Buying a cheap and long-lasting laptop is an odyssey, not because they don’t exist, but because there are too many models and the market is saturated, so choosing one of good quality, with good performance and that suits your budget is usually a daunting task.
Do not think that as soon as you enter Amazon, you will find a good, beautiful, and cheap laptop with ease. Before doing so, read this article where you will learn what essential characteristics you should consider, such as hardware, design, and performance of the equipment, etc.
Best Cheap and Long-Lasting Laptops
Over the years, laptops have been gaining ground and even surpassing desktop computers in some price ranges.
M1 Macbook Pro
Apple’s M1 system on a chip (SoC) has done wonders for the MacBook Pro. Performance is on par or better than the Intel models that preceded the M1, all while staying more relaxed and quieter.
Some apps are not yet optimized for the M1, but developers have been pushing updates for Apple’s new platform. Now, all the essential apps run on Apple’s new silicon, and sometimes they even work better. Outside of the M1 push, the MacBook Pro remains the wonder of a machine that it always has been. The keyboard is one of the best on the market, and the screen puts most Windows laptops to shame.
In terms of performance, the M1 packs eight cores of processor power, eight cores of GPU power, and up to 16GB of RAM. The entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro comes with 256GB of SSD storage but increases it up to 2TB, depending on your configuration.
The latest MacBook Pro comes with all the benefits of previous models and a bit more. It also comes with all the downsides. The latest, best cheap and long-lasting laptop model has two Thunderbolt ports and nothing else. Fortunately, you can overcome the limited selection of ports with a decent Thunderbolt hub.
Lenovo Ideapad L340
Ranking second is the Lenovo Ideapad L340. With a robust and futuristic design (taking into account its blue-backlit keyboard), this Lenovo is one of the best devices for those looking for performance but don’t want to carry a “job.”
The device has an infinite screen (full HD and anti-glare) with a brightness of 250 nits, in addition to Dobly Audio speakers for those looking for a very immersive experience while gaming.
On the technical side, the notebook has 16GB of RAM, 128GB of SSD (internal storage) I7, and a GTX 1050 with 3GB of dedicated RAM; that is, almost all the latest generation games will run smoothly on top (with an average of 30 to 45 fps).
This Lenovo stands out among other gaming notebooks for its practicality! The device weighs 4.84 pounds and is much more focused on user practicality.
So if you are looking for the best cheap and long-lasting laptop but don’t want to walk around with a brick, this is the perfect notebook for you.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3
The best is Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3, a 15.6-inch laptop that offers the best mainstream components with the usual ThinkPad aesthetics, build quality, and support.
The basic configuration comes with an Intel Core i7-10750H, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a 4GB Nvidia GTX 1650 Ti. A high-end configuration includes an Intel Core i9-10885H, 64GB of RAM, and up to 4TB of SSD storage spread across two drives.
Lenovo combines the internals with a 15.6-inch Full HD screen, which you can upgrade to a 4K OLED model or a 4K IPS screen with 600 nits maximum brightness. Both high-end displays look beautiful, though they will tax the ThinkPad X1 Extreme’s already limited battery life.
Like many other ThinkPad computers, the X1 Extreme Gen 3 is designed to the MIL-STD 810G standard, and the keyboard is excellent. When it comes to ports, it comes with two USB-A, two USB-C, DisplayPort, a 4-in-1 SD card reader, headphone/microphone combo jack, and HDMI 2.0. The USB-C ports are Thunderbolt 3, offering power delivery and data transfer.
HP Pro C640
The HP Pro C640 is one of the most expensive Chromebooks on the market, although it is still cheaper than most of the other laptops on this list. It’s the best of both worlds, combining parts like an i7- 10610U with the supreme usability of ChromeOS.
The basic configuration comes with an Intel Pentium Gold 6405U, 8GB of RAM, and 32GB of flash storage. You can equip the C640 with up to an i7-10610U, 16GB of RAM, and 128GB of space.
If you’re switching from one web-based application to another, the C640 is a great option. ChromeOS is optimized, allowing you to focus on the apps that matter without too much clutter (or operating system overload). The keyboard clicks and response, although it still falls a bit below the best laptop keyboards.
Furthermore, the C640 comes with a Wifi 6 and Bluetooth 5 on board. You have access to two USB-C, two USB-A, a combo mic/headphone jack, and an HDMI 1.4 connection for ports. All four USBs are version 3.1, and the USB-Cs support Power Delivery and DisplayPort.
The only downside to the C640 is its display. The basic configuration comes with a 14-inch non-touch with a resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels. At 14 inches, we recommend upgrading to the Full HD option, which is brighter and supports touch.
HP Pavilion 15
If you are looking for the best cheap and long-lasting laptop and you are not afraid of the size and questionable design, this 15.6 ″ HP Pavilion Gaming is perfect. Needless to say, the design is as aggressive as ever, with green inserts and keyboard backlighting in the same color. This keyboard is among the few things that are not at the top, you could do better, but somewhere you have to save some money to have these specifications. Another negative note is the hinge; you have to be careful when opening.
The specifications strike a true gamer, and beyond, this Pavilion Gaming 15 has an AMD Ryzen 7 processor with RX Vega 10 graphics card and a GeForce GTX 1650. Obviously, the performances are high profile. You will be able to play the most demanding titles without fear of significant frame losses, but giving up the battery life without too many words is poor. Excellent equipment of ports, very well the speakers edited by Bang & Olufsen, less well the brightness of the display but at least the screen is anti-reflective. It must have some minor waivers to cost less than 1000 dollars, but these are easy little things.
Conclusion
It is impossible to precisely say which laptop is the best because each customer has their own requirements. Before going to the store, you need to define the list of crucial importance characteristics clearly, and with this in mind, choose the appropriate model.
