Let’s face it: Laptops are ridiculously expensive.
That’s why I have the utmost respect for a budget laptop that does its job at an affordable price.
Naturally, every budget laptop has to make a few sacrifices to officially become "budget" — but there’s one area where you shouldn't compromise.
I recently reviewed the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15IRU9, a budget laptop that suffered from a few issues with the display and performance, more so than we’d expect — even for a cheaper laptop. However, there is one shortcoming I absolutely cannot forgive, and you shouldn't either.
There is one shortcoming I absolutely can not forgive, and you shouldn't either.
The low-end of the battery life standard for laptops is eight hours, but at least that gets you through a workday. At just six hours and six minutes of battery, the IdeaPad Slim couldn't make it to clock-out time.
Battery life shouldn't be a compromise when buying a budget laptop. Below, I’ll guide you through four budget laptops that have enough charge to last until quitting time and beyond.
Budget laptops with good battery life
It was a brutal face-off between the Acer Swift Go 14 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i, in which the Acer crushed the Lenovo in all categories. The Acer Swift Go 14 made it through the front door with a battery life of 8:25. However, it stayed because of its incredible performance and bright display, all packed into a sleek aluminum chassis.
The Acer Swift Go 14
The Swift Go 14 is a budget laptop with premium features.
Its Intel Core Ultra 7 155H scored 12,612 on the Geekbench 6 overall performance test, beating the MacBook Air M3’s 12,087.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook features a sturdy, attractive 2-in-1 design.
The display covered 79.1% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and averaged 374 nits of brightness, which isn’t brighter than the MacBook but more colorful than the Air (77.8%).
You can buy the Swift Go 14 from Amazon for $799.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook
Another great option is a Chromebook. The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus lasted 9:43 on our battery test. It offers an Intel Core i3-1315U processor, which scored 5,384 on Geekbench 6 and beat the then-current Chromebook average (5,259).
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook features a sturdy, attractive 2-in-1 design for multiple use cases and offers a great typing experience.
Keep in mind that Chromebooks are more limiting than Windows laptops but tend to run better at lower price points.
The whole package is available at Best Buy for $499.
The Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook.
Want something even less expensive with more battery life? Try the Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook.
This detachable 2-in-1 lasted 13 hours and 31 minutes on our battery test.
While affordable, the Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook feels anything but cheap.
While affordable, the Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook feels anything but cheap. Its 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1080, OLED touchscreen display shows up with 85.2% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and 361 nits of brightness. That’s incredible, considering the price.
You will take a hit in performance with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 CPU, averaging 1,727 on Geekbench. While no stylus is included, the keyboard and cover are. But this is your best bet if you want something simple with a long battery life and a quality display.
It is available on Amazon for $349.
The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED
I saved my favorite pick for last, the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425M). It might be the priciest on this list when not on sale, but you can buy it for $749 at Best Buy right now. The best part? It has a whole 15 hours and 52 minutes of battery life.
For context, that’s the best budget pick on our laptops with the best battery life list, and the battery isn’t the only thing it’s got going for it. It offers strong performance from its Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor (Geekbench 6: 12,707), a strong set of speakers, and a comfortable keyboard. The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is one of the highest-quality budget laptops you could buy.
Get it for $749 at Best Buy.
Outlook
Do not ever sacrifice battery life in any laptop you buy, even gaming laptops. The Razer Blade 14 landed with an 8:35 runtime on our battery life page, and it offers incredible performance.
Do not ever sacrifice battery life in any laptop you buy, even gaming laptops.
There’s no reason why a gaming laptop should outlast the low-powered IdeaPad Slim 3i. Heck, the Blade 14 even beat the Swift Go 14. The point is that battery life shouldn’t be a compromise, no matter your budget.
I’ve provided plenty of budget laptops that’ll get you through a workday and at least one that might get you through two. Budget laptops can be tough to shop for, but we have a keen eye for that kind of hardware thanks to years of testing and reviewing.
Check out the best budget laptops and best laptops under $1,000 to see our other top picks of cheap laptops you should get.
