The Best Budget Office Notebooks
Office notebooks, cheap bargains and computers for everyday tasks: They require decent input devices, ergonomic displays and connectivity that should allow the user to easily connect to the home or workplace environment, but it does not have to be very generous. Also compare the following Top 10 lists for your purchase decision.
The following table shows an overview of the Top 10 budget office laptops (under 800 USD/Euros) reviewed by Notebookcheck in the previous 12 months. If ratings are equal, the latest review is listed first. The table can be sorted by clicking its headers and filtered by entering text in the text field above it (e.g. "matte").
- The Best Premium Business Notebooks (particularly premium office notebooks)
- The Best Portable Workstations (powerful laptops for professionals)
- The Best Ultra-Portable Notebooks (compact and portable notebooks)
- The Best Windows Convertibles (notebooks that can be converted into a tablet)
The Best Budget Office Laptops (new v8 Rating)
Rank | Rating | Date | Image | Model / Review | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Screen | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 85.3 % | 09 / 2024 Neu! |  | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G5 21L50014GE AMD Ryzen 5 7535U ⎘ AMD Radeon 660M ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 1.6 kg | 23 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1200 | matte | 1019 Euro |
| 2 | 77 % | 08 / 2024 Neu! |  | Medion S17431-MD62640 Intel Core Ultra 7 155H ⎘ Intel Arc 8-Core iGPU ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB SSD | 2.1 kg | 20 mm | 17.30" | 1920x1080 | matte | 999 Euro |
Note: The switch to a new rating system took place in June 2024. In the new v8 rating, the criteria were adapted to current hardware developments, new points were added and individual measurement methods were changed. As a result, the v8 ratings are slightly lower than under v7. The new v8 rating is not directly comparable with previous versions. For this reason, we are listing two tables with the best devices according to v7 and v8 rating here for the time being. Further information on the new v8 rating can be found here.
The Best Budget Office Laptops (old v7 Rating)
Position | Total Rating | Date | Image | Model / Review | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Screen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 88.6 % v7 (old) | 08 / 2023 |  | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 AMD Ryzen 5 7530U ⎘ AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 1.5 kg | 19.83 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | matte |
| 2 | 85.8 % v7 (old) | 04 / 2023 |  | Huawei MateBook D 14 2023, 53013PKG Intel Core i5-1155G7 ⎘ Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 1.4 kg | 15.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | matte |
| 3 | 85.8 % v7 (old) | 01 / 2024 |  | Huawei MateBook 14 (2024) Intel Core i5-1240P ⎘ Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 1.4 kg | 15.9 mm | 14.00" | 2160x1440 | glossy |
| 4 | 85.7 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2023 |  | Lenovo ThinkBook 16 G6 ABP AMD Ryzen 5 7530U ⎘ AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 1.8 kg | 17.5 mm | 16.00" | 1920x1200 | matte |
| 5 | 85.6 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2023 |  | Acer Swift Go 14 SFG14-71 Intel Core i5-1335U ⎘ Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 1.3 kg | 14.9 mm | 14.00" | 2880x1800 | glossy |
| 6 | 85.5 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2023 |  | Lenovo ThinkPad E16 G1 Core i5-1335U Intel Core i5-1335U ⎘ Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs ⎘ 16 GB Memory | 1.8 kg | 19.85 mm | 16.00" | 1920x1200 | matte |
| 7 | 84.3 % v7 (old) | 02 / 2023 |  | Huawei MateBook D 15 2021, i5-1135G7 Intel Core i5-1135G7 ⎘ Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs ⎘ 8 GB Memory, 256 GB SSD | 1.5 kg | 16.9 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte |
| 8 | 83.6 % v7 (old) | 03 / 2024 |  | Ninkear A15 Plus (16+512) AMD Ryzen 7 5700U ⎘ AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 1.8 kg | 18.2 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | matte |
| 9 | 82.6 % v7 (old) | 02 / 2023 |  | Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ALC6-82KT0077GE AMD Ryzen 3 5300U ⎘ AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000) ⎘ 8 GB Memory, 256 GB SSD | 1.4 kg | 19 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | matte |
| 10 | 82 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2024 |  | SCHENKER Work 14 Base Intel Core i5-1235U ⎘ Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 500 GB SSD | 1.3 kg | 20.2 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | matte |
The table above contains an overview over the best budget office notebooks for less than 800 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
There are numerous usable and good devices for under 800 Euros in the office class. The best models come from Lenovo, HP, Dell, Fujitsu and Acer and cost between 600 and 800 Euros. The customer has to live with more or less major drawbacks in all cheaper devices; these can be inferior input devices or a bendy case. IPS screens are now found in almost all of the devices in this budget office top 10, although there are still some devices with a TN panel in between.
