Best Laptops Under $400 Dollars

Best Laptops Under $400 Dollars

During this pandemic, everything is mostly done online from online learning to getting your prescription delivered. We are not certain when we would be able to go outside and do outdoor activities that do not require restrictions. While being stuck at home, most of us are binging shows on streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime. Some of us are even gaming online learning new games that we thought we may not have time to learn. Others of us are getting ready to go back to school meaning that we are learning online.

We want a laptop that gives us the fastest access to things and is near our budget. But, during this time it also means that we can not spend our money on things we want but the things we need. There are so many laptops that are being provided to people, but sometimes those laptops may not work so we prefer having our own. Here are the best laptops under $400 dollars.

Top 9 of the Best Laptops Under $400 Dollars

1. Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop 15.6″

Acer Aspire 5 Slim was created as a powerful notebook with revolution specifications. It has the AMD Ryzen 3 3200U chipset. It comes with an exceptional mobile graphics processing unit while having access to 4 gigs of RAM. The Acer is featured with Windows 10 that can save energy. The Acer Aspire 5 is 15.6 inches with full HD screening with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. With a full charge battery, it can last up to 8 hours. It weighs less than 4 pounds which is pretty light for a laptop that holds a lot of specifications.

The Acer comes with the 10th Generation Intel Core i3-1005G1 processor. It has only 126GB of SSD to store personal and professional data that most of us may not be happy with. This laptop is just under 400 dollars that is unexpected from a laptop like this one. If you like to game, then this laptop is meant for you.

Specifications

  • Standing screen display: 15.6 inches
  • Memory Speed: 3.5 GHz
  • Brand Chip AMD 
  • Average Battery: 7.5 hours
Pros
  • Well-lit screen
  • Touchscreen
  • Lightweight
  • Decent storage space
Cons
  • Low-performance gaming
  • Drains battery on high settings
  • Ineffective trackpad

Sample customer review… This laptop is a fantastic deal for the price. The laptop uses the same body as the $500+ Acer Aspire 5 models which is to say it is a fantastic body that is light and compact and very portable. Ram can easily be upgraded and adding a 2.5″ SSD allows for additional memory over the 128gb included on the computer.

The keyboard is comfortable to type on and as a bonus still includes a full numpad even if it is a bit cramped. The screen is a solid IPS screen and when you consider the price tag is amazing and beats a lot of the more expensive laptop screens I have seen.”

Read more reviews at Amazon.com.

2. HP Stream PC N3060

The HP Stream 14 is in the $400 price range. It has acceptable specs that come in two different sizes 11 inches and 14 inches where there is no clear difference between them. It has an operating system of Windows 10 with a resolution of 1366 X 768 Pixels. If you are someone that has to check their emails, browsing the internet, video chat, and social media then this is a good laptop to have. This is a good laptop to use if you are working from home or doing online classes.

This laptop comes in Aqua Blue which is a color that is not meant for everyone, but it is one of the best to buy if your budget is under 400 dollars. Even though it has a lot of great advantages towards it, however, it has limited storage space meaning that you have to delete certain applications when wanting to add new ones. But there is an upside, where you can use the memory card to get more storage. Overall, this is a great laptop to have that has its advantage specifically being in a budget under 400 dollars. 

Specifications

  • Standing screen display: 14 inches 
  • Max Screen Resolution: 1355 x 768 Pixels
  • Memory Speed: 1600MHz
  • Average Battery Life: 10.45
Pros
  • Lightweight
  • Good price point
  • Compact
Cons
  • Flimsy
  • Low storage space
  • Slow RAM speed
  • Myriad of technical errors

Sample customer review… Purchased this laptop after my Chromebook stopped working. Could not be happier with it! I have now owned this for 7 months and it is still working well and I have not had any issues at all. Really wanted to wait before writing a review on this item just to make sure that I was totally satisfied with this item. Also, I wanted to see how long it would last without anything going wrong with it.

This laptop is not heavy at all which is great for carrying it around the house and on the go. My chrome was heavier than this laptop so to me this is a super plus! I give it an A for being light weight and portable. The color is a really nice blue that does match my office décor.

The blue color is not blinding and also not dull it is just the perfect color that does not scream! It has many features that come with it although I have not used most of them because I just really need it to store my paperwork, notes and work on home budgets etc… The office products are wonderful so if you need a laptop for home, office or even school work I would recommend this laptop as a great purchase.

Not having watched any movies on it, I can not really comment but it does play youtube videos really well.The one thing that is really important to me is the keyboard and this one is perfect for me. The keyboard is a good size and I am able to type out my letters and such really fast without having any of the keys getting stuck or locking up which I did start to have a problem with my chrome.

