Investing in a laptop for school or work can be an expensive undertaking, and not everyone wants to pay thousands of dollars for the best Windows laptops. If you’re in the market for a new laptop but not willing to pay top dollar for a device, these affordable systems get the job done without bells and whistles or fancy branding.
Also: The 6 best laptops for college
Here are a handful of Windows laptops, all priced under $400. While compiling this list, we considered price, function, speed, and performance. ZDNET’s best overall pick ended up being the Acer Aspire 5 for its price and great display. Read on for the rest of our picks for best cheap Windows laptop.
Best affordable Windows laptops of 2023
Pros
- Affordable
- Great display
- Efficient processor
Acer Aspire 5 specs: Display size: 15.6-inch | Refresh rate: 60Hz | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Touchscreen: No | RAM: 8 GB, DDR4 SDRAM | GPU: AMD Radeon | CPU: Ryzen 3 3200U | Storage: 256GB SSD | Battery life: 10 hours
This is one of those budget laptops that not only looks premium, but also boasts advanced features such as Wi-Fi 6 and a substantial amount of fast storage. With a broad selection of ports and an impressively wide display, it’s the perfect laptop for work or school. The battery life will last you beyond your workday, though you may want to keep the charger around. It’s a simple computer with great memory and storage for your menial tasks — and it won’t cost you your entire paycheck.
Pros
- Easy-to-use keyboard
- High speed RAM
Cons
- No SSD
- No USB-C ports
- OK battery life
Dell Inspiron 3510 tech specs: Display size: 15.6 inches | Refresh rate: 60Hz | Resolution: 1366 x 768 | Touchscreen: No | RAM: 8GB | GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 600 | CPU: Intel Celeron Processor N4020 | Storage: 256 GB | Battery life: Up to 8 hours
The Dell Inspiron 3510 is a cheap yet stylish laptop that offers decent power and performance, all for under $400. It is a good, solid, and reliable all-rounder with speedy RAM, a wide display, and all the storage you need for your school or work assignments.
Pros
- Lightweight, yet durable option
- Bright and powerful screen
- Great battery life
Cons
- Trackpad could be better
- Lacks more RAM
ASUS Laptop L406 Specs: Display size: 14 inches | Refresh rate: 60Hz | Resolution: 1920×1080 | Touchscreen: No | RAM: 4GB LPDDR4 | GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 600 | CPU: Intel Celeron N4000 | Storage: 64GB eMMC | Battery life: 10 hours
Thin and light aren’t limited to high-end, high-priced premium devices. Here we have a solid laptop that’s perfect for day-to-day tasks, and it has a modern design and premium feel. The battery life will last you well past the school day, and with a 14-inch display size and 1920 x 1080 resolution, you will get a clear and full view of your workday tasks.
Pros
- Compact
- Doubles as a touchscreen tablet
- Great color and design
Cons
- Battery life could be better
- Dimmer display
Dell Inspiron 11 3195 2-in-1 specs: Display size: 11.6 inches | Resolution: 1366 x 768 | Touchscreen: Yes | RAM: 4GB DDR4 | GPU: Radeon R5 | CPU: AMD A9-9420E | Storage: 64GB eMMC | Battery life: 14 hours
The Dell Inspiron 11 is a great device for those who can’t choose between a laptop and a tablet — with just a flip of a hinge, you can swap between one configuration and another with ease. Choose between tablet mode, presentation mode, tent mode, and laptop mode.
The 64GB eMMC storage means this is a more robust platform, ideal for throwing into a messenger bag or school bag since there’s no hard drive to knock about.
Pros
- Spill resistant
- Touchscreen
- Support stylus
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 11e specs: Display size: 11.6 inches | Resolution: 1366 x 768 | Touchscreen: Yes | RAM: 8 GB | GPU: Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 605 | CPU: Core m3-8100Y | Storage: 256 GB | Battery life: 12 hours
This convertible laptop also functions as a tablet, a tent, and a stand for ultimate portability. Use it like a PC, and flip it for drawing and design capabilities. The Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga offers students and professionals a wide screen display, ample storage, and a healthy battery life. The ThinkPad also comes with a stylus that’s great for taking handwritten notes in class or at meetings. Plus, this 2-in-1 device is spill-resistant, a handy feature for those of us on the clumsier side.
