Top 11 Best Laptops Under $1000 in 2023 (Newest Models)

The best laptops under $1000 come in all shapes and sizes and cater to a wide array of requirements of people. They are plenty powerful for what most people use the laptop for and can handle everything from heavy multitasking with everyday used work and study-related apps to even gaming, photo-video editing, and more.

Also, at this budget, you can purchase some of the most premium and sought-after laptop models like — the Apple MacBook Air, Dell XPS 13, or premium 2-in-1s like Microsoft Surface Pro and HP Spectre x360 13″.

However, depending upon what you plan on doing on your laptop, you are probably overspending your money here. For instance, if you are buying a notebook for just everyday productivity tasks, you’ll probably be okay with one of our recommended budget laptops under $500 (if not under $600). They have enough processing muscle for basic to medium-demanding tasks. Also, if you are looking for a gaming laptop, check out the options under $800 as well. Sure, they are not as powerful as the best gaming laptops under $1000, but they can run all the latest games too, and by dialing down a few settings, you can achieve smooth gameplay on them.

In this guide, we’ll look at the best laptops you can buy for under $1000 right now, and we’ll look at all types of options – from gaming laptops under $1000 to business notebooks and even top ultrabooks and 2-in-1 hybrids. We have also included some affordable options in our list that do not sacrifice on anything and offer similarly capable hardware and features as premium laptops under $1000 for much less, sparing you a couple of hundred dollars from your budget!

So, let’s get started.

Best Laptops Under $1000 – Top Picks

1. Asus ZenBook 13 OLED – Our Top Pick

The Asus ZenBook 13 is just exquisite to look at. It’s also straight from the future, touting a 13-inch OLED display with razor-thin bezels. Asus boasts of 400-nits of brightness that’s good enough to use the laptop outdoors, and with an OLED panel comes a big set of advantages, including increasing contrast ratio, deeper blacks, and overall great picture quality to watch and edit content.

The one we recommend here is powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, which is an 8 core and 16 thread CPU with a max clock speed of 4.8GHz. It also has powerful integrated Radeon graphics that would allow you to play titles like Forza Horizon 4 at medium settings, although the laptop is not intended for gaming. The powerful AMD chipset is paired with a fast 512GB of SSD and 8GB of RAM, which is decent for everyday multitasking.

There’s also an Intel variant powered by the 11th Gen Intel Core processors with Thunderbolt 4 ports, and it also comes in a 2-in-1 flavor. But we recommend this AMD variant purely for the raw performance it offers.

Apart from excellent performing hardware, it also offers some pretty great features such as an IR camera for Windows Hello-based face unlock and a backlit keyboard along with Asus’s signature NumberPad trackpad. And you get all this at just under 2.5lbs, which is perfect for portability. Oh, and did we mention it comes with a MIL-STD certification for durability?

Hardware Specifications of Asus ZenBook 13 OLED:

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (8-core, Up to 4.8GHz)
RAM	8GB LPDDR4X RAM
Storage	512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
Graphics	AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 Integrated
Display	13.3-inch Full HD OLED NanoEdge display (400-nits)
Operating System	Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Battery Life	Up to 13 hours
Weight	2.5 lbs

2. Apple MacBook Air M1 – The Best MacBook Under $1000

MacBooks need no introduction, but the MacBook Air powered by Apple’s own M1 silicon is just phenomenal. If Windows is not your jam, the MacBook Air offers game-changing performance in one of the thinnest form factors, and the macOS Monterey operating system that powers it is optimized to handle even heavy video editing.

The MacBook Air runs on Apple’s M1 chip made on ARM architecture, which is a huge departure from the Intel chips Apple used to use. The new 8-core chip unlocks performance that beats the latest Intel chips hands down and rubs it in with significantly less power consumption, making MacBook Air one of the most powerful yet portable laptops out there. Moreover, it features unified 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD, both primed for fast response.

Apart from fast performance, the MacBook Air also features an excellent 13.3-inch Retina display. Its tall aspect ratio means it’s great for everyday productivity work and its wide P3 color gamut support makes it good enough for content creation. Moreover, it also features a backlit keyboard, an HD camera for FaceTime calls, and a smooth and spacious touchpad.

But the biggest advantage of the M1 MacBook Air is its battery life. The laptop can run for more than 18 hours on a single charge, making it the longest lasting laptop on battery under $1000 and a perfect option for students or those who are always on the road.

