The Best Bargain Laptops
Every month, Notebookcheck reviews various affordable devices that have to undergo the exact same tests and identical review process as their premium siblings. The price bracket of less than 600 Euros is occupied by a number of notebooks made by various manufacturers competing for the price-conscious customer’s attention. Constant marketing emphasizing Gigahertz and Gigabytes carries the risk to lose sight of what is really important in a notebook. The following top lists might be interesting for your purchase decision as well:
The Best Cheap Notebooks For Less Than 600 Euros
The table above contains an overview over the best notebooks for less than 500 Euros reviewed by Notebookcheck over the course of the past 12 months as well as still relevant and available older products. In cases of identical score the more recent device is listed first. All prices in above table and price comparisons are updated daily and can thus differ.
Link: all devices in this class reviewed
Editors' Comments
Last month, the ACEMagician Ace AX15 was added to the list. There are no newcomers in August, but we still changed the list a bit and gave the Gaming ChromeBook 16 a chance, for example. In addition, we now list alternative devices here in the comments that either just did not make it into the list (e.g. because of the rating or the price) or that had to leave the list due to age, but are still worth a look.
Alternatives that just did not make it into the list:
Former top ten devices up to 600 Euros:
Top 10 Laptops
Multimedia, Budget Multimedia, Gaming, Budget Gaming, Lightweight Gaming, Business, Budget Office, Workstation, Subnotebooks, Ultrabooks, Chromebooks
under 300 USD/Euros, under 500 USD/Euros, 1,000 USD/Euros, for University Students, Best Displays
Top 10 Smartphones
Smartphones, Phablets, ≤6-inch, Camera Smartphones
1st – Lenovo ThinkBook 15 G3 ACL (R5 5500U, Vega 7)
The ThinkBook 15 scores with a Ryzen 5 APU, moderate emissions and good battery runtimes. Windows 11 Pro serves as the operating system. Positive: USB-C power delivery is offered. The total package is priced at around 600 Euros (~$600).
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 G3 ACL - a well-rounded office notebook with Windows 11 Pro.
Currently, the ThinkBook 15 G3 ACL is available on Amazon US for around $760.
Pricecompare
2nd – Huawei MateBook D 15
The Huawei MateBook D 15 office laptop convinces with a low price of 549 Euros, remains exceptionally quiet with a high system performance, offers a chic metal case and a matte IPS display with sufficient brightness. Keyboard and touchpad of the very portable 15.6-inch notebook are also convincing.
The robust Huawei MateBook D 15 (2021) is a compact and very quiet office companion with a good price-performance ratio.
Huawei devices are not available in North America. In the UK, Huawei offers the MateBook D 15 (2022) in Mystic Silver, with a Core i5-1155G7 for around £500.
Pricecompare
3rd – Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook 16 (i5-1235U)
On paper, a 16-inch Chromebook with a 1,600p full-sRGB 120 Hz display sounds like overkill. However, after spending just a few minutes with the device, we can't look back. The Lenovo lives up to its name, being both a cloud gamer and a productive Chromebook.
A "gaming Chromebook" may sound strange at first, but there's no denying that the fast, large, and color-accurate display can be useful for other applications as well.
Currently, the IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook 16 is out of stock on Lenovo's online store. However, you can keep tabs on stores like Amazon, newegg, and Best Buy and wait for the device to appear here.
Pricecompare
4th – Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 (R3 5300U, Vega 6)
The smooth-running Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 AMD offers all the important core aspects of an office laptop for a low price of mostly under 500 Euros: a sufficiently bright IPS display, high CPU power, really good input devices and expandable work and mass storage. Unlike the other IdeaPad 3 further down in our list, the AMD model has a Ryzen 3 5300U installed instead of a weaker Intel Celeron 6305.
If you are looking for an inexpensive mobile companion, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 AMD meets all the important criteria.
Currently, various configurations of Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 is available on Amazon US, prices starting at $499.
Pricecompare
5th – Acer Aspire 5 A515-56
The Aspire 5 has a Tiger-Lake processor on board, hardly heats up and only produces little noise. In addition, there is a backlit keyboard, acceptable battery runtimes and a 2-year warranty. The whole package is available for just under 500 Euros.
The Acer Aspire 5 A515-56 is a well-rounded office notebook for a small budget.
At the time of writing, it costs only less than $380 to get a variant of Acer Aspire 5 A515-56 on Amazon, which is equipped with a Core i3-1115G4 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and a 128 GB NVMe SSD.
