Looking for a good-value laptop and portable ultrabook and don’t plan to spend an arm and a leg for it? In this article, we’re going over the best budget laptops and ultrabooks that you can get for under 1000 USD (or EUR) these days, based on our 15+ years of experience in reviewing and testing notebooks.
Table of Contents
The article is mostly about portable lightweight ultrabooks in both price segments, but I’ve also touched on 2-in-1 convertibles and some performance/gaming models that can also handle gaming and demanding work/school chores, especially in the sub-$1000 category. Also, while we are primarily looking at options available in North America and Europe, the article is relevant no matter where you’re living, just be aware that the prices might differ in your region.
And of course, keep in mind that the lower the budget, the more compromises you’ll have to accept, and I’ll briefly explain these compromises in each case, so you’ll know what to expect.
With that in mind, let’s have a look at the best budget laptops you can get these days. You can go through the entire article or jump straight to the section of interest:
- $500 to $1000: compact&lightweight ultrabooks, all-purpose value laptops, and competent budget gaming options;
- under $500: compact 10-14 inch ultraportables and full-size 15 to 17-inch laptops;
Best-value laptops under $1000 in 2024
There are many good-value laptops selling for between 500 and 1000 bucks these days, and we’re going to mention the better ones in this section. In this budget, you can either look at full-size laptops with fairly powerful specs, at mid-tier compact ultrabooks, not as powerful, but a lot more portable and overall nicer made, or at something in-between. We’ll cover all three sub-classes down below.
Portable ultrabooks under $1000
If you’re after a premium compact ultrabook, $1000 can get you base-level versions of some of the best options on the market, such as the ultra-compact Dell XPS 13 and Microsoft Surface Laptop, the versatile Apple Macbook Air, the convertible HP Spectre X360, or the ultra-light LG Gram 14, to name just some of the top options. Those are perfectly fine for daily use and multitasking, just make sure you’re getting Core i5/Ryzen 5 configurations with at least 8 GB of RAM and at least 256 GB of storage.
However, even the base configurations of these laptops run somewhere alongside the top of the $1000 budget, and there are some better-value options to consider if you’re perhaps looking to spend less, or maybe you’d rather get a more powerful configuration with a Ryzen 7/Core i7 processor, 16 GB of memory and more storage space. You’ll somewhat sacrifice on features with these options down below, but only to a little extent, as this class of mid-tier ultrabooks has greatly improved in recent years and the better models in this segment are extremely competitive and overall better-value buys than the premium ultraportables mentioned earlier.
So here are some of our favorite options to consider here (listed alphabetically), with links to our detailed reviews and guides where available, or to their product pages.
- Acer Swift 3 – from $599 – 14-inch mid-sized aluminum chassis, sturdily built; comes with matte IPS screens, alright inputs and IO, AMD Ryzen or Intel Core hardware, 48 or 56 Wh batteries, start at 1.2 kg (2.6 lbs);
- Asus Zenbook 13 OLED and ZenBook 14 – from $699 – lighter, more compact, and nicer made models; available with matte IPS or touch OLED screens, good inputs(especially on the 14 inch models), AMD Ryzen or Intel Core hardware with optional Nvidia MX graphics, larger 63 or 67 Wh batteries, start at 1.1 kg (2.4 lbs) for 13-inch and 1.2 kg (2.6 lbs) for 14-inch;
- Dell Inspiron 13 and Inspiron 13 2-in-1 – from $699 – 13-inch compact builds with clamshell or convertible form-factors, 16:10 matte/touch screens on the latest models, mostly Intel exclusive, but AMD hardware available on the 14-inch versions, 53/54 Wh batteries, start at 1.27 kg (2.8 lbs);
- HP Envy 13 – from $599 – sturdily made 13-inch compact clamshell, but heavier than the other options, good inputs, Intel exclusive, 51 Wh battery, starts at 1.3 kg (2.9 lbs);
- HP Pavilion Aero 13 – 13-inch ultralight clamshell, 16:10 touch screens, AMD Ryzen exclusive, 43 Wh battery, starts at only .95 kg (2.1 lbs);
- Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14 and Flex 5 14 – from $599 – mid-sized 14-inch models with a matte or convertible touch screen (on the Flex), partially plastic, but well built, heavier than the other options, balanced AMD Ryzen or Intel Core hardware implementations, 57/52 Wh batteries, start at 1.4 kg (3.1 lbs);
- Lenovo ThinkBook 14 – from $799 – 14-inch business/daily clamshell laptop, highly configurable, solid build quality and good keyboard, AMD Ryzen or Intel Core, 45 Wh battery, from 1.4 kg (3.1 lbs);
- Microsoft Surface Pro – from $1099 for the latest base model without the keyboard – 13-inch tablet with high-resolution 3:2 touchscreen, Core U hardware, 51 Wh battery, from 1.96 lbs (.89 kg) without keyboard.
Some of the better budget ultrabooks under $1000: ZenBook 13 OLED, HP Pavilion Aero and Lenovo Ideapad 5 14, from left to right
Finally, if you don’t necessarily need a Windows or Apple laptop, I’d also suggest checking out some of the snappy premium Chromebooks that you can get for between $500 to $1000, such as the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook or the ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5. These are excellent daily drivers, run smoother than most of the options above, and last for longer on a charge. Just make sure you understand what a Chromebook can and cannot do for you.
Good-value performance ultraportables around 1000 USD/EUR
While the previous section mostly covered ultracompact sub-14-inch ultrabooks, this one goes over 14 to 16-inch all-around laptops that offer larger screens and/or faster hardware implementations (especially on the GPU side), as well as more capable thermal designs, all in still portable formats.
Here are some of the models I’d have on my radar, listed alphabetically. Just keep in mind that these might sell for a little over 1000 USD/EUR in some regions, especially for the higher-specced configurations, but if you’re interested in the superior performance for demanding multitasking, creative work, or even gaming, these are well worth paying a little extra for:
- Acer Swift 3 14X – 14-inch metallic built all-rounder, powerful Ryzen U hardware with GTX 1650Ti/RTX 3050 graphics, 16:9 IPS matte screen, 59 Wh battery, from 1.4 kg / 3.1 lbs, competitively priced;
- Asus ZenBook 14X – 14-inch premium ultrabook, AMD Ryzen H or Core U + Nvidia MX configurations, 16:10 IPS or OLED screens, 63 Wh battery, from 1.3 kg / 2.86 lbs;
- Asus VivoBook Pro 15 – compact 15-inch all-rounder, metallic build, AMD Ryzen H or Core H hardware with optional Nvidia 1650/3050 graphics, IPS or OLED screens, 63 Wh battery, from 1.65 kg / 3.7 lbs;
- HP Envy 14 – 14-inch premium ultrabook, Intel Core U hardware with GTX 1650, IPS 16:10 matte or touch screens, 63 Wh battery, from 1.5 kg / 3.3 lbs;
- Lenovo Slim 7 Pro X – 14-inch and 16-inch all-rounders, metallic build, Intel Core H or AMD Ryzen HS + RTX 3050+ GPU configurations, high-res IPS and OLED screens, up to 70 Wh batteries, from 1.5 kg / 3.3 lbs for 14-inch model, from 2.1 kg (4.6 lbs) for 16-inch;
We’re covering this topic more in-depth in our guide on recommended 14 and 15-inch laptops, as well as in this list of ultrabooks with dedicated graphics.
Some of the better-value performance ultrabooks: Acer Swift 14X, Asus ZenBook 14X, and HP Envy 14, from left to right
Gaming notebooks under $1000
If you’re interested in a budget gaming laptop, you could either consider one of the all-rounders mentioned in the previous section, or completely disregard portability and go with a full-size computer with even more powerful hardware and gaming-specific features.
