The 5 Best Laptops Under $800 Reviewed
You have $800, and you need a laptop. You might feel like that is just something that is impossible. However, there is a huge range of laptops under $800. When you are on a budget, it is important to think about the features that are most important to you. What is it you need? Do you need a bright screen to watch movies? Is the laptop simply just to surf the web? You most likely won’t be able to get something with some serious power, but you can find plenty of well priced, midrange laptops for under $800.
Best Laptops Under $800
1. Acer Swift 5
It’s lightweight, its 13 inches, and it has long battery life. There are some things that many users find annoying, and that is the layout of the keyboard – but only for one key. Delete. Apart from that, it is nice to use.
It is so lightweight; you might wonder if you are just holding a hollow shell. Making it incredible for those who travel a lot with their laptops.
It has a charcoal blue pearlescent hue, but it can also look almost green depending on the light. The keys are also gold fronted. So nothing about the Acer Swift 5 looks under $800. It has a thunderbolt 3 port, USB 3.1 Type A, and an HDMI. You will also find another USB 3.1, headphone jack, and a Kensington lock on the other side.
It has a bright screen and colorful. The power button is, unfortunately, next to the delete key and the same shape.
The audio is fine, but this is a laptop designed to use headphones. For battery life, you can get up to 9 hours of usage on a single charge, making it pretty decent for carrying with you sans charger.
The Acer Swift 5 does come with many applications that you just don’t need, so it is worth clearing them off and freeing up some more memory.
All in the Acer Swift 5 is an ideal laptop for students, content creators, and almost anyone on a budget.
- 8th Generation Intel Core i5 8265u Processor (Up to 3. 9GHz), 8GB onboard DDR4 Dual Channel Memory & 256GB Pie NV Me SSD
- 15. 6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen LED backlit IPS Multi Touch Display
- Back lit keyboard, Intel Wireless AC 9560 802. 11AC Gigabit Wi Fi & Bluetooth 5. 0
- 1 USB Type C ports USB 3. 1 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gaps) DisplayPort over USB Type C & USB charging, 2 USB 3. 0 port (one featuring power off charging) & 1 HDMI Port
- Windows 10 Home & 3 cell Li ion (4670 mAh) battery, Up to 10 hours Battery Life
2. Asus Vivobook 15
The Asus Vivobook 15 has a really interesting couple of features. Not only does it have a moss green lid – which is not something you typically get, but it is then accented with neon orange. You also have the Punk Pink options or Transparent Silver.
It has a good range of port options, including two USB 2.0 ports, a USB 3.1 Type-A port, a USB-C input, HDMI, and a microSD card slot as well as a headphone jack.
The display isn’t the brightest, but it is big. You can make out colors easily, but they don’t pop how one might like them to.
The audio is of great quality for those who like to listen to music on the speakers rather than listen to them on headphones. Although, of course, there will be some depth is missing.
Something you don’t always find on budget laptops is the right-hand full number pad, but the Asus Vivobook 15 has it. The keys are easy to use, and it’s nice to work on.
The special feature on the Asus Vivobook 15? The ScreenPad. This is a touchpad that can also be used as a second mini screen. It can be turned off if you don’t like it, but it is a cool addition. Though there are some snags like switching between apps, and you can lose your browser to the ScreenPad 2.0.
The battery will give you around 7 hours of usage. Not the best but by no means something to sniff at when it is under $800.
- 15.6-inch Full HD 4 way NanoEdge bezel display with stunning 88% screen-to-body ratio
- Powerful AMD Quad Core Ryzen 7 3700U Processor (2M Cache, up to 4.0Ghz)
- AMD Radeon Vega 10 graphic with Windows 10 Home
- 8GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Ergonomic chiclet backlit keyboard with fingerprint sensor activated via Windows Hello
3. Microsoft Surface Pro 6
Microsoft Surface Pro 6 has been hailed as one of the best 2-in-1 tablet laptops for under $800. It has some great features and is light and easy to travel with. The screen is a decent 12.3 inches, and it has front-firing speakers.
The design is in-keeping with how Microsoft surfaces look. They are sleek, crisp, and smooth. However, you can get this one is black, which does take it to a new level in terms of aesthetics.
When the type cover is attached, they who thing weighs in at 1.08kgs. That is still lighter than most other ultrabooks on the market but heavier than some of the other Surface options.
This bit of kit has the ability to run some heavier programs, it is, however, unlikely that you will be able to play and graphically intense games. It has a fanless design, so it is silent as you work on it.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 has a decent 6+ hours of battery, like in the recommended battery mode. The recommended battery mode is called Better Battery, making it easy to work out which settings are the best to use.
For the posts, you have a microSD card reader under the kickstand, a full-sized USB 3.0, mini DisplayPort, and the Surface Connector.
It comes loaded with Windows 10, an upgrade won’t cost you much, but most people don’t really mind the difference between Windows 10 and Windows 10 Pro.