The app support, however, can be a bit of a problem, and if you have to use legacy x86 software, you’ll have to run it through Rosetta 2. But many apps are natively supported on M1 now, including all commonly used web browsers like Chrome or Firefox, and even Adobe apps like Photoshop, Lightroom, and Premiere Pro.

Hardware Specifications of Apple MacBook Air M1:

Processor	Apple M1 chip with 8-cores
RAM	8GB
Storage	256GB Solid State Drive
Graphics	7 GPU Cores (integrated on chip)
Display	13.3 Inch (Retina) IPS LED-backlit with 2560 x 1600 Resolution
Operating System	macOS Big Sur
Battery Life	Up to 18 hours
Weight	2.8 lbs

3. HP ENVY x360 13″ – The Best 2-in-1 Laptop Under $1000

If you’re looking for a powerful 2-in-1 hybrid laptop, we recommend the HP Envy x360 13. It’s a 13-inch portable machine that’s both lightweight and transforms into a touchscreen tablet.

It is offered in a wide range of Intel and AMD processors, but we recommend the AMD because that’s where you get better performance and battery life. For under $1000, you can get it with a mighty 8-core AMD Ryzen 7 processor, which will easily handle most users’ daily requirements and more. Moreover, it comes with AMD Radeon integrated graphics, so you can also do light photo/video editing work and even play some less demanding games on it.

You can buy it with a 13.3-inch 4K OLED panel, but it will stretch your budget. Instead, the IPS WLED display with full HD resolution is good enough. It supports touch control and also pen input, so you can unleash your creativity by doodling, drawing, and taking notes on this super portable laptop. No good laptop will leave out an SSD, and this one diligently includes 512GB SSD storage and 16GB RAM.

Additional goodies include a backlit keyboard, IR webcam for Windows Hello, Wi-Fi 6, and audio by Bang & Olufsen. All this packed inside a chassis that weighs less than 3 pounds makes the HP Envy x360 the best 2-in-1 you can get under $1000 right now.

Hardware specifications of HP Envy x360 13″:

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5800U Processor (8-cores, Up to 4.4 GHz)
RAM	16GB DDR4 RAM
Storage	512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
Graphics	AMD Radeon integrated
Display	13.3-Inch Full HD IPS WLED Multitouch Display (400-nits, 100% sRGB)
Operating System	Windows 11 Home
Battery Life	Up to 15 hours
Weight	2.8 lbs

4. Lenovo Legion 5 15″ – The Best Gaming Laptop Under $1000

No list of best laptops under $1000 is complete without including gaming laptops. That said, the Lenovo Legion 5 is hands down the best option for gaming right now under the $1000 price range. Its incomparable specs and aggressive pricing blow out the competition right out of the water, making it a gaming champ of this price segment.

It comes in a 15-inch form factor and accordingly offers a 15.6-inch FHD display with a 165Hz refresh rate and 100% sRGB color fidelity, making it perfect for both high-intensity gaming and intensive creative tasks like high-res photo or video editing. It also packs the necessary horsepower to drive this display. It is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor along with 16GB DDR4 memory and 512GB NVMe SSD storage.

You get a discrete Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU that, combined with Nvidia’s AI-based DLSS technology, delivers high frame rates in the most intensive AAA gaming titles, including Red Dead Redemption, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, and more. Lenovo offers custom fan controls and multiple performance modes to eke the most out of the hardware. It also relies on AI optimization for dynamic CPU/GPU power distribution resulting in maxed-out frame rates.

No gaming laptop is complete without the RGB shenanigans, and the Legion 5 comes with a 4-zone RGB backlit keyboard. There are also all the latest connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C ports and more.

Overall, it’s the best gaming laptop you can buy under $1000 right now. There is no other laptop in the market that offers such powerful hardware and quality display at this price, we bet.

Read our full Lenovo Legion 5 15 Review

Hardware Specifications of Lenovo Legion 5 15″:

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5800H (8-cores, Turbo up to 4.4GHz)
RAM	16GB DDR4 3200MHz SDRAM
Storage	512GB SSD
Graphics	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB DDR6 VRAM
Display	15.6 Inch Full HD IPS 165Hz Refresh rate display with Dolby Vision (100% sRGB)
Operating System	Windows 11 Home
Battery Life	Up to 6 hours
Weight	5.2 lbs

5. HP ENVY 13 – Best For Students

If you’re looking for a powerful and portable laptop well below $1000, the HP Envy 13 is a perfect choice. It’s one of our most recommended laptops for students and features an all-metal build that’s both tough and premium-looking, and at 2.88lbs, it’s easy to carry around wherever you go.