I have used this laptop hours at a time and it does not get hot like others I have owned which is wonderful! Also, I have not had any issues with it freezing or locking up on me.I would recommend this laptop to anyone that is considering buying it. It will definitely fit all your needs and much more. It is light weight and portable with a great blue color.”

Read more reviews at Amazon.com.

3. Asus VivoBook L402

This Asus VivoBook is an upgraded version of the Asus VivoBook E403SA-US21 which sometimes people would call it before. It weighs about 3.6 pounds meaning that it is light. It is equipped with USB 3.1, Type-C connector, HDMI, and an SD card that makes connecting quick. With a display resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, you can watch movies and play games that do not require higher resolution. It can connect to the usage of Bluetooth. It has a feature of high quality of speakers. It has 4GB RAM and 64GB EMMC flash storage.

It comes with one year of usage of Microsoft Office. This version has a Windows 10 in the S mode operating system. One of the disadvantages is that it has a CPU speed of 1.5 GHz meaning that it is very slow and could take a while to load. But with a slow speed, it means that it does not consume a lot of energy meaning that it has a battery life of 9 hours. 

Specifications

  • Standing screen display: 14 inches 
  • Max Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Pixels
  • Chipset Brand: AMD
  • Graphics Card Ram Size: 4 GB
Pros
  • Sleek design
  • Extensive battery life
  • Good security features
  • Good quality screen
Cons
  • Dull keyboard
  • Poor camera quality

Sample customer review… This is an upgraded version of the ASUS VivoBook E403SA-US21. I own both (my son inherited my SA). Great notebook for the money! There really is not much to not like about this notebook.The upgrades I can find on this notebook over the ASUS VivoBook E403SA-US21 are the N4200 processor, upgraded ac wireless card (AC 7265), and fingerprint sensor.

The NA uses the Apollo Lake chipset and the SA uses the Braswell chipset. Using AIDA64 I compared components on the newer NA to older SA version and many of the components are the same. They use the same 128 GB eMMC drive (SanDisk DF4128), same screen (INNOLUX N140HGE-EAA), and same ram (Micron).

The N4200 processor in the NA does significantly increase performance over the N3700 in the SA version of notebook. The N4200 was introduced about 17 months after N3700. The base speed of the N4200 is 1.1 GHz vs. 1.6 GHz of the N3700.

This a good thing because it consumes less energy when running at lowest speed. The Turbo speed of the N4200 is 2.5 GHz while the N3700 is 2.4 GHz. The GPU in the N4200 also varies frequency from 200 – 750 MHz while the N3700 GPU varies frequency from 400 – 700 MHz.

The GPU on the N4200 also upgrades execution units to 18 over the 16 on the N3700. When looking at benchmarks of these CPUs at CPUBoss and CPUmonkey the performance is significantly better with the N4200.

Geekbench 3 multi-core score with N4200 was 72% higher than N3700. Cinebench R11.5 GPU score was 86% higher on N4200. Real world experience using both side by side is that the newer NA performs significantly better than the SA.”

Read more reviews at Amazon.com.

4. Lenovo IdeaPad 14″ Laptop

The Lenovo Ideal 14” can complete daily tasks quickly. This is another laptop that can be used for online learning. With a battery life of 8 hours, no wonder it is great to use for online learning. With a screen resolution of 1366 x 768 with an HD web camera, it has a clear screen showing. It comes with a year subscription to access Microsoft 365. It comes with Windows 10 Home in S mode operating system where it gives security and protection to be able to perform tasks.

It is easy to switch out of S mode. When downloading apps that are not available in the Microsoft store, you can easily download apps when using standard Windows 10 Home. Even though there are advantages to it, it has a CPU speed of 1.6GHz and a boost speed of up to 2.4GHz that you can not use for heavy usage like gaming. It could be used for basic and light tasks. 

Specifications

  • Standing screen display: 14 inches 
  • Max Screen Resolution: 1366 x 768 Pixels
  • Chipset Brand: AMD
  • Average Battery Life: 8 hours
Pros
  • Simple to use
  • Very portable
  • Decent trackpad
Cons
  • Poor screen quality
  • Slow processing power
  • Not durable

Sample customer review… I like that the laptop was a great value. So far so good. I am using the laptops for 10 year old girls to go back to school online.”

Read more reviews at Amazon.com.

5. HP Lightweight Stream Pro

The HP Stream is a great option for people who need something sturdy, affordable, and portable. It has a screen resolution of 1366 x 768 Pixel which is a perfect device to stream movies on Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, Amazon Prime, etc. With a 10 Windows Pro operating system, that gives a person security connectivity and more. It has great access to Microsoft Office that most of us need to use for schoolwork or completing tasks for our jobs.

It can handle light gaming which may seem like a bad thing but it seems better to use for school work. It only weighs around 2.5 pounds which is pretty light. It can hold up for 8 hours when having a full battery which is something that students may love about it. One of the disadvantages of this laptop is that it has a CPU speed of 2.48 GHz that makes it a little slow to load things. 

