10 Best Affordable Laptops

The Lenovo Flex 5 14 is a 2-in-1 convertible that can be used as both a laptop and a tablet, making it versatile for various tasks. It's priced in the lower midrange and offers a fair balance of performance and features. With an AMD Ryzen 7 processor and 16 GB of RAM, it's a good choice for general use and capable of handling some engineering and 3D tasks, though not optimized for intensive gaming. It has a 14-inch IPS touchscreen display, a decent battery life, and is lightweight for portability. It also features a decent spread of ports including USB-C, and it charges via USB-C as well, but it lacks a dedicated number pad, yet it includes a backlit keyboard and fingerprint reader for convenience and security.

The Dell Inspiron 14 5425 is a budget-friendly option with decent computing power, courtesy of the AMD Ryzen 7 processor, making it suitable for everyday tasks and some more demanding applications. It offers a satisfactory amount of storage and memory, with options for expansion. The integrated Vega 8 graphics can handle light gaming and graphical tasks, but may not be ideal for intensive gaming or high-end graphic design. With a weight that balances portability and build, it's a good fit for on-the-go use while maintaining a 14-inch display, which has a resolution favouring productivity and content consumption. Battery life is adequate for a day's work, and the laptop has a backlit keyboard, which is helpful in low-light conditions. Keep in mind, though, that while it's versatile enough for general use, professionals needing advanced computational or graphical capabilities may find it limited.

The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" is a laptop with a lower midrange price, offering a solid balance for general use. It features a capable AMD Ryzen 7 processor with integrated Vega 8 graphics, which can handle everyday tasks and light gaming. With 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, it should run smoothly for most users but may not be ideal for intensive engineering applications or advanced gaming. The 15.6-inch IPS display has a standard resolution with touch capability but does not excel in color accuracy or contrast, making it less suitable for professional photo or video editing. Port-wise, it includes USB-C as well as HDMI, but lacks Thunderbolt support. The keyboard is backlit and there is a number pad, plus a fingerprint reader for added security. Battery life is reasonable with up to 11 hours of typical use, and at just over 4 pounds, it offers a good level of portability. It runs on Windows 11 Home and was released in August 2022.

The ASUS Vivobook 16X offers a balance between performance and price, being in the lower midrange category. It features a large 16-inch IPS screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio, suitable for productivity tasks but with a standard 60Hz refresh rate that's adequate for general use rather than fast-paced gaming. Powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 5800HS with integrated Vega 8 graphics, the laptop is capable of handling daily tasks and lighter creative workloads, though it's not designed for intensive gaming or high-end 3D rendering. Its battery life is suitable for several hours of typical usage, making it moderately portable at a bit over 4 pounds. The Vivobook 16X is equipped with 512GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, enhancing multitasking abilities. It also has a decent selection of ports including USB-C, HDMI, and an Ethernet port, plus a backlit keyboard with a number pad, enhancing utility for work and study. Overall, the Vivobook 16X is good for general use, fair for 3D/machine learning applications, and fair for engineering tasks.

The Dell Latitude 14 7490 is a budget-friendly option with a solid build and respectable performance for general use. It has an Intel i7 processor, integrated Intel graphics, 512GB of storage, and 16GB of RAM, which should handle most day-to-day tasks comfortably. The 14-inch IPS display offers clear images at Full HD resolution and has touchscreen capabilities. Key features include a backlit keyboard, fingerprint reader, and a variety of ports including USB-C, HDMI, and Ethernet, although it lacks a number pad. It's fairly lightweight, conducive to portability, and has a good balance of battery life. This laptop may not be suited for intensive gaming or demanding engineering tasks as the graphics are on the basic side. It's well-suited for business users seeking reliability and functionality without stretching the budget.