Notebookcheck Logo

The Best Bargain Laptops

February 2024 update. If price is the most important criteria for you when purchasing a new laptop then maybe this list will help you narrow your choices down. The following table contains an overview over the best laptops for less than 600 Euros reviewed by us.

Every month, Notebookcheck reviews various affordable devices that have to undergo the exact same tests and identical review process as their premium siblings. The price bracket of less than 600 Euros is occupied by a number of notebooks made by various manufacturers competing for the price-conscious customer’s attention. Constant marketing emphasizing Gigahertz and Gigabytes carries the risk to lose sight of what is really important in a notebook. The following top lists might be interesting for your purchase decision as well:

The Best Cheap Notebooks For Less Than 600 Euros

Position
Total Rating
Date
Image
Model
Size
Resolution
Screen
Height
Weight
184.5 %
08/2023
Dell Inspiron 14 7435 2-in-1Dell Inspiron 14 7435 2-in-1
AMD Ryzen 5 7530U
AMD Radeon RX Vega 7
8 GB Memory
14.00"1920x1200glossy18.6 mm1.6 kg
284.2 %
03/2023
Huawei MateBook D 15 2023-53013BSJHuawei MateBook D 15 2023-53013BSJ
Intel Core i5-1155G7
Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs
16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD
15.60"1920x1080matte16 mm1.6 kg
383.6 %
03/2024
New!
Ninkear A15 Plus (16+512)Ninkear A15 Plus (16+512)
AMD Ryzen 7 5700U
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD
15.60"1920x1080matte18.2 mm1.8 kg
482.6 %
02/2023
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ALC6-82KT0077GELenovo IdeaPad 3 14ALC6-82KT0077GE
AMD Ryzen 3 5300U
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000)
8 GB Memory, 256 GB SSD
14.00"1920x1080matte19 mm1.4 kg
579.4 %
02/2023
Lenovo V14 G2 IJL-82QX002LGELenovo V14 G2 IJL-82QX002LGE
Intel Pentium Silver N6000
Intel UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 32 EU)
8 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD
14.00"1920x1080matte19.9 mm1.3 kg
678.5 %
01/2024
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 CB 14M868Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 CB 14M868
MediaTek Kompanio 520
ARM Mali-G52 MP2
4 GB Memory, 64 GB eMMC
14.00"1920x1080matte19.3 mm1.3 kg
778.1 %
01/2024
Asus Chromebook CM14 CM1402CM2A-EK0048Asus Chromebook CM14 CM1402CM2A-EK0048
MediaTek Kompanio 520
ARM Mali-G52 MP2
3.7 GB Memory, 128 GB eMMC
14.00"1920x1080matte22 mm1.4 kg
877.9 %
07/2023
ACEMagician Ace ‎AX15, N95ACEMagician Ace ‎AX15, N95
Intel Processor N95
Intel UHD Graphics Xe 16EUs (Tiger Lake-H)
16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD
15.60"1920x108019 mm1.7 kg
977.2 %
08/2023
HP Chromebook 15a-n0008TUHP Chromebook 15a-n0008TU
Intel Celeron N4500
Intel UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU)
4 GB Memory, 128 GB eMMC
15.60"1366x768matte18.1 mm1.7 kg
1075.2 %
12/2023
HP 250 G9 7N029ESHP 250 G9 7N029ES
Intel Core i3-1215U
Intel UHD Graphics 64EUs (Alder Lake 12th Gen)
8 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD
15.60"1920x1080matte19.9 mm1.7 kg

The table above contains an overview over the best notebooks for less than 500 Euros reviewed by Notebookcheck over the course of the past 12 months as well as still relevant and available older products. In cases of identical score the more recent device is listed first. All prices in above table and price comparisons are updated daily and can thus differ.
Link: all devices in this class reviewed

Editors' Comments

At least we have one addition to our list in February: The Ninkear A15 Plus from China. Normally, devices from the Far East have serious shortcomings in terms of hardware equipment or workmanship in order to achieve a low price, but the Ninkear model proves to be surprisingly good in the test and therefore comes in at number 3. Due to a lack of alternatives, we are leaving both the Lenovo V14 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 on our list for the time being, even though their test in February is celebrating its 1-year anniversary. The review of the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook 16, on the other hand, dates back to January last year, and we are replacing the former number 3 with the Ninkear.

