The best laptops of 2024 under $1,000: Expert tested and reviewed

The best laptop under $1,000 overall is the M2 MacBook Air, which was also named ZDNET’s Product of the Year for 2022. It’s a fantastic machine for a variety of reasons. The M2 SoC (system on a chip) gives the device a much-needed performance boost. It lets you quickly transfer enormous files, render videos, compress them, and create multimedia-intense PowerPoints. The M2 MacBook Air can do all of this without blinking.

Professional and casual users alike will appreciate the Liquid Retina display, which can simultaneously show 1.07 billion shades of color. Granted, it may not be as stunning as the screen on the MacBook Pro, but you still get a roughly 2K resolution image (2,560 x 1,664 pixels). Having a screen this nice does come at a cost. The M2 MacBook Air has a slightly worse battery life than the 2020 model, lasting about 16 hours instead of 17 hours. 

Review: Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022)

Despite the slightly short battery life, the device is a premiere laptop, no matter how you look at it. As ZDNET’s editor-in-chief Jason Hiner wrote in his hands-on review, “the M2 MacBook Air is… the first redesign of the… product line in over a decade, and Apple has delivered a hardware design that impresses” on both form and function.

Apple M2 MacBook Air tech specs: CPU Model: Apple M2 | RAM Memory: 8GB | Hard Disk Drive: 256GB SSD | Screen Size: 13.6 inches

Gaming laptops tend to be rather expensive, and for good reason. They often house some of the industry’s best hardware configurations. They’re so good that these machines can also be found among the best video editing laptops. Finding an excellent, inexpensive gaming laptop can be tricky, although it is possible. Case in point: the Gigabyte G5 KF. It may be cheap, but don’t let the low price tag fool you because it’s quite a beast. It houses a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 processor with a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, ensuring powerful performance.

Moreover, the G5 KF comes with a 15.6-inch Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) display sporting a high refresh rate of 144Hz. The refresh rate, if you’re not familiar with it, is the frequency of how often a screen updates itself. The higher the rate, the smoother the output will be. This is important because video games benefit significantly from high refresh rates. They ensure you never miss the action and can see everything coming at you.

As good as the G5 HF is, it has some downsides. Multiple user reviews on Amazon complain about how loud the fan can get (gaming laptops require robust cooling systems to keep operating at an optimal temperature). The device can still get hot despite the noise, making typing more difficult.

GIGABYTE G5 KF tech specs: CPU Model: 12th Gen Intel Core i5-12500H | RAM Memory: 8GB | Hard Disk Drive: 512 GB SSD | Screen Size: 15.6 inches

2-in-1 laptops offer unique utility due to their flexibility: one minute, you could use it as a traditional laptop typing away on the keyboard, and the next, you’d be drawing on it like a tablet after flipping the display around. Their form factor allows them to tackle all sorts of workloads. Among the low-cost options, the Lenovo Yoga 7i is the best.

The Yoga 7i’s success is due to three factors: its hardware, its display, and its design. First, the device houses the decently powerful Intel Core Ultra 5 alongside 16GB of RAM, making it robust and speedy enough to handle a wide array of tasks easily. Additionally, it offers a good amount of storage courtesy of its 512GB SSD.

Also: Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in1

Regarding its display, you’ll receive a 16-inch Full HD touchscreen. ZDNET Editor Kyle Kucharski referred to it as “dynamic… [adding] another dimension to Windows” and allowing “flexible usage.” 

However, it is not particularly bright, maxing out at 300 nits (you’re better off not using this laptop under the sun). Design-wise, Lenovo made several great choices: It’s slim yet durable, and the hinges feel particularly strong, minimizing screen wobble.

Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 tech specs: CPU Model: Intel Core Ultra 5 Series 1 | RAM Memory: 16 GB | Hard Disk Drive:  512 SSD | Screen Size: 16-inches

Dell’s Inspiron series is known for having some of the best work laptops in its lineup. They deliver solid performance, plenty of storage space, and a great, high-resolution display, all at a reasonable price. This tradition of reliability continues with the company’s latest refresh for the Inspiron 16.

Dell decided to ditch AMD hardware for this model and equip the laptop only with Intel chips. Because of this change, the new Inspiron 16 is a bit more expensive but is still worth the cost. Inside is a 13th-generation Intel Core i5-1334U alongside an integrated Iris Xe GPU. There is no Meteor Lake chipset, but you can still expect outstanding performance from this engine. It’ll be able to handle a whole day’s work with ease. Plus, it has more RAM, too, at 16GB instead of 8GB.