The HP Envy 13 can be configured with up to the 11th-Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor along with 16GB onboard memory for about $900, making it plenty fast for the usual office and classroom tasks, and even some gaming thanks to the integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics. There are also less powerful configurations going down to the Intel Core i5-1135G7 with 16GB onboard memory for $699, which is an excellent option if you don’t need Core i7’s compute power for intensive tasks. For storage, you get options for up to 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD, making ENVY 13 both fast and spacious for storing all your data.

Apart from great specs, the Envy 13 also features an excellent 13-inch full HD IPS display that is both bright and vivid and great for work or to binge-watch. It has an HD webcam at the top of the screen, which is perfect for attending zoom meetings, and it also features dual-array microphones that filter out ambient noise. The full-size backlit keyboard is also impressive. It has a great layout and a satisfactory amount of key travel. The trackpad feels great, too, despite it having a plastic surface.

With decent connectivity options, including the latest and fastest Thunderbolt 4 ports (thanks to the Intel pedigree) and up to 11-hours of battery life, the HP ENVY 13 is one of the best compact ultrabooks under $1000 for students and working professionals.

Hardware Specifications of HP ENVY 13″:

Processor	11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 Quad-Core CPU (Turbo up to 4.7 GHz)
RAM	16GB DDR4 RAM (non-upgradable)
Storage	256GB SSD
Graphics	Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Display	13.3-inch Full HD IPS Display (100% sRGB, 400-nits)
Operating System	Windows 11 Home
Battery Life	Up to 13 hours
Weight	2.8 lbs

6. Acer Swift X – The Best Laptop For Photo/Video Editing

If you’re looking for a laptop under $1000 to edit photos and videos, you’ll need a little more power than a standard notebook and a color-calibrated display. The Lenovo Legion 5 15 – our pick for gaming is a much better option for content creation with more powerful hardware and color-accurate display, but its bulky design would bog you down if you have to travel a lot. The Acer Swift X makes a perfect choice. It offers a powerful AMD Ryzen processor, a discrete Nvidia GPU, and a color-accurate display in a compact and lightweight design, perfect for content creation and light gaming.

It features a 14-inch full HD IPS display with 100% sRGB calibration and 300-nits of peak brightness, which is perfect for color-sensitive photo editing and video editing work. Furthermore, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800U Zen 3 CPU with 8 cores, and Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU with 4GB video memory is a mighty powerful CPU and GPU combo for creative tasks, especially when there’s multi-core usage. 4K footage renders quickly, and you’ll feel no lag in operating heavy editing software. Add to the fact that the Swift X is so deceptively thin and portable, which makes this even better for creators on the move.

You get 16GB LPDDR4X memory and 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD, which is decent for high-intensity workloads, but sadly the memory and storage are not user-upgradable on this laptop. There’s also a backlit keyboard and a wide choice of ports and connectivity options, including the latest Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 wireless options.

Overall, the Swift X isn’t as premium-looking or feeling laptop as other options under $1000 on our list, but it certainly is a power-packed ultraportable that’s suited well for creators on budget.

Hardware Specifications of Acer Swift X (SFX14-41G-R1S6):

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5800U 8-Core CPU (Up to 4.4GHz)
RAM	16GB LPDDR4X
Storage	512GB NVMe Solid State Drive
Graphics	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB DDR6 Memory
Display	14-inch Full HD IPS Display with 100% sRGB coverage (300-nits)
Operating System	Windows 10 Home
Battery Life	Up to 12 hours
Weight	3.0 lbs

7. Dell Inspiron 16 5625 Touchscreen Laptop

Dell’s Inspiron lineup has always showcased the company’s progress in making affordable thin and light machines with powerful hardware. The Inspiron 16 is no different. It is a 16-inch laptop but weighs just 4.1 pounds and is one of the best-specced laptops around for under $1000.

The Dell Inspiron 16 5625 offers the latest AMD Ryzen 7 5825U processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, and it includes an integrated AMD Radeon GPU on-chip that’s good enough for playing some of the Xbox Game Pass titles and light content creation. It is paired with 16GB RAM and spacious 512GB solid state drive, which is more than enough for most users requirements.