Rating Version 8:
1st – Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G5 (v8)
Lenovo has long had the ThinkPad L series in its portfolio as a cheaper alternative to the more expensive ThinkPad T series. The Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 5 is a great office notebook in the 1,000 euro range, which does not have to do without the good features of the ThinkPad models. The device is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 7535U with 6 cores. The RAM is 16 GB DDR5 RAM, which can also be expanded. The good repairability and extensive features are praiseworthy.
As an inexpensive alternative, the L-series is a good choice and is suitable as a successful work device for office applications.
In the USA, the ThinkPad L14 Gen 5 AMD starts at roughly $735 at Lenovo's webstore.
Price comparison
2nd – Medion S20
With a large 17-inch display, the Medion S20 notebook vies for the favor of buyers. For around 1,000 euros, you get an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H with good performance. Medion uses 16 GB DDR5 RAM for the RAM and a 1 TB SSD for the mass storage. The sturdy metal casing and the upgrade options are positive features. There are some drawbacks in terms of connectivity options, as there is unfortunately no USB 4 or Thunderbolt.
The Medion S20 delivers solid performance and a high-quality casing, making it an ideal companion for home use.
The Medion S20 laptop is available for 999 euros from ALDI in the online store.
Price comparison
Rating Version 7:
1st – Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 (v7)
The Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 offers a solid performance for everyday use based on the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U. Unfortunately, Lenovo does without the latest architecture here, although it was still enough for an excellent score in our test. The overall concept convinces with many small positive aspects, such as good upgradeability and repairability or the bright low-power display. In addition, there is a good connectivity and especially the price of the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 is convincing, because it is cheaper than other ThinkPad models. The good input devices including TrackPoint are also available in the Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 and round off the overall package well.
The Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 is a good work device and combines the good ThinkPad features without going over the top in terms of price.
The Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 AMD model 21H6S00900, which we reviewed, is a special model for students as part of the German Lenovo education program. It costs €700 from Campuspoint.
Price comparison
2nd – MateBook D 14 2022 (v7)
The MateBook D 14 2022 offers a solid performance based on an Intel Core i5-1155G7. The rest of the equipment is also impressive, because overall it is enough for a good rating, which catapults the device directly to the first place in our Top10. The device comes in a robust and chic unibody and can convince with a high system performance. A very restrained fan also provides important points, as do the good battery runtimes, which make the device suitable for mobile use.
The MateBook D 14 2022 is a good all-rounder for everyday office use that does not make any major mistakes in the review.
Global availability of the MateBook D 14 (2022) appears to be limited at present.
Price comparison
3rd – Huawei MateBook 14 (v7)
The new Huawei MateBook 14 is very similar to its predecessor, but gets a newer SoC with the Intel Core i5-1240P. With the hybrid architecture consisting of P and E cores, there is noticeably more performance. Everything is housed in a stylish aluminum casing. Basically, everything is well made and the 3:2 touch display could also make it easier for many to choose the current Huawei MateBook 14.
The Huawei MateBook 14 is a solid office notebook with a good price-performance ratio.
At the time of writing, Huawei's devices are not officially available in North America.