Pricecompare
6th – Asus ExpertBook L1 L1401CDA
The ExpertBook L1 has a Ryzen 3 APU on board, generally operates quietly, offers a backlit keyboard and scores with many connectivity options (including VGA). Windows 10 Pro serves as the operating system (an upgrade to Windows 11 is possible). The purchase price is around 330 Euros.
Asus delivers an affordable office notebook with the ExpertBook L1, which definitely has some advantages.
Currently, the device is not yet available in North America.
Pricecompare
7th – Lenovo V14 Gen 2 (Pentium Silver N6000)
The Lenovo V14 G2 costs only €349 (~$371) and gets a passive cooling, offers a good keyboard and some expansion options, while the Intel Pentium Silver N6000 quad core is sufficient for office tasks. However, the use on the external display should be in the foreground.
The Lenovo V14 is a silent and inexpensive office machine for primarily docked use.
In the US, the Lenovo V14 Gen 2 with Pentium Silver N6000 is hard to purchase at the time of writing.
Pricecompare
8th – Asus F415EA (i5-1135G7)
Asus has a range of office notebooks from the lower price segment (around 330 to 550 euro) in its lineup with the F415 models. Many online stores assign the device to the Vivobook 14 series and use the term accordingly. The 14-inch notebook has a Tiger Lake processor on board, barely heats up and only produces little noise.
The 14-inch notebook scores with a combination of Core i5 processor and low emissions: The device hardly warms up, operates quietly most of the time and offers enough computing power for office and Internet use as well as frugal games.
The Asus F415EA (Core i5-1135G7, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) is available on Amazon US for around $450.
Pricecompare
9th – ACEMAGIC Ace AX15
ACEMagician, known as a mini PC manufacturer, now has an office laptop in its portfolio with the ACEMAGIC Ace AX15, which is based on the Intel N95 with Alder Lake N genes. The ACEMAGIC Ace AX15 comes with 16 GB of working memory and 512 GB of mass storage for currently 399 Euros. Thus, the device is well equipped for simple office work.
With the Intel N95, the ACEMAGIC Ace AX15 offers a very frugal SoC with an adequate performance and surprises with a high-quality material selection.
The laptop is currently not yet available in North America.
Pricecompare
10th – Asus P1511CEA (i3-1115G4)
Asus has an office notebook in its range, the P1511CEA, which is aimed at private and professional customers. The 15.6-inch notebook from Asus has a Tiger Lake processor on board, barely warms up and is available at prices around 400 euro. One notebook, many names: While the correct name "Asus P1511CEA" is listed on the packaging, a sticker on the notebook's palm rest speaks of the "X515" - in other regions, the computer is marketed as Vivobook 15 X515. The name "ExpertBook P1" can also be found in various online stores.
The price level makes the P1511CEA attractive: You get a simple Tiger Lake notebook including Windows 10/11 Pro for about 400 Euros (~$430).
The device is currently available on Amazon US for $350.
Pricecompare
Test Results
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 G3 ACL 21A400B2GE | Huawei MateBook D 15 2023-53013BSJ | Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook 16 | Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ALC6-82KT0077GE | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-P8NZ | Asus ExpertBook L1 L1401CDA-EK0457R | Lenovo V14 G2 IJL-82QX002LGE | Asus F415EA-EK115W | ACEMagician Ace AX15, N95 | Asus P1511CEA-BQ753R | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | ||||||||||
