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Best Budget LaptopHP OmniBook 5 14

$1,150 $500 (57% off) HP

A Better DisplayDell 14 Plus

$750 Dell

Best Budget MacBookApple MacBook Neo

$599 Amazon

One Step DownAsus Vivobook 14 (X1407QA)

$750 $650 (13% off) Amazon

Computers have put people on the moon. You'd think somewhere in the miraculous technological utopia of our age, we’d also be able to get decently cheap laptops. For so long, that’s felt like a hopeless case. These days, though, you might be surprised by just how good budget laptops have become. Chromebooks have become modernized, and budget Windows laptops now offer good battery life. There’s even a MacBook affordable enough to earn the “cheap” designation. If your budget is tight, these are our favorite cheap laptops under $800 or so.

For more laptop recommendations, be sure to check out our other computing guides, including the Best Laptops, Best Windows Laptops, Best Chromebooks, Best Linux Laptops, Best Gaming Laptops, and Best MacBooks. Our guide on How to Choose the Right Laptop can also help.

Updated April 2026: I've added the MacBook Neo, HP OmniBook 5 14, and Acer Chromebook Plus 515.

Table of Contents

- Compare Top 8 Budget Laptops

- Other Budget Laptops to Consider

- Important Specs in a Cheap Laptop

- How Much RAM Do You Need in a Cheap Laptop?

- Are There Any Good Laptops Under $300?

- Cheap Chromebooks vs. Cheap Windows Laptops

- Best Budget Laptop

Photograph: Luke Larsen

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OmniBook 5 14

$1,150 $500 (57% off) HP

$1,050 $550 (48% off) HP (16-Inch)

$730 Walmart

$800 Best Buy

Thanks to Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips, we finally have affordable Windows laptops that get great battery life. The HP OmniBook 5 14 is the best of them, so long as you can get it on discount. For starters, it has great specs, including 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of storage, and a 14-inch OLED screen. That screen, in particular, is a big deal for laptops of this price, as OLED displays offer such a massive step up from standard IPS displays. Its display isn't as sharp or bright as the MacBook Neo or Dell 14 Plus, though.

The HP OmniBook 5 is a highly portable little laptop, at just a half-inch thick. The touchpad is probably its biggest downside. Like many budget laptops, the touchpad feels sticky to use, making precise movements difficult. The keyboard is great, though, and the addition of a USB-A port is clutch.

There's a big caveat with the OmniBook 5's price. The retail price I've seen is $1,150, which is much higher than it should be. But HP seems to cycle through new discounts frequently, bringing it down to around $500 every few days. On the days when it's back up to $1,150, the company brings the larger 16-inch model to around that price. Both devices are nearly identical, and while I prefer the 14-inch size, they have nearly identical specs.

SpecsProcessor: Qualcomm Snapdragon XMemory: 16 GBStorage: 256 GB or 512 GBDisplay: 14-inch, 1920 x 1200 at 60 Hz (OLED)Webcam: 1080pThickness: 0.50 inchesWeight: 2.84 pounds

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WIRED

- Colorful OLED display

- Surprisingly thin and light

- Unbeatable deal

- Great performance and battery life

TIRED

- Price keeps fluctuating

- Touchpad feels cheap

- A Better Display

Photograph: Luke Larsen

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Dell

14 Plus

$750 Dell

$1,000 Amazon (1 TB)

The Dell 14 Plus is well-rounded laptop. It doesn't have any major deficiencies and frequently sells at a very reasonable price. The strongest aspect of the device is its screen, which has a higher resolution of 2560 x 1600. The sharpness of the screen does give it a significant advantage over the HP OmniBook 5 14, which is otherwise a very similar laptop. Both will give you plenty of everyday performance and all-day battery life.

The other benefit of the Dell 14 Plus (6/10, WIRED Review) is that it uses a high-end Intel chip with really strong integrated graphics. That won't make a huge difference for most people, but if you do occasionally want to dip your toe into gaming or content creation, the Dell 14 Plus is the better option. I also like that it includes an HDMI port, which is something the OmniBook 5 lacks.

Lastly, the Dell 14 Plus has a better touchpad with a smoother surface and a quieter click. All that means it's worth the price of admission, even at a couple hundred more than the OmniBook 5.

SpecsProcessor: Intel Core Ultra 7 256VMemory: 16 GB or 32 GBStorage: 512 TB or 1 TBDisplay: 14-inch, 2560 x 1600 at 60 Hz (IPS)Webcam: 1080pThickness: 0.67 inchesWeight: 3.42 pounds

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- Fast and long-lasting

- Surprisingly solid IPS disp

8 Best Cheap Laptops (2026): Chromebooks, the MacBook Neo, and More | WIRED