Price comparison
4th - Lenovo ThinkBook 16 G6 (v7)
Lenovo ThinkBook 16 G6 is positioned between the IdeaPad models for home users and the ThinkPad series, which is primarily aimed at business customers. Equipped with an AMD Ryzen 5 7530U and 16 GB RAM as well as a 512 GB SSD, the Lenovo ThinkBook 16 G6 was able to secure a place in our top 10 list of inexpensive office laptops. For a relatively low purchase price, it offers sufficient performance paired with long battery life. However, limitations must be accepted with the built-in screen.
The Lenovo ThinkBook 16 G6 is a solid work device that offers no highlights, but also no significant weaknesses.
The ThinkBook 16 G6 is listed in various online stores. For instance an AMD-powered SKU costs around $560 and an Intel-powered one can be found here on Amazon US.
Price comparison
5th – Acer Swift Go 14 (v7)
The Acer Swift Go 14 in our test configuration is based on an Intel Core i5-1335U, which combines a total of 10 cores and 12 threads. With DDR5, the manufacturer also uses the latest standard for RAM. The display features a good OLED screen with accurate color reproduction in 16:10 format. And the Acer Swift Go 14 can even draw attention to itself in terms of connectivity with two Thunderbolt interfaces. A disadvantage is the very compact design, which allows almost no expansion, as many components are permanently installed.
The Acer Swift Go 14 scores with a great design and good performance at an affordable price.
At the time of writing, the Acer Swift Go 14 SFG14-71 is sold through retailers such as Amazon US for around $800.
Price comparison
6th – Lenovo ThinkPad E16 G1 (v7)
The ThinkPad E series are inexpensive business laptops. The Lenovo ThinkPad E16 G1 relies on an economical yet powerful Intel Core i5-1335U with 10 cores and 12 threads. It also comes with 16 GB DDR4 RAM and a fast NVMe SSD with 512 GB of storage space. The positive aspects include easy maintenance and Thunderbolt 4 support.
The Lenovo ThinkPad E16 G1 offers a great advantage with the Thunderbolt interface.
Various configurations of ThinkPad E16 G1 are available on Lenovo's webstore, prices currently starting at $575.
Price comparison
7th – Huawei MateBook D 15 (v7)
The Huawei MateBook D 15 is a very quiet and inexpensive office device here. The SoC offers solid performance and despite the attractive pricing, the manufacturer does not skimp on high-quality materials. Overall, the device is very light and a fingerprint reader is also included. We have to make concessions in terms of expandability because the installed working memory cannot be expanded. Thus, users who cannot cope with 8 GB should rather go for the 16 GB model.
The Huawei MateBook D 15 is a very inexpensive office notebook with a good price-performance ratio.
The Huawei MateBook D 15 is currently not available in North America.
Price comparison
8th – Ninkear A15 Plus (v7)
The Ninkear 15 Plus is an inexpensive notebook and is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 5700U. It also comes with 16 GB DDR4 RAM and an SSD with 512 GB storage space. The Ninkear 15 Plus impressed us in our test with its stylish aluminum casing. You don't have to do without a good keyboard and the battery life is also impressive. The Ninkear 15 Plus also impresses with long battery runtimes in our review.
The Ninkear 15 Plus is a solid office notebook with an appealing look for home use.
With 32 GB RAM and a one TB NVMe SSD, the laptop currently costs €590 at Tomtop with shipping from a German warehouse. Unfortunately, Ninkear's devices are not available yet in the USA market.
Price comparison
9th – Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 AMD Gen 6 (v7)
Lenovo has also made it into our top 10 of budget office laptops with the IdeaPad 3 14 AMD Gen 6. Based on an AMD Ryzen 3 5300U, you get a frugal yet nimble processor for simple office work. Equipped with a matte and bright IPS display and good input devices as well as the quiet operating noise, Lenovo's IdeaPad 3 14 AMD Gen 6 was able to score enough points overall.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 AMD Gen 6 is perfectly suitable as an inexpensive companion.
Currently, Amazon US offers a variant of Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 (AMD Ryzen 5 5500U) for $380.