Alternatives that just did not make it into the list:

Former top ten devices up to 600 Euros:

1st – Dell Inspiron 14 7435 (R5 7530U, Vega 7)

Dell Inspiron 14 7435
Dell Inspiron 14 7435

The Dell Inspiron 14 7435 2-in-1 costs only half as much as many popular alternatives with 360-degree hinges. In terms of performance, our $550 Ryzen 5 Inspiron 14 7435 2-in-1 is just as good as the $800 Core i5 Inspiron 14 7430 2-in-1, with no compromises in battery life, display quality, speakers or other physical features.

The Ryzen 5 configuration is perfectly tuned to perform just as well as the Core i5 configuration for hundreds of dollars less. However, the costly RAM upgrades and weak touchscreen drag the model down a bit.

Currently, the Inspiron 14 7435 is now customizable via Dell's official webstore, with prices starting at $699.

Pricecompare

2nd – Huawei MateBook D 15

Huawei MateBook D 15
Huawei MateBook D 15

The Huawei MateBook D 15 office laptop convinces with a low price of 549 Euros, remains exceptionally quiet with a high system performance, offers a chic metal case and a matte IPS display with sufficient brightness. Keyboard and touchpad of the very portable 15.6-inch notebook are also convincing.

The robust Huawei MateBook D 15 (2021) is a compact and very quiet office companion with a good price-performance ratio.

Huawei devices are not available in North America. In the UK, Huawei offers the MateBook D 15 (2022) in Mystic Silver, with a Core i5-1155G7 for around £500.

Pricecompare

3rd – Ninkear A15 Plus (R7 5700U)

Ninkear A15 Plus
Ninkear A15 Plus

"Surprisingly good and inexpensive" was the title of our author's review of this Chinese banger. The Ninkear A15 Plus has more than enough power for everyday use, is quiet, has a powerful keyboard and an attractive light metal casing. Our version of the Ninkear A15 Plus is available from various retailers for a good 500 euros. In our test, the laptop is clearly a top performer in terms of price/performance, although there are some compromises to be made compared to the inexpensive device with AMD Ryzen 7.

The Ninkear A15 Plus proved to be a useful laptop for the home office in our test. Good performance meets an appealing design. The loudspeakers, WLAN and screen brightness have to be compromised.

Unfortunately, our 16+512 configuration of the Ninkear A15 Plus is currently out of stock almost everywhere. Another configuration currently costs around $615 at Tomtop with shipping from a German warehouse.

Pricecompare

4th – Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 (R3 5300U, Vega 6)

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14

The smooth-running Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 AMD offers all the important core aspects of an office laptop for a low price of mostly under 500 Euros: a sufficiently bright IPS display, high CPU power, really good input devices and expandable work and mass storage. Unlike the other IdeaPad 3 further down in our list, the AMD model has a Ryzen 3 5300U installed instead of a weaker Intel Celeron 6305.

If you are looking for an inexpensive mobile companion, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 AMD meets all the important criteria.

Currently, various configurations of Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 is available on Amazon US, prices starting at $499.

Pricecompare

5th – Lenovo V14 Gen 2 (Pentium Silver N6000)

Lenovo V14 Gen 2
Lenovo V14 Gen 2

The Lenovo V14 G2 costs only €349 (~$371) and gets a passive cooling, offers a good keyboard and some expansion options, while the Intel Pentium Silver N6000 quad core is sufficient for office tasks. However, the use on the external display should be in the foreground.