If the gaming experience is a priority for you, I would most likely go with the latter class of options, as these would allow me to get a Core/Ryzen H implementation with a GTX 1660Ti or RTX 3050Ti GPU, a proper cooling module to match the specs, as well as a fast 144/165Hz display, all for around $1000 or sometimes even less, with occasional discounts and deals.
As for the exact notebooks that I’d look at, I’d start with the Acer Nitro 5, the Asus TUF Gaming series, the HP Pavilion 15 Gaming, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3, and especially the excellently balanced Lenovo Legion 5 series (reviewed here and here).
We’ve covered all of these in our reviews, so make sure to check out our detailed articles for a more in-depth look at their particularities and quirks, as well as our detailed buying guide on modern gaming ultrabooks and laptops.
Best affordable laptops under $500 in 2024
As long as you’re willing to properly adjust your expectations, you will be able to find a wide range of good-value affordable laptops in stores today, selling for somewhere between $200 to $500 (or equivalents).
Given the multitude of choices and types of computers available in this segment, I’ve further split this section of the article into two parts. First, we’ll talk about options with full-size 15 and 17-inch screens, and then we’ll talk about the lighter and smaller variants in this class.
Full-size cheap laptops under $500
Budget full-size laptops have come a long way in recent years. Yes, you’re still sacrificing on some features with sub $500 options and they’re not as nicely made as the more premium alternatives, but you can get competent all-day computers for well under $500 these days.
Just be careful about a few things. The most affordable versions get dimmer and poorer-quality screens, some get small batteries and some even lack a backlit keyboard.
At the lower end of this price segment (around $300 or even less), you’ll mostly find Intel Celeron/Pentium and AMD Athlon configurations, but the performance loss on Windows laptops over the Ryzen/Core configurations available for a little extra is significant, and you should only consider these options for lightweight daily use, video streaming, and browsing.
In fact, at this budget, I’d rather opt for a Chromebook, as these are faster and simpler to use at this level. But only as long as you don’t have to run Windows-specific software on your computer of choice.
Among the available budget Chromebooks, I’d check out the affordable Samsung Chromebook 15 and Acer Chromebook 15, both selling for sub $300, but also the higher-tier HP Chromebook 15 that occasionally goes for around $500 for the better-specced Core i3 model with an IPS screen. You’ll find more about these by following the links, but also from our detailed Chromebook-buying guide that better explains what Chromebooks are and what they can and cannot do for you, while also providing a more ample list of recommendations, based on a couple of different criteria.
Budget 15-inch Chromebooks from Samsung, Acer, and HP, from left to right
As far as the Windows-based recommendations go in the +/- $300 price segment, most OEMs offer very similar Windows laptops here, with compact and lightweight plastic builds, LED low-gamut screens, backlit keyboards in some cases, and low-power AMD Athlon and Celeron/Pentium hardware, most of the time paired with only 4 GB of RAM and 128/256 GB of storage. They also get similarly-sized batteries around 40-45 Wh in capacity, capable of 4-6 hours of daily multitasking and 7+ hours of video on this lower-power hardware.
Such laptops are the Asus Vivobook L510 (the most affordable, fanless Intel older hardware), or the Acer Aspire 3, Dell Inspiron 15 3000, HP Laptop 15, and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15, these latter ones starting at around $300 and available in a wider range of configurations, in most cases with more recent hardware than on the Asus L510.
Budget Windows laptops available for $300 to $500, the Asus L510, HP laptop 15, and Lenovo IdeaPad 3, from left to right
Furthermore, most of these laptops, including different variants of the VivoBooks (F/K series), are available with faster up to Intel Core i7/Ryzen 7 hardware, 16 GB of RAM, and more storage, if you’re willing to up your budget. Those configurations are far more capable and versatile for daily use, but still somewhat drawn back by their lower-tier designs and poor-quality screens.
That’s what I’d also keep an eye on a few of the higher-tier 15-inch budget laptops when shopping closer to $500, and make sure to prioritize an IPS screen as much as possible, as well as maybe better IO, a better keyboard, and a slightly nicer-quality build.
You’ll find these in laptops such as the Acer Aspire 5 series, the HP Pavilion 15, the Huawei MateBook D 15, or maybe even the Lenovo IdeaPad 5. Just keep in mind that most of these might go for more than $500 in your region, so you’ll need to look around for discounts/deals to grab them at the best prices possible.
Fullsize budget ultrabooks around 500+ USD/EUR: Acer Aspire 5, Huawei MateBook D 15, and Lenovo IdeaPad 5
Finally, you’ll have a harder time finding something good with dedicated graphics in this price range, or a hybrid with a touchscreen and 2-in-1 form factor. Some GeForce MX laptops dip below $500 at sales, though, as well as some of the basic convertibles such as the Lenovo Flex, Acer Spin 3, or Asus VivoBook Flip. Follow this link for more details on affordable 2-in-1 hybrids.
Budget ultrabooks (10 to 14-inch) under $500
Finally, this last section of the article goes over the portable ultrabook-like options you can get for under $500 these days. Spoiler alert, most of the good-value ultrabooks are available in the $500 to $1000 range, and for less than $500 I’d primarily look at niched products such as Chromebooks, if they’re OK for your needs, or some of the mini-laptops and tablets with sub-12-inch screens.
Chromebooks
We’ll mention these first, before getting to the Windows options, simply because they offer a superior user experience over the Windows alternatives available in this price range.
Basic models with plastic builds and LED screens are available for less than $300, ranging from 10 to 15-inch variants. We’ve covered them in our detailed best Chromebook-buying guide and won’t go over them here again.
I will however mention the Lenovo Chromebook Duet, as the best-value mini computer you can get for under $300 MSRP right now without compromising on anything important. The Duet is a tablet format, though, with a good quality 16:10 touchscreen and pen-support, but only 10-inches in size. This particular aspect will make it or break it for you, as on one side it allows this to be highly portable and well made in this price segment, but on the other, it might be too small and cramped for some of you to use. I do consider it a great option for kids, school, and traveling.
For less than $300, you’re getting the Duet tablet here, as well as a keyboard folio and protective cover. Follow this link for more details.
If, on the other hand, you’re willing to spend between $350 to $500 on a thin-and-light Chromebook, I’d turn my attention towards the Acer Spin 713 and the Lenovo Flex 13 models. Both are hybrid 2-in-1s with convertible IPS displays, snappy hardware, bug batteries and portable metallic builds. You’re not getting anything better with Windows laptops at this price, unless you might consider going with a used or refurbished product.
Compact Cheap Windows laptops
What you will find on the Windows side are cheap mini laptops that sell in the $150 to $300 price range at the time of this update.
They’re still alright for basic tasks like browsing, video and music streaming, text-editing, and the likes and they have the advantage of offering the full Windows experience in an inexpensive product, being able to run many of the software you might be familiar with from other computers. But they are limited in what they can do by the hardware inside, that’s why these only make for good travel computers, small and lightweight options for your kids, or inexpensive secondary computers. Plus, they are also not as snappy with daily use, as long-lasting, or as nicer made as the Chromebook options mentioned above.
Nonetheless, if you must go with a Windows computer, you’re fine with the hardware limitations and you’re also willing to favor a tiny form factor over performance, you should look into the Microsoft Surface Go tablet.
This is not like many of the other options in this segment, as it’s a premium-feeling 10-inch tablet with an excellent 3:2 display, touch and pen support, and modern fanless hardware that allows for alright multitasking performance and good battery life. It’s not very powerful, though, so only consider this for casual daily use.
It’s also more expensive than other options in this class, starting at $399 for the tablet alone, and around $500+ with the keyboard folio and pen, but you can find it discounted most of the time, and Microsoft also offers good deals for students. In fact, this Surface Go, much like the Lenovo Chromebook Duet mentioned above, excels as an inexpensive option for kids and school.
You’ll find more about the Surface Go from this article and you can also check out the latest configurations and prices via this link.
