The best cheap laptops for 2024: Models under $1,000 that we've tested and loved

Read Mashable's full review of the Lenovo Yoga 7i 14 (Gen 9).

Who it's for:

Lenovo's Yoga 7i is an affordable point of entry to the realm of AI PCs. Its 2-in-1 design will also entice thrifty shoppers torn between a laptop and a tablet.

Why we picked this:

Hailing from Lenovo's popular Yoga line, this convertible is an understated workhorse. A little boring, sure — the fact that it can flip into tablet and tent modes is probably the most exciting thing about it — but no-nonsense competence has its appeal. "I’m a tab hoarder, and the Yoga 7i 2-in-1 14 was able to handle my crazy daily research antics flawlessly with its Intel Core Ultra 5 125U processor," said Mashable contributor Sarah Chaney. (That's paired with a healthy 16GB of RAM.) Bonus: It doesn't run hot and won't die on you mid-day.

When you get down to nitty-gritty design details, the Yoga 7i feels a little hit or miss. Its keyboard is "well-spaced and enjoyably springy," Chaney wrote, with adjustable backlighting and a built-in Copilot key that pulls up Microsoft's AI assistant. But its trackpad was laggy in testing. Its hybrid form factor gives it versatility, but its hinges aren't super strong and its display is a bit dim. It has a good selection of ports, but we wish its USB-C ports weren't restricted to one side. Still, those cons could be put-up-withable for $900 if all you really care about is excellent performance.

Read Mashable's full review of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3.

Who it's for:

You can stretch your dollar further with other tech giants, but the 2023 Microsoft Surface Go 3 is a good cheap laptop for brand loyalists and those who want a flashy ultraportable. "I can see this being the daily driver of young students or Gen Z users seeking a laptop that can handle casual usage with style and sophistication," said Mashable tech editor Kim Gedeon.

Why we picked it:

The 12.4-inch Surface Laptop Go 3 is basically a "Windows Air," Gedeon wrote, with a premium build quality that wouldn't seem out of place among Apple's ranks. And don't get her started about its snappy, spiffy keyboard, which she deemed "one of the best I’ve ever used during my entire career as a laptop reviewer." Its crisp, responsive touchscreen was another highlight (though its bezels are a tad chunky).

Alas, the Surface Laptop Go 3's internals are far more underwhelming. Its 12th-generation Intel CPU is now two generations removed in 2024, and its battery life clocked in at a mediocre eight-ish hours in our testing. But at least it's frequently on sale at Amazon and Best Buy: I often catch it marked down to $700 or less, which feels way more reasonable given those specs. Its next big discount will probably coincide with Black Friday.

Read Mashable's full review of the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch.

Who it's for:

HP's Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch is a bottom-of-the-budget laptop geared toward Google-based productivity and casual entertainment. It makes build quality concessions that can take some getting used to, but overall, the price is right for basic cloud-based multitasking.

Why we picked this:

The Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch is a sleek big-screened laptop from Google's "Plus" line of upgraded ChromeOS laptops that comes in at only $499. It certainly feels that cheap in some ways (see: its stiff keyboard, poor audio quality, and questionable durability), and its battery life sucks, but its solid performance and spacious, vibrant anti-glare display go a long way to nullify those drawbacks. It's also equipped with some useful AI tools you won't find in non-"Plus" Chromebooks, including a File Sync tool and Google Photos Magic Eraser. "It's unfair to compare a Chromebook to other kinds of laptops," to quote my extended review, "but as a lifelong MacBook user, I feel compelled to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed using this laptop."

It's worth mentioning that while the Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch is a great value, it isn't the absolute best value of the Chromebook Plus bunch. (As mentioned up top, we're now testing a $399.99 Asus model.) You're not a sucker if you pay its $500 list price, but if you can wait, look for it on sale this Black Friday.

Read Mashable's full review of the Acer Nitro V 15.

Who it's for:

Gedeon put things succinctly in her review: "If you're just looking for a gaming laptop that ditches all the bells and whistles for impressive gaming performance, the [Acer] Nitro V 15 is the one for you."

Why we picked this:

The Mashable's Choice Award-winning Nitro V 15 is all about power, power, power — and while it strains the definition of "cheap," we do think it's the best budget gaming laptop under $1,000. The model we tested is "packed with delicious internals that can handle triple-A gaming," said Gedeon, including a 13th-gen Intel Core i7 H-series processor for desktop-level brawn and decent Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics. She found it capable of running Cyberpunk 2077, "one of the most graphics-intensive games on the market, like a champ."

Unsurprisingly, Acer has made some noteworthy trade-offs to offer that level of oomph at this price point, namely in the realms of display quality (it's not bright or vivid) and extra fixings (there's no RGB keyboard or 1080p webcam). Its pathetically short battery life also means it'll set up permanent shop on your desk — preferably with a microfiber cloth at the ready nearby, as it clings to fingerprints with a passion.

Read Mashable's full review of the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE.

Who it's for:

The new Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (the "GE" stands for "gaming edition") is a budget-friendly beaut for gamers who are tired of trying to keep up with new titles' fancy hardware requirements — and those who are sick of short-winded gaming PCs.

Why we picked this:

Acer's original Chromebook 516 GE from late 2022 was a fantastic cloud gaming machine, and the new "Plus" version is even better: It kept everything good about the first version — a 1080p webcam, an anti-ghosting RGB keyboard, a 120Hz display, and even its $649 price tag — then tacked on a couple upgrades. There's a newer Intel Core 5 120U processor inside of it, for one, which nabbed it the highest Geekbench 6 multi-core score out of all the Chromebooks we've tested this year. It also comes with a suite of Gemini AI features. Most notably, though, its battery life increased to over 10 hours per charge — that's great for a Chromebook and incredible for a gaming laptop. (As things currently stand, it's the only Chromebook we've tried that's come anywhere close to Google's "up to 10 hours of battery life" promise.)

When it comes to game-streaming capabilities, the Chromebook Plus 516 GE left Mashable tech and games reporter Alex Perry "fairly impressed." He experienced some input latency when playing titles via Xbox Game Pass, but hardly noticed any video buffering or stuttering. (Games looked the best when streamed via Nvidia GeForce Now's Ultimate tier, he said.) Though Perry said he'd never swap it for his gaming consoles or Steam Deck, he called the Chromebook Plus 516 GE "an incredible value" and an "excellent" pick for anyone who's into game streaming. "If you want to cheat your way into sort of having a high-end gaming laptop, this is a way to do it," he wrote.

Next time around, Acer should just make it less clunky, clean up its lid design — the half matte/half gloss thing is "awkward," per Perry — and give users the ability to turn its refresh rate down. (That'll preserve its battery life when it's not being used for gaming.)