The HP Stream 14-cb159nr is a Windows 10 laptop that affirms Microsoft’s resolve to compete with Chromebooks in the budget laptop category. It’s a smart move that unties the conventional wisdom that you have to pay a premium for an ultraportable laptop, and it undercuts most of our recent Chromebook review units.
The ASUS Cloudbook E406SA is a great budget laptop to carry around, it’s nice in hand and doesn’t take up much room whenever you need to use it. Asus did a remarkable job packing Windows 10 and enough power into a very small chassis, that easily passes for a Chromebook.
The Asus ZenBook 13 is an excellent piece of hardware that squeezes lots of power in a tiny, sleek chassis yet remains affordable over most of its competitors. Counting from the Huawei MateBook 13, this is the second recent Ultrabook we’re inclined to forgive for not having a Thunderbolt 3 port, but it makes do with a USB Type-C port and a Type-A port that the MateBook relegates to an external port.
How does the Asus ZenBook Flip 14 UX461UA-DS51T stand out in the crowded 14-inch convertible laptops market? First, it sports a premium, metallic construction that easily rivals Apple's MacBook Air. Second, it rings a much lower price than Samsung's flagship Galaxy S10, but throws in strong performance thanks to an 8th Gen. Intel Core i5-8250U and a dedicated Nvidia MX150 graphics card that lets you play some games.
The new Acer Chromebook 15 CB515-1HT-C2AE is an excellent choice for anyone looking to replace an aged Windows notebook with an affordable, sleek and powerful Chromebook. Now that it includes Google Play makes it an even better choice for college students.
The Lenovo Flex 14 2-in-1 is light, it’s well-built, it performs well, and it’s one of the most affordable laptops we’ve reviewed. There’s a lot to like here. In fact, the Flex 14 kind of grows on you the more you use it, especially if you’re an executive who needs a durable system for business meetings and cross-country flights.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 330 is a big-screen budget laptop that delivers a bright 15.6-inch display, a comfortable keyboard, and enough horsepower for daily productivity work — and even a bit more. The IdeaPad 330 range is available in three screen-size variants (14, 15.6, and 17.3-inches), giving you the flexibility to configure one based on your needs.
The Samsung Chromebook 3 XE500C13-K06US sports a solid build, improved battery life and good performance for an 11.6-inch laptop, making it a solid entry into the now-crowded sub-$300 Chromebook market. It offers a sleek design, excellent battery life and rings a very affordable price, that’s cheaper than what you’d spend on a smartphone nowadays.
The Eluktronics MECH-15 G2 is an exciting piece of equipment that takes the place of both a serious gaming laptop and a standard laptop you might use for work, at a reasonable price. It isn’t cheap either, but the fact that it packs the latest components and a slick design makes the price more bearable.
