Hoping to bag one of the best cheap laptop deals to start the year? Thankfully, retailers have a number of New Year’s sales available to kickstart 2022 with offers across inexpensive Chromebooks, budget-friendly mid-range machines or powerful ultrabooks. We’ve scoured through many of the offers that are now live to bring you just the very best deals available right now.
While there may be some reductions that aren’t as large as we saw back in November, there are still some terrific laptop deals to be found – especially at the budget end of the scale. Those with under $200 to spend will be very happy with the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 4 for $179.99 – it’s our favourite deal of the week.
Those with a little more to spend will want to check out this incredible value Lenovo IdeaPad 3i for $449 at Walmart. Nothing else within that price range comes close to beating it if you need a powerful and high-performance all-around machine. There’s also a huge $300 discount on this Surface Pro 7 at Best Buy for $599.99. It’s the best price today for Microsoft’s hybrid machine.
We are expecting the discounts to fade away as the month goes on as the biggest sales events of the year are now behind us. With that in mind, you might want to take advantage of one of these great offers today. Of course, there will still be laptop deals in the months ahead – they just might not be as good as these ones.
For now, many of this week’s top picks feature laptops and Chromebooks at excellent prices. We’ve got a few that are available from major retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart. Going direct to a manufacturer like HP or Dell can also get you a better deal, with the added bonus of some extra discounts on accessories, too.
If you’re after more web-based machines, check out even more Chromebook deals. 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.
This week’s best cheap laptop deals
Cheap laptop deal of the week
Asus Vivobook: $449.99 $389.99 at Best Buy
Save $60 – This is easily the best value laptop deal available to buy this week. The Asus Vivobook comes with an i3 processor, 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD – all well-performing components at this price. It’s an ideal setup if you need a general all-purpose machine with a large 15.6-inc screen.
More cheap laptop deals
Cheap laptop deals under $200
Lenovo Chromebook 3: $219 $119 at Best Buy
Save $100 – This is the cheapest laptop deal available right now. The Lenovo Chromebook 3 is a basic machine with an Intel processor, 4GB RAM and 32GB of storage but that’s fine for work and school tasks on a budget.
Lenovo IdeaPad 3: $219.99 $149.99 at Amazon
Save $70 – This Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is now down to an all-time low price at Amazon. With an Intel Celeron processor and 4GB RAM, it’s a basic model that’s best suited to the simplest work or school tasks. The jump to 64GB of storage is a welcome boost if you don’t want to rely too much on the cloud for your files.
Samsung Chromebook 4: $199.99 $179 at Amazon
Save $70 – The usually more expensive Samsung Chromebook has been given a decent discount this week. It’s very similar to the Lenovo above, but you do get an Intel processor and double the amount of storage at 64GB instead. The longer battery life of up to 12.5 hours may also suit those who are more on the go.
Cheap laptop deals under $400
Acer Chromebook Spin 311: $289.99 $209.99 at Amazon
Save $80 – One of the cheapest 2-in-laptop deals is at Amazon this week where the Acer Chromebook Spin 311 is just $10 away from its lowest ever price. This hybrid machine comes with an Intel processor, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, which is all you really need in a basic device for browsing the net, media streaming and some light work.
HP 14-inch X360 Chromebook Touch: $299 $249 at Walmart
Save $50 – There aren’t many spectacular 2-in-1 laptop deals this week, but here’s the cheapest one we’ve found at Walmart. It’s still a good price for an entry-level hybrid machine that’s best-suited to basic tasks such as web browsing, streaming and light work.
Dell Inspiron 15 3000 Laptop: $354.98 $279.99 at Dell
Save $75 – For a reasonably powerful and good value machine with a larger screen for added readability, this Dell is worth a look. It’s now even cheaper than last year and a great price for a solid all-purpose device that features an Intel Celeron processor, 4GB RAM and 128GB storage. You can use it for general home or work tasks without compromising too much on any components.
HP Laptop 14z: $429.99 $349.99 at HP
Save $70 – This HP laptop with a Ryzen 3 processor, 8GB RAM and a 128GB SSD has just been discounted by an extra $30. All are good value at this price and ideal in a general-purpose machine for more involving work and everyday tasks. We especially like to see that amount of RAM at this price for an affordable boost to the machine’s performance.
Asus Vivobook: $449.99 $389.99 at Best Buy
Save $60 – This is easily the best value laptop deal available to buy this week. The Asus Vivobook comes with an i3 processor, 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD – all well-performing components at this price. It’s an ideal setup if you need a general all-purpose machine with a large 15.6-inc screen.
