The Best Bargain Laptops
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 82.6 % | 05/2022 new! | ![]() | Huawei MateBook D 15 Ryzen 5 5500U AMD Ryzen 5 5500U AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 8 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte | 16.9 mm | 1.6 kg |
2 | 81.5 % | 12/2021 | ![]() | Acer Swift 1 SF114-34-P6U1 Intel Pentium Silver N6000 Intel UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 32 EU) 4 GB Memory, 128 GB eMMC | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | matte | 14.95 mm | 1.3 kg |
3 | 81.2 % | 01/2022 | ![]() | Fujitsu Lifebook A3510 (FPC04905BP) Intel Core i3-1005G1 Intel UHD Graphics G1 (Ice Lake 32 EU) 8 GB Memory, 256 GB SSD | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte | 23.9 mm | 1.8 kg |
4 | 81.2 % | 11/2021 | ![]() | Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU AMD Ryzen 3 3250U AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 8 GB Memory, 256 GB SSD | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | glossy | 16.9 mm | 1.5 kg |
5 | 81 % | 02/2022 | ![]() | Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 AMD Ryzen 7 5700U AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000) 8 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte | 18 mm | 1.7 kg |
6 | 81 % | 01/2022 | ![]() | Acer TravelMate Spin B3 TMB311RN-31-P5KK Intel Pentium Silver N5030 Intel UHD Graphics 605 4 GB Memory, 128 GB SSD | 11.60" | 1920x1080 | glossy | 20.95 mm | 1.5 kg |
7 | 80.3 % | 11/2021 | ![]() | Acer Chromebook Spin 511 R752T-C26N Intel Celeron N4120 Intel UHD Graphics 600 7.7 GB Memory | 11.60" | 1366x768 | glossy | 20 mm | 1.2 kg |
8 | 80 % | 04/2022 new! | ![]() | Lenovo V15 G2 ALC-82KD003XGE AMD Ryzen 5 5500U AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 8 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte | 19.9 mm | 1.6 kg |
9 | 79.9 % | 04/2022 new! | ![]() | Asus Chromebook Flip CM1 AMD 3015Ce AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 4 GB Memory, 64 GB eMMC | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | glossy | 18.6 mm | 1.7 kg |
10 | 79.3 % | 02/2022 | ![]() | Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ITL05 81X80074GE Intel Core i3-1115G4 Intel UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EUs 8 GB Memory, 256 GB SSD | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte | 19.9 mm | 1.7 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
This month, we see three new entries on our list of budget laptops. The Huawei MateBook D 15 manages to secure first place while the Lenovo V15 Gen 2 and the Asus Chromebook Flip CM1 can be found further down the list.
1st – Huawei MateBook D15 AMD
The Huawei MateBook D 15 is a recently updated affordable multimedia notebook. It comes with a sleek and robust metal case, which is uncommon in this price range. Huawei’s CPU of choice, an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U may be a bit dated but still a great choice considering its high performance and excellent energy efficiency making for a long battery life.
Huawei’s current MateBook D15 is a good multimedia notebook at an affordable price featuring a metal case and an AMD processor. However, its low price requires a few compromises.
Huawei devices are not available in North America.
Pricecompare
2nd – Acer Swift 1
Acer’s 14-inch notebook offers great battery life (11-16 hours), a silent mode of operation, a backlight keyboard, and a matte IPS display, and all that for just 280 Euros.
The Acer Swift 1 SF114-34 is not an all-rounder. Instead, it is a portable and silent surfing, writing, and streaming machine.
The new generation of the Acer Swift 1 is currently not available in North America.
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4th – Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N
With a Ryzen 3 APU, 8 GB of RAM running in dual-channel mode, and an NVMe SSD Acer’s affordable 2-in-1 device is well suited for office and internet use. Its 14-inch touchscreen supports stylus input.
Acer’s 2-in-1 laptop offers comparatively poor connectivity. Low emissions and stylus support managed to turn the tide.