The Lenovo V14 is a silent and inexpensive office machine for primarily docked use.

In the US, the Lenovo V14 Gen 2 with Pentium Silver N6000 is hard to purchase at the time of writing. 

Pricecompare

6th – Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 CB (MediaTek Kompanio 520, Mali-G52 MP2)

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 CB
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 CB

For 250 euros, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 CB 14M868 can only really be a Chromebook. A Full HD display, 8-core CPU, thin and visually appealing casing sound tempting for the cheapest notebook on the market. We bought the laptop new from Amazon for an incredible 100 euros on Black Friday.

However, the long battery life and the silent and cool operation, even under load, are pleasing. 

We bought the IdeaPad Slim 3 CB from Amazon for an unbeatable 100 euros on Black Friday. It currently costs 170 euros there. The 128 GB version is only listed at around 300 euros and the version with IPS touchscreen is currently not available in Germany. Depending on the price and requirements, the IdeaPad can definitely be a bargain.

At the time of writing, Amazon US offers the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim CB for $220.

Pricecompare

7th – Asus Chromebook CM14 (MediaTek Kompanio 520, Mali-G52 MP2)

Asus Chromebook CM14
Asus Chromebook CM14

The Asus CM14 is an entry-level Chromebook. However, it also has advantages such as 12 hours of battery life and a 10-year update guarantee. The Asus CM14 (CM1402C) has an RRP of 299 euros, but it has also been sold several times for 150 euros by well-known retailers. This makes the CM14 one of the cheapest notebooks, and its performance must be rated accordingly.

If you can live with the dark display and slow memory, the Asus CM14 is a durable and affordable Chromebook with long-term update support.

The Asus Chromebook CM 14 is available through the usual retail channels, including Amazon US. Alternatively, users can order the laptop via Asus's official online store.

Pricecompare

8th – ACEMAGIC Ace AX15

ACEMAGIC Ace AX15
ACEMAGIC Ace AX15

ACEMagician, known as a mini PC manufacturer, now has an office laptop in its portfolio with the ACEMAGIC Ace AX15, which is based on the Intel N95 with Alder Lake N genes. The ACEMAGIC Ace AX15 comes with 16 GB of working memory and 512 GB of mass storage for currently 399 Euros. Thus, the device is well equipped for simple office work.

With the Intel N95, the ACEMAGIC Ace AX15 offers a very frugal SoC with an adequate performance and surprises with a high-quality material selection.

The laptop is currently not yet available in North America.

Pricecompare

9th – HP Chromebook 15a (Celeron N4500, UHD 16 EUs)

HP Chromebook 15a
HP Chromebook 15a

The HP Chromebook 15a is an affordable entry into the online world for students and anyone looking for an inexpensive device for Internet access. In terms of design, the Chromebook 15a does everything right and should be able to withstand the careless handling of a young student. The 2x2 WLAN card ensures proper networking without any serious loss of speed. The input devices are sufficient for school use.

The HP Chromebook 15a brings the ease and simplicity of Chrome OS to students and casual web surfers. It tries to offer a low-cost internet journey, but takes too many detours.

Some variants of HP Chromebook 15a 2023 are available through the usual retail channels, for example Amazon US lists a Pentium N200-powered SKU for $340.

Pricecompare

10th – HP 250 G9 (i3-1215U, UHD 64EUs)

HP 250 G9
HP 250 G9

With the 250 G9, HP offers an affordable 15.6-inch office laptop that is equipped with a Core i3 processor from Intel and a matte IPS display for around 400 euros. The Core i3 processor in particular sets the laptop apart from other laptops in this price range, which are often only equipped with Celeron or Pentium chips.

An inexpensive laptop for the home office: HP 250 G9 offers sufficient performance for everyday use with the Core i3 processor and the subjective image quality of the matte IPS panel is okay. However, the fan can quickly become annoying.

Currently, the device is currently unavailable on common retailers.