Price comparison
10th – Schenker Work 14 Base (v7)
The Schenker Work 14 Base is a solid work device and was able to deliver good results in our test based on the Intel Core i5-1235U. There is no criticism of the workmanship and the high-quality choice of materials also provides important rating points. Typical for Schenker are the good maintenance options and as a daily work device, the Schenker Work 14 Base has a comfortable keyboard.
The Schenker Work 14 Base offers solid performance for simple office tasks. The stylish design is accompanied by a high-quality aluminum casing.
Schenker's devices are not official available in North America.
Price comparison
Test Results
| Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G4 21H6S00900 | Huawei MateBook D 14 2023, 53013PKG | Huawei MateBook 14 (2024) | Lenovo ThinkBook 16 G6 ABP | Acer Swift Go 14 SFG14-71 | Lenovo ThinkPad E16 G1 Core i5-1335U | Huawei MateBook D 15 2021, i5-1135G7 | Ninkear A15 Plus (16+512) | Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14ALC6-82KT0077GE | SCHENKER Work 14 Base | Lenovo ThinkPad L14 G5 21L50014GE | Medion S17431-MD62640 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | ||||||||||||
| Display P3 Coverage | 73.2 | 43.78 | 64.4 | 40.4 | 99.9 | 42 | 39.5 | 39.04 | 35.8 | 72.4 | 37.7 | 65.17 |
| sRGB Coverage | 98.9 | 64.33 | 95.3 | 59.8 | 100 | 62.6 | 59.4 | 58.06 | 53.6 | 99.8 | 56.1 | 91.89 |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 73.9 | 45.23 | 66.4 | 42 | 95.4 | 43.3 | 40.8 | 40.34 | 37 | 73.8 | 39 | 66.35 |
| Response Times | ||||||||||||
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 58.1 ? | 32 ? | 27.5 ? | 32.8 ? | 1.85 ? | 46.4 ? | 41 ? | 25 ? | 34 ? | 60 ? | 23.5 ? | 26.8 ? |
| Response Time Black / White * | 32.7 ? | 14 ? | 23 ? | 23.9 ? | 2 ? | 27.6 ? | 27 ? | 14 ? | 25 ? | 34.7 ? | 18.8 ? | 17.2 ? |
| PWM Frequency | 6000 ? | 357 ? | ||||||||||
| Screen | ||||||||||||
| Brightness middle | 430 | 285 | 418 | 310 | 278 | 318.6 | 297 | 254 | 327 | 402 | 419 | 372 |
| Brightness | 409 | 266 | 411 | 290 | 279 | 302 | 281 | 244 | 313 | 404 | 399 | 341 |
| Brightness Distribution | 88 | 89 | 91 | 86 | 96 | 91 | 88 | 89 | 87 | 89 | 89 | 87 |
| Black Level * | 0.31 | 0.265 | 0.27 | 0.22 | 0.04 | 0.29 | 0.43 | 0.1587 | 0.33 | 0.16 | 0.31 | 0.38 |
| Contrast | 1387 | 1075 | 1548 | 1409 | 6950 | 1099 | 691 | 1601 | 991 | 2513 | 1352 | 979 |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.4 | 4.95 | 2.04 | 6.2 | 3.01 | 3.73 | 4.6 | 7.42 | 7.91 | 2.2 | 7.5 | 3.34 |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 4.7 | 17.92 | 2.93 | 24.7 | 4.43 | 16.51 | 19.07 | 19.74 | 20.73 | 4.2 | 28.3 | 6.69 |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.4 | 4.21 | 0.85 | 5.3 | 4.14 | 2.03 | 5.72 | 1.3 | 6.2 | 1.66 | ||