Specifications

  • Standing screen display: 11.6 inches 
  • Max Screen Resolution: 1366 x 768 Pixels
  • Memory Speed: 2.48 GHz
  • Chipset Brand: Intel
Pros
  • Lightweight
  • Decent battery life
  • Fast internet connection
  • Ample storage space
Cons
  • Average screen quality
  • Slow processing speed
  • Poor quality keyboard

Sample customer review… I’ve been using this for a month now. This is an excellent laptop for $200. I have a better and expensive laptop, but it’s too big and heavy to carry. This laptop is light, portable and surprisingly fast for its price. I mainly use it for my school work with MS Word and internet access. I carry it around to many places and have no problems so far.

The keyboard works well, too. I sometimes watch Amazon prime movies and this laptop works well. I’m very happy with it. If you’re looking for a laptop to play games, edit music or videos etc, perhaps this may not be for you. Otherwise, you won’t be disappointed with this laptop. I’d highly recommend it to everyone.”

Read more reviews at Amazon.com.

6. Lenovo Chromebook Duet 2 in 1

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet can be converted from a laptop to a tablet. It is not even hard to figure how to convert it by just detaching certain things. During this quarantine, we have been streaming a lot of streaming platforms and we need a reliable laptop that would do that for us. This laptop is equipped for us to stream videos and movies with a full HD display. When we want to stream a show, we hope that it has long battery life.

Thankfully, this laptop can hold up to 10 hours. With a connection to WiFi and Bluetooth, it is easy to stream movies and shows. With the touchscreen, it is easy to use for either playing or working. Just like the HP Chromebook x360, it has access to Google Play where you can access games that you love on your mobile.

With a Chrome OS, it means that it is lightweight that does not need a lot of specifications for it to operate. It comes with 12 free months of Google One membership that includes 100 GB of storage. 

Specifications

  • Standing screen display: 10.1 inches 
  • Max Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1200 Pixels
  • Memory Speed: 2400 MHz
  • Chipset Brand: MediaTek
  • Average Battery Life: 10 hours
Pros
  • Good screen quality
  • Lightweight
  • Touchscreen
  • Long battery life
  • Durable material
Cons
  • Low storage space
  • Slow wifi connection
  • Inconsistent keyboard and trackpad
  • Only 1 USB-C port

Sample customer review… I purchased two of the Lenovo Duet Chromebooks (to replace two aging ASUS Flip C100P Chromebooks)–one for each of our school age boys. While the ASUS provided a great starter Chromebook experience to introduce our boys to a blend of web and android apps, it was starting to noticeably age and programs were not working as well anymore. When I heard about the Duet earlier this year, I immediately started to follow the news and preordered two from BestBuy at the end of April.

After all the wait and hype, I was not disappointed. For my kids, this is by far the best value for the money and gives them everything they need for virtual school and beyond. Prior to having the Duet, our boys would use a mix of their Chromebooks and Amazon Fire Tablets for school/apps/media consumption.

Now with the Duet, they are no longer interested in their Amazon Fire Tablets and use their Chromebooks for all school/apps/media consumption. The screen quality as well as the included keyboard and kickstand make this a great device for them and relatively easy to use.

As a parent, having controls that are easy to set up and maintain over what they can access on the web through supervising their accounts with Google Family Link makes the experience of a Chromebook highly preferable to either pure Android/Apple devices (and I own and use both).

In addition to the Lenovo Duet Chromebook, we purchased two of the HP USI Rechargeable Styluses (directly from HP as they are not yet available elsewhere yet) to augment their Duets. I’ll also briefly mention that access for a line-in audio only through the one USB-C port does not hinder our ability to use the devices as our boys use reasonably priced Bluetooth

Headphones (EasySM brand from Amazon) which pair and stay connected without any problems. The combination of the Duet, the USI Stylus, and Bluetooth Headphones is an amazing blend that all work well together. So glad that we found the Lenovo Duet Chromebook and I would highly recommend it for those looking for both a great value and high quality Chromebook for their kids!”

Read more reviews at Amazon.com.

7. HP Stream 14″

The HP Stream 14” is great to use for work, school, and playing that is power with Windows 10 that is affordable for a 400 dollar budget. This laptop is great to use when doing multitask things like streaming and watching videos. When dealing with multitasking, we need a laptop that could last up to 8 hours which this laptop could. This can remind a person of a mobile phone but has a longer battery life and an AMD processor.

With a display resolution of 1366 x 768, it allows people to watch videos in good quality. It comes with a year’s access to Office 365 which is something that we want to have since money could be tight. It even checks your PC when there is an unauthorized activity being done. One of the disadvantages is that you can only download apps from Microsoft Store and use the Microsoft Edge browser.

