Laptops today come in all shapes and sizes, as well as different price points. Honestly, it isn’t very difficult to get a decent notebook today even if you don’t want to spend a lot of money. Today we’ve got a very specific list of recommended laptops that are available under $600. Now you might say there are loads of options, but to make things interesting, our recommendations only include options that priced between $500-$600.
At that price point, you aren’t going to get a mighty powerful machine, but it hits the perfect spot for an entry to mid-range laptop that can attend to most of your everyday needs, especially if your work doesn’t go beyond typing, making presentations and light photo editing. We’ve added a good mix of options from Microsoft, HP, and even a Chromebook from Acer. Check them out!
HP Pavilion x360 14
The new Pavilion x360 series recently got an update with HP bringing the latest Intel 11th-gen processors. It comes with a smaller footprint than before with a width of 209mm down from 221mm, which means there is also a drop in the overall weight, from 1.61kg to 1.5kg. The base model comes with a Core i3-1125G4 with 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage, which is priced at $550. For that price, you are also getting a 14-inch touchscreen display with a full-HD resolution, a fingerprint scanner, an HDMI port so you can connect it to a monitor, a USB Type-C port, and Wi-Fi 6. HP also gets marks for sustainability as it makes use of post-consumer recycled and ocean-bound plastic along with recycled aluminum.
- The HP Pavilion x360 14 should be your pick if you are looking for a premium 2-in-1 laptop at this price range.
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go
The most affordable and lightest Surface laptop offered by Microsoft, the Surface Laptop Go is a tiny workhorse that is great for students and basic professional use cases. Now it does make sense to go for the higher tier model that comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, but if you are on a tight budget or just need a solid laptop for your kids, then the base variant should serve just as well. It comes with 4GB of memory with 64GB of storage, but you do get an Intel Core i5-1035G1 quad-core processor and a fingerprint reader embedded in the power button for quickly signing into the laptop. You also get a comparatively good design language since most laptops in this range feature a sub-par build to cut costs.
- Suited for light productivity and basic browsing and multimedia consumption, the Surface Laptop Go is a neat looking laptop that is great for students or even your kids trying to cope up with learning from home.
HP Laptop 15
HP’s entry-level laptops aren’t bad for the price especially since the company has started offering the laptop with the latest 11th-gen Tiger Lake processors with Iris Xe graphics. Notably, it is also one of the only laptops that we could find offering a Core i5 processor under $600. The laptop comes with a 15.6-inch IPS anti-glare display with a full-HD resolution, 256GB of PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD, and 8GB of memory. HP claims a battery life of up to 7 hours when being used for productivity and up to 9 hours of video playback. Apart from offering fast Wi-Fi 6, the laptop comes loaded with an SD card reader, a full-size HDMI port, a USB Type-C port, and two standard USB Type-A ports. It does come with a plastic build, but that is a given at this price range.
- The new HP Laptop 15 is one of the only laptops on the market priced below $600 that offers you the latest 11th-gen quad-core Intel Core i5 processor.
Acer Chromebook Spin 713
The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 has been rated as one of the best Chromebooks you should buy if you are looking for top-tier performance. It is also on our list of the best laptops to buy in 2021. The good thing is, the base model is available under a budget of $600. Of course, being the base model, there are some sacrifices that need to be made as you get 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a 10th-gen Intel Core-i3 processor. You do however retain the 13.5-inch sharp 2256 x 1504 resolution touchscreen display with a 2-in-1 form factor. The laptop also meets Intel’s “Project Athena” standard which brings you features like quick wake and long battery life.
- If you are looking for the best Chromebook under a budget of $600, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 should be your pick.
Microsoft Surface Go 2
Another Surface product from the house of Microsoft and this is the smallest one under the company’s portfolio. The tiny 10-inch tablet is super convenient to carry around or you can easily slide it into your bag, as it honestly doesn’t take up a lot of space. Since it is a very compact PC, it does offer limited performance as it comes with an Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y processor. But the good thing is that Microsoft is offering the base model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which sounds like a pretty solid deal. You do need to note that the price you pay is only for the Surface Go 2 tablet as the Type Keyboard cover costs an extra $130. The Surface Go 2 also offers full support for the Surface Pen so you can quickly scribble down your notes or just casual doodling.
- The Surface Go 2 is the smallest Surface product from Microsoft that shrinks down the experience of the original Surface Pro into a compact 10-inch form-factor.
We also have a list of some of the best cheap laptops that you should buy in 2021, and if you are looking into budget gaming laptops, make sure you check our recommendations on that too. Also, we are now slowly moving into the 5G era, so that gives us the perfect opportunity to list some of the best laptops that support 5G connectivity.
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source https://www.xda-developers.com/best-laptops-under-600/