The best cheap laptops for Windows for 2025
Not everyone needs a super expensive, tallest laptop and the good news is that you don’t have to break the bank to get a solid machine. Whether you are a student, a casual user or just looking for an affordable device for everyday tasks, there are many great options there. The trick is to find the best cheap Windows laptop that balances performance, quality of construction and battery life without making too many compromises.
A good budget laptop still needs to be fast enough to deal with browsing the network, office work and streaming, which means looking for models with a decent processor, solid drive (SSD) for fast loading time and at least the FHD display, so everything looks crunchy. Some affordable options are even available with a special graphic processor that can help with light games or creative work. Whether you need a lightweight school for a school, a work horse for performance or an affordable FHD laptop for fun, there is something for everyone. We have rounded the best cheap Windows laptop choices available today, covering different price points and features to help you find the right one for your needs.
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The best cheap laptops for Windows for 2025
What about Chromebook and tablets?
You may be inclined to recommend a Chromebook or a tablet To anyone who is considering a Windows budget laptop. These instincts are not wrong, but Chromebook and tablets are not the best purchase for everyone. Tablets have the highest portability, but they will only work for the most mobile users as children who grab smartphones from the hands of their parents as they were skillful enough to do so. Tablets can also be as expensive as some of the cheapest Windows laptops and it’s without a mouse or keyboard.
Chromebook is a good alternative for those who generally live in a browser, and you have to give up the “traditional worktop”. And Chrome OS is a more limited operating system than Windows when it comes to programs you can install and run.
What Windows laptops do well
What can you achieve realistically on a cheap Windows laptop? Quite little, especially if you do one thing (or limited number of things) at once. They are great for everyday tasks such as web surfing, email checking, video streaming and more. All of these things can also be done on Chromebook, but Windows laptops have a great advantage in Microsoft Office. Although there is a browser-based version, native, desktop applications are considered mandatory for many and will work smoothly even in the largest buds of budget laptop. The only warning is that you can encounter a delay of low power devices if you have a multi -task or work with large excel data sets or many PowerPoint photos and graphics.
As for the specifications, a bright place for Windows laptops is storage. Even the most affordable devices tend to have at least 128 GB of solid state. This will be useful if you prefer to save your most important files reserved locally on the hard disk of your laptop. In contrast, the cheaper Chromebook often has less space to store as they are built on the assumption that you will save all your documents in the cloud. Not only is this less convenient when you need to work offline, it also limits the size of the programs and files you can download. So, Chromebook is not the best for storing Netflix shows before a long trip or for use as a laptop for games.
Windows also has thousands of applications that you can download from his app store. Chromebook has some chrome applications, multiple browser extensions and the ability to download Android applications, but quality control is… inconsistent. In more special, Android apps are often not optimized for Chrome OS, which creates a painful user experience. Windows may not have as many apps as Android, but at least the experience is quite standard throughout the board.
Windows also allows you to download and use programs from other sources as directly from the developer. You can start things like Adobe Creative Suite, defined VPNs and programs such as GIMP, Audacity and Clipmate on a Windows device, which is simply not possible in Chrome OS. Chromebook limits you to Play Store applications and programs and Chrome extensions store, reducing all others to unusable icons to break space in your download folder.
What to look for in a budget laptop Windows
Although you can do a lot, even when spending a little on a Windows laptop, you have to set your expectations accordingly. The biggest drawback to buying a budget laptop (of all kinds, really) is limited power. Many Windows laptops under $ 500 work on Intel Celeron or Pentium processors, but you can find some with Core i3/i5 and AMD Ryzen 3/5 CPU at the higher end of the price spectrum.
Specifications you need to look for in under $ 500 laptop on Windows
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Intel Core I or AMD Ryzen 3 processors
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At least 8GB RAM
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SSD with at least 128 GB of space
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1080P FHD display
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Mostly metal designs
We recommend getting the most powerful processor you can afford because it will dictate how quickly the computer will feel as a whole. RAM is also important, because the more you have, the easier it will be for the laptop to manage things like a dozen browser sections while editing a Word document and hand over music in the background. However, with laptops under $ 500, it is better to get the best processor you can afford, not a laptop with a RAM tone, as the processor will have enough power to handle most daily tasks that cheap Windows laptops are designed (if you edit RAW images or 4K video, you will want to invest in more RA.
When it comes to storage, consider how much you want to save locally. If you work mainly on Google Docs or save most things in the cloud, you may not need a machine with a tone of on -board storage. Just remember that your digital space will also be occupied by applications, so it may be worth getting a little extra storage than you think you need if you know you are going to download large programs. End side note: At this point, hard drives are ubiquitous, not to mention faster and more efficiently than HDD, so we recommend getting a laptop with this type of storage.
You also do not need to put up with a completely plastic notebook. There are options in the price range below $ 500 that are made, at least in part, with metals like aluminum. Not only will they be more attractive, but also more durable. As for screens, there is a healthy HD and FHD options in this price range and we recommend that you spring for a 1080p notebook, if you can. Touch screens are not as common in space below $ 500 as standard panels, but you will really miss just one if you get a 2-in-1 laptopS
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It is essential to prioritize what is important to you. But at the bottom of the budget a good laptop may not offer everything you need while great. Although most machines come with features such as Bluetooth, built-in Wi-Fi and additional ports, you can find that not all of them are available with the specifics you need, as a SD card slot, webcam, charger, etc. Be sure to check the list of specifications of each laptop you are considering before you buy, especially if you need specific connectors and capabilities.
Last note before we reach our photos: the best cheap laptop models change all the time. Unlike more expensive, leading machines, these notebooks can be updated several times each year. This can make it difficult to track a specific model in Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart or another retailer. We have also seen that prices vary greatly depending on the configuration and the retailer you are watching. Below we have listed some of our current favorite models, but if you can’t find any of them available near you, just keep in mind our list of specifications to look for in a cheap laptop – they will direct you to The best laptops It is currently available.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/best-affordable-lindows-laptops-123000512.html?src=rs
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