By Robin Owens 17 days ago, Hardware
What features should you look for in a $400 laptop?
A laptop is not a cheap pleasure, and therefore, before spending a big sum, define what purpose you are going to use it for. Do you need the best laptop for watching movies, playing games, or performing work-related tasks? There is a wide choice of decent laptops available nowadays, which we want to describe in this article. Learn about the best budget laptops under 400 dollars with a detailed specs description.
First, consider which OS you prefer – Windows, Mac, maybe you are looking for some other alternatives. This will help you figure out what to look for when choosing best gaming laptop under 400 dollars. Today, there is a huge selection of both Windows laptops and MacBooks on the market, so you can certainly find the model you want, and the one that suits your needs.
Chromebooks are also worth looking at. The main thing to remember is that the choice of a laptop doesn’t end with the OS, there are many other important characteristics that we will tell you about.
CPU: Inspiron | GPU: R7 m265 | RAM: 8 GB | Storage: 1TGB | Display: 15.6-inch | Weight: 4.45 lbs
⊕ Pleasant to touch surface
⊕ Value for money
⊕ Satisfactory battery life
⊖ Wobbly input system
Dell is a great laptop under 400 dollars with a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display. Besides the colorful and crisp images on the display, you'll be amazed by the size of the picture thanks to the narrow bezel design. Moreover, the display doesn’t harm or strain eyes during prolonged work in front of the laptop.
The display is not the only advantage of this model. The latest processors will help you quickly cope with tasks, and a long-lasting battery allows working far from the power socket without problems. Plus, the model is quite portable, so you can take it with you wherever you go. You can use the device anytime due to the backlighting keyboard, which makes the working process at night more comfortable.
CPU: Intel® | GPU: ATI Radeon | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 256GB | Display: 15.6-inch | Weight: 5.69 pounds
⊕ Stylish design
⊕ Speedy processor
⊕ Long-lasting battery
⊖ Poor display
If you’re looking for the best laptop under 400 dollars that can satisfy with inner and outer features, then Aspire 5 is for you. Due to a15.6-inch Narrow Bezel Full HD IPS display, you get vibrant, accurate images and lots of space to express your creativity. Due to the AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Mobile Processor, which is as powerful as a desktop computer, you can complete tasks faster. If it is paired with the Radeon Vega 8, users get a high-quality device with a long-lasting battery that, along with these specs, suits any work needs.
CPU: HP® | GPU: NVIDIA | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 256 GB | Display: 15-inch | Weight: 3.75 lbs
⊕ Great design
⊕ Convenient
⊕ Small-sized
⊖ Poor battery
When you buy HP 15, you get a 2in1 laptop under 400 dollars that can assist you in numerous activities. Its large, almost bezel-less display allows you to stream and cope with various tasks quickly. This model is an excellent combination of high performance and elegant design. Plus, the long-lasting battery is your trusted companion when traveling or working outdoors to meet deadlines and stay connected. Affordable price and good performance make the HP 15 a popular choice for any workload.
CPU: i3-5005U | GPU: Lenovo | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 256GB | Display: 14-inch | Weight: 3.30 lbs
⊕ Reasonably-priced Convenient keyboard Full-sized Ethernet
⊖ Weak webcam
The Lenovo IdeaPad 330 is an example of great laptops for college students under 400 bucks thanks to its lightweight design. This model is great for everyday tasks rather than for gaming sessions. However, you will be amazed by the fast boot and shutdown speed along with the agile performance. The laptop provides a lot of free space for keeping important documents and photos. The IdeaPad has a 14-inch display and runs on Windows, which is great for such entry-level devices.
CPU: Intel Core | GPU: Nvidia | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 128GB | Display: 15.6-inch | Weight: 3.75 lbs
⊕ Value for money
⊕ Fast performance
⊕ Capacious battery
⊖ One-component configuration
Though ASUS VivoBook 15 is a laptop under 400 dollars, it is no inferior to more expensive alternatives. From the Intel Core i3 processor that ensures great performance to the stylish design – this is a great device. Featuring the latest frameless four-sided NanoEdge display, it provides more space for work, while an 88% screen-to-body ratio offers a better immersive experience. You can also customize the keyboard height for comfortable typing with the built-in ErgoLift hinge. The transfer speed of USB 3.0, 3.1, 3.2 (Gen 1 and 2), and Type-C usually depends on the processing speed of the host device, file attributes, and many options based on the OS and settings in general.
