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

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

The best laptop under $1,000 overall is the M2 MacBook Air, a laptop that 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’ll let you transfer enormous files, render video files, compress them, and create multimedia-intense PowerPoints with ease. The M2 MacBook Air can do all of this without blinking.

Professional and casual users alike will appreciate the Liquid Retina display, which is capable of showing 1.07 billion shades of color at once. 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. 

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.

Review: Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022) review: Sleeker, faster – and more expensive

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

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, in fact, these machines can be found among the best video editing laptops too. Finding a good 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.

What’s more, the G5 KF comes with a 15.6-inch Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) display sporting a uniquely 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 to have because video games benefit greatly 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). Despite the noise, the device can still get really hot, making typing more difficult.

Dell Inspiron 16 tech specs: CPU Model: AMD Ryzen 5 7530U | RAM Memory: 8 GB | Hard Disk Drive: 512 GB SSD | Screen Size: 16 inches

The Dell Inspiron 16 is part of a series of laptops well-known for its larger size. On this model, you’ll be looking at a wide, 16-inch Full HD Plus (1,920 x 1,200 pixels) display. The neat thing about the screen is it comes covered in an anti-glare coating to block out the sun. It’s a handy feature to have if you ever decide to do some work outside. The coating ensures visual clarity at all times.

This device is available in multiple configurations depending on how much you want to spend. At its lowest cost, the Inspiron 16 sports an AMD Ryzen 7 7730U while the higher-end model has an Intel Core i7-1360P. On the surface, you may think the laptop is well-suited for intense workloads. Unfortunately, not really. The processor may be great, but the graphics cards are middling. Regardless of the option you get, you’ll be stuck with an integrated GPU. This means it won’t have its power source, resulting in less-than-stellar performance. 

User reviews on the Amazing listing page repeat much of the same. It’s a nice laptop for the price, however, people are mixed on performance. Dell does make up for this by offering a lot of storage. At minimum, you get a 512GB SSD, but we recommend opting for a full terabyte because it’s actually cheaper.

HP Chromebook Plus x360 tech specs: CPU Model: 12th Gen Intel Core i3 | RAM Memory: 8 GB | Hard Disk Drive: 256 GB SSD | Screen Size: 14 inches

Last year, Google launched a new wave of laptops known as the Chromebook Plus series. This line is meant to be a direction evolution of older models, introducing better hardware and multiple AI-powered features. They’re all fairly cheap, with one of the better options being the Chromebook Plus x360 from HP. As you can probably guess by the name, this is a 2-in-1 laptop, so you can directly interact with its touch screen.

Compared to the older x360 model, this one has a larger screen at 15.6 inches, although there is a smaller 14-inch version if you want something more compact. Under the hood, you have a well-performing 12th Gen Intel Core i3 processor. Having this configuration allows the laptop to handle tough workloads with relative ease. As mentioned earlier, it has multiple AI features such as Magic Eraser to clean up photographs.

Its keyboard is pretty nice as well. The soft matte material is easy on the hands and keys are responsive to the touch. The Chromebook Plus x360’s battery lasts a good eight hours of continuous use which blew past our original prediction of six hours. Sadly, the webcam isn’t great. In my testing experience, it was grainy and lacks color.

Review: This $380 HP Chromebook will change your mind about cheap laptops

ASUS VivoBook S 15 OLED tech specs: CPU Model: Intel Core i5-12500H/Intel Core i7-12700H | RAM Memory: 8 GB | Hard Disk Drive: 512 GB SSD | Screen Size: 15.6 inches

If you’re looking for an inexpensive laptop with a gorgeous screen, look no further than the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED. It sports a 15.6 Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixel) OLED screen on a 16:9 aspect ratio. This type of display allows you to enjoy stunning colors and deep blacks. Additionally, it covers the entirety of the DCI-P3 color gamut plus support for Display HDR True Black 600. Together, these two software features offer color saturation and unmatched on-screen detail.

Of course, there is more to the Vivobook S 15 besides its screen because it does have some powerful hardware. The low-end model sports an Intel Core i5-12500H CPU and 8GB of RAM, ideal for multitasking. You won’t experience any significant performance drops even if you have a ton of tabs open on Google Chrome (and we know you do that). 

As for its overall design, the laptop weighs less than four pounds, so you can travel anywhere without hindrance. Typing on its keyboard is a pleasant experience as well. For one, it’s spacious, giving your hands all the freedom they need. Plus, each key has a low actuation point for fast typing. The touchpad at the bottom is relatively small. Using it for scrolling web pages may be a little uncomfortable for some.

Also: The best feature on this Asus laptop is the one you’ll stare at the least

Acer Aspire 5 tech specs: CPU Model: Intel Core i5-8265U | RAM Memory: 8 GB | Hard Disk Drive: 256 GB | Screen Size: 15.6 inches

The Acer Aspire 5 is an excellent Windows laptop priced under $1,000. It has a comfortable 15.6-inch widescreen display that isn’t too small or too big, with an LED-backlit IPS and full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels). This translates to impressive graphics on a screen large enough to enjoy detail. The backlit keyboard is a bonus for greater visibility, especially for work or school projects.

Processing speeds are incredible, too. The Aspire 5 utilizes an 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8265U processor with 256 gigabytes on the hard disk and 8GB of RAM. This combination of hardware allows the laptop to handle all sorts of workloads, be it streaming a movie from Netflix or browsing the internet. Speaking of movies, Acer Aspire 5 boasts Acer TrueHarmony tech to boost volume and deliver deep bass.

For higher security, there is a fingerprint reader for unlocking your computer. You have ports aplenty, with several USB ports, including a USB-C input. Expect a battery life of about nine-and-a-half hours, more than enough power to get you through long work days.

And the cherry on top of the Acer Aspire 5 sundae is the lightweight. It weighs less than four pounds, so you can take it with you everywhere you go.

Acer Swift X tech specs: CPU Model: AMD Ryzen 5 5600U/Ryzen 7 5800U | RAM Memory: 8 GB/16 GB | Hard Disk Drive: 512 GB | Screen Size: 14 inches

Keeping with Acer, we have the Swift X — a low-cost laptop that has a surprisingly decent amount of power behind it. You can choose an AMD Ryzen 5 5600U or a Ryzen 7 5825U as your processor. It’s slim pickings for the graphics card, but at least it’s an Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU. Pretty decent hardware for a laptop costing less than $1,000.

The Swift X is a great pick for many people as it excels in areas where gaming laptops struggle. For one, it’s lightweight, coming in at a little over three pounds, making it much easier to carry around. The average battery life is set at a nice 12 hours. With that time, you could do all your day’s work and still have juice left over to wind down with your favorite show on Netflix.

Of course, I can’t forget the great-looking FullHD IPS display sporting an over 85 percent screen-to-body ratio. It also covers the entirety of the sRGB color gamut.

One of my favorite things about the Swift X is that it comes in a head-turning Gold. It’s an unusual color for laptops, but it’ll definitely look nice on a desk.

Review: Acer Swift X review: A slimline AMD-powered workhouse with discrete Nvidia graphics