Like before, buyers get a full terabyte of storage and a large, 16-inch Full-HD Plus (1,920 x 1,200 pixels) display. The glass is covered with an anti-glare coating, ensuring images come through crystal clear under direct sunlight. Of course, we can’t forget the rugged aluminum body, which lets it survive being tossed and turned in your bag while traveling.

The Inspiron 16 offers multiple configuration options to boost its performance; however, doing so will increase the price tag considerably, with some going past $1,000.

Dell Inspiron 16 tech specs: CPU Model: 13th Gen Intel Core i5-1334U | RAM Memory: 16 GB | Hard Disk Drive: 512 GB SSD | Screen Size: 16 inches

Being a budget laptop doesn’t necessarily mean you have to offer a subpar experience. Case in point: the HP Pavilion Plus, which has a fantastic screen. It starts strong, as the base model houses a 1,920 x 1,200 pixel resolution IPS (in-plane switching) display. An IPS screen is notable because it outputs more color and has better viewing angles than an LED display. 

One step above that, you have the WQXGA options, which outputs at a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. Not only is it an IP screen, but it’s also covered in an anti-glare coating to ensure clarity. And it’s been certified for Low Blue Light to keep your eye from getting tired of staring at a screen all day. Then, at the top, HP offers a stunning 2.8K resolution OLED screen. This is the cream of the crop as the option can show off a vibrant array of colors and abyssal blacks in high quality.

The problem with the OLED option is that it is the most expensive of the three. It requires you to get the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor, increasing the cost of the laptop to over $800. It is still relatively cheap compared to other OLED laptops, but it may be out of budget for some people. Regardless of the price, the Pavilion Plus is a great device.

HP Pavilion Plus tech specs: CPU Model: AMD Ryzen 5 7540U | RAM Memory: 16 GB | Hard Disk Drive: 512 GB SSD | Screen Size: 14 inches

The Acer Aspire 3 has earned its spot as the best laptop for value. It’s the cheapest option here and serves as a solid work machine. The device has an AMD Ryzen 3 7320U processor, an integrated AMD Radeon graphics card, and 8GB of RAM. It’s a lightweight laptop that can handle various tasks, from internet browsing to writing documents and streaming movies. Due to its mid-range hardware, the Aspire 3’s battery can last quite a while – about 11 hours on a single charge, according to Acer. You should know the 

If you check out the Amazon reviews for the laptop, you’ll notice many people like the display. The summary explicitly points out that users enjoy how it “provides crisp visuals and vibrant colors.” That’s probably because Acer gave their model a  15.6-inch Full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) IPS display. 

Like the previous Pavilion Plus, IPS tech allows the computer to show vibrant colors. It even supports Acer BlueLightShield, which lowers the amount of harmful blue light sent to your eyes. Another great feature worth mentioning is its large cooling fan, which ensures the model is at an optimal temperature at all times.

Acer Aspire 3 tech specs: CPU Model: AMD Ryzen 3 7320U | RAM Memory: 8GB LPDDR5 | Hard Disk Drive: 128 GB | Screen Size: 15.6 inches

ASUS isn’t known for its work laptops. People associate the name with gaming hardware, but you’d be surprised what the Zenbook 14 can deliver. It houses an Intel Core Ultra 5 125H alongside an NPU or neural processing unit. NPUs are a relatively new piece of tech that has become quite common in 2024 laptops. They improve overall hardware performance, which is great to have on low-end models.

While the Zenbook 14 is less powerful with the integrated Intel graphics card and 8GB of RAM, the NPU makes up much of the slack. 

Review: Asus Zenbook 14

One area the laptop excelled in was battery longevity. During our initial tests, it lasted 12 straight hours before running out of juice. Be aware that this length of time was achieved without battery save mode turned on. With the feature active, there’s a good chance it would’ve gone for much longer. Additionally, it comes with a vibrant OLED screen displaying a Full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,200 pixels) image. 

Also, remember that the Zenbook 14 can become warm when the hardware is pushed to its limits. 

Asus Zenbook 14 tech specs: CPU Model: Intel Core Ultra 5 | RAM Memory: 8 GB | Hard Disk Drive: 512 GB | Screen Size: 14-inches