Best Budget Laptops | $200, $400, and $600 Picks!

Look, between price hikes and component shortages, finding a budget laptop that's actually worth buying is harder than ever. So my team and I researched and tested the best deals to bring you five affordable laptop picks that don't suck. Whether you're looking for a Windows, Mac, or Chromebook, there's something here for everyone. And so long as you're a student, you can grab all of these for under $600. Even with a $100 price hike post-launch, the MacBook Neo is still one of the best budget-friendly laptops I've ever tested. The A18 Pro chip and 8GB of RAM is speedy for light productivity and content creation, and you'll get over 13 hours of battery life. The 13-inch display is vivid and one of the brightest at this price point. And despite its price, the Neo feels very premium with its sleek aluminum build. For an extra $100, you'll upgrade to a fingerprint reader and get double the storage at 512GB. This is also one of the best laptop deals for students, as you can save $100 on checkout with Apple's education discount. But if you need a Windows machine or want some stronger specs, check out the Dell XPS 13. I just put out a video that puts this head-to-head with the MacBook Neo, its closest competitor, but here's what you need to know. While budget Windows laptops are known for being chunky, the XPS 13 is smaller, half a pound lighter, and has better bezels than the MacBook Neo. Not only is the display slightly larger at 13.4 inches, it's also a touchscreen. And for the same starting price, the XPS 13 comes standard with 512GB SSD, has faster USB-C charging, and even throws in a backlit keyboard. For heavy multitaskers, another $200 will bump the XPS to 16GB of RAM, something you just can't do with the Neo. The XPS 13 also lasts an hour and a half longer, supports faster charging, and just like the Neo, students can save another $100. For those on a tighter budget, Chromebooks can be a great option. One of our favorite budget Chromebooks is the ASUS Chromebook CS15. It goes for as little as $200. This Walmart exclusive comes in fun colors like this pastel purple, and its 15-inch screen is great for editing documents, surfing the web, or streaming video. Just know, it's not very bright. This does have a good selection of ports though, including a full-size HDMI, and there's 128GB of storage inside. Despite the larger screen, this only weighs about 3.5 pounds. So, if you're looking for the absolute cheapest way to get a quality laptop, the ASUS Chromebook CS15 is one of our best picks. Stretching your budget to $500 gets you the Windows 11 Acer Aspire Go 15. Again, Windows budget laptops usually feel cheap and have terrible battery life, but the Aspire Go 15 surprisingly doesn't. This laptop comes in several configurations. We've got the AMD model here, but it's actually the Intel i5 with 8GB of RAM that we think offers the best value if all you need is something for light productivity. You get a spacious keyboard with a numpad and great I.O. on both sides. Weighing under 4 pounds and getting over 10 hours of battery life, this could be a solid pick for taking to work or even school. What about 2-in-1 laptops? They can be great for productivity and entertainment, especially for college students. Our favorite pick is the Chromebook Plus Spin 514. With an ARM processor and 12GB of RAM, Chrome OS feels extremely snappy here and breezes through everything from web browsing, creating documents, or even drawing on its gorgeous 2.8K OLED screen. Yes, you heard me right. This might be budget, but its 14-inch touchscreen is anything but. In fact, its aluminum shell, excellent port selection, 5-megapixel webcam, and nearly 15 hours of battery life, there's not much more you could want here. Even though the stylus is not included in the box, if you're looking for one of the best 2-in-1s, or even just one of the best Chromebooks for the money, it's hard to beat the Chromebook Plus Spin 514. So even though everything is getting more expensive, hopefully one of these laptops here works for you. But did you know you can save even more if you're willing to hunt for an open box deal? Amazon and Best Buy are great places to look that can save you hundreds or more, but let me know if you want to see a full video showing you how you can get that done. If we missed your favorite budget laptop, share it in the comments so we can check it out for the next one. Stay subscribed for more buying guides, follow me to see what other cool tech I'm reviewing, and until the next one, I'll catch you later.