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While there isn't a shortage of budget laptops on the market, shopping for one isn't easy, as you must consider what you're willing to compromise. Are you okay with a dimmer display? Or perhaps a shorter battery life or a slower processor? How important is build quality? On top of that, the availability of budget-friendly models in Canada is spotty at best. We can help with that!
Below are a few picks that stand out; they have a good balance of features and performance with minimal compromises, and most of all, they're affordable.
If you need a budget-friendly laptop for school, work, or personal use, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2023) is a great option. This Windows laptop has a sturdy build and a thin, light design that makes it easy to carry around. It has a 15.6-inch FHD display, a full-size keyboard with a Numpad, and a small but responsive touchpad. The screen looks decently sharp and provides enough space for split-screen multitasking, and it's flicker-free, which helps reduce eye strain on those long days. However, it looks slightly dim and washed out—a common drawback of budget devices. Above the display sits a surprisingly good 720p webcam for video calls.
This model sports an Intel 13th Gen Core i3-1315U, a power-efficient processor designed for general productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, spreadsheets, and video playback. Performance is good; just don't expect to do anything intensive like video editing. As for the RAM and storage, you get 8GB and 512GB, respectively. Ports include two USB-As, a USB-C, an HDMI, and an SD card reader. The USB-C supports video output and charging. Battery life is the weakest point at around six to seven hours of light use, but thankfully, it takes less than two hours to charge fully.
Chromebooks like the Acer Chromebook 315 (2020) are definitely worth considering if you only need a simple device with internet access. If you're unfamiliar with Chrome OS, here's a quick rundown: it's like Android but in desktop form. Its user-friendly interface is great for less tech-savvy people, and you can access the same apps as Android smartphones and tablets on the Google Play Store. Since most specialized third-party programs aren't compatible with this platform, you need to be able to do everything through the web browser and web apps like Google Docs and Sheets. You must ensure all your school assignments or work are accessible through the browser.
Our budget Chromebook recommendation is the Acer Chromebook 315 because this compact 15-inch model is great for younger students or anyone needing a simple device to access content online. It fits easily into most bags, and its battery life lasts nearly 14 hours of light use. It has a 1080p display, a spacious keyboard, and a decent 720p webcam. The touchpad is small but relatively responsive to all movements and gestures. Its Intel Celeron processor is fast enough to handle general productivity tasks; the downside is that there's only 4GB of soldered RAM, so heavy multitasking is out of the question. Unfortunately, there's no fancy biometrics like a fingerprint sensor or facial recognition camera for quick logins.
For gamers out there looking for a budget device, we recommend the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023). This All-AMD model sports a Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU and Radeon RX 7600S GPU, providing enough power for a smooth gaming experience in demanding AAA games. It feels very well-built with a mix of aluminum and high-quality plastic, though it's rather bulky, so it isn't the best for on-the-go use. This model comes with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage; they're user-replaceable if you want to upgrade later.
Its 16-inch FHD+ display has a 165Hz refresh rate for improved responsiveness, a fast response time to minimize ghosting, and variable refresh rate support to reduce screen tearing. You get a great keyboard with backlighting, so you can see your keys when gaming in the dark, as well as tons of ports, including Ethernet to ensure a reliable internet connection when gaming online. The fans are effective in preventing thermal throttling, though they get fairly loud at full speed. Unsurprisingly, the battery lasts an hour or so when gaming, so you'll have to play with the laptop plugged in most of the time.
While Apple products aren't often referred to as budget, that doesn't mean they don't have more affordable products within their own lineup! The catch is that this means you generally can't get the newest MacBook on the market, but in the case of the M1 Apple MacBook Air 13, it's still well worth getting.
There's a lot to say about this laptop, but the basic gist is that it's a premium-feeling ultraportable that provides an excellent user experience. It has a sturdy full-aluminum build, a compact and stylish design, a gorgeous display, a great keyboard, and an amazing haptic touchpad. Apple's M1 chip can still go toe-to-toe with newer CPUs on the market, and its efficiency is still among the best, giving you around 13 hours of battery life on a full charge. Plus, its fanless design means you'll never hear a peep when performing more intensive tasks. You also get a great webcam for video calls and a fingerprint sensor for quick logins. Our only complaint is its limited port selection, which comprises two USB-Cs with support for a single external display.
There's no shortage of laptops on the market, and the picks above are only a few that stand out. Even the laptops we recommended above can vary in specs, so make sure to choose the one that fits your needs. Ultimately, the choice is yours, but these hopefully steered you in the right direction! Our picks were made based on overall performance, features, price, availability, and user feedback.
Written by Ryan Lim, RTINGS.com
Disclaimer: The prices displayed are accurate at the time of publication. We'll do our best to keep them as up-to-date as possible, but you may see slight changes. The products in this list are ranked by independent third parties. Rankings are based on both reviews and independent testing.