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3 | 2.79 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 2.24 | 5 | 5.71 | 3 | 4.6 | 3.7 |
| Gamma | 2.3 96% | 2.42 91% | 2.121 104% | 2.22 99% | 2.194 100% | 2.28 96% | 2.39 92% | 1.855 119% | 2.11 104% | 2.18 101% | 2.02 109% | 2.33 94% |
| CCT | 6489 100% | 6720 97% | 7067 92% | 6011 108% | 6126 106% | 6780 96% | 6720 97% | 6421 101% | 6437 101% | 6801 96% | 6057 107% | 6816 95% |
| Noise | ||||||||||||
| off / environment * | 25.2 | 26 | 25.5 | 24.3 | 24.9 | 24.6 | 25.5 | 24.78 | 26 | 23.6 | 24.5 | 23 |
| Idle Minimum * | 25.2 | 26 | 25.5 | 24.3 | 24.9 | 24.6 | 25.5 | 24.78 | 26 | 23.6 | 24.5 | 28.51 |
| Idle Average * | 25.2 | 26 | 25.5 | 24.3 | 24.9 | 24.6 | 25.5 | 27.6 | 26 | 23.6 | 24.5 | 28.51 |
| Idle Maximum * | 27.3 | 26 | 25.5 | 24.3 | 24.9 | 24.6 | 25.5 | 26.5 | 26 | 24.8 | 24.5 | 28.51 |
| Load Average * | 32.1 | 40.2 | 33.37 | 29.7 | 31.9 | 32.7 | 31 | 34.38 | 33 | 34.2 | 38 | |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 35.7 | 32.1 | 43.2 | 34.7 | 34.2 | |||||||
| Load Maximum * | 38.3 | 40.1 | 47.75 | 41.4 | 43.2 | 39.2 | 39.1 | 34.58 | 48 | 42.9 | 41.5 | 42.76 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * | 41.4 | 42.76 | ||||||||||
| Heat | ||||||||||||
| Maximum Upper Side * | 39 | 40.9 | 42.5 | 40.8 | 44.8 | 44 | 39.9 | 37 | 37.1 | 39.2 | 43.1 | 51 |
| Maximum Bottom * | 46.3 | 41.7 | 40.5 | 50.5 | 34.8 | 50.4 | 42 | 33 | 41.9 | 40.4 | 45.7 | 48 |
| Idle Upper Side * | 26.3 | 25.7 | 28.2 | 29.3 | 30.7 | 27.2 | 26.5 | 23.5 | 27.9 | 25.3 | 27.9 | 31 |
| Idle Bottom * | 37.5 | 26.5 | 28.6 | 35.2 | 32.5 | 27.8 | 26.8 | 28.1 | 29.6 | 25.8 | 28.3 | 34 |
| Battery Runtime | ||||||||||||
| WiFi v1.3 | 814 | 667 | 549 | 605 | 453 | 314 | 512 | 634 | 502 | 458 | 748 | 509.4 |
| Load | 76 | 154 | 98 | 84 | 89 | 79 | 203 | |||||
| H.264 | 660 | 696 | ||||||||||
| Power Consumption | ||||||||||||
| Idle Minimum * | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 6.79 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 10.3 |
| Idle Average * | 7.2 | 6.9 | 9.5 | 7.1 | 6.83 | 8.3 | 7.3 | 5.4 | 6.7 | 6.8 | 7 | 11.2 |
| Idle Maximum * | 7.6 | 8.2 | 10.73 | 7.7 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 8.4 | 7.7 | 8.2 | 7.2 | 7.3 | 11.7 |
| Load Average * | 32.2 | 39.5 | 43.9 | 45.9 | 42.9 | 38 | 36.05 | 29.5 | 31.8 | 24.4 | ||
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 35.7 | 39.6 | 43.1 | 40.8 | 45.6 | 44.9 | 34.6 | 28.9 | 31 | |||
| Load Maximum * | 61.3 | 65.3 | 67.5 | 66.6 | 69.8 | 67 | 65.8 | 62 | 48 | 47.2 | 65.9 | 83 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra external monitor * | 40.4 | 46.9 | ||||||||||
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * | 39.6 | 53.8 |
* ... smaller is better
Benchmarks