And here are some other budget options to consider:
- HP Stream 11 – available for under $250, it’s compact, light (2.4 lbs) and made out of plastic, gets a non-backlit keyboard, 11-inch HD TN screen, Atom hardware, 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of eMMC storage, as well as 38Wh 6+ hours battery. The HP Stream is also available as a larger 14-inch model, but there are better options at that size.
- Lenovo IdeaPad 1 – available for under $300, still compact, light (2.6 lbs) and made out of plastic, gets a non-backlit keyboard, 11 or 14-inch HD TN screen, and slightly faster Celeron hardware, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of eMMC storage, but a smaller 32Wh 5+ hours battery.
- Asus VivoBook L210 – available for around $230, a little bit smaller and lighter than the others (2.2 lbs), still made out of plastic and with an 11 or 14-inch HD TN screen, fanless Celeron hardware, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB eMMC, but 38Wh 6+ hours battery.
Some of the affordable mini laptops
I’ll also mention that you will find in stores a multitude of other budget Windows tablets and mini laptops made by lesser-known OEMs, most of them from China, such as Chuwi or Jumper and others. Some of these can be good-value buys, but make sure to read some reviews first and get them from places that allow returns, in case you discover that the manufacturers decided to skimp on certain aspects or on the build quality. Even if cheap, I wouldn’t normally consider these options over the others mentioned earlier, despite my pretty good impressions with Chuwi products, which have been a partner of the site for the last years.
Wrap up
All in all, I’m pretty sure the majority of you will be able to find a sub-$1000 laptop that would meet your requirements these days. Perhaps not a top-tier ultrabook, or work/gaming machine, but definitely something that can cope with the everyday hassle.
You will have to make some sacrifices the lower you’re going with your budget, that’s true, but you can still find viable options even in the $300 to $500, as long as you have the right expectations.
We’ve mentioned some of our favorite recommendations above, but there are also others you might want to consider in certain regions, so if you need any help picking the best option for your needs and budget, don’t hesitate to get in touch in the comments section below, or check out some of the other articles on the site:
- my lists of recommended 11 inch, 13 inch, 14 and 15 inch ultrabooks;
- my selection of 2-in-1 hybrids;
- my selection of affordable Chromebooks that sell for between $199 and $399;
- my selection of powerful ultraportables able to handle games and complex software (programming, photo/video editing, etc).
Keep in mind that I’m constantly updating this list of budget laptops and ultrabooks under $1000, adding new models as they are launched, and retiring the older versions as they become obsolete. We’re a small team, though, and there might be some delays, so if spot any units that should be in here and are not, just let us know in the comments section.
Marcus
March 1, 2015 at 11:46 pm
I have narrowed it down to these two: Dell Inspiron 13 7000 i5 or the Asus TP300LA Signature Edition…any advice or tips on either of these? Thanks
Andrei Girbea
March 2, 2015 at 8:38 am
I’ve reviewed both these laptops here on the site, check out the posts for more details, in the reviews section.
The Dell is slightly better built imo and looks a bit better. However, I’ve heard reports that its rubbery coating is wearing off in time, as well as reports of ghost touches on the screen.
The TP300 has a slightly poorer keyboard, but a larger battery. It’s also a bit bulkier, but should be cheaper.
Marcus
March 2, 2015 at 12:07 pm
Thanks for the feedback. Guess my search will continue. My budget is about 1,000 and I wanted something portable and with no less than a fhd screen and it doesn’t necessarily have to be a 2 in 1. Screen size I wanted to keep it between 13 and 15 inches and processor no less than an i5. Any reccomendations? Thanks
Andrei Girbea
March 2, 2015 at 12:19 pm
Those are good options. The Dell XPS 13 with the i5 CPU and 8 GB of RAM will also fit your budget, the FHD version, and it’s a good device.
Marcus
March 2, 2015 at 5:14 pm
I appreciate the feedback and your time. I went to best buy and they showed me the Asus Q502LA-BBl5t12. I was wondering if you know anything about this one? The person I spoke with just said they sold a lot of this 2 in 1. Thanks
Andrei Girbea
March 2, 2015 at 6:52 pm
see my review of the Asus tp500, it’s the same model, but the Q502 is black, not silver.
Diego Avila
March 2, 2015 at 8:35 pm
Andrei,
Looking for a laptop that will be able to run programs like SPSS and MPlus (basically, statistical analysis – minimum reqs around 1 GHz processor, 1GB Ram). Budget around $750 or less. Not as concerned with touchscreen, but portability for travel is nice. Long battery life would be bonus, but not necessary.
Andrei Girbea
March 3, 2015 at 8:55 am
Hi Diego. You should squeeze a Core i5 and maybe 8 GB of RAM inside that kind of money in a device like the Dell Inspiron 13 7000, Lenovo Yoga 2 13 or the Asus TP300LA. If you want something even cheaper and smaller, the COre i3 powered version of the Dell Inspiron 11 3000 could be a nice option for under $500.
Stefan Borcea
March 10, 2015 at 11:19 am
Hi Andrei, I need to buy a laptop,and I am a little bit confused;it is for family use ,work,pictures,downloads ;the budget is up to 1000$ ;it has to be good for a long term acquisition.
Andrei Girbea
March 12, 2015 at 12:05 pm
Screen size? DO you want something slim and light, or a regular sized laptop?
Katy
March 11, 2015 at 10:07 pm
Andrei,
I am trying to decide between the Dell Inspiron 13 7000 and the Asus flip TP300la. On Amazon, the Dell is about $70 more than the Asus and I don’t see a huge difference between the two. Any ideas?
Andrei Girbea
March 12, 2015 at 12:21 pm
WEll, the Asus has a bigger battery and perhaps a slightly better trackpad. The Dell looks and feel better imo, but it’s not without its fair share of issues. I’ve tested both these laptops, you can find them in the reviews section.
Michael
March 15, 2015 at 11:45 pm
Hi Andrei,
I am looking for an 13″ ultrabook with 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD and good battery life as a very portable work machine – i.e. processing power is not a priority as long as it can run Office, browsers, and the occasional video etc, although of course many web pages are beasts these days. Touchscreen and tablet features are not important either. But at least the battery (possibly other parts too) will have to be replaceable by the user without warrantee implications. I can’t believe how many machines these days are designed to be thrown away after 2 years. Anyway, the idea is that with an external monitor and a mouse it could also be a desktop PC substitute. I’ve been looking at Dell Inspiron 7000 13″. Any other suggestions? Oh, and it can’t be anything from Apple. I have issues with their attitude. Thanks.
Andrei Girbea
March 16, 2015 at 5:25 pm
Well, that Dell and the Lenovo Yoga 2 13 and Asus TP300 are swimming in the same waters.
The Asus Zenbook UX303LA and the Dell XPS 13 2015 are more premium options, but pricier. Battery is replaceable on all these computers, if you’ll be able to find a spare one ofc. You’ll have to take the back plates apart for that though, so it’s not a basic operation, but it doesn’t require advanced technical skills either.
Michael
March 16, 2015 at 8:49 pm
Both the UX303LA and the XPS 13 2015 are interesting. For some reason the XPS is more appealing (and you kept it!), and it’s only slightly more expensive that the Inspiron 7000 13″ (and very significantly cheaper than the UX303LA). Dell don’t make it clear they are selling the 2015 model, but the one they are selling comes with ‘5th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-5200U Processor (3M Cache, up to 2.70 GHz)’. That’s the new one, isn’t it? Many thanks.
Andrei Girbea
March 16, 2015 at 8:52 pm
Yes, that’s the new one. You can also tell by the small screen bezel. The previous versions had a larger one.