The Surface Pen comes in black now, which will match the Microsoft Surface Pro 6
Perfectly. It is also known to be one of the best styluses on the market.
When it comes to audio, the speakers are loud and clear, so ideal for watching youtube videos or Netflix.
A cool feature for the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 is that it has facial recognition. And that is the best and quickest way to log into your laptop.
- A best in class laptop with the versatility of a studio and tablet
- More power now with the new 8th Generation Intel Core processor
- Ultra slim and light, starting at just 1.7 pounds
- All day battery life, with up to 13.5 hours of video playback
- Pair with our Signature Type Cover in luxurious Alcantara material and rich colors for a full keyboard experience
4. Acer Aspire 5
The Acer Aspire 5 is a super affordable laptop. It is one of the lightest laptops in the list and has incredible audio for the price. But it might not be what you are looking for if you need power.
The Acer Aspire 5 can be easily upgraded due to its design; you can remove the motherboard from the bottom of the chassis. It also comes with a hard drive installation kit, making it easy to install an HDD to go with the 256GB PCle NVMe SSD.
It has a look that is close to that of the Macbook, and that design and styling make it pleasing to look at. It gives you an ample palm rest, which makes it feel like a much larger laptop.
The Acer Aspire 5 has a neat lock and unlock feature using your fingertip.
When it comes to weight, the Acer Aspire 5 is 3.7 pounds. This means it is heavier than some of the higher-end laptops, but in general, for the price, you might not care too much about carrying it around.
The Acer Aspire 5 system isn’t light on ports either. It has a USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1 port, two USB 3.1 Type-A Gen 1 ports, a USB 2.0 port, an HDMI 2.0 port, an ethernet port, a Kensington lock, a headset jack, a power port, and a microSD card reader.
The display is bright, clear and has good color saturation. It has a warm and easy to watch color tone—ideal for watching movies.
When it comes to audio, it is clear and loud. It picks up the bass in songs with ease, and the front-mounted speakers push the sound out with ease. There are a couple of modes that you can play around with to find the sound you want to listen to most.
The battery life is under 7 hours, but that is long enough to take it out for a spin without needing the charger – for medium usage.
The Acer Aspire 5 is simple, budget-friendly, and easy to use. A solid choice for those looking to spend a little less.
- 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8265U Processor (Upto 3.9 gram Hz) | 8 GB DDR4 Memory | 256 GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- 15.6 Inches Full HD (1920 x 1080) Widescreen LED-backlit IPS Display | Intel UHD Graphics 620
- 1 - USB 3.1 Type C Gen 1 port, 2 - USB 3.1 Gen 1 Ports (one with Power-off Charging), 1 - USB 2.0 Port & 1 - HDMI Port with HDCP Support
- 802.11ac WiFi | Backlit Keyboard | Fingerprint Reader | Upto 9.5 Hours Battery Life
5. HP Pavilion x360
The HP Pavilion x360 is almost a high-end laptop, but with a budget price tag. The base model has a Core 13-8145U processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB SSD, and 1366 x 768 display. The warm gold tone of the laptop lid gives it an interesting look, but when you open it, it is more silver-toned. The speakers are Bang & Olufsen, which are great. The fingerprint reader is just to the right of the touchpad and easy to use.
The HP Pavilion x360 comes in at 3.6 pounds, which can feel clunky, but it has plenty of ports that kind of make up for the slightly thicker design – including one USB 3.0 port, a headphone jack, a security lock slot, power jack, HDMI port, and some extra USB slots.
The display is bright and has a glossy texture, which, from time to time, can look a little too glossy. However, it’s sharp and easy on the eye.
The HP Pavilion x360 has a 6+ hour battery like, and that is with continuous surfing of the web.
All in all, the HP Pavilion x360 is a great laptop with plenty of bang for its buck. The speakers are great, and the keyboard is nicely spaced and easy to use.
- Four versatile modes: Easily convert from laptop mode to tablet, stand or tent mode for notetaking, drawing and other daily activities that feel as natural as pen on paper
- Connect in more ways: Whether it's online chatting or professional video meetings, the solid Wi-Fi 6 connection is up to the task, and the HP wide vision HD webcam with dual array microphone lets you see in wide-angle clarity so you can feel closer
- BIOS recovery and protection: Automatically checks the health of your PC, protects against unauthorized access, secures local storage and recovers itself from boot-up issues
- Display: 14.0-inch diagonal full HD, IPS, micro-edge, WLED-backlit, multi touch-enabled, edge-to-edge glass touch screen display (1920 x 1080); 80% screen to body ratio
- Fast processor: 10th Generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-1035G1, Quad-Core, 1.0 GHz base frequency, up to 3.6 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology
What to look for in a laptop under $800
There are a lot of features and different pieces of hardware to consider when buying a laptop. For a good overview of what to look for, watch this video:
Conclusion
So there are some of the best laptops for under $800! Showing that even on a budget price tag some laptops come with some cool features and usability.