Pricecompare

Size Comparison

362.6 mm / 14.3 inch 241.5 mm / 9.51 inch 18.1 mm / 0.713 inch 1.7 kg3.73 lbs360 mm / 14.2 inch 229 mm / 9.02 inch 18.2 mm / 0.717 inch 1.8 kg4.01 lbs358 mm / 14.1 inch 242 mm / 9.53 inch 19.9 mm / 0.783 inch 1.7 kg3.76 lbs357 mm / 14.1 inch 230 mm / 9.06 inch 16 mm / 0.63 inch 1.6 kg3.54 lbs337 mm / 13.3 inch 229 mm / 9.02 inch 19 mm / 0.748 inch 1.7 kg3.73 lbs325 mm / 12.8 inch 227 mm / 8.94 inch 22 mm / 0.866 inch 1.4 kg3.14 lbs325.9 mm / 12.8 inch 221.8 mm / 8.73 inch 19.3 mm / 0.76 inch 1.3 kg2.87 lbs324 mm / 12.8 inch 215 mm / 8.46 inch 19.9 mm / 0.783 inch 1.3 kg2.91 lbs324 mm / 12.8 inch 215 mm / 8.46 inch 19 mm / 0.748 inch 1.4 kg3.04 lbs314 mm / 12.4 inch 226.6 mm / 8.92 inch 18.6 mm / 0.732 inch 1.6 kg3.5 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Test Results

Dell Inspiron 14 7435 2-in-1Huawei MateBook D 15 2023-53013BSJNinkear A15 Plus (16+512)Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ALC6-82KT0077GELenovo V14 G2 IJL-82QX002LGELenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 CB 14M868Asus Chromebook CM14 CM1402CM2A-EK0048ACEMagician Ace ‎AX15, N95HP Chromebook 15a-n0008TUHP 250 G9 7N029ES
Display
Display P3 Coverage
44.4
40.7
39.04
35.8
36.6
39.6
43.3
sRGB Coverage
64.4
60.6
58.06
53.6
55
54.35
58.6
64.8
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
45.8
42
40.34
37
37.8
37.54
40.9
44.7
Response Times
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
19.6 ?(13.6, 16)
10 ?(5, 5)
25 ?(15.5, 9.5)
34 ?(16, 18)
41 ?(21, 20)
39.3 ?(20.7, 18.6)
37 ?(18.9, 18.1)
31 ?(16, 15)
38.33 ?(19.51, 18.82)
31.9 ?(15, 16.9)
Response Time Black / White *
19.3 ?(10.6, 8.7)
11 ?(3, 8)
14 ?(6.5, 7.5)
25 ?(13, 12)
13 ?(9, 4)
9.4 ?(6.1, 3.3)
22.4 ?(18.6, 3.8)
18 ?(11, 7)
9.61 ?(6.07, 3.54)
21.6 ?(12.2, 9.4)
PWM Frequency
6000 ?(100)
24800 ?(50)
Screen
Brightness middle
231.8
291
254
327
262
281
230
229
260
281
Brightness
216
271
244
313
231
259
204
219
233
257
Brightness Distribution
87
82
89
87
82
85
81
91
81
82
Black Level *
0.27
0.18
0.1587
0.33
0.415
0.45
0.433
0.2
0.5
0.16
Contrast
859
1617
1601
991
631
624
531
1145
520
1756
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
6.59
4.99
7.42
7.91
10.39
12.4
8.91
4.08
13.2
4.7
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
16.83
17.99
19.74
20.73
20.84
21.9
19.81
6.67
21.27
18
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
3.94
4.21
5.72
4.1
3.7
Greyscale dE 2000 *
4.5
2.98
5
5.71
13.22
13.2
10.3
1.91
14.1
3.6
Gamma
2.17 101%
2.37 93%
1.855 119%
2.11 104%
2.35 94%
2.239 98%
2.47 89%
2.47 89%
2.2 100%
CCT
6110 106%
7045 92%
6421 101%
6437 101%
11697 56%
11724 55%
6764 96%
15924 41%
7267 89%
Noise
off / environment *
22.8
26
24.78
26
25.1
24.3
Idle Minimum *
23.2
26
24.78
26
25.1
24.3
Idle Average *
23.2
26
27.6
26
25.2
24.3
Idle Maximum *
23.2
26
26.5
26
25.2
28.2
Load Average *
33
42.6
34.38
33
28.5
45.2
Witcher 3 ultra *
40.9
45.2
Load Maximum *
41.3
43
34.58
48
42.2
45.2
Heat
Maximum Upper Side *
35.2
37.6
37
37.1
40.3
32
30.4
38.2
37.8
35.1
Maximum Bottom *
38.2
38.5
33
41.9
46.1
33
37.1
37.7
33.6
44.8
Idle Upper Side *
31.2
28.5
23.5
27.9
29.4
26
21.8
33.8
28
25.7
Idle Bottom *
30.4
28.4
28.1
29.6
31.9
27
25.9
33.3
28.2
26.5
Battery Runtime
Reader / Idle
1192
527
WiFi v1.3
668
588
634
502
372
866.6
725
344
490
361
Load
120
94
89
118
120
H.264
724
348
Power Consumption
Idle Minimum *
5.3
4.2
4.8
4
8.3
2.9
3.03
8
2.82
3.6
Idle Average *
9.1
7.5
5.4
6.7
11
4.6
5.7
8.5
6.77
7.8
Idle Maximum *
9.4
8.7
7.7
8.2
11.3
5.1
7.7
8.7
6.67
8.1
Load Average *
54.9
37
36.05
29.5
16.4
11.3
8.7
20.2
12.33
34.7
Witcher 3 ultra *
45
35.6
28.9
16.5
34.9
Load Maximum *
55.8
64.6
62
48
32
14.1
11.1
35.3
14.11
44.6

