6 Best Cheap Laptops of 2024: Tested and Reviewed

As I tested

The Mashable staff has tested all the laptops in this guide. (I tried an earlier version of Framework Laptop 13). At the very least, this involved inspecting their build quality and using them for a variety of real-world tasks for weeks at a time. I worked on different types of documents, checked emails, watched videos, took pictures with webcams, participated in video calls, listened to music (via Spotify), played games (if possible) and experienced with any unique software features or use cases. they claimed to support.

Additionally, several of the newer laptops featured here were built to run industry-standard benchmark software (notably the Lenovo Yoga 7i 14, Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch, and Acer Nitro V 15) . We run these benchmarks because they replicate real-world tasks to produce scores that we can use to easily compare the performance of different laptops. We’ve recently started implementing these benchmarks in our tests, and you can expect to see them in all of our new laptop reviews from now on.

Performance benchmarks

We evaluated the overall performance of the laptops by running the corresponding version of the Primate Labs’ Geekbench 6. This test measures the processor’s performance in a handful of common tasks, and we recorded the resulting multi-core score. The higher the score, the better.

To get an idea of ​​the graphics prowess of gaming laptops, we played Cyberpunk 2077 on them. I chose this game because it is a graphically intense AAA title that pushes many systems to their performance limits. If the laptop had a discrete/dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics card (as opposed to an integrated GPU that’s built into the processor), I played Cyberpunk once with DLSS off and again with DLSS on using the High preset without ray tracing. This tests the machine’s raw GPU power and its performance with AI upscaling, respectively.

I followed that with 3DMark’s Time Spy benchmark for gaming computers and recorded their scores. Again, bigger is better.

Battery life benchmarks

We’re looking at around 11 to 12 hours of battery life in the MacBooks we test, with over 15 hours being exceptional, and nine to ten hours in the Windows laptops we review, with over 12 hours being ideal. Gaming laptops are a different story: they only need to last at least two hours per charge to earn our approval, earning extra points for hitting the four-hour mark. Meanwhile, eight hours is our benchmark for Chromebooks, but nine to ten hours is best.

In the past, we’ve rated the durability of laptops in a few different ways. (More on that shortly.) We used PCMark 10 from UL Solutions battery life stress test on Surface Laptop Go and Acer Nitro V 15 and CrXPRT 2 from Principled Technologies 15.6-inch Chromebook Plus battery life test. Both tests ran a range of apps and features until the laptop ran out of steam.

On the Yoga 7i, I drove a detailed video test which involved playing a looped version of 1080p a Tears of steela short open-source Blender movie, at 50 percent brightness.

To standardize our battery life testing methodology, we will only use Tears of steel from now on all MacBook and Windows laptops. We’ll stick with the PCMark 10 battery life test for all gaming laptops and the CrXPRT 2 test for Chromebooks.

Final thoughts

After evaluating a laptop’s practical performance and benchmark test results, we made our final recommendations based on whether we felt it offered good overall value for money. For the purposes of this guide, we’ve defined a “cheap laptop” as one that costs less than $1,000. We’ve made one exception to this rule for the Framework Laptop 13 ($1,049): It requires a bigger upfront investment, but it’ll save you money on repair and replacement costs for years to come.

Finally, it should be noted that these aren’t the only cheap laptops we’ve tried – we’re constantly testing and evaluating new models in various categories, and many don’t make the cut. With that in mind, you can expect this guide to evolve on a fairly continuous basis. We are always looking for new top competitors.