The best cheap laptop deals in January 2021

We’re bringing you all the best cheap laptop deals currently on the shelves, and right now you can pick up some excellent specs for some great prices. Not only are we seeing powerful machines on sale right now (some offering the latest 11th generation Intel Evo processors) but there are plenty of 2-in-1 laptop deals offering discounts on flexible machines with some great functionality. 

From Best Buy to Walmart, MSI to HP you’ll find all the best cheap laptop deals right here. That means we’ve weeded out all the discounts that aren’t worth your time to bring you only the highest quality laptop deals on the shelves right now. You’ll find all the key specs and features listed out for each model as well, so you can find the perfect machine for you. 

Cheap laptop deals by budget

There’s a wide range of cheap laptop deals on offer here, from traditional laptops under $500 and the best Chromebooks made for browsing, to powerful working from home machines. So, whether you’re after a budget laptop to simply surf the web with, or a more capable rig with the latest processors and speedy SSDs, you’re sure to find the model for you in the laptop deals below. 

If you’re a gamer, you’d be better suited to check out our selection of gaming laptop deals, as the models on this page are not usually built with gaming in mind. If you’re after a cheaper web-based machine, check out the latest Chromebook prices and deals.

This week’s best cheap laptop deals

Cheap laptop deal of the week

HP 14t 14-inch laptop: $579.99 $399.99 at HP
$399 is a fantastic price for a machine with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD – let alone the 16GB of Intel Optane memory and latest 11th generation i3 processor. That’s some serious value, with plenty of power under the hood and speedy performance up at an excellent price.
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Cheap laptop deals under $200

HP Stream 11.6-inch laptop: $299 $179 at Walmart
The 11.6-inch HP Stream is perfect for Windows users on a budget. You’re getting a fairly small display here, but along with the 4GB RAM, Intel Celeron processor, and 64GB of storage you’ll be sorted for light everyday browsing.
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Acer 315 15.6-inch Chromebook: $219 $179 at Walmart
Save $50 –
This is an entry level spec, with 4GB RAM, 32GB of storage and an Intel Celeron N4000  processor. However, you’ll rarely find a full sized 15.6-inch display for $179, a price point that will usually send you home with a tiny 11.6-inch screen.
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Cheap laptop deals under $400

Lenovo Chromebook Flex 3 11.6-inch touchscreen Chromebook: $279 $219 at Best Buy
With a MediaTek MT8173C processor and 32GB of storage space, this is certainly an entry level Chromebook spec. However, that 11.6-inch screen is fully touchscreen which is usually a far more premium feature that you rarely find on machines sitting around the $200 price point.
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HP Chromebook 14 – $299.99 $219.99 at HP
This is a brilliant Chromebook for students thanks to its large 14-inch display, decent specs and low price. Its speakers are tuned by B&O sound specialist and its 47WHr battery will last ages.View Deal

HP 14-inch laptop: $469 $329 at Walmart
At just over $300, those looking for something a little more than an entry level 64GB machine will be glad to see a 14-inch Windows laptop offering up a 10th generation i3 processor, 4GB RAM and a 128GB SSD.
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HP 14t 14-inch laptop: $579.99 $399.99 at HP
$399 is a fantastic price for a machine with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD – let alone the 16GB of Intel Optane memory and latest 11th generation i3 processor. That’s some serious value, with plenty of power under the hood and speedy performance up at an excellent price.
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Cheap laptop deals under $600

