Nowadays, you don’t have to break the bank to get a premium laptop. It’s entirely possible to get an excellent laptop for under $1,000. Whether you’re talking about a traditional Windows clamshell or a fully loaded Chromebook, spending less than a grand can get you a laptop you’ll enjoy using. Moreover, at this price point, you don’t have to sacrifice your budget to get excellent performance, a crystal-clear screen, or long battery life.
The market is full of best laptops under 1000, but it can be tough to decide which one is right for you. That’s why we’ve put together a list of our favorite laptops for sale, perfect for students who need a new computer for the upcoming semester.
. And if you’re looking for a great deal, we’ve also got you covered there too—just check out our back-to-school deals for the best sales on Chromebooks, MacBooks, iPads, and more.
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon – Best overall under $1,000
The 2.8K OLED display on the X1 Carbon is absolutely gorgeous, and the audio is booming. It’s a very quiet machine and it’s got great application and multimedia performance. However, the keyboard could be better and the lid is so thin it flexes a bit too much. Battery life could be better, too.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon is a great choice for anyone looking for a reasonably priced laptop with a lot to offer. The 14-inch 2880×1800 OLED display is the real star of the show, with incredible contrast and accurate, vibrant colors. The reviewer also notes that the laptop is very light, making it perfect for creative professionals who need to take their laptop with them on the go.
Acer Aspire 5 – Best under $500
The Pros: An affordable price, rugged build, great keyboard, and good selection of ports. The Cons: Subpar webcam, annoying bloatware comes pre-installed, and the touchpad is a little hard to use.
Acer’s Aspire 5 is a great option if you’re looking for a durable laptop that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Our tester was surprised by its solid build quality, and the keyboard is spacious and comfortable for extended typing sessions. The Aspire 5 isn’t going to set any speed records, but it’s more than fast enough for common everyday tasks like writing emails and browsing the web.
Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 – Best Chromebook
The design of this laptop is attractive and it’s affordable, but the performance is only mediocre. The audio is punchy, but the battery life is subpar.
The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is a good mid-range Chromebook according to our tester. They found that it was fast enough for web browsing and editing documents, but noticed a sag in performance when trying to do multiple tasks at once. They liked the selection of ports which included two USB-C ports, a single USB-A port, a 3.5mm combo audio jack, and a microSD card reader. The keyboard was also given positive feedback with it being described as having a “crisp and taut” feel to the keys. Although this laptop is a 2-in-
HP Chromebook x2 11 da0023dx – Best folio-style Chromebook
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a gorgeous laptop, and it has great performance. The only downside is that the trackpad can be too sensitive at times; other than that, it’s a solid investment.
Folio-style laptops have a unique design that some people may find difficult to get used to. However, our reviewer thought that the HP Chromebook x2 11 was one of the best 2-in-1 laptops available. The tablet’s aluminum chassis gives it a rugged feel and makes it durable. The detachable keyboard took some time to get adjusted to, but was eventually comfortable for long typing sessions. The rear plate, which acts as a kickstand, attaches to the back of the tablet via magnets.
Acer Swift 3 – Best for college students
If you’re a college student on a budget, the Acer Swift 3 is a great option. It has an attractive 16-inch 1080p display, a solid chassis, and a good keyboard and touchpad. However, its battery life isn’t great, so you’ll need to keep the charger handy. This is unfortunate, as the Swift 3’s slim profile makes it a good laptop for travel. If you can overlook the poor battery life, though, this is a great laptop for watching movies and writing research papers.