CPU: Intel® | GPU: NVIDIA® | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 256 GB | Display: 14-inch | Weight: 3.30 lbs
⊕ Affordable
⊕ Works for gaming
⊕ Small-sized
⊖ None found
HP ENVY is a gaming laptop under $400 that comes with plenty of attractive features. The first is the latest powerful Intel Core i7-7500U quad-core processor that can handle even complex programs with ease. Thanks to the SSD, the laptop runs smoothly, which saves users from noisy work. This same option provides you with quick access to the system. Besides, the model comes with built-in high-quality speakers that offer clear sound for any multimedia experience. The laptop operates on Windows 10, which offers more advantages compared to Windows 8.1. Even without using a touchscreen, HP ENVY makes finding the necessary file easier.
CPU: Gen Intel® Core | GPU: NVIDIA® | RAM: 8 GB | Storage: 512 GB | Display: 14-inch | Weight: 2.65 lbs
⊕ Premium-level aluminum body
⊕ Well-featured for money
⊖ Ordinary, non-touchscreen
Acer Swift is your assistant for all occasions. The laptop is perfect for working on the go, as it has a long-lasting battery that works for over 11 hours of continuous use (quite enough for completing all tasks and watching a movie afterward). The device stands out not only for its powerful performance but also for each technology used. Acer Purified Voice with two integrated microphones eliminates unnecessary noise, providing good audibility for communication.
For those often participating in video conferences, the Acer Swift has prepared a surprise in the form of an HD webcam that delivers accurate and rich colors. The laptop comes with a built-in fingerprint reader, which provides secure and quick access to the system. Plus, there is no need to remember the password to get your laptop ready for work. Cortana technology is your smart assistant that answers all the questions when needed.
| Image | Name | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Dell Inspiron
Our choice |
CHECK PRICE → | |
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Acer Aspire
Compact |
CHECK PRICE → | |
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HP Laptop
Cheap |
CHECK PRICE → |
When choosing a laptop, pay close attention to a screen. A screen is what you constantly see when working on a laptop. If you want the best gaming laptop under 700 dollars or need a model for a long work, you should choose a good screen that can provide convenient user experience without harming your eyes. Perhaps you want a new device that features a touchscreen. It has many advantages and is rather easy-to-use, on the one hand. Still, on the other hand, touch displays can reflect light more strongly and cause glaring, which can interfere with your gaming sessions, video/photo editing, or watching movies. We recommend deciding on the screen based on your needs.
The next important factor is the convenience of a keyboard. The keyboard is the second element, after the monitor, with which you will work a lot, whether playing games or typing. You hardly want to get an inconvenient keyboard on which the keys are so tightly packed that it is difficult to make out which one to press (especially when sitting in the sun). Look for keyboards with comfortable layouts, full-size keys that are fairly spaced apart. The buttons must have good travel and quick response when pressed. We recommend buying a backlit keyboard that helps you work comfortably even at night in low light conditions. The best gaming laptops unser 1000 bucks usually have this type of keyboard, but you can also find it in more affordable machines.
Besides the size of the display, you should consider the resolution index. The minimum available resolution is 1366x768 pixels. This indicator is quite enough for performing basic daily tasks. This number of pixels is suitable even for working with two applications side-by-side, given that most modern websites adapt pages to fit the available screen space.
However, it is a general misconception that a larger resolution on a smaller screen means more space. With more pixels on a relatively small screen, the OS has to scale all content upward so that users can comfortably see text and symbols, otherwise, they will be so small that you can barely identify them. By comparing two 14-inch laptops with 1920x1080 resolution one and 1366x768 resolution the other, we can say that the former offers slightly more space for applications. At the same time, thanks to a high resolution, text, and signs on this screen are clearer.
If you don't know for sure what resolution you need for work, we recommend looking through different options personally in the store to make the right choice.
The choice of laptop memory size depends on your needs, first of all. If you plan to use your laptop with Windows 7 or Windows 8 for everyday tasks that do not require many applications to be installed, 4-6 GB will be enough for you. Gaming laptops along with the ones you'll be using for web development, require at least 8-16 GB to comfortably cope with the tasks.
The standard price for a good laptop that can satisfy you in many ways varies from $800 to $1000. For this money, you can buy a good touchscreen laptop for work. If you are looking for a gaming device, it will cost more. Typically, a powerful gaming laptop can be purchased for $1,500+.
You can add RAM to your laptop by, let’s say, using an 8GB module over a 4GB module, but be prepared for an 8GB module to deliver poor performance. Therefore, the added RAM is likely to make no difference unless you use the best high-performance laptop.
Typically, middle-class laptops work properly for 4-5 years. This period can vary depending on how carefully you handle the device. The fact of how actively you use a laptop also affects its lifetime so we can't give you any exact guarantees.