Apart from powerful specs, it features a 16-inch full HD+ touchscreen display with narrow bezels and an anti-glare coating, which is large enough to immerse yourself in watching videos. The laptop also sports a comfortable backlit keyboard primed for typing out long emails and documents, and on the bottom, it has a pretty large trackpad supporting all the multi-finger gestures.

You get a wide choice of ports, including a USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-C port with DisplayPort and USB PD support, along with 2xUSB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-A ports and HDMI out and also an SD card slot. Dell includes a 54Whr battery that delivers around 8 hours of battery life in intermittent usage and features twin 2W front-firing stereo speakers and an HD webcam with a dual-array microphone setup.

Hardware Specifications of Dell Inspiron 16 5625:

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5825U Octa-Core CPU (2.0GHz – 4.5GHz)
RAM	16GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM
Storage	512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
Graphics	AMD Radeon Vega 8 (Integrated)
Display	16-inch Full HD+ Anti-Glare Touchscreen Display (16:10, 1920 x 1200 resolution)
Operating System	Windows 11 Home
Battery Life	Up to 8 hours
Weight	4.1 lbs

8. Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 4 – The Best Business Laptop Under $1000

ThinkPads are synonymous with business use. Walk into any office, and you’ll find suited individuals buried deep into a ThinkPad with its iconic red track button in the middle of the keyboard. And the Lenovo ThinkPad E15 is easily the best business laptop you can buy for under $1000. Its base configuration starts well under the budget, but if you have the necessary leeway, get one of the higher configurations for the best experience.

It is offered with both Intel and AMD processors, and again we recommend going with the AMD because it’s going to be better in performance, battery life and also cheaper than Intel. For under $1000, you can get it with the AMD Ryzen 5 processor along with 16GB DDR4 RAM. Lenovo offers two upgradeable RAM slots, and you can technically max out memory to 64GB. For storage, you get the 512GB PCIe SSD, and there’s even a hard drive slot if you need more storage.

The ThinkPad E15 also has the option to include a discrete Nvidia GeForce MX450 GPU, but we’d recommend sticking to the integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics if you don’t have to run graphics-intensive software.

It offers a 15.6-inch full HD display with an anti-glare coating, and Lenovo claims a 300-nits brightness rating for the laptop, which is about enough for office usage. And, not to mention being a ThinkPad, it also has a signature ThinkPad keyboard which is super comfy and ergonomic, and it also has a numeric pad for accountants and others who need it.

But what makes the ThinkPad E15 perfect for business use are the security features that include IR camera-based facial recognition, a discrete TPM (Trusted Platform Module) – must for Windows 11 update, webcam privacy shutter, and more.

Hardware Specifications of Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 4:

Processor	AMD Ryzen 5 5625U Hexa-Core Processor (Turbo up to 4.3 GHz)
RAM	16GB DDR4 RAM (Upgradable)
Storage	512GB PCIe SSD
Graphics	Integrated AMD Radeon
Display	15.6 Inch Full HD IPS Anti-Glare Display (300-nits)
Operating System	Windows 11 Pro
Battery Life	Up to 9 hours with Fast charging support
Weight	3.9 lbs

9. Acer Swift 3 – Great Value For Money

If you’re looking for a laptop for everyday productivity work, then you don’t really have to spend $1000 because the Acer Swift 3, costing under $700 is just perfect for everyday casual use. The Swift 3 is Acer’s decent midrange offering; save for a slightly cheaper feeling build quality (still all-metal though), it offers almost everything you find in premium products.

That includes the capable AMD Ryzen 7 5700U chip, an 8 core CPU with 16 threads and a max clock speed of 4.2GHz. The CPU here is revolutionary in terms of performance and efficiency. It can outperform every Intel processor available in thin and light laptops while also lasting longer than them on a single charge! The integrated Radeon graphics are good too. You can play less demanding competitive multiplayer titles like CS:GO at medium settings on this machine. The CPU is paired with 8GB LPDDR4X memory and 512GB NVMe SSD storage, which accounts for the swift in the name.

Being a midsize 14-inch machine, it features a 14-inch full HD IPS LED display with 100% sRGB color calibration and narrow bezels. You get a fingerprint sensor that works with Windows Hello and a bunch of ports, including a USB-C port with DisplayPort and USB charging, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, along with HDMI and a 3.5mm combo jack. The laptop also features far-field mics with Amazon Alexa support to remote control the laptop and get quick answers to your silly questions or control your internet-connected devices.