Michael
March 21, 2015 at 12:02 pm
I nearly ordered an XPS 13, when I thought I would Dell about battery and SSD swapping. They say this is a fixed config machine and you can’t change anything. Only they can. Battery costs £70-90 but they wouldn’t give me cost of labour/p&p and estimated time wasted for a simple battery swap. I made my thoughts clear to them and reminded them other manufacturers can do swappable batteries on theirs ultrabooks. The new levels of designed obsolescence are shocking.
Michael
March 21, 2015 at 12:29 pm
I forgot to say I know you can replace the battery (assuming you can find one), SSD and more, by removing a few screws (and there is a myfixguide page for that too), but Dell are clearly not happy with us doing it.
Andrei Girbea
March 23, 2015 at 3:44 pm
Most manufacturers aren’t from what I know. Some (like Asus) will even void warranty if you replace the SSD. I’m not sure if that’s the case with the XPS 13, these policies seems to vary from region to region.
Michael
June 7, 2015 at 12:18 pm
Readers may wish to know that the SSD for Dell XPS 13 does not support hardware encryption. Software encryption impacts on performance of course. Without any SSD encryption, the SSD can be removed and read as normal on another computer.
More importantly, I went ahead and ordered one. They messed up my order at least three times and the machine would be delivered more than a month late. Fortunately, I had given them a deadline and when I cancelled the order eventually, they had to give me full refund on my Amex. That took them another two weeks after repeated reminders from me! With their zero stock policy, Dell have a very serious structural business model problem, particularly when the slightest thing goes wrong — they simply can’t address missed orders until the next shipment from China. Their staff were trying to be helpful, but there was nothing they could do. In short, it’s not just the hardware that counts. Customer support and even delivery are very important, but people may wish to gamble.
Matt
March 18, 2015 at 2:17 am
Hey, I’m looking for a good laptop for college in the fall. My budget is sub-$1000. I’d like to be able to do some gaming, besides the general college stuff, so something that could run a game like skyrim would be great. I dont need max settings. Just low-mid with a good fps. Should I look at an ultrabook, or go for something bulkier?
vilma
April 3, 2015 at 5:03 am
Hi, great reviews!
How are the 4th and 5th gen different and does an 8RAM is much faster than a 4RAM.
I’m looking for a fast/light/slim/durable laptop. I’m a working mom on the run and use my computer everywhere (office, home, even in the car and outdoors). I multitask all the time. Now I have open 40+ internet tabs open including 2 tv channel streaming live, in 2 web browsers, 4 excels and 2 powerpoint files and pictures. no video games. I barely turn it off. My last laptop was 11″ Asus (slim/light) that felt and screen crack but work fine after removing touch screen feature until motherboard burned out. It cost less than $500 USD 1.5 years ago. Although more expensive and bigger I think I will have to settle for Dell I7347-10051 LSV or do you have a better sugestion for me?
Andrei Girbea
April 3, 2015 at 8:18 am
The I7347 is a good buy overall, but make sure to read my review and others’ , cause it’s not without some shortcomings. Alternatives in the same price-range would be the Asus TP300 / Q302 series or the Lenovo Yoga 2 13 (with Haswell).
The only major difference between 4th and 5th gen Intel hardware is the graphics, with the Intel HD 5500 being considerably faster than the HD 4400. That’s going to be mostly visible in games though and not in other daily activities. On the other hand, RAM is important, so I’d advice to go for 8 GB if possible.
vilma
April 4, 2015 at 9:38 am
Thanks! The Dell I7347 i5, 8G price drop to $600 and the Asus and Levano are $150-$300 more. I have got used to low battery life, but I’ll have to keep an eye for the trackpad. I appreciate a lot your prompt response and your excellent reviews and help!!!
vilma
April 9, 2015 at 6:12 pm
I got it and I find it too big and heavy specially to use it as a tablet. Unfortunately, I’m not able to find a smaller laptop 8RAM core i5 for a similar price. Although I found surface pro 10″ 4RAM for $523 amazon.com/gp/product/B00BE5T2TA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1DCUPUVBU7LFA But I’m concern it will not be as fast and practical to use on the lap.
What concerns me the most about the Dell is that it is hot all the time. I cannot use it as a laptop because it burns my lap, even closed as a tablet: the hot air coming from the sides burns me. I hear the fan/processor all the time that it is on. Is this normal?
thank in advance for all your savvy advices.
Andrei Girbea
April 9, 2015 at 11:15 pm
It shouldn’t be that noisy and hot. Perhaps it’s running updates or something?
On the other hand, yes, this thing is heavy.
If you’re willing to sacrifice performance to some extent, check out the Asus T300 Chi, it might be what you want. But read the review here on the site first, battery life and temperatures are something to keep an eye on.
I don’t think that Surface Pro is worth that kind of money, it’s an older model with quite a few quirks. The Surface Pro 3 on the other hand, that’s a great machine, BUT it’s more expensive.
Tom Hartley
April 12, 2015 at 9:50 pm
Hi!
Thanks a lot for the article! It’s really helpful! Could you possibly give me your verdict on these laptops? I’ve tried to narrow it down..it’s hard!
Dell 15 7000 – for some time I’ve been wanting a well priced UHD laptop, and this I think is the only one. However it seems from a few youtube videos that 15″ laptops possibly aren’t suited to anything above FHD yet? It seemed to make the icons, etc. fairly small? So I may be thinking just a FHD :)
Lenovo U430
Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 2/3 14 or Lenovo Flex 2
Asus N550JK or Asus V551, or Asus TP500LA
I’m wanting it for studying but also multimedia tasks, and my budget is around £600-700 (sorry I’m British :S)
Thanks a lot!
Andrei Girbea
April 14, 2015 at 10:07 am
I wouldn’t get a screen above FHD on a budget laptop. Besides the scaling issues you’ll get with 3rd party app, the hardware also needs to push more pixels, thus lower-end specs will struggle more than with a lower res screen.
That being said, among those you chose, I’d personally look at the Lenovo Yoga 3 14 , Yoga 2 13 or one of the Asus laptops. The latter I’ve tested here on the site or on tlbhd.com, you can check out my detailed reviews for info. And are you sure the ThinkPad Yoga 14 is withing your range, as you said?
Sajeed
May 8, 2015 at 1:54 pm
My requirements: a ‘thin’ laptop with great display,above average graphics,power for designing software,backlid keboard,14/15 in display,good battery life.
Please please suggest me for which laptop should i go!
Sajeed
May 8, 2015 at 2:04 pm
And not too price too
Luke Byrd
May 21, 2015 at 11:06 pm
Im looking for a ultra-portable laptop for under 1,000 , i need a lot of battery life, and a good screen and keyboard what should i get?
JOY
June 1, 2015 at 7:46 am
Hi Andrei,
I’m looking for a 14 inch laptop with matt screen (non touch), light weight around 1.7 kg (3.7 pounds) for intensive office work and internet. I need a comfortable and as big keyboard as possible. silence and cooler whith 4 hours battery. was thinking about dell vostro 5480 but couldn’t find any review about it (dell service in Israel is consider to be very good) but open to other brands as well. Does an integrated battery is considered an advantage or disadvantage? and what is the true work hours of 3 cell battery?
would appreciate your help and recommendations,
Joy
Andrei Girbea
June 1, 2015 at 9:59 am
I haven’t reviewed that Dell and haven’t reviewed a Vostro in a long time, so can’t say much about it. The 3-cell battery has a capacity of 51 Wh so it should be fairly good. The screen though is a 1366 x 768 px TN panel from what I can tell, which sucks. You should also consider Lenovo’s THinkPad 14 inchers, those can be equipped with IPS panels and might be more affordable.
JOY
June 1, 2015 at 11:41 am
Thank you Andrei for the quick response. do you have in mind more models that can can fit my specifications?
Joy
Andrei Girbea
June 1, 2015 at 3:54 pm
What’s you max budget?