The only SKU currently available in North America is equipped with a Ryzen 3 3250U APU, 4 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of SSD and sells for a low $400 on Amazon.
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6th – Acer TravelMate Spin B3
Acer’s 2-in-1 device offers a silent mode of operation, good battery life, and an NVMe SSD. Its touchscreen supports both finger and stylus input, which happens to be included.
Acer’s TravelMate Spin B3 is a simple 2-in-1 device that comes with a stylus by default.
The new generation of the Acer TravelMate Spin B3 is currently not available in North America.
Pricecompare
7th – Acer Chromebook Spin 511 R752T
Acer’s Chromebook Spin is one of the many Chromebooks used in schools across the nation. IT is cheap and offers decent performance. This 2-in-1 laptop combines the benefits of an Android tablet with those of a full and light-weight laptop. Its battery should easily last all day long.
Not all laptops come with Windows. Acer’s Chromebook proves that browsing the web, using office applications, streaming videos, playing games, and using educational applications can be easily done on a Chromebook as well. The only downside is that you will have to adjust to the available software.
The only SKU currently available in North America comes with 32 GB of storage, 4 GB of RAM, an Intel Celeron N4020 CPU, and sells for around $300 on Amazon.
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8th – Lenovo V15 Gen 2 AMD
The Lenovo V15 Gen 2’s strengths are its two SSD and RAM slots, its good performance thanks to an AMD hexa-core CPU and Vega 7 GPU, its good keyboard, and its comparatively robust case. It also comes with acceptable battery life as well as low noise and temperature emissions.
The Lenovo V15 G2 AMD is an affordable and fast office notebook. However, its TN panel renders it useless for many users.
The Lenovo V15 is not available in North America.
Pricecompare
9th – Asus Chromebook Flip CM1
The Asus Chromebook Flip CM1 2-in-1 comes with an IPS touchscreen, a completely silent mode of operation, good battery life, and USB-C with Power Delivery. It is also not particularly expensive. It may not offer exceptional performance but in turn remains silent and comparatively cool.
The Chromebook Flip CM1 is a simple 2-in-1 notebook for undemanding everyday tasks.
The Asus Chromebook Flip CM1 was not yet available at the time of writing.
Pricecompare
Test Results
Huawei MateBook D 15 Ryzen 5 5500U | Acer Swift 1 SF114-34-P6U1 | Fujitsu Lifebook A3510 (FPC04905BP) | Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | Acer TravelMate Spin B3 TMB311RN-31-P5KK | Acer Chromebook Spin 511 R752T-C26N | Lenovo V15 G2 ALC-82KD003XGE | Asus Chromebook Flip CM1 | Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ITL05 81X80074GE | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | ||||||||||
Display P3 Coverage | 42.3 | 41.4 | 39.9 | 37.8 | 38.09 | 49.6 | 38.8 | 38.5 | ||
sRGB Coverage | 63.4 | 61.8 | 58.9 | 56.8 | 57.3 | 72.9 | 58.4 | 56.7 | ||
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 43.7 | 42.9 | 41.3 | 39 | 39.35 | 51.3 | 40.09 | 39.8 | ||
Response Times | ||||||||||
