhere nowadays as different companies create well-made mid-range laptops across various price ranges. Some of the best laptops even cost under $1,000. 2024 has been a big year for laptop releases, and we’ve gone hands-on with various devices from top brands.
Also: The best laptops of 2024
What is the best laptop under $1,000 right now?
Our pick for the best laptop under $1,000 is the M2 MacBook Air, due to its solid performance, portability, and HD display. With the March 2024 release of the M3 MacBook Air, the older M2 model received a much-appreciated price cut. This is great because the M2 model is still a highly regarded work laptop. Of course, the M2 MacBook Air isn’t the only option — check out our top picks for the best laptops under $1,000.
The best laptops under $1,000 of 2024
The best laptop under $1,000 is the M2 MacBook Air, which was also ZDNET’s Product of the Year for 2022. It’s a fantastic machine for a variety of reasons. The M2 SoC (system on a chip) allows the computer to handle enormous files, render videos, compress them, and help edit videos without slowing down.
Professional and casual users alike will appreciate the Liquid Retina display, which can show 1.07 billion shades of color. Granted, it may not be as stunning as the screen on the MacBook Pro, but you still get a roughly 2K resolution image (2,560 x 1,664 pixels). Having a screen this nice, however, comes at a cost. The M2 MacBook Air has a slightly worse battery life than the 2020 model, lasting about 16 hours instead of 17 hours.
Review: Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022) review: Sleeker, faster – and more expensive
Despite the slightly short battery life, the device is a premiere laptop. As ZDNET’s editor-in-chief Jason Hiner wrote in his hands-on review, “the M2 MacBook Air is… the first redesign of the… product line in over a decade, and Apple has delivered a hardware design that impresses” in both form and function.
Apple M2 MacBook Air tech specs: CPU Model: Apple M2 | RAM Memory: 8GB | Hard Disk Drive: 256GB SSD | Screen Size: 13.6 inches
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Finding a low-cost gaming laptop, especially one with current-gen hardware, can be difficult. Enjoying modern games in high resolution without performance drops requires powerful components. Many of the best models frequently cost over $1,000, but the Acer Nitro V 15 bucks this trend.
It has an AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card. That alone makes this laptop well worth the purchase. You’ll be playing the latest titles running at ultra-high resolution on this machine. Things don’t stop there. The display runs at a refresh rate of 144Hz, ensuring smooth performance. I would argue that having a fast refresh rate is more important in gaming than having a high resolution. It makes a world of difference.
The Acer Nitro V 15 can be an effective work laptop outside of gaming. It possesses the company’s PurifiedView, which automatically tweaks and adjusts the onboard webcam during video calls to make sure you look your best. PurifiedVoice reduces the amount of outside noise leaking in, and the NitroSense app lets you fine-tune your gaming experience. You can, for example, adjust the cooling fan speeds.
As great as this gaming laptop may be, it’s not perfect. One of the common complaints we’ve seen online is that the cooling fans can get really noisy when internal temperatures rise. Additionally, the battery isn’t very good on this model.
Acer Nitro V 15 tech specs: CPU Model: AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS | RAM Memory: 8GB | Hard Disk Drive: 512GB SSD | Screen Size: 15.6 inches
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The flexibility of 2-in-1 laptops offers unique utility. One minute, you can be using a traditional laptop, typing away on the keyboard, and the next, you can be drawing on a tablet, after flipping the display around. Among the low-cost options, the Lenovo Yoga 7i is the best.
The Yoga 7i’s success is due to three factors: its hardware, its display, and its design. First, the device houses the decently powerful Intel Core Ultra 5 alongside 16GB of RAM, making it robust and speedy enough to handle a wide array of tasks easily. Additionally, it offers a good amount of storage courtesy of its 512GB SSD.
Review: The 2-in-1 laptop that I recommend for college juggles work and play seamlessly
There’s also a 16-inch Full HD touchscreen that ZDNET Editor Kyle Kucharski referred to as “dynamic… [adding] another dimension to Windows” and allowing “flexible usage.” It is not particularly bright, maxing out at 300 nits (you’re better off not using this laptop under the sun). Design-wise, Lenovo made several great choices: It’s slim yet durable, and the hinges feel particularly strong, minimizing screen wobble.
Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 tech specs: CPU Model: Intel Core Ultra 5 Series 1 | RAM Memory: 16GB | Hard Disk Drive: 512GB SSD | Screen Size: 16 inches
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Lenovo’s IdeaPad 3i is great to take with you from point A to point B and anywhere in between. It’s a lightweight machine, weighing 3.74 pounds and measuring 0.7 inches at its thickest. Don’t be fooled by its thin visage — the device packs a lot of muscle.
It houses an Intel Core i7-1255U processor alongside 16GB of DDR4 RAM, enabling speedy performance. The hardware is supported by AI features such as Smart Wireless, which ensures that Wi-Fi connections don’t suddenly drop.
Also: Lenovo’s excellent IdeaPad 3i is about to be $300 off at Walmart – and I don’t expect the deal to last
It sports a full HD touchscreen that allows you to enjoy high-resolution content. The glass is even covered in an anti-glare, maintaining visibility under brightly-lit conditions. Lenovo’s model also has a 720p webcam and two 1.5W Dolby Audio speakers for immersive video calls. The major downside to the IdeaPad 3i is its battery only lasts about six hours.
If you’re looking for a lightweight laptop that can last the whole day, we suggest the IdeaPad Slim 3i with the Intel Core i5-1335U. It isn’t as powerful, but the second configuration can run up to 10 hours on a single charge.
Lenovo IdeaPad 3i specs: CPU Model: Intel Core Ultra 7 1255UH | RAM Memory: 16GB | Hard Disk Drive: 512GB | Screen Size: 15.6 inches
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The Acer Aspire Go 15 has earned its spot as the best laptop for value. It’s the cheapest option on our list and serves as a solid work machine. The device has an Intel Core i3-N305 processor, an integrated Intel UHD graphics card, and 8GB of RAM. It’s a lightweight laptop that can handle various tasks, from internet browsing to writing documents and streaming movies. Due to its mid-range hardware, the Aspire 3’s battery can last quite a while — about 10 hours on a single charge, according to ZDNET Editor Kyle Kucharsaki.
Review: This Acer laptop is my go-to recommendation for budget shoppers (and it’s on sale)
If you check out the Amazon reviews for the laptop, you’ll notice many people like the display. The summary explicitly points out that users enjoy how it “provides crisp visuals and vibrant colors.” That’s probably because Acer gave this model a 15.6-inch Full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) IPS display.
Like the HP Pavilion Plus, IPS tech allows the computer to show vibrant colors. It even supports Acer BlueLightShield, which lowers the amount of harmful blue light sent to your eyes. Professional users will appreciate the good port selection, including USB-C, HDMI, and two USB-A inputs.
Another great feature worth mentioning is its large cooling fan, which ensures the model is always at an optimal temperature.
Acer Aspire Go 15 tech specs: CPU Model: Intel Core i3-N305 | RAM Memory: 8GB LPDDR5 | Hard Disk Drive: 128GB | Screen Size: 15.6 inches
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OLED isn’t just for expensive laptops, and the Asus Zenbook 14 is proof. It has the best screen out of all the entries on this list, sporting a Full HD OLED. The resolution may not be super high, but it does ensure vibrant colors and deep blacks. It’s made even better by the thin bezels surrounding the glass, enabling a 16:10 aspect ratio. This makes the screen appear bigger than it actually is.
Another great aspect of this laptop is how energy-efficient it is. During our tests, the model ran for about 12 hours on a single charge before we ran for the power adapter. Part of this longevity is due to the optimizations applied to the OLED. Under the hood is an Intel Core Ultra 125H, an integrated Intel graphics card, and 8GB of RAM.
Review: One of the most versatile laptops I’ve tested also has one of the best displays
A configuration like that won’t demand too much from the battery. You might think that the laptop delivers poor performance because it is so energy efficient, but not so. It houses a neural processing unit (NPU) for AI to support the CPU and GPU “by taking some of the load off them.”
This Asus model is also ultra-lightweight, clocking in at under three pounds. Contrary to its thin design, the laptop is quite tough, thanks to a body made primarily of aluminum and a screen sporting Corning Gorilla Glass.
Asus Zenbook 14 specs: CPU Model: Intel Core Ultra 5 125H | RAM Memory: 8GB | Hard Disk Drive: 512GB SSD | Screen Size: 14 inches
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On the surface, the Asus Vivobook 15 looks pretty unassuming. It just seems like your average everyday work laptop — nothing special. This device is much more than that. It is a highly capable, low-budget machine sure to outshine its more expensive rivals.