JOY
June 3, 2015 at 8:16 am
my max budget is 1500$
Andrei Girbea
June 3, 2015 at 3:09 pm
Hmm, that should allow all sort of options. Check out the Lenovo ThinkPad T450s and maybe the X1 Carbon 3rd gen .
Jared
June 17, 2015 at 7:41 pm
Andrei, your website and reviews have been a great resource for my girlfriend and I.
She is looking for a 2-1 ultrabook for $1000 or less that has atleast a 13inch ips screen, above average battery life, good keyboard, decent storage, atleast i5, and lighter than 5lbs.
We’ve narrowed it down to the Yoga Pro 2 13, the Thinkpad 13 but the battery life and storage space offered is lackluster.
Jared
June 18, 2015 at 2:24 am
Upon further research we’ve added the HP Spectre x360 T13 and Dell Inspiron 7000 13 Special edition to the list of options. What do you think of those, Andrei? Both have great battery life and great screens but I’m worried about ghost touching with the Dell and both supposedly get over 100 degrees on bottom easily.
Andrei Girbea
June 18, 2015 at 10:03 am
Out of all these I’d get the HP Spectre X360, it’s the better of them all but also the most expensive.
The Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro offers the best bang for the buck, but it has some issues with screen colors and potential wi-fi disconnects and fan noise. You should look into them.
The Dell 13 7000 is the most affordable of the bunch and a good machine overall, but it’s also heavier and has some issues with ghost touches.
Bottom point, no device is perfect, just make sure you know what to expect from each of them. A quick search on Google by “Product name problems” should be revealing. DOn’t expect things to be as bad as they might seem, happy buyers don’t usually post their feedback online. But like I said, it’s best to know what to expect in a worse case scanario.
Jared
June 18, 2015 at 11:13 pm
Thanks for the swift reply, Andrei.
Still haven’t made any headway between the spectre and inspiron 7000. Both are neck and neck almost and I think we’ve nixxed the yoga pri 2 since the resolution is so high and it has so few ports as well as lower tech wifi capabilities.
I feel like we’re running out of options! The price point for the pro 2 sure is attractive on Lenovo’s site right now. (i7 for $899)
Have any other suggestions? the latitude is too expensive and the other ultrabooks in the spectre class just don’t seem to measure up..
Battery life, screen quality, & storage are uber important, as well as upgradebility.
Thanks again.
Jp
Andrei Girbea
June 20, 2015 at 8:20 am
WEll, no, those are your best picks. The Asus TP300 and the Lenovo Yoga 3 14 are alternatives to the Inspiron 7000, but the HP plays in a slightly different class and it’s really tough to outmatch right now.
Jared
June 19, 2015 at 12:35 am
I think it bears mentioning that the inspiron I speak of is the 7000 special edition which has a significantly better battery life and no mention of an awful trackpad.
Andrei Girbea
June 20, 2015 at 8:22 am
I wouldn’t say significantly better. It’s still the same size as on the 2014 model and while the Broadwell CPUs are more efficient, don’t expect to gain more than 30 to 60 minutes on daily tasks. Also, I don’t think they changed the trackpad.
Still, my biggest concern for the 7000 are potential ghost touches and uneven back-lightning. You might want to look into those
vilma
June 20, 2015 at 1:20 pm
Hi! I’m looking for a extremely light, small, strong and portable laptop that will last some years for my 8 year old daughter to take everyday to school. The school suggested a chromebook but I consider is not worth it. The Toshiba radius 11 seems to be the best value with 4/500G and 2 in 1 although the price and weight (2.9#) are a little higher. On the other hand is Asus transformer (2.4#) 2g/32 flash which has the best size/portability and is touch but I’m afraid I will not be able to run my Office 2010. Although it comes with 1yr Office 365 but I don’t want to have to buy a license every year, Also, since is for a girl using it at school I’m concern about it falling and the 2 pieces flying away. Yesterday’s price drop is making me rethink about this option. What do you think? I also considered Asus X205TA-SATM0404G (2.14#) and HP stream 11-d001dx which seem a little more sturdy, but no touch screen.
Andrei Girbea
June 22, 2015 at 8:26 pm
Hmmm, I would have suggested either the Asus X205 or the Hp Stream 11 as well, as they are simpler and rather inexpensive.
If you do want a touchscreen though the Asus T Book T100TA is your best pick under $250. Some of the older versions came with Office Home and Student for life, maybe you can find one of those versions, although I don’t know if they are sold anymore.
vilma
June 22, 2015 at 4:05 pm
Hi!
Basically my main concern is: in a year when Office 365 (that comes with the ASUS Transformer Book – Intel Atom Quad-Core Z3735E 1.33GHz Processor, 2GB Memory, 32GB SSD) expires I can uninstall it and install office 2010 and it will run without problems.
thanks!
Andrei Girbea
June 22, 2015 at 8:34 pm
Office 2010 will run fine on those Atom processors as long as you keep thing simple and don’t open large excel files or presentations. You’ll just need to make sure the license allows you to install the software on multiple computers. I assume you already have it on another and you then plan to put it on the TBook as well, right?
Kate
July 1, 2015 at 3:46 am
Hello Andrei,
Your site is most informative as i am looking to purchase an ultra book.
Can you please advise if you have much information on the Australian ‘Leader’ range?
Thank you in advance.
Regards
Katie
Andrei Girbea
July 1, 2015 at 8:25 am
Hi Katie. I’m going to need more from you. Do you have a screen size in mind? And what to you plan to use is for? Also, what’s you max budget?
Suzanne
July 11, 2015 at 2:24 pm
Hi Andrei,
Your site is great. I’m acually wondering if you could give me some advice. I’m looking for a 13 inch ultrabook that costs under €1000,- wich would be a ultrabook of about 800 US Dollar, due to lower prices in the US. I’m still a highscool student, but going to university next year. This means that it has to be portable and it has to offer great all-round performance. So what’s the best I can buy?
Andrei Girbea
July 13, 2015 at 5:35 pm
If 800 USD is your top budget I’d aim for something with a Core i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM and SSD storage. I’d look at the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro, Lenovo Yoga 3 14, Asus Transformer Book TP300, Dell XPS 13 7000 series and, if you’re willing to sacrifice performance for portability and a noiseless experience, the Asus Zenbook UX305FA.
Each has some shortcomings, so make sure you read reviews in advance so you’ll know what to expect.
Francesco
July 24, 2015 at 7:43 am
Hi Andrei, i’m also in the same situation as Suzanne, speaking about budget and performance requirements.
I’m reading a lot about the Yoga and Yoga pro lines. I’m also reading quite a lot about the general “disappointment”, so to speak, about the new Pro 3, specifically in comparison to the previous one.
I see you are also suggesting the Yoga 3 14…which would be quite perfect for me…a little bigger and probably cheaper than the Pro…do you find the same “compromises” as when you were comparing the Pro 3 with the Pro 2 or you would definitely suggest it as a good choice?
Andrei Girbea
July 24, 2015 at 8:40 am
Hi Francesco,
The Yoga 3 Pro is built on lower-power hardware than the usual ultrabooks. The platform is called Core M and it’s usually found in more affordable fanless computers. The Y3P is nor affordable, nor fanless. It’s also meant for light use. But it is light and sleek. So if you don’t mind paying premium and only plan to use this for simple daily chores, it could be an option to consider.
The Yoga 2 Pro is going to be somewhat faster, despite having an older generation processor. It’s heavier, a bit thicker and has a poorer screen (search for Yoga 2 Pro screen problems and you’ll see exactly what yo expect – it’s basically a problem with color accuracy).
The Yoga 3 14 is even bigger and significantly heavier, but much more affordable. It’s a mainsteam device and not a premium option like the others.
If you want a capable 2-in-1 with powerful hardware, aim for the HP Spectre x360 right now, if you can get it within your budget.
Jonathan
August 4, 2015 at 4:17 am
Hello Andrei!