Display P3 Coverage | 43.8 | 40.7 | 35.8 | 37.1 | 34.7 | 36.6 | 34.6 | 39.6 | 42.8 | |
sRGB Coverage | 65.5 | 60.6 | 53.6 | 55.8 | 52.2 | 55 | 52 | 58.6 | 64.1 | |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 45.4 | 42 | 37 | 38.3 | 35.9 | 37.8 | 35.8 | 40.9 | 44.3 | |
Response Times | ||||||||||
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 30 ? | 10 ? | 19.2 ? | 34 ? | 37 ? | 39 ? | 41 ? | 23 ? | 31 ? | 33 ? |
Response Time Black / White * | 21 ? | 11 ? | 14 ? | 25 ? | 28 ? | 14 ? | 13 ? | 6 ? | 18 ? | 23 ? |
PWM Frequency | 6000 ? | |||||||||
Screen | ||||||||||
Brightness middle | 291 | 291 | 364.2 | 327 | 252 | 260 | 262 | 246 | 229 | 269 |
Brightness | 271 | 271 | 349 | 313 | 252 | 244 | 231 | 231 | 219 | 250 |
Brightness Distribution | 86 | 82 | 89 | 87 | 85 | 80 | 82 | 76 | 91 | 85 |
Black Level * | 0.375 | 0.18 | 0.32 | 0.33 | 0.14 | 0.63 | 0.415 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.67 |
Contrast | 776 | 1617 | 1138 | 991 | 1800 | 413 | 631 | 351 | 1145 | 401 |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.17 | 4.99 | 1.28 | 7.91 | 3.58 | 2.28 | 10.39 | 5.96 | 4.08 | 3.81 |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 7.18 | 17.99 | 3.49 | 20.73 | 6.25 | 4.94 | 20.84 | 15.77 | 6.67 | 7.34 |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.31 | 2.98 | 2.4 | 5.71 | 1.38 | 1.64 | 13.22 | 6.25 | 1.91 | 2.46 |
Gamma | 2.23 99% | 2.37 93% | 2.21 100% | 2.11 104% | 2.44 90% | 2.37 93% | 2.35 94% | 2.26 97% | 2.47 89% | 6451 0% |
CCT | 6457 101% | 7045 92% | 6400 102% | 6437 101% | 6645 98% | 6384 102% | 11697 56% | 6923 94% | 6764 96% | 6451 101% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 4.21 | 4.85 | 2.16 | 5.5 | 4.1 | 3.91 | ||||
Noise | ||||||||||
off / environment * | 25.5 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25.1 | 26 | |
Idle Minimum * | 25.5 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25.1 | 26 | |
Idle Average * | 25.5 | 26 | 24.6 | 26 | 25 | 26.9 | 26 | 25.2 | 29.5 | |
Idle Maximum * | 25.5 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26.4 | 27.4 | 26 | 25.2 | 29.5 | |
Load Average * | 28.5 | 42.6 | 27.3 | 33 | 32 | 41.8 | 36.9 | 28.5 | 43.1 | |
Load Maximum * | 45.6 | 43 | 29.6 | 48 | 35.9 | 41.7 | 38.1 | 42.2 | 46 | |
Heat | ||||||||||
Maximum Upper Side * | 42.2 | 37.6 | 35.2 | 37.1 | 36.9 | 42.9 | 40.3 | 36.4 | 38.2 | 40.3 |
Maximum Bottom * | 48.8 | 38.5 | 40.8 | 41.9 | 34.4 | 48.1 | 46.1 | 26.2 | 37.7 | 39.2 |
Idle Upper Side * | 27.8 | 28.5 | 26 | 27.9 | 28.4 | 38.6 | 29.4 | 27.1 | 33.8 | 27.3 |
Idle Bottom * | 32.3 | 28.4 | 27.6 | 29.6 | 29.1 | 47.3 | 31.9 | 28.5 | 33.3 | 28.5 |
Battery Runtime | ||||||||||
WiFi v1.3 | 486 | 588 | 405 | 502 | 471 | 367 | 372 | 354 | 344 | 309 |
H.264 | 724 | 348 | ||||||||
Load | 94 | 89 | 118 | 120 | ||||||
Reader / Idle | 527 | |||||||||
Power Consumption | ||||||||||
Idle Minimum * | 4.2 | 4.2 | 5.7 | 4 | 5 | 4.5 | 8.3 | 4.2 | 8 | 3.1 |
Idle Average * | 8.3 | 7.5 | 9.8 | 6.7 | 6.4 | 6.6 | 11 | 7.4 | 8.5 | 7.3 |
Idle Maximum * | 10.4 | 8.7 | 9.9 | 8.2 | 9 | 8.1 | 11.3 | 8.6 | 8.7 | 9 |
Load Average * | 49 | 37 | 14.3 | 29.5 | 26.5 | 25.7 | 16.4 | 38.8 | 20.2 | 37 |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 39.7 | 35.6 | 28.9 | 25 | 26 | 16.5 | 37.1 | 36.7 | ||
Load Maximum * | 49.3 | 64.6 | 49.4 | 48 | 34 | 36.8 | 32 | 43.6 | 35.3 | 43 |
* ... smaller is better
Benchmarks
PCMark 8 | |
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-P8NZ | |
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-P8NZ |