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 51.2 ? | 29 ? | 45 ? | 48 ? | 38 ? | 34 ? | 33 ? | 38 ? | 40 ? | 42 ? |
Response Time Black / White * | 34.4 ? | 20 ? | 32 ? | 28 ? | 27 ? | 21 ? | 27 ? | 14 ? | 27 ? | 30 ? |
PWM Frequency | 25000 ? | 1000 ? | 66 ? | 200 ? | ||||||
Screen | ||||||||||
Brightness middle | 299 | 295 | 218 | 231 | 229 | 272 | 291 | 235 | 200 | 258 |
Brightness | 280 | 265 | 209 | 232 | 224 | 267 | 271 | 231 | 196 | 237 |
Brightness Distribution | 89 | 85 | 64 | 90 | 73 | 87 | 85 | 84 | 84 | 72 |
Black Level * | 0.2 | 0.31 | 0.11 | 0.4 | 0.12 | 0.3 | 0.11 | 0.25 | 0.2 | 0.26 |
Contrast | 1495 | 952 | 1982 | 578 | 1908 | 907 | 2645 | 940 | 1000 | 992 |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 5.2 | 5.43 | 4.89 | 4.01 | 3.76 | 4.1 | 8.14 | 10.59 | 4.82 | 6.01 |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 20.8 | 9.51 | 8.3 | 8.23 | 5.97 | 9.08 | 19.9 | 22.08 | 20.61 | 9.38 |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 4.2 | 3.88 | 4.44 | 5.41 | ||||||
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 4.1 | 4.19 | 2.57 | 2.04 | 3.01 | 4.03 | 5.84 | 12.5 | 1.64 | 4.69 |
Gamma | 2.2 100% | 2.11 104% | 2.22 99% | 2.25 98% | 2.41 91% | 2.23 99% | 2.5 88% | 2.43 91% | 2.43 91% | 2.21 100% |
CCT | 6548 99% | 7084 92% | 6272 104% | 6751 96% | 6484 100% | 6557 99% | 6761 96% | 16404 40% | 6475 100% | 6260 104% |
Noise | ||||||||||
off / environment * | 24.1 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | ||||
Idle Minimum * | 24.1 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | ||||
Idle Average * | 24.1 | 25 | 26.7 | 25 | 25 | 25 | ||||
Idle Maximum * | 28 | 25 | 27.5 | 29.5 | 25 | 25 | ||||
Load Average * | 35.9 | 39.2 | 33.2 | 38.6 | 33.6 | 37.9 | ||||
Witcher 3 ultra * | 35.9 | |||||||||
Load Maximum * | 43.9 | 39 | 36 | 38.6 | 34.5 | 38 | ||||
Heat | ||||||||||
Maximum Upper Side * | 40.6 | 38.9 | 34.4 | 35.3 | 40 | 36.8 | 42.6 | 40.4 | 37.4 | 37.2 |
Maximum Bottom * | 43.9 | 43.3 | 30.9 | 36.2 | 42.8 | 46 | 43.2 | 41.1 | 47.2 | 38 |
Idle Upper Side * | 25.6 | 28.5 | 27.7 | 32.5 | 32.4 | 27.8 | 23.3 | 34.6 | 31.7 | 27.3 |
Idle Bottom * | 26.2 | 29.6 | 29.2 | 30.2 | 29.4 | 28.8 | 23.9 | 40 | 31.8 | 29.1 |
Battery Runtime | ||||||||||
Reader / Idle | 1771 | 562 | 944 | |||||||
WiFi v1.3 | 529 | 693 | 390 | 425 | 652 | 532 | 489 | 479 | 524 | 319 |
Load | 285 | 107 | 187 | 64 | ||||||
H.264 | 981 | 525 | 371 | |||||||
Power Consumption | ||||||||||
Idle Minimum * | 5.5 | 2.4 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 6.5 | 3.9 | 4 |
Idle Average * | 9.1 | 4.1 | 7.5 | 5.8 | 5.5 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 7.5 | 6.3 | 7.4 |
Idle Maximum * | 9.7 | 4.7 | 8.5 | 7 | 8.2 | 5.5 | 4.2 | 8.3 | 6.8 | 8.7 |
Load Average * | 40 | 13.6 | 31.2 | 26 | 34.2 | 11.8 | 7.8 | 29.7 | 12 | 30.7 |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 38.9 | 14.3 | 30.7 | 25.4 | 30.2 | 11.8 | 36.7 | 29.9 | ||
Load Maximum * | 59.5 | 12.1 | 52.7 | 36.3 | 38 | 23.5 | 15.7 | 40.6 | 12.3 | 52 |
* ... smaller is better
Benchmarks
PCMark 8 | |
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
Acer Swift 1 SF114-34-P6U1 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
Acer Swift 1 SF114-34-P6U1 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 |