HP Pavilion 15.6-inch laptop: $549.99 $449.99 at HP
There’s a $120 discount on this 15.6-inch HP Pavilion in this week’s cheap laptop deals. Considering there’s the latest 11th generation i5 processor inside, you’re getting some cutting edge power at a great price right now. You’ll also find 8GB RAM and a 128GB SSD under the hood as well.
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HP 2-in-1 14-inch touchscreen Chromebook: $629 $449 at Best Buy
You’re getting some nice Chromebook specs here – an i3 processor and 8GB RAM to go with the standard 64GB of storage space. However, the value lies in the convertible nature of this machine, with that touchscreen display easily folding into a tablet for extra functionality at a great price.
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HP 15t 15.6-inch laptop: $679.99 $450.15 at HP
If you go for one of HP’s basic models you can find some serious value in strong specs at a low price. That’s the case here, with a 10th generation i5 processor leading 12GB RAM and a 256GB SSD sitting in the standard 15t HP chassis. That’s great if you’re looking for a mid-range machine at a budget price.
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MSI Modern 15 15.6-inch laptop: $649.99 $499.99 at Best Buy
Best Buy has cut $150 off this MSI Modern 15 laptop, which means you can secure a roomy 512GB SSD for a fantastic price in this week’s laptop deals. We rarely see such storage sitting in this price bracket, so if you’re looking to store plenty of media, programs, or downloads you’ll want to take a look at this. The 8GB RAM and i5 processor remain fairly standard.
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HP 17t 17.3-inch laptop: $709.99 $519.99 at HP
Save $190 on this massive 17.3-inch machine from HP. That’s perfect if you’re looking for a seriously large display for streaming or multi-tasking. You’ll find a powerful 10th generation i7 processor under the hood, 8GB RAM and a larger (but slightly slower) 1TB hard drive as well.
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Asus Vivobook 17.3-inch laptop: $799.99 $599.99 at Best Buy
This is an excellent price on a massive 17.3-inch laptop, stacked with a Ryzen 7 processor, 12GB RAM, a 512GB SSD and Radeon Vega 10 graphics. That’s a stunning spec sheet for under $600, making this our top pick of the week.
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HP Pavilion x360 14-inch touchscreen laptop: $749.99 $599.99 at Best Buy
You’re dropping down in specs here, with an i5 processor, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD offering up a fairly standard configuration for this price point. However, this Pavilion x360 offers premium 2-in-1 functionality which carries its own costs as well. All in, you’re picking up a flexible mid-range machine here for a great price considering the features on offer.
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The best laptop deals over $600

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15.6-inch laptop: $799 $649 at B&H Photo
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 offers a full HD IPS display and some powerful specs inside a slimline and easily portable shell. That’s perfect if you need plenty of juice on the go, and you can save $150 on this quad-core 10th gen i5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD configuration at B&H Photo this week.
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Where to find the best budget laptop deals in the US:

We’ve compared prices on some of our favourite cheap laptops and run through the details on why we recommend them further down this page. But if you’d like to browse the latest laptop deals directly from your favorite retailers we’ve included a list of the most-recommended stores directly below. 

Which stores have cheap laptop sales?

If you’re looking for the best budget laptop to see you through everyday browsing, we’d recommend heading over to the generalist retailers – Walmart, Best Buy, and Amazon, for example. If you’re after something a little more specialist, Dell, Lenovo and HP will offer far more configuration options with their own discounts as well.

The best cheap laptops

The best cheap laptops of 2020

The best budget laptops are usually the ones offering decent entry level specs (32 or 64GB of storage in a Chromebook or a 4GB / 8GB RAM, i3 processor, 128GB  storage in a Windows machine) at a reduced price. However, you’ll sometimes find mid-range specs offering a step up at similar prices on cheaper machines. Below you’ll find our top picks of cheap laptops that do exactly that during busy sales periods. 

cheap laptop deals

(Image Lenovo)

1. Lenovo Chromebook Duet

A cheap grab and go 2-in-1 laptop

Specifications

CPU: MediaTek Helio P60T

Graphics: ARM G72 MP3 800GHz

RAM: 4GB

Screen: 10.1″ FHD (1920 x 1200) IPS touchscreen

Storage: 64 – 128GB

Reasons to buy

+Incredibly versatile+High value +Performs well for the price

Reasons to avoid

-Older components

If you’re shopping for cheap laptops, chances are you’re not going to be spending too long poring over spec sheets or looking forward to splashing out on the latest processors and graphics. You might be looking for a simple every day web browsing machine light enough to throw into a backpack and flexible enough for comfortable streaming. That’s where the Lenovo Duet comes in – a Chromebook that’s technically a tablet, but far more powerful than you’d expect it to be. 

best budget laptop deals

2. Acer Chromebook 14

Meet the anti-MacBook Air

Specifications

CPU: Intel Celeron N3160

Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 400

RAM: 4GB

Screen: 14-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) display

Storage: 32GB SSD

Reasons to buy

+Top-notch build quality+Solid keyboard and touchpad+Full HD display

Reasons to avoid

-Flaky HD video playback

With its slick lines and a slim silhouette, the Acer Chromebook 14 makes for a subtle, snazzy laptop. Although its display isn’t the most attractive we’ve seen, it’s still acceptable for full HD. On top of that, the keyboard and trackpad adhere to the principle of ‘it just works.’ The battery life is satisfactory as well despite falling a bit south of Acer’s 12-hour claim in real-world use. 