* ... smaller is better

Benchmarks

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 14 7435 2-in-1
Vega 7, R5 7530U
6283 Points
Huawei MateBook D 15 2023-53013BSJ
Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1155G7, 511BS0512HB-TX01
6328 Points
Ninkear A15 Plus (16+512)
Vega 8, R7 5700U, GOFATOO P110E-512GB
4600 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ALC6-82KT0077GE
Vega 6, R3 5300U, Lenovo UMIS RPJTJ256MEE1OWX
4067 Points
ACEMagician Ace ‎AX15, N95
UHD Graphics Xe 16EUs (Tiger Lake-H), N95, Netac NS512GSSD340
1684 Points
HP 250 G9 7N029ES
UHD Graphics 64EUs, i3-1215U, SK hynix HFS512GEJ9X125N
4116 Points
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 14 7435 2-in-1
Vega 7, R5 7530U
22221 Points
Huawei MateBook D 15 2023-53013BSJ
Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1155G7, 511BS0512HB-TX01
19608 Points
Ninkear A15 Plus (16+512)
Vega 8, R7 5700U, GOFATOO P110E-512GB
16817 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ALC6-82KT0077GE
Vega 6, R3 5300U, Lenovo UMIS RPJTJ256MEE1OWX
14351 Points
Lenovo V14 G2 IJL-82QX002LGE
UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 32 EU), Pentium N6000, Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZNT512G
4709 Points
ACEMagician Ace ‎AX15, N95
UHD Graphics Xe 16EUs (Tiger Lake-H), N95, Netac NS512GSSD340
6660 Points
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value)
ACEMagician Ace ‎AX15, N95
UHD Graphics Xe 16EUs (Tiger Lake-H), N95, Netac NS512GSSD340
37623 Points
Read all 5 comments / answer
static version load dynamic
Loading Comments
Comment on this article
Please share our article, every link counts!
Notebookcheck (Update: 2024-03-12)