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LPGuard’s Best Budget-Friendly Laptops In 2021

Budget laptops should be powerful enough to handle your daily computing tasks. With that being said, here’s our list of the best budget laptops in the market today. 

Trusted Reviews

Low-cost laptops often mean sluggish down to the core. However, that shouldn’t be the case. That’s because the market is crowded with too much technology. But there’s a catch. You need to find the perfect balance of price and features. 

With that said, you need to have a keen eye on every possible detail. Whether you’re running Chrome OS or Windows 10, finding the best laptop that fits your budget is key. But don’t fret. We got the best budget laptops in the market today. 

Acer Aspire 5 (2020 Ryzen 7, A515-44-R2SA)

PCWorld

If you’re a fan of premium laptops, but you’re on a tight budget, the Acer Aspire 5 is worth considering. Moreover, it’s a cost-effective and general-use laptop. Let’s dive into a few technicalities, shall we? 

First, it’s powered by the swift Ryzen 7 processor and 512 SSD storage. That’s an excellent spec for a budget laptop. While it features a basic design, it doesn’t really have big issues. In fact, it comes with a wide range of ports. 

Although it doesn’t excel in the high-processing department, it’s a pretty decent everyday-laptop nonetheless. In addition, it has a 1920x1080p native resolution. And with decent picture quality, you can’t go wrong with this budget laptop. 

Dell Inspiron 14 5000 (2019)

Laptop Mag

The Dell Inspiron 14 500 just gives off the budget vibe. It’s a mid-range laptop that can handle daily computing tasks. Likewise, the 5000 version comes in a plastic case and is powered by a 10th Gen “Ice Lake” Intel Core CPU.

Moreover, Dell has four versions of this particular model. All of which has a 14-inch screen with 1920 x 1080p resolution. It has 4GB of memory and a 128GB SSD. This laptop is slightly bulkier for a 14-inch notebook and can be a bit insufficient. 

Also, you need to be careful of its plastic lid and keyboard deck. It kinda feels under pressure that you doubt it can’t hold up against bumps and bruises from daily use. In addition, sufficient for general use. It loads quickly and can do some minor multitasking jobs. 

Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 2-in-1 (7486)

TechRadar

The Inspiron Chromebook 14 2-in-1 (7486) is Dell’s sexiest, most sophisticated Chromebook. It has good build quality, decent display, long battery life, and a beautiful design. This Dell Chromebook features a 14-inch full HD LCD touchscreen, EMR stylus, 360-degree hinge with the 2-in-1 format, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, and Intel Core i3-8130U. 

Likewise, it’s a hybrid laptop that works as a tablet and laptop. The case is made from an aluminum case instead of a cheap plastic that you can often find in Chromebooks. As a result, the Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 gives you a premium look and feel. 

In addition, it has a rotating hinge, which means you can push the screen all the way back. Since it’s powered by Google Chrome OS, the Inspiron Chromebook 14 is a lightweight and cost-effective laptop. This laptop is good enough for writing, emails, and streaming. 

Dell Inspiron 13 5000

Digital Trends 

The Dell Inspiron 13 5000 comes in two versions. The WiFi and LTE. It features a 13.3-inch, 1080p non-touch for both Wi-Fi and LTE versions while the Wi-Fi is powered by an 8th Gen Intel Core i5 and the LTE uses an 8th Gen Intel Core i7. Both devices support up to 8GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, USB-C, USB 3.1, headphone, microSD, and HDMI port. 

This new Dell model uses a combination of plastic and metal enclosures. The metal gives it the feel of a premium grade laptop. However, it’s still a mid-range laptop that can’t compete with the XPS 13. Moreover, it uses the drop-hinge. It’s a mechanism that lifts the back of the laptop that improves air circulation and comfortable typing. The technology is similar to the Asus’ Ergolyft hinge. 

In addition, the LTE version features a standard touch screen, while the Wi-Fi version doesn’t. All-in-all, it provides a good combination of value and performance. However, if you want more power, the regular 13 5000 can be upgraded with an Intel Core i7 CPU. 