Read the full review: Acer Chromebook 14

cheap laptop deals

(Image Asus)

3. Asus Vivobook 15

Mid-range specs for entry level prices

Specifications

CPU: Up to Intel i7

Graphics: Nvidia

RAM: Up to 16GB

Screen: FHD (1920×1080)

Storage: 128GB SSD – 1TB HDD

Reasons to buy

+Versatile and powerful+Full HD screen+Regularly discounted

You’re shopping in the $399 – $599 range when looking at an Asus Vivobook, with entry level specs outperforming the vast majority of Chromebooks you’d usually find at this price. Plus, you’re getting some pretty premium features in this cheap laptop. A Nano-Edge display keeps everything looking sharp, the option for Intel Optane memory makes sure all your most-used programs and files are well within reach, and a 1.6kg weight on a full sized 15.6-inch laptop is nothing to sniff at either. 

cheap laptops deals sales

4. Acer Swift 3

The bigger, better value proposition

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i3 – i7

Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 620

RAM: 4GB – 8GB

Screen: 14-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) ComfyView IPS

Storage: 128GB – 256GB SSD

Reasons to buy

+Powerful for the price+Stellar battery life

Reasons to avoid

-Boring looks-Down-firing speakers

Here we have one of the few budget laptops with a processor nearly equivalent to a MacBook Pro from a couple of years back, that is if you opt for the Intel Core i5 configuration. The best part? Among the best Acer laptops right now, it’s roughly half the cost of its Apple-branded rival. Now given that it sells at a range of different prices, the Acer Swift 3 can be an obtuse purchase, but lucky for you, the midrange model will get you by just fine. There are often plenty of cheap laptop deals on Acer products so you’ll always be in a good position to grab a discount. 

Read the full review: Acer Swift 3

Cheap laptops: Spotting the best laptop deals under $200

One of the first things we often check when shopping for cheap laptops is the amount of storage on offer. As shoppers, we’ve become accustomed to comparing prices and models based on the number of gigabytes next to the model name. However, there may be more to it than that, especially when you’re browsing the cheaper shelves. You may also need to pay attention to your operating system when picking up a budget laptop deal under $200. 

Some cheap laptops are more worthy of your cash than others, and many simply need to be avoided. For example, you’ll easily find a Windows machine that offers just 16 or 32GB of storage, but with update file and software sizes increasing, you may quickly find that insufficient. However, finding a Chromebook with 16 or 32GB of storage for under $200 makes for a great cheap laptop deal. That’s because these machines run on Chrome OS which doesn’t require updates and operates largely through your browser. 

Similarly, a lot of laptops hold incredibly low price tags because they are labelled as ‘FreeDOS’. This means they don’t have an operating system on them already, so you will need to buy Windows 10 to get them set up. 

How much are the best laptop deals? 

Shopping for the best budget laptop deals between $50 and $200 will usually have you looking at the excellent range of Chromebooks on sale right now. Running Chrome OS, these budget laptop deals will see you through everyday web browsing, emails, and some light streaming for eye wateringly low prices. You’ll be picking up anything from a 16GB SSD to a 64GB hard drive, but you’ll also be looking to utilize the cloud for more storage.

If you’re punting a bit higher than $200, you’ll be opening yourself up to more RAM, moving from 4GB to 8GB in most models, meaning your cheap laptop will be able to open programs faster, generally retrieving information and multi-task in a more streamlined manner. You’ll also be picking up far more storage for your cash, with prices this week including either a 128GB or 256GB SSD. This SSD further streamlines your storage, acting as a lightning-fast drive to keep everything you need instantly attainable.

Once you search for laptop deals above $400, you may well start to find 16GB of RAM on offer as well as a few models with a 512GB SSD. Along with improved processors, that means exceedingly fast storage potential, keeping your cheap laptop zippy however many programs you have open. Laptops above this price range are also better suited to media editing than cheaper models.

Not quite what you’re looking for? Maybe our other laptop articles will have what you need:

Round up of today’s best deals

Lenovo Chromebook Duet,…

Acer Chromebook 14″ Display,…

ASUS Vivobook 15 R564JA-UB31…

Acer Swift 3, 14″ Full HD…

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