Notebookcheck's Top 10 Laptops under 300 Euros

The Trekstor Yourbook C11B is a small convertible with a touchscreen, which is well-suited for everyday tasks. Its construction is identical to the Yourbook C11, but offers additional software like a one-year subscription for Microsoft's Office 365. There is not much storage, but a free slot for an M.2-SSD. Both the 1080p screen as well as 802.11ac WLAN are real highlights in this price segment. Trekstor offers a lot of device for the money in general; you should obviously not expect high-end power, but entry-level performance. The Yourbook is easily sufficient if you occasionally browse the web or write a text document.

The Asus E203MA is available in some configurations for less than 300 Euros, and the performance is sufficient for simple office tasks and web browsing. The device is equipped with a microSD reader, and it is really necessary to expand the 25 GB internal storage. The battery runtime in our Wi-Fi test is pretty good at 8:15 hours.

The display is the main issue here, because it is glossy and not particularly bright. You also have problems if you like to expand or maintain your laptop.

The Asus E203MA is still a good 11.6-inch laptop for simple applications.

A solid notebook for typing, web browsing and video playback is pretty much everything you can expect in the segment up to 300 Euros. This is just what you get with the VivoBook E12, an 11.6-inch notebook without any real highlights, but a good keyboard, silent operation, low temperatures, and low weight. Windows 10 is included as well. You must make compromises in terms of memory and the display is rather dark with limited viewing angles. A good offer for 250 Euros, but there are cheaper offers.

The Lenovo V130-14IGM is equipped with a small battery on paper, which cannot be replaced. But the battery runtime in the WLAN test is still competitive at 7:21 hours. The power of the notebook is also sufficient for office tasks. The display is not a highlight of the system; it is dark with a low contrast ratio, but the surface is at least matte. Lenovo includes an SSD for a decent system performance and it also results in a decent price-performance ratio.

Lenovo cannot really do much about the design of an inexpensive device like the Ideapad 120s-11IAP, right? It turns out they can by choosing a simple yet elegant design, which creates a much more noble impression than you expect from this segment. The stability is decent as well, and we like other systems to do the same. Still, there are drawbacks at this price point like the memory equipment at just 2 GB RAM. The system performance is mediocre and the storage limited. The IdeaPad 120s-11IAP can still be a good choice for a small budget and low expectations.

The Lenovo Ideapad 120S-14IAP is the bigger sibling of the Ideapad 120S-11IAP and is similar in many respects, including a nice chassis. Display and storage capacity require limitations from the user, but you get fast USB ports and decent battery runtimes in return. The keyboard convinces as well, even though we would have liked to see a background illumination. You should note that it is not possible to replace or upgrade components, so you should make sure you get the right configuration for your requirements.

Acer's Aspire ES1-732-P7YA is an inexpensive 17-inch laptop. The hard drive can store 1 TB of data and can be replaced. The device also offers sufficient performance for simple office tasks. It does not get really warm and you can only hear the fan under load. The glossy screen is pretty dark, but the contrast ratio is decent.

Our test model costs about 400 Euros, but online retailers already sell it for little less than 300 Euros, so we use the device for our ranking.

The Trekstor Primetab T13B for about 300 Euros is a well-equipped 13.3-inch convertible. Thanks to its sturdy chassis and the expandable storage it manages to secure a spot in our ranking. However, potential buyers have to live with short battery runtimes and the comparatively high weight. The color reproduction is good once you calibrate the screen, so it is an inexpensive alternative to some more expensive machines.

The Chuwi HeroBook 14 looks like a high-quality Ultrabook at first, but a closer inspection quickly reveals that neither plastic materials, nor the stability of the case can keep up with more expensive devices. However, the HeroBook retails for just 279 Euros or even less, so the performance is actually decent.

You should not expect current ports; there is no USB-C, but a proprietary charging connector for the power adapter. The keyboard is not illuminated and the performance of the notebook is very low, especially in multi-core scenarios.

The battery runtime and the decent screen are definitely advantages and you will be happy with the Chuwi laptop if you don't have high requirements for the performance and appreciate the large keys of the input devices.

The Acer Extensa 2519-P35U is a notebook for low requirements: Low performance figures, dim screen, and short battery runtime are not perfect if you plan on using complex applications. It is still powerful enough for test editing and some web browsing, an optical drive can be added, and the good keyboard is interesting for frequent writers. You should have a look at the Acer laptop if you are on a tight budget.