The Acer Aspire 5 is our pick for the best cheap Windows laptop. Whether you need a budget Windows laptop for work or school, the Acer Aspire 5 packs a punch at a very affordable price. It is compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 11, and certainly gets the job done.
| Windows laptop | Price | CPU | Display |
| Acer Aspire 5 | $348 | AMD Ryzen 3 5300U processor quad-core 2.60 GHz | 15.6 inches |
| Dell Inspiron 15 3000 | $399 | Intel Celeron Processor N4020 (4MB Cache, up to 2.8 GHz) | 15.6 inches |
| ASUS Laptop L406 | $263 | Intel Celeron N4000 | 14.0 inches |
| Dell Inspiron 11 2-in-1 | $358 | AMD A9-9420E processor | 11.6 inches |
| Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 11e | $350 | Core m3-8100Y | 11.6 inches |
Any of these cheap Windows laptops are great options — it ultimately comes down to what qualities are important to you (CPU, RAM, display, etc.), what size and weight you prefer, and what you’re willing to spend.
| Choose this cheap Windows laptop… | If you want… |
| Acer Aspire 5 | The best overall option. |
| Dell Inspiron 15 3000 | A reliable laptop for great value. |
| ASUS Laptop L406 | A lightweight Windows laptop. |
| Dell Inspiron 11 2-in-1 | A Windows laptop that also doubles as a tablet. |
| Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 11e | A portable option that doubles as a tablet. |
We chose these laptops after extensive research into the product category. We compared factors like pricing, reviews (both good and bad), different specs, as well as renowned brand names in the space.
- Price: A good laptop doesn’t need to cost you over $1,000 to perform the regular responsibilities of schoolwork and job assignments.
- Specs: Some laptops have great memory, long battery life, storage, pristine resolution, and a wide display. While you don’t need every single spec to be top tier just to write an essay or submit your physics homework, we compared these essential specs to other laptops on the market.
- Functionality: Some laptops are lightweight, while others weigh a ton. Some double as tablets and boast touchscreens. We considered how these aspects of the laptops would cater to a student or employee’s needs.
It’s always recommended that you check the tech specs and user manual of your laptop to see what version of Windows it’s running. But the Dell Inspiron 15 3000 has Windows 11 already installed, and the Acer Aspire 5 is eligible for a free Windows 11 upgrade.
You’re looking at a system that can handle the general activities people do at work or school (as long as they don’t include things like pro-grade photo and video editing and playing games and that sort of activities). These systems are general-purpose systems, but don’t expect them to handle heavy workloads.
Battery life all depends on how you’re using your laptop. If you’re doing very light workloads like web browsing or word processing, you’ll get the maximum run time out of your new laptop. For example: the Dell Inspiron 15 3000 has a maximum battery life of 7.5 hours. So if you’re just catching up on news headlines or your kids are doing homework, you’ll get fairly close to that number. But if you’re streaming music, movies, or shows, you’ll get a bit less, and your laptop will die fairly quickly if you’re trying to edit photos and videos.
The above cheap Windows laptops are the best on the market in terms of price, functionality, and tech specs, but if you’re looking for more options, here are some noteworthy alternatives to consider.
Best cheap Windows laptop alternative
ASUS E410
This business student latop offers 12 hours of battery life, a 14-inch display, and a gorgeous rose gold cover, all for under $300.
Best cheap Windows laptop alternative
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15-inch HD Touch Screen Laptop
With a processor that can handle most day-to-day tasks, enough memory for all your most important assignments, and a $300 pricetag, this Ideapad that boasts a touchscreen is your back-to-school secret weapon.