Acer Swift 3 (2020) 

Laptop Mag

The new Acer Swift 3 (2020) is an exceptional ultrabook for the common user. Thanks to its inexpensive price tag, lightweight and thin design, and long battery life. Moreover, it’s very portable and a great multitasking tool. 

It certainly surpasses anyone’s expectation for an inexpensive budget laptop. While budget laptops have the notoriety of providing inferior performance, the Swift line, however, proves that these laptops can perform better. 

The next time you see an Acer Swift 3, think that portability doesn’t have to mean a higher price tag. It’s impressive for its price. In fact, it’s one of our favorite Ultrabooks around. Additionally, it’s the epitome of budget laptops. 

Lenovo Yoga C640

Windows Central 

The Lenovo Yoga C640 is the best laptop for the average student. It features an excellent battery life, great display, portable and clean design, high-quality build, best value-for-money. This laptop eliminates the need to spend too much on your computing needs. 

Moreover, it’s powered by a 10th-Gen Intel Core i3 processor with 8GB of RAM, and 128GB SSD. It’s built with an all-aluminum casing that is almost non-existent with a budget laptop. The only thing that seems wrong with this laptop is the flex on the keyboard tray and at the bottom of the chassis but there’s none on the lid. 

This doesn’t live up to the standard of the Yoga lineup. But don’t get discouraged. It doesn’t affect the performance. On the contrary, the Yoga C640 feels elegant to the touch compared to other $600 laptops in the market. 

Acer Nitro 5 17.3-Inch (2020)

Paul Thurrott

The Acer Nitro 5 is an ultimate budget gaming laptop. It has enough power to handle the less-demanding games thanks to its 10th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics. It has good build quality, thicker bezels, and good battery life. 

Above all else, it’s a good value-for-your-money laptop. Let’s stroll down to the tech department for a while. As we said, it has a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display with a refresh rate of 144Hz. 

It also comes with a good number of ports. There are three USB-A ports, one USB-C port, HDMI, combo audio jack, and LAN port. In addition, the Nitro 5 features an Acer NitroSense software that lets you manage fan speed, change power plan, control keyboard RGB lighting, and many more. 

Acer Chromebook 714

Paul Thurrott

The Acer Chromebook 714 is the best business Chromebook if you depend too much on G-suite apps. It’s a solid-built, 14-inch computing machine on a budget. The laptop features a solid metal chassis, quad-core power, and longer battery life. 

It’s powered by an Intel Core i5-8250U quad-core CPU. That means it can handle a lot of workloads including basic audio and video editing. It has a 14-inch IPS, 1080p display. The Chromebook 714 comes with USB-C and A ports, microSD card reader, fingerprint scanner, dual microphone, Google assistant support, and security protocols. 

Additionally, it has 13 hours of video playback. This means the 714 Chromebook is more than just streaming and browsing. In fact, the quad-core processing power is good enough for light content creation. 

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 514

Laptop Mag

The best budget laptop for everyday use that can handle a little bit of multimedia content editing. The IdeaPad Flex 514 features an exceptional performance from a budget laptop. It has a comfortable touchpad and keyboard, active pen, good sound quality and it’s an excellent value-for-money laptop. 

Moreover, it’s powered by a six-core Ryzen 5 4500U processor and 16GB of RAM. With these specs, it’s clear that this budget laptop is pretty capable of most everyday tasks. Unfortunately, the casing is made mostly from plastic, but it’s PC/ABC on the bottom. This means that the plastic is strong enough to encase the components inside. 

In addition, it doesn’t look and feel like a cheap laptop. In fact, it provides a pretty competent performance for its cheaper price. It scored 1,096 in the single-core test in the synthetic Geekbeck 5 and 4,543 during the multi-core test during the test. In perspective, it’s almost 20% faster compared to the Intel Core i5 laptop.