00:00Look, between price hikes and component shortages, finding a budget laptop that's actually worth buying is harder than ever.
00:06So, my team and I researched and tested the best deals to bring you five affordable laptop picks that don't
00:11suck.
00:12Whether you're looking for a Windows, Mac, or Chromebook, there's something here for everyone.
00:16And, so long as you're a student, you can grab all of these for under $600.
00:24Even with a $100 price hike post-launch, the MacBook Neo is still one of the best budget-friendly laptops
00:30I've ever tested.
00:31The A18 Pro chip and 8GB of RAM is speedy for light productivity and content creation, and you'll get over
00:3813 hours of battery life.
00:40The 13-inch display is vivid and one of the brightest at this price point.
00:44And, despite its price, the Neo feels very premium with its sleek aluminum build.
00:48For an extra $100, you'll upgrade to a fingerprint reader and get double the storage at 512GB.
00:54This is also one of the best laptop deals for students, as you can save $100 on checkout with Apple's
01:00Education Discount.
01:03But, if you need a Windows machine or want some stronger specs, check out the Dell XPS 13.
01:09I just put out a video that puts this head-to-head with the MacBook Neo, its closest competitor.
01:13But, here's what you need to know.
01:15While budget Windows laptops are known for being chunky, the XPS 13 is smaller, half a pound lighter, and has
01:21better bezels than the MacBook Neo.
01:23Not only is the display slightly larger at 13.4 inches, it's also a touchscreen.
01:29And, for the same starting price, the XPS 13 comes standard with 512GB SSD, has faster USB-C charging, and
01:37even throws in a backlit keyboard.
01:39For heavy multi-taskers, another $200 will bump the XPS to 16GB of RAM, something you just can't do with
01:45the Neo.
01:46The XPS 13 also lasts an hour and a half longer, supports faster charging, and, just like the Neo, students
01:52can save another $100.
01:57For those on a tighter budget, Chromebooks can be a great option.
02:01One of our favorite budget Chromebooks is the ASUS Chromebook CS15.
02:04It goes for as little as $200.
02:07This Walmart-exclusive comes in fun colors like this pastel purple, and its 15-inch screen is great for editing
02:12documents, surfing the web, or streaming video.
02:15Just note, it's not very bright.
02:16This does have a good selection of ports, though, including a full-size HDMI, and there's 128GB of storage inside.
02:23Despite the larger screen, this only weighs about three and a half pounds.
02:27So, if you're looking for the absolute cheapest way to get a quality laptop, the ASUS Chromebook CX15 is one
02:33of our best picks.
02:37Stretching your budget to $500 gets you the Windows 11 Acer Aspire Go 15.
02:42Again, Windows-budget laptops usually feel cheap and have terrible battery life, but the Aspire Go 15 surprisingly doesn't.
02:49This laptop comes in several configurations.
02:51We've got the AMD model here, but it's actually the Intel i5 with 8GB of RAM that we think offers
02:58the best value if all you need is something for light productivity.
03:01You get a spacious keyboard with a numpad and great I.O. on both sides.
03:05Weighing under four pounds and getting over 10 hours of battery life, this could be a solid pick for taking
03:11to work or even school.
03:14What about two-in-one laptops?
03:16They can be great for productivity and entertainment, especially for college students, and our favorite pick is the Chromebook Plus
03:23Spin 514.
03:24With an ARM processor and 12GB of RAM, Chrome OS feels extremely snappy here and breezes through everything from web
03:31browsing, creating documents, or even drawing on its gorgeous 2.8K OLED screen.
03:36Yes, you heard me right.
03:37This might be budget, but its 14-inch touchscreen is anything but.
03:41In fact, its aluminum shell, excellent port selection, 5-megapixel webcam, and nearly 15 hours of battery life, there's not
03:48much more you could want here.
03:49Even though the stylus is not included in the box, if you're looking for one of the best 2-in
03:54-1s, or even just one of the best Chromebooks for the money, it's hard to beat the Chromebook Plus Spin
03:59514.
04:03So, even though everything is getting more expensive, hopefully one of these laptops here works for you.
04:08But did you know you can save even more if you're willing to hunt for an open-box deal?
04:13Amazon and Best Buy are great places to look that can save you hundreds or more.
04:18But let me know if you want to see a full video showing you how you can get that done.
04:22If we missed your favorite budget laptop, share it in the comments so we can check it out for the
04:25next one.
04:26Stay subscribed for more buying guides, follow me to see what other cool tech I'm reviewing, and until the next
04:30one, I'll catch you later.