Read our full 2021 Acer Swift 3 AMD Review

Hardware Specifications of Acer Swift 3 (SF314-43-R2YY):

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5700U 8-core (Zen 2) CPU
RAM	8GB LPDDR4x RAM
Storage	512GB NVMe SSD
Graphics	AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 Integrated
Display	14-Inch Full HD IPS Display with 100% sRGB (300-nits)
Operating System	Windows 10 Home
Battery Life	Up to 10 hours
Weight	2.6 lbs

10. HP ENVY 17 – The Best 17-inch Laptop Under $1000

And if you want something bigger than the typical 15-inch laptop, then the HP ENVY 17-inch laptop is what you’re looking for. This is as big as laptops go, and the HP Envy 17 is undoubtedly one of the best 17-inch laptops in the sub-$1000 price range.

It is also offered with a 4K display, but we’d recommend going going for the full HD variant priced under $1000. You get the 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor with integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, which is a lot more powerful than last-gen Intel processors and can handle some of the latest games and also light photo/video editing jobs. The powerful CPU is paired with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.

Additionally, you get an integrated fingerprint reader for secure unlock and a full-sized backlit keyboard with a numeric keypad, which is comfortable for typing long emails or word documents. The laptop also features the latest and fastest Wi-Fi 6, and it has an integrated HD webcam along with a dual-array microphone for uninterrupted video calls. You also get a host of ports to connect your peripherals ranging from a super-fast USB-C port with USB Power Delivery support to multiple USB 3.0 Type-A and an HDMI port.

It comes with a 4-cell 55Whr battery, which can power ENVY 17’s powerful hardware and large display for around 4 to 5 hours with casual use, which is less, but it supports fast charging, which will let you charge the battery to 50% in 45 minutes with the provided 65W charger in the box.

Hardware Specifications of HP ENVY 17:

Processor	11th Gen Intel Core i7-1195G7 Processor (4 Cores, Turbo up to 5 GHz)
RAM	16GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM
Storage	512GB SSD
Graphics	Intel Iris Xe Integrated Graphics
Display	17-inch Full HD IPS Touchscreen with Gorilla Glass Protection (300-nits, 100% sRGB)
Operating System	Windows 11 Home
Battery Life	Up to 5 hours
Weight	5.6 lbs

11. Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 – Unbeatable Under $500

You don’t need to spend as much for more casual usage because laptops like this Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14 will do the job perfectly well. It belongs to Lenovo’s budget lineup of thin and light laptops, and it offers mighty powerful specs for the money.

For under $500, it comes powered by the latest AMD Ryzen 5 processor along with powerful Radeon graphics, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD, making it suitable for more than casual use. There are also multiple cooling modes to eke out the maximum performance from the hardware.

You get a decent 14-inch full HD IPS display that, while not being the most color accurate, is quite bright and has good viewing angles. It also comes with a wide choice of ports, including a USB Type-C and multiple USB-A ports. There’s also a Wi-Fi 6 support, a comfortable backlit keyboard, and a fingerprint sensor integrated into its power button.

But, its exterior is all-plastic, and hence it looks and feels cheap in comparison to most laptops under $1000 that features an all-metal chassis. But, it’s a well-designed laptop with mostly clean aesthetics and thin screen bezels, and despite being an all-plastic built machine, it is very well put together and has minor flex on its chassis.

Overall, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14 offers fantastic value for money, and it’s simply unbeatable under $500 for the kind of performance and features it packs in.

Hardware Specifications of Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14″:

Processor	AMD Ryzen 5 5500U Processor (6-cores, Turbo up to 4 GHz)
RAM	8GB DDR4 RAM (Upgradable)
Storage	256GB SSD (Upgradable)
Graphics	AMD Radeon integrated
Display	14-inch Full HD IPS Screen (300-nits)
Operating System	Windows 11 Home
Battery Life	Up to 8 hours
Weight	3.5 lbs

These are the best laptops you can buy if you are ready to spend $1000 right now. We have tried to address the needs of all types of users through our list. We have picked different sizes and types of notebooks ranging up to $1000. And, we also have a few gaming laptops recommendations and thin and light performance ultrabooks if you are looking for a road warrior.

So, that’s all from us.

We hope that this laptop buying guide helps you to buy the best laptop under $1000 for your needs without exceeding your budget. For more recommendations, visit our other buying guides for laptops spanning across multiple budgets, use cases, and needs.

Thanks for reading.