Asus sells this model across multiple configurations, and they’re all cheap. We highly recommend getting the Vivobook 15 with 40GB of RAM and the 1TB SSD. Having that amount of memory will make multitasking a breeze. You will never have to worry about your computer slowing down during peak workloads. Apps will run faster, the Vivobook will be able to do highly intensive tasks, and you’ll enjoy speedy internet browsing.
The laptop also has an interesting ErgoLift design, meaning the display lifts the computer when opened. This does two important things. First, it forces the keyboard to sit at a slanted angle, allowing for comfortable typing. Second, it ensures good airflow, so the heat from the bottom vents has a place to go and isn’t trapped underneath.
As mentioned earlier, you have multiple options. The Vivobook 15 is available in a 2TB configuration if you want extra storage. For those who want to save some money, Asus offers lesser configurations at a lower price. Don’t worry about missing out on memory. The other laptops still offer a good amount of RAM for tough workloads.
Asus Vivobook 15 tech specs: CPU Model: Intel Core i7-1255U | RAM Memory: 40GB | Hard Disk Drive: 1TB | Screen Size: 15.6 inches
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For years, good-performing Windows on ARM laptops have been something of a pipe dream. Manufacturers were close to releasing a great ARM computer, but no one was successful. That was until Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus chipset hit the scene, and then we had an explosion of awesome Windows laptops with ARM chips. One of these machines is Dell’s latest Inspiron 14.
This lightweight work computer houses the aforementioned Snapdragon X Plus chip, which strikes a great balance of power and longevity. Its solid performance is also due to the Qualcomm Hexagon NPU (neural processing unit).
Dell claims its model can last up to 28 hours of local HD video playback on a single charge. A battery life that long may seem ridiculous, but speaking from experience, 28 hours is achievable with the right adjustments and use cases. You can work on this machine for hours without worrying about it dying.
Other notable features include a lightweight design, a Full HD Plus display, and up to a 1TB SSD. It’s worth mentioning that the Inspiron 14 has a Plus model. The other version has a Snapdragon X Elite for even better hardware performance.
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 specs: CPU Model: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus | RAM Memory: 16GB | Hard Disk Drive: 256GB | Screen Size: 14 inches
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The best laptop under $1,000 is Apple’s M2 MacBook Air. It delivers on multiple fronts: great performance, a nice screen, a lightweight design, and so on. Don’t discount the other options, though — they’re all solid picks. Below is a table comparing the best laptops by price, CPU, storage size, and screen size to make your decision process easier.
All big decisions require a lot of research. Thankfully, we did a lot of the heavy lifting for you, searching up the key specs of the best laptops under $1,000. Below is a table comparing the best laptops in this list by price, CPU model, and screen size.
| Best laptop under $1,000 | Lowest price available | CPU | Screen size | Storage size |
| Apple M2 MacBook Air | $799 | M2 | 13.6 inches | 256GB |
| Acer Nitro V 15 | $780 | AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS | 15.6 inches | 512GB |
| Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 | $900 | Intel Core Ultra 7 155U | 16 inches | 1TB |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3i | $480 | Intel Core i7-1255U | 15 inches | 512GB |
| Acer Aspire Go 15 | $264 | Intel Core i3-N305 | 15.6 inches | 128GB |
| Asus Zenbook 14 | $500 | Intel Core Ultra 5 125H | 14 inches | 512GB |
| Asus Vivobook 15 | $230 | Intel Core i7-1255U | 15.6 inches | 1TB |
| Dell Inspiron 14 | $750 | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus | 14 inches | 256GB |
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The best laptop is the one that meets your needs. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all computer. As great as it is, the MacBook Air is a bad pick for people who want a gaming laptop. Mac hardware just isn’t built for that. Similarly, we don’t recommend small laptops if you want a machine with a lot of ports.