With this in mind, it means that we do not necessarily have access to all games we may want to play on this laptop. 

Specifications

  • Standing screen display: 14 inches 
  • Max Screen Resolution: 1366 x 768 Pixels
  • Memory Speed: 1866 MHz
  • Chipset Brand: AMD
Pros
  • Lightweight
  • Decent screen quality
  • Good battery life
Cons
  • RAM can get overloaded
  • Slow processing speed
  • Not very durable

Sample customer review… Bought this because I needed a cheap, affordable, but good quality laptop for school. And so far it’s been treating me very good, touch screen works, it’s brand new, came with a charger and instructions. I actually think this is pretty cheap for the quality I’ve gotten from this laptop. I would invest!”

Read more reviews at Amazon.com.

8. 2020 HP Premium 14″

The 2020 HP Premium laptop is designed to be used for gaming, work, and students’ usage. It has a 4GB system memory that gives it power for a person to multitask like doing school work.

It may seem that it is not fast enough but it has a boost of 128 GB SSD that can be used when gaming heavily. Even with that, it may seem that it is slow, you can connect it to a Wireless AC router for 3x the speed. It has a long battery life that can be used for daily tasks or entertainment.

It comes with the Windows 10 S operation system meaning that it is secure and protective. It has 1 HDMI, 1 headphone/microphone combo, 1 Gigabit Ethernet LAN port, 2 USB 3.0 Type-A, and 1 USB 3.0 Type-C. It has AMD Radeon Graphics that gives clear quality images and basic photo editing. It has built-in Bluetooth, webcam, and HD audio with stereo speakers. 

Specifications

  • Standing screen display: 14 inches 
  • Max Screen Resolution: 1366 x 768 Pixels
  • Memory Speed: 1.6 GHz
  • Chipset Brand: AMD
Pros
  • Lightweight
  • Easy to use
  • Decent battery life
  • Fast processing speed
  • Good keyboard
Cons
  • Not durable
  • Poor screen quality
  • Unreliable touchscreen

Sample customer review…This product Is really a very awesome choice for home and business! It really is rocketing fast, very lightweight, very slim and thin, And in an excellent color silver. Silver is really good and makes your laptop look like a professional! Another thing by this product is really perfect for laptop users is because the brand Lenovo is a very good choice!

Lenovo is one of my favorite brands and can be very easy and so comfortable to use! It can also be very extremely lightning fast! So that is why more than other laptops and brands, this Laptop and brands made with Lenovo is a very good choice for home and business users. I use this laptop for home use. I really would like to recommend this amazing laptop product to a friend.”

Read more reviews at Amazon.com.

9. HP Chromebook X360

The HP Chromebook x360 is convertible and can be used as an ordinary laptop or as a tablet. That is not the only way it can be used, but it has a stand mode for note-taking, drawing, and other daily activities. During tent mode, it is easy to pinch, zoom, and touch. This laptop is great to use while being in quarantine that can be used in various ways from doing school work to playing games. With a 1366 x 912 pixel, it is an ideal laptop for browsing the internet.

It has 32 GB of storage with 4 GB RAMS. Having access to Google Play, you can have access to Android apps that you love to use on mobile or tablet. It has a Bluetooth connection. You can work without limitation with 13-hour battery life which is mostly what we all hope to use. It can be used for gaming, school work, and occupations. You can use both Microsoft Office and Google Drive that we all need to use.

Specifications

  • Standing screen display: 12 inches 
  • Max Screen Resolution: 1366 x 912 Pixels
  • Memory Speed: 2.6 GHz
  • Chipset Brand: Intel
  • Average Battery Life: 13 hours
Pros
  • Touchscreen
  • Good image quality
  • Lightweight
  • Fast internet connectivity
Cons
  • Weak processing power
  • Lacking advanced features
  • Apps and features tend to crash

Sample customer review… I researched Chromebooks for months before making my purchase and am so glad I did. Others may have differing criteria and parameters than mine, but here’s the breakdown of my research and why I chose this HP X360 12″ model: it was a 2-in-1 laptop/tablet with a chrome OS (I had no need for full functionality of laptops with Microsoft OS, so why pay more for it? Plus for me, chrome is much easier to use.)

It was small and lightweight, making it more manageable when in tablet mode.The aspect ratio of 3:2 vs the more standard 16:9 is OUTSTANDING for my purposes, being web browsing, email, documents, etc.

I rarely stream videos, which is the only drawback of the 3:2, since videos are in 16:9, but even when I do, I don’t at all mind the upper and lower bordering. Plus the 3:2 allows for a larger screen in a smaller overall sized device, which for me is much more practical. DEFINITE a plus in my book!!”

Read more reviews at Amazon.com.

10. 2021 HP 14 inch HD Laptop

The 2021 HP 14” HD Laptop is a versatile unit that offers support for the school, home, