Gaming laptops have come a long way in the past few years, becoming smaller and thinner and not as big and bulky as they were even just five years ago. Making things smaller and putting powerful graphics and processors in them tends to make them quite expensive, which is why they’re usually more expensive than your average laptop. Luckily, the market is saturated right now, which means that there are a lot of excellent deals you can take advantage of right now.
The Acer Aspire 3 is a solid mid-range option with budget pricing. It has a mid-range AMD Ryzen 5 7520U, which is a processor that can easily handle most productivity and day-to-day tasks. There’s also 512GB of storage and 8GB, although the latter is slightly on the lower end, which isn’t a deal breaker but something to keep in mind.
The HP 15 laptop has an entry-level Intel Core i3-1215U, which will work fine for the majority of productivity costs. It also has a large, 15.6-inch screen running an FHD resolution and, more importantly, 8GB of RAM, which is about the minimum we’d like to see. The same goes for the 256GB storage.
This configuration of the Dell Inspiron 14 is probably one of the cheapest two-in-one laptops that you’re going to find. It has a 14-inch screen with a 1,920×1,200-pixel resolution and a peak 250-nit brightness, which isn’t too bad. The 13th Gen Intel Core i5 is also an excellent mid-range processor, and while the 8GB of RAM isn’t a ton, the 512GB of storage is pretty good.
The Lenovo Yoga 7i is a perfect option if you want a convertible laptop with a 16-inch screen. It has a solid 2560×1600 resolution, a midrange Intel 13th Core i5 1335U processor and 16GB of RAM, which should give you an overall smooth experience.
While the Acer Nitro 5 bills itself as a gaming laptop, it’s a pretty great all-around laptop. It comes with a better entry-level RTX3050 which runs a 1,920×1,080-pixel resolution screen that can hit a 144Hz refresh rate. The mid-range Intel 12th Gen Core i5 processor is also pretty great, although the 8GB of RAM is a bit on the lower end.
Two-in-one touchscreens are very versatile, especially if you prefer something with a writing experience. It has a mid-range Intel Core i5-1335U, which isn’t as powerful as some other options on this list, but it’s enough for most productivity and some editing tasks. RAM is OK at 8GB, while the 512GB of storage should be more than enough for most folks.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly gaming laptop, the Dell G15 is a pretty excellent option that’s regularly suggested. It comes with an RTX 4060 and an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS processor, so it’s a good entry-to-mid-range laptop. You also get a very reasonable 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
This laptop is a solid choice for everyday users. It has 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, but where it shines is the 13.5-inch screen with 2256×1504-pixel full high-definition resolution. It’s a good size for portability and is great for staying productive or streaming content on the go.
If you’re looking for a gaming laptop for less than $1,000, this one’s worth considering. It has a 14-inch screen, which isn’t large but can make it easier to bring the laptop with you when you travel. Plus, it sports 16GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card, which will work well for gamers and creators alike.
Apple’s new MacBook Air 15 is a great option if you’re looking for a thin and light laptop in the Apple ecosystem that still has a relatively large screen. It comes with an M2 chip, one generation old but still very powerful, as well as 8GB and 256GB of storage, both of which are on par with what we’d expect to see from Apple at this price. There is also up to $825 in trade-in value you can take advantage of.
This configuration of the Legion Slim 5 is a solid mid-tier gaming laptop, especially since it comes with an RTX 4070 and an AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX Processor. It also has a pretty excellent screen, being able to hit 165Hz refresh rate and has a 2,560×1,600 resolution, both of which together might tax the GPU a bit, but at least it does give you the variability to prioritize what you need.