Cheap laptop deals under $600
Lenovo Ideapad 3i: $709.99 $449 at Walmart
Save $260 – This Lenovo Ideapad 3i is excellent value for money at Walmart this week – so much so we haven’t found another device in this price bracket that can beat it. You can save $260 on a machine that comes with an Intel i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a huge 512GB SSD. We rarely see a laptop deal this cheap featuring all of these components, so it’s suitable for anyone after a capable device that’s also features a more portable 14-inch screen.
HP 15t laptop: $749.99 $559.99 at HP
Save $190 – If you need a bit more power than the Lenovo laptop in this price bracket then you can spend a little extra here to come away with a big performance boost. For those who want to do more demanding jobs or multitask with even more ease then you’ll appreciate the jump to an i7 processor and 16GB of RAM here. The Lenovo is such good value for money though that you shouldn’t need to upgrade for general use.
The best laptop deals over $600
Microsoft Surface Pro 7: $1,029.99 $799.99 at Best Buy
Save $230 – This Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ is even better value than it looks at first because it includes the pricey Type Cover accessory for free. It also includes an i5 processor, 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD which is very strong for work and everyday browsing – especially if you want the added portability and flexibility of a Surface device.
Dell XPS 13 laptop: $949.99 $649.99 at Dell
Save $300 – Hold tight for this Dell XPS 13 Black Friday laptop deal which starts on November 17 at 11am EST. This will be the cheapest we’ve seen an XPS 13 all year. It’s a versatile machine with a 13.3-inch Full HD InfinityEdge display, Intel i5 processor, 8GB RAM and a 256 SSD. Basically, it’s everything you could want from a high-performance laptop for work, school or just general use.
MacBook Air M1 (256GB): $999 $949 at Amazon
Save $50 – After a big drop to $799 over Black Friday, the 256GB M1 MacBook Air is sadly no longer at its lowest ever price this week at Amazon. There’s now only a $50 saving on the new machine featuring Apple’s powerful M1 chip and premium chassis. It’s unlikely we’ll see such a big discount again for some time, so this is the best price today.
New Dell XPS 13 laptop: $1,219 $979.99 at Dell
Save $240 – This isn’t as big a price cut on the latest Dell XPS 13 that we saw last week, but it’s still the cheapest way to get that stunning edge-to-edge display. This $240 saving at Dell brings this Core i5, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM model down to $979.99. It’s still pricey, but if you’re looking for a superb premium ultrabook then you won’t find a better buy.
This week’s best store-wide laptop sales
HP: Save up to 45% on laptops, all-in-one PCs, monitors and more
You’ll find savings across a range of HP Pavilion and Envy laptops this week, as well as HP’s budget entry level models as well. Not only that, but desktop towers, all-in-one bundles and other accessories are also discounted right now.
Dell: cyber sale with limited-time Black Friday prices
Dell is offering some major savings across its range of XPS and Inspiron laptops this week, with up to $700 off some of its more premium machines. You’ll find plenty of discounts across the price range, though.
Best Buy: massive range of laptops now under $500
Best Buy has a strong selection of cheap laptop deals under $500 this week, with everything from HP to Dell, Acer to Asus either taking a price cut to fit or already available for less.
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 2021
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.
1. Lenovo Chromebook Duet
A cheap grab and go 2-in-1 laptop
CPU: MediaTek Helio P60T | Graphics: ARM G72 MP3 800GHz | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 10.1″ FHD (1920 x 1200) IPS touchscreen | Storage: 64 – 128GB
Incredibly versatileHigh value Performs well for the priceOlder 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.
2. Acer Chromebook 14
Meet the anti-MacBook Air
CPU: Intel Celeron N3160 | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 400 | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 14-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) display | Storage: 32GB SSD
Top-notch build qualitySolid keyboard and touchpadFull HD displayFlaky 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
3. Asus Vivobook 15
Mid-range specs for entry level prices
CPU: Up to Intel i7 | Graphics: Nvidia | RAM: Up to 16GB | Screen: FHD (1920×1080) | Storage: 128GB SSD – 1TB HDD
Versatile and powerfulFull HD screenRegularly 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.
4. Acer Swift 3
The bigger, better value proposition
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
Powerful for the priceStellar battery lifeBoring looksDown-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:
- 15 best laptops you can buy in 2020
- The best cheap MacBook deals
- Top 10 best gaming laptops of 2020
- Top 10 2-in-1 laptops of 2020
- The best home internet service providers of 2020
- The best refurbished MacBook sales
