Best cheap laptops of 2024, tested by Mashable staff

Our Pick

Mashable unit aliases contributors tested each of nan laptops successful this guide. At minimum, this progressive inspecting their build value and utilizing them for a assortment of real-world tasks for respective weeks astatine a time. We worked pinch different kinds of documents, checked emails, watched videos, took photos connected their webcams, participated successful video calls, listened to euphony (via Spotify), played games (if possible), and experimented pinch immoderate unsocial package features aliases usage cases they claimed to support.

Additionally, a fistful of nan newer laptops featured present were made to tally industry-standard benchmark package (specifically nan Lenovo Yoga 7i 14, nan Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, nan HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch, and nan Acer Nitro V 15). We tally these benchmarks because they replicate real-world tasks to nutrient scores we tin usage to easy comparison different laptops' performance. We precocious started implementing these benchmarks successful our testing, and you tin expect to spot them successful each of our caller laptop reviews going forward.

Performance benchmarks

We evaluated nan laptops' wide capacity by moving nan due type of Primate Labs' Geekbench 6. This trial measures CPU capacity successful a fistful of communal tasks, and we recorded nan resulting multi-core score. The higher nan score, nan better.

To get a consciousness of gaming laptops' graphical prowess, we besides played Cyberpunk 2077 on them. We picked this crippled because it's a graphically aggravated AAA title that pushes galore systems to their capacity limits. If nan laptop had a discrete/dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics paper (as opposed to an integrated GPU that's built into nan CPU), we played Cyberpunk erstwhile pinch its DLSS tech disconnected and again pinch DLSS connected utilizing nan High preset without ray tracing. This tests nan machine's earthy GPU powerfulness and its capacity pinch AI upscaling, respectively.

We followed this up pinch 3DMark's Time Spy benchmark for gaming PCs and recorded their scores. Again, higher is better.

Battery life benchmarks

We look to spot astir 11 to 12 hours of artillery life successful nan MacBooks we test, pinch 15-plus hours being exceptional, and 9 to 10 hours successful nan Windows laptops we review, pinch 12-plus hours being ideal. Gaming laptops are a different story: They only request to past astatine slightest 2 hours per complaint to get our approval, earning other brownie points for reaching nan four-hour mark. Meanwhile, 8 hours is our baseline for Chromebooks, but 9 to 10 hours is best.

We've assessed laptops' stamina a mates different ways successful nan past. (More connected that shortly.) We utilized UL Solutions' PCMark 10 battery life accent trial connected nan Surface Laptop Go and nan Acer Nitro V 15, and Principled Technologies' CrXPRT 2 artillery life trial connected nan Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch. Both tests ran a bid of apps and functions until nan laptop conked out.

On nan Yoga 7i, we conducted a video rundown test that progressive playing a looped 1080p type of Tears of Steel, a short open-source Blender movie, astatine 50 percent brightness.

In bid to standardize our artillery life testing methodology, we will only beryllium utilizing nan Tears of Steel rundown connected each MacBooks and Windows laptops from present connected out. We'll instrumentality pinch PCMark 10's artillery life trial for each gaming laptops and CrXPRT 2's trial for Chromebooks.

Final thoughts

After evaluating a laptop's hands-on capacity and benchmark testing results, we made our last recommendations based connected whether we thought they offered a bully wide worth for nan money. For nan purposes of this guide, we defined a "cheap laptop" arsenic 1 that costs little than $1,000.

Lastly, should beryllium noted that these aren't nan only inexpensive laptops we've tried — we're perpetually testing and assessing caller models crossed different categories, and galore don't make nan last cut. With that successful mind, you tin expect this guideline to germinate connected a beautiful continuous basis. We're ever connected nan lookout for caller apical prime contenders.

Certain times of nan twelvemonth are amended for laptop shopping than others. If you're looking for a bully woody connected a laptop, we urge buying astir Black Friday, during back-to-school play (with a adjacent watch connected Amazon's Prime Day sale), and complete agelong vacation weekends. If you're conscionable aft brand-new models pinch nan latest specs, bargains beryllium damned, you'll spot them hitting nan marketplace successful January and February aft nan Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

For much intel and buying tips, cheque retired our guideline to when you should bargain a laptop.