By the way, great post, lots of top quality information.
Right now I’m in high school and I’m willing to buy an ultrabook/laptop because of mine stopped working this summer.
I’m looking for a 15′, Intel i5 Core (latest generation if possible), with 8GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. No need to be 2 in 1.
One aspect that really matters for me is the display resolution. I do think that FullHD (1920 x 1080) is fine for its size. As an extra, I’d like a powerful battery that can take at least 8 hours of writing, composing, browsing, watching videos, and use Office without a problem. My budget is around $800 but not more than that.
Thanks! I’ll be looking forward for your reply. Keep doing top quality content and reviews.
Andrei Girbea
August 12, 2015 at 12:52 pm
Hmmmm, you should fine a few decent options within your budget. Try to narrow them down based on this list: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/5165-broadwell-ultrabooks/#a2 )see the 15 inch section)
Jonathan
August 4, 2015 at 4:27 am
Oh! And I almost forgot, I’d like it to have a DVD Disc Drive so that I can download content that my school gives us via DVD. Thanks!
Bibs
August 6, 2015 at 7:13 am
Hello,
I’m currently entering my senior year and I know that I will be needing a light, portable, good performance laptop with a long battery life (8+). I will mainly be using it for some online college courses, as well as studying, and researching along with some light browsing. Im looking at the Asus Zenbook UX305FA, however, I’m concerned about the lack of dvd drive and the screen quality. My budget is under $720. Could you offer any choices because I’ve done my research and I only ended up with the Asus Zenbook UX305FA, when I realized that I should get help from an expert so I could make the best choice. I need this laptop to last me 4 or more years
Andrei Girbea
August 12, 2015 at 1:08 pm
The screen should not be a concern and the lack of an optical unit is pretty much a given on such a thin and light computer. You can buy an external USB powered DVD drive for under $50 and use that when needed.
The UX305FA is great for the money, but keep in mind it’s not very powerful. In fact, it’s mostly made for casual everyday activities and won’t handle complex tasks or serious multitasking.
Keti
August 20, 2015 at 2:36 pm
Hello,
The site is great and the posts are really helpful!
I am starting college this year so I’ ll need an ultrabook. The budget is up to 300$. I want it to support Office 2010 and way not with a touchscreen. Any ideas?
Thank you in advance!
John
August 29, 2015 at 5:00 am
I’m dying to know what this will tell me!
Quote:
*I’m currently working on completely updating this post. Please come back in a day or two for the final version.
Rodrigo Soares
September 4, 2015 at 10:21 am
Hi there. First of all, thanks for this nice informations about laptops.
I would like to ask your advice for the following: i am interested in buying an ultrabook for the following tasks: general daily use, like e-mail and internet, and to check on my favourite game, world of warcraft (for this task, i don’t mind the graphics or resolution, since i can play more seriuosly on my desktop when i want, will just use the ultrabook to see my daily stuff ingame). My budget is € 1.000,00, so what do you recommend? Thanks in advance.
Howard
September 6, 2015 at 8:47 pm
What are my choices for ultrabook, with backlit keyboard and internal dvd/cd drive, if any? Thanks
Muude
September 13, 2015 at 8:46 am
Hi Andrie
Am So confused bro and am now on my sophomore year in computer science, university.
i need a laptop which is convertible and light, and pretty battery life and in less $1000.
suggest me one brooo
am commenting this soo late but i have to.
Sara
September 17, 2015 at 8:10 am
Hi Andrei,
I hugely appreciate your website! I have practically spent every hour of the past 3 days researching which computer to buy, and I have found your website to be enormously helpful. And yet, I have come to no conclusion due to my lack of computer knowledge.
The candidates I have selected are far too many, I seem to find a problem with all of them, and I find myself reading the same things over and over. What confuses me most is the myriad of processors! I can’t judge how fast the various computers are. I hope it’s OK that I am now asking you for concrete recommendations.
I know in technology-ignorant terms what I’m looking for:
I want it to be small, light, and FAST. I don’t do gaming or programming, I just want it to respond fast when i browse the web, edit documents and run other programs while listening to music or watching videos, all at the same time, and I want to be able to use it a lot without it overheating or getting slow. I also want it to cost less than 1000 USD.
Those are my requirements. Other priorities are that a noisy fan would bother me and I’d like the touchpad to be cooperative.
I don’t care about design and looks, I don’t need a high resolution screen (in fact, I’ve ben trying to find out if there is a less hyped version of the Dell XPS 13?), and the speakers don’t need to be good since I’ll have speakers or headphones plugged in when I need the sound.
I don’t know about form. I’m reluctant to get a convertible or a hybrid since I’m afraid that this fancy style will either compromise my top priorities or shoot the price up. But if that’s not the case, then I’m open to those. I’ll be perfectly happy with a clamshell though.
I know I’m asking a lot to have you give me private computer-purchase-aid, and I really hope I am not wasting your time. Would you be willing to take the time to help me out with this?
All the best,
Sara
Andrei Girbea
September 18, 2015 at 10:47 am
Hi Sara.
You’re saying you want this to be small, but how small? I’d reckon a 13-incher (laptop with a 13-inch screen) would be OK? If yes, then your best bets would be the Dell XPS 13 and the HP Spectre x360. I have similar requirements from my laptop and I ended up choosing the XPS for the compact form factor. It’s a good laptop, but to be frank I don’t know if I’d buy it again. You might want to read this post: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/8142-8-months-dell-xps-13/ . I’m not saying it’s not a good buy, but there are these tiny aspects that you might bump into.
As for the HP, this article should help: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/8042-hp-spectre-x360-review/ . The spctre is a convertible, gets a touchscreen and a better keyboard and battery. It’s larger and heavier though.
Both of these are available for around $1000 with a Core i5-5200U processor, 8 GB of RAM and 128/256 GB SSD. This config should be enough for what you need. Get the 8 GB of RAM and the 256 GB SSD, 4 GB of RAM are not enough for smooth performance and the models with only 128 GB of storage space will quickly run out of space. The Dell seems to be a bit more expensive right now, but hunt for deals and you should get it under 1G.
If you’re willing to go with something even smaller, then I’d suggest the Macbook Air 11 . You’ll compromise on screen quality, but the performance and battery life are top notch. You mgith struggle to find a config with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB Storage, but you could look at refurbished units on Apple’s Store, those are usually pretty good deals.
At the end of the day, keep in mind there is not such thing as the perfect laptop, so you’ll have to compromise here and there with any of the available options.
Sara
September 19, 2015 at 11:51 am
Thank you for your reply, Andrei, I appreciate it! I might get back to you again if I have a specific question or two :)
Sara
September 21, 2015 at 11:13 am
hey, i’m here again.
i have a couple more questions. which processor should i go for? what i have read has led me to avoid the M and Y ones, and to look for U-types of either haswell or broadwell, and also for the i5-ones. am i right to do this, or would i3 still be fast enough?
also, the dell xps 13 is definitely on my mind, but i would get something cheaper if i can find it as good. i mean, the screen is not my priority, so i don’t want that to be what i pay extra for.
13 inch is the largest i would go. the dell appeals to me because it is small despite its screen size. so if there are any of the smaller (and perhaps cheaper?) ones that you would recommend for my needs, i’d be happy to know!
another question: do you know which of these computers it is possible to buy without an operating system on it? that would save me a lot of money and i would like to do that if possible. i just haven’t been able to find any information on where and how and which ones… :)
thank you once again!
sara
Andrei Girbea
September 21, 2015 at 12:17 pm
I would get the Core i5 processors. Not sure about how you can buy these without an OS, they might be available that way in some regions. the Dell for instance comes with Ubuntu and that’s free.