Read the chart below to find out which device works best for you.
| Choose this best laptop under $1,000…. | If you want…. |
| Apple M2 MacBook Air | A laptop for Apple users. Harnessing its M2 chip and 8GB of memory, this MacBook Air model offers solid performance plus a high-quality screen. |
| Acer Nitro V 15 | The best cheap gaming laptop. Thanks to this device’s Nvidia RTX 40-series GPU and Full HD display, you can enjoy an immersive gaming experience. |
| Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 | The best 2-in-1 laptop. Lenovo’s machine delivers great performance and a high-resolution display inside a slim, portable form factor. |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3i | The best laptop for college. It’s a lightweight machine housing speedy hardware and a Full HD touchscreen for playing high-resolution content. |
| Acer Aspire Go 15 | The best value laptop under $1,000. This solid work machine is capable of tackling multiple types of tasks and can last up to 10 hours on a single charge. |
| Asus Zenbook 14 | The laptop with the best screen. Asus’ model boasts a 14-inch OLED capable of displaying videos in vibrant color. |
| Asus Vivobook 15 | The best work laptop under $1,000. This lightweight laptop boasts serious muscle, as evidenced by its 40GB of RAM and 12th-Gen Intel Core CPU. |
| Dell Inspiron 14 | A long-lasting laptop. Thanks to its energy-efficient Snapdragon X chipset, this computer can last all day and have enough gas in the tank to stream movies. |
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A great laptop doesn’t have to cost a fortune. To determine the best laptops under $1,000, there are several factors you should consider.
- CPU Model: A good processor allows your computer to quickly complete workloads and tackle the tasks at hand. Look for a newer processor boasting faster speeds to guarantee a high-performing machine.
- RAM: Consider how much memory your computer will need. If you deal with many files, you’ll need more RAM than the average user.
- Screen size: Picking out the best screen size is usually a matter of preference. Laptops under $1,000 tend to have small display screens, ranging from 12.3 inches to 15.6 inches. It is, however, possible to find laptops that are both bigger and smaller than this specific range.
- Price: The pric is, of course, the most important factor here, so pay attention. We find that the best devices range between $500 and $800, depending on the make and model you choose.
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Here at ZDNET, we receive many laptops to review. Many could’ve made the list, so to separate the best from the rest, we followed the guidelines in the previous question. We tested the device’s processor, memory, and screen size as well as considered its cost. From there, we tested the laptops even further by running labor-intensive apps to see how well they perform.
Also: How we test laptops
Once all the testing was done, we came to a consensus on the best ones that suit a wide variety of customers and use cases. We then rounded up the best devices in the above list.
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There isn’t a specific brand that is best or the cheapest. It varies a lot of the time. One company might have the best low-cost laptop this year, and in the next year, it’ll be another. That said, there are several brands you should look out for when purchasing a cheap laptop: Dell, Acer, Asus, and Lenovo. Models from these frequently appear on this list because they’re among the best.
You’ll occasionally see a great low-cost device from other famous brands like Apple or lesser-known companies, but those deals are rarer. If you want a particular MacBook, you may have to wait until the following year, when the company may offer a substantial discount.
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Longevity is an important factor to consider when purchasing a laptop. You don’t need to sacrifice quality for an inexpensive machine. A low-cost computer can last just as long, if not longer, than a more expensive one.
Asus ranks high on several reliability lists. The company is lauded for equipping its machines with sturdy designs, “strengthened hinges, and shock-resistant hard drives.” Of course, they’re also lightweight and powerful. The US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) even found Asus to be one of the best brands in terms of repairability in 2024.
Other notable laptop brands include Dell, Microsoft, and Acer.
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Most people would say that you need to replace a laptop when you begin to experience performance degradation. That is certainly one factor you should look for; however, it’s possible you’re simply behind on your software updates. In this case, we recommend merely installing your computer’s latest patches to bring it up to snuff.
There are other factors to consider, such as constant crashes and random restarts, which can be signs that the hard drive is failing. Additionally, exceptionally loud cooling fans are another sign that the device is nearing its final days. You can certainly try to fix the laptop yourself, but you’ll need a lot of experience in computer repair to get things done right — or risk damaging the hardware. You’re better off buying a new machine.
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Chromebooks are a great series of low-cost laptops created by several third-party manufacturers. Instead of Windows, they run ChromeOS. These devices are generally less expensive than laptops, perform similarly to a Windows machine, and have a long battery life. Chromebooks require very little maintenance as they don’t have much on-device software.
Chromebooks are a great option for people on a budget. The main downside to owning one is the need for constant internet access to work properly. Many of the functions run on Google’s cloud servers, so if you’re ever away from an internet connection or the service is down, you won’t be able to use a Chromebook to its fullest extent.
Additionally, Chromebooks have limited storage space and processing power compared to Windows laptops.
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