Sara
September 29, 2015 at 10:44 am
Would you say it’s a big disadvantage to get HDD instead of SSD? I’m asking because I have found two similar configurations of the same laptop with this as the only difference and the HDD much much cheaper…
Andrei Girbea
September 29, 2015 at 11:08 am
Speed is greatly helped by SSDs. Laptops with HDDs are slower and noisier (HDDs have spinning components). Besides these, HDDs require more energy than SSDs as well, thus laptops with SSDs will last a bit longer on a charge.
muude
September 20, 2015 at 9:18 am
Andrei Girbea
this is my second time that i am asking you for suggestion.
man am so confused what to buy which is worth it, so bro any laptop which is thin, light, pretty good battery life, convertible and touch screen under $1000.
I am computer science student.
it will mean so much alot to me if u suggest me, and i will appreciate it bro thank you.
#sorryformyenglish.
Andrei Girbea
September 20, 2015 at 1:08 pm
the HP Spectre X360 would fit your needs really well. The Acer Asprie R13, Dell Inspiron 13 7000, Asus TP300 and the Lenovo Yoga 3 14 are other options you could consider.
Bilal
September 24, 2015 at 4:02 pm
Hi andrei (are you romanian btw?),
thanks for the articles, just wanna ask your suggestion on something…i would like an ultraportable laptop no bigger than 13.3″ (could be 2-in-1 or a simple laptop)…im gonna be using it daily for work which includes general browsing, word processing etc and a but of photo editing on photoshop too
my price range is around £300, what would you suggest?
Regards
Bilal
Andrei Girbea
September 24, 2015 at 8:29 pm
Hi, your budget is really limited and I don’t think you can get anything that would cope well with Photoshop within that budget. I’d aim for at least a Core i3 processor, Asus, Acer, Dell, Lenovo and HP might have something for you but I’m not very familiar with the UK market.
Bilal
September 24, 2015 at 8:36 pm
Hi, im currently having a look at Asus TransformerBook FlipTP300LA, it has i5-4210U with 6GB Ram…the only thing is it doesn’t have SSD…what do you think?
Andrei Girbea
September 24, 2015 at 9:50 pm
That’s a decent laptop for that kind of money and you could replace the HDD with an SSD later on (will void warranty though). I’ve reviewed it here: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/4436-asus-transformer-book-flip-tp300-review/
Bilal
September 25, 2015 at 1:13 am
What do you think of something like this for example?
amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ZUGXO34
Andrei Girbea
September 25, 2015 at 7:38 am
Never heard about that brand and it has no reviews. I’d stay away.
adir haziz
September 30, 2015 at 1:46 am
hey, i am looking for a new laptop and hope you could help me find the right one for me in attractive price.
the new laptop will be used mostly for school needs, and i will take him with me to school.
allso i will use him for watching movies, programing in visual studio, editing in photoshop and maby light games.
i think what i need in the laptop is:
– good battery
– 14-13 inch screen
– not very heavy
– run the softwares i need for programing and editing.
– can connect hdmi
– around 250 gb storage
i prefer 2 in 1 laptop but if there is better one for my needs that not 2 in 1 its ok
my budget is 800-550$
thank you for your time!
Andrei Girbea
September 30, 2015 at 11:26 am
You’ve got many articles that will help you narrow down your options here on the site. Please go through them and I can then help you with he final decision.
adir haziz
September 30, 2015 at 11:39 am
i read them all and still dont know who is the best for me.. that why i asked you.
i considered the tp300la with the i7,but he cost a little bit to much for me..
therefor i was thinking maby to go with the zenbook 303, but i dont sure if he can run the softwares i need.
so can you help me find 2 in 1 laptop that portable for school, have good battery and can run my softwares smoothly around 650$?
Miso
November 24, 2015 at 9:19 am
Hello.
Thank you for the article. It was very informative.
I am a college student studying computer science and I am looking for a laptop that will be good for programming. I will be using mostly eclispe and IntelliJ for Java and Scala.
I am considering the Dell i7559
amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i7559-763BLK-Full-HD-GeForce/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8
I also like to play games too so I think it might be good.
I have seen some other laptops with similar specs and price with the main difference in CPU. How does an i5 skylake compare to an i7 broadwell?
My budget is $800.
Please let me know if you have insight/advice.
Thank you.
Andrei Girbea
November 25, 2015 at 8:42 pm
Hi, that’s a good pick for the money, especially since you get that IPS screen as well.
The Core I7-4710/4720HQ is overall faster than the Core i7-6300HQ and gets HyperThreading, which the Core i5 lacks. So it will perform better in multithread tasks. How much more expensive ar those Core i7 options?
Daniel
May 7, 2016 at 9:52 pm
Hello,
I came across this because I am on a tight budget.
I’m looking for a laptop that’s thin+light and has a 1080p screen.
I’m only using it for word and videos so I won’t need anything that fast.
The Skylake ultrabooks seem good with the iGPUs but they are still quite pricey.
Would you know any cheaper models (doesn’t have to be 2016) that would be good?
Thanks
Andrei Girbea
May 9, 2016 at 4:05 pm
well, how tight? I’m going to need a number :)
Daniel
May 9, 2016 at 8:01 pm
Well I’m looking at £300, used, refurb or new.
People say a thin laptop with a 1080p screen is £600 new but I really find it hard to believe, I don’t need crazy specs or anything.
Just 1080p, 13.3″-15.6″, thin and light.
By thin I’m thinking macbook/zenbook/sony vaio pro 13
As long as it doesn’t look like an alienware that’d be nice too :)
Thanks
Andrei Girbea
May 9, 2016 at 8:10 pm
Well, that’s unrealistic. You can’t get a Macbook like body and a 1080p IPS screen for that much in a new device. It’s not going to get you a thin and light 15 incher either.
I would suggest something like an used Asus UX31A or the Lenovo Yoga 13 with a Core i5-3317U processor, perhaps you might find some on ebay, but there are risks to buying such old computers.
Personally, I’d save up for something like this: amazon.co.uk/ASUS-Zenbook-Notebook-Integrated-Graphics/dp/B019KZVESM/ref=sr_1_2 , or maybe the older UX305FA model, if you can find it anywhere.
Daniel
May 12, 2016 at 9:57 am
The Lenovo laptops are going for a reasonable price. Especially the yoga 2 pro, yoga 500 and yoga 13.
Would you advise against any of these?
Thanks
Andrei Girbea
May 12, 2016 at 11:50 am
Not really, they are pretty solid options. You might want to read a few reviews before buying though, as each has some shortcomings.
Roe
July 11, 2016 at 12:26 pm
Hi,
I’m looking for a Acer ultrabook.
I have found those 3 on Amazon that are o.k for my budget.. for around $300. Can you please tell me which one should I buy?
Thank you!
Andrei Girbea
July 12, 2016 at 3:47 pm
They are the same. The Aspire S3 is an old laptop with quite a few flaws, so you should read a few reviews and know in advance what to expect/.
Ina
December 13, 2016 at 3:34 pm
Hi Andrei,
I am so glad I found zour Website so I hope I get some help with what to buy. I have spent many hours of the past month researching which computer to buy, and your website seems to be enormously helpful. I have not come to any conclusion so far. Can you please help?
Maybe oversimplified what I am looking for:
I want it to be small, light, and FAST. I don’t do gaming or programming, I just want it to respond fast when I browse the web, edit documents and run other programs while listening to music or watching videos, or Skyping all at the same time, and I want to be able to use it a lot without it overheating or getting slow. I could afford around 1000euros.
Noisy fan would bother me and I’d like the touchpad to be cooperative.
A high resolution screen would be great, and maybe a Touchscreen.
I would greatly appreciate it if you would help.
Andrei Girbea
December 14, 2016 at 2:16 pm
You have options in this post and in others here on the site, you'd have to narrow down your options yourself, because you're the only one who knows exactly what you need in terms of screen size and certain features. In your budget I'd look at the Asus Zenbook UX330/UX360, Acer Swift 3, Lenovo ThinkPad 13, HP Envy 13 and others.
helper
April 21, 2017 at 11:09 am
Surface Pro 4 has a 12.3" screen, not 10.8" as listed in this post. Keep up the good work Andrei, glad I could be a bit of help ;)
Andrei Girbea
April 21, 2017 at 11:30 am
Hey, thanks for the heads-up. Much appreciated ;)
Aysu
June 6, 2017 at 5:36 pm
Hey! It is very great article. Helped me a lot. But I am interested in buying Samsung notebook 9 2017 edition, and cannot see it among the options. Could you please review it? Well, I actually want to buy smth portable, good-looking, 13-15", with good processor. I would like to know what my alternatives are. Thank you
arthur
October 11, 2017 at 4:43 am
hi. Which one of these three laptops is better for game?
acer nitro 5 an 51551
lenovo y 520
dell inspiron 15 7000
and all of the Specifications are the same all of them have gtx 1050 and i5 7300hq and 8gb ram
thank u
Andrei Girbea
October 11, 2017 at 3:10 pm
You can find all our reviews here on the site.
Alana
August 11, 2018 at 11:52 am
Hello!
I'm looking for a new laptop and I can't decide between the Asus Zenbook UX410UA i7 – 8gb RAM – 128gb SSD + 500gb HDD or the Acer Swift 3 i5 – 8gb RAM – 256gb SSD.
I'm a student so my new laptop has to be light, thin and portable, max 14". I'm also getting into photography and my new laptop should be able to handle photoshop and lightroom without any trouble. I would also prefer a laptop that isn't too loud when you're making it work pretty hard because I often study in a library and it might bother the other students. Which one would you recommend? Thanks!
Andrei Girbea
August 11, 2018 at 1:21 pm
HI Alana. I'd probably go with the UX410, it's a nicer computer, smaller and also gets a slightly better screen, which should matter for Photoshop. It's still not a premium-tier screen, but it would be unrealistic to ask for one in this price range.
Our full review of the UX410 (different configuration, but similar build, keyboard, screen, etc) is available here: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/15697-asus-zenbook-ux410-ux3410-review/ . Your would run a little cooler, but all the other conclusions apply. You can also find reviews of the Swift 3s on the site.
Asif khan
August 24, 2018 at 8:48 pm
It is great post.I learn more about ultrabook from this post
Peter
December 4, 2018 at 4:50 am
Hi there great info thanks.
I just wanted to get an idea as what / which laptop would best fit the bill for the following:
Looking for a sub $1000 laptop for my son xmas present. He's 11.5 yo heading into yr7 next January.
He mainly wants to get into video editing for youtube channel so at this stage it will not be needed to edit the blue planet – just basic short stuff.
We'd also like it to be suitable for school etc.
Had previous good Lenovo experiences but not wanting to bias a response in any way!
Cheers Chris
Andrei Girbea
December 5, 2018 at 4:14 pm
Hi Peter,
You'd need to narrow things up a bit. Do you want a full-size laptop (15-inch screen) or an ultraportable (14-inchs creen or smaller). Also, does he play any games?
Peter
December 5, 2018 at 11:27 pm
Screen size isn't a huge issue probably not below 14" & I'm sure if it was capable then he would play games on it but my priority is it needs to be able to edit videos – thanks
Andrei Girbea
December 6, 2018 at 2:49 pm
I see. I'd start my search with one of the options in this section: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/2404-14-15-inch-ultrabooks/#The_best_gaming_and_high-performancenbsplaptops . These are full-size laptops with good specs and a fair price.
If you'd rather go with something lighter and more portable, while sacrificing somewhat on CPU and especially GPU performance, I'd consider the options in here: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/2404-14-15-inch-ultrabooks/#Thin_and_light_all-round_multimedianbsplaptops . These would still handle video editing, but the whole process is going to be faster on the first options built on Core H processors.
No matter what you end up with, I'd advise going with at least a Core i5 processor, preferably 16 GB of RAM and some sort of SSD storage. Those laptops in the first section can use an SSD for Windows and programs, which will make the experience faster, as well as a HDD for mass-storage of video files, etc, which is one more reason why You'd want to go for one of these, since video files are quite big these days and require a lot of storage space.
Cédric
December 8, 2018 at 8:08 pm
Hello
Macbook is a little expensive for me and I'm searching very silent 15-inch laptop with at least 8GB memory, would you have advice?
Thanks
Andrei Girbea
December 9, 2018 at 4:36 pm
Hard to tell, I think you'll need to narrow your options and then just pick the one that's the most silent. We document fan behavior and noise in our reviews, and so do Notebookcheck.
PaulS
April 15, 2019 at 3:47 am
This site is basically my go-to review site when it comes to laptops. Love the unbiased and no-BS reviews!
Sam Medal
June 6, 2019 at 12:06 pm
Hi Andrei, thank you for all the work you have devoted to finding the lightest ultrabooks, it is really thorough.
I am looking for 2lbs or less, no more than $300, ruggedized (built to handle falls, maybe waterproof) laptop.
Sincerely,
Sam
Andrei Girbea
June 6, 2019 at 1:01 pm
Would you be OK with a Chromebook like the Asus C202SA? I don't think you can find a Windows laptop with those specs and withing that budget. Something like the Lenovo THinkPad 11e would fit the requirements, but it's more expensive.
Mitch Rey
June 20, 2020 at 8:54 pm
Sir would you mind suggesting some mid range gaming laptop? Im fine with not so high quality while in game, I wanted ASUS TUF FX505 but got disappointed due to low battery life. Preferrable i5 or Ryzen 5 with 8gb ram :) Thank you!
Mitch Rey
June 20, 2020 at 8:56 pm
Btw, thanks to your reviews I learned the ups and downs for teh ASUS TUF fx505. Keep up :)
james
January 12, 2021 at 4:30 pm
Really tired of review sites constantly referring links to amazon, there is better service and prices elsewhere
Why no Linux options??
Andrei Girbea
January 12, 2021 at 4:36 pm
you are aware you're accessing free information that we put time and effort to compile, right? you buying from Amazon after clicking those link help us keep doing what we do.
Chetan Prakash
May 16, 2021 at 4:10 am
Hi
Please make a suggestion article for
Best laptops under $1500 in 2021
By the way, my requirements are 15.6" with at least 100% sRGB display, dual-slot for m.2 NVMe SSD and obviously good performance.
Thank you, You guys are doing a great job. keep it up
Andrei Girbea
May 17, 2021 at 10:37 am
Noted. I'd look into the Acer Predator Helios 300 or Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 or Lenovo Legion 5 Pro
Vitaly
July 25, 2022 at 3:03 pm
There is a misspelling under "Performance ultraportables around 1000 USD/EUR":
had written "Acer ZenBook 14X" should be "Asus ZenBook 14X"
NikoB
December 21, 2022 at 7:28 pm
Forgot to add two lines from HP – G8 455 (the quietest business line on the planet with more or less performance and 2 memory slots, but now always with a poor color reproduction screen) and G8 855 (the latest HP series with a normal angled power plug, not sticking out to the left, which is extremely inconvenient for right-handed people – when a laptop is used on a sofa or sofa – the usb-c power on the left is easily broken off, by accident, with your feet).
Their drawback is the power button inside the keyboard next to the backspace and on the 455. The screen on the 455 series is easy to replace on your own for less than $100. And the 455s cost about $670-800 in retail with 5650U/5850U, i.e. enough money to replace the screen and upgrade the memory to 32GB and install a 1-2TB SSD.
These are the best silent models for various work at home or in a quiet office, although they are not very durable.
Andrei Girbea
December 21, 2022 at 7:40 pm
Thanks, this is helpful. I have very little experience with the latest HP laptops, but am planning on covering the new gens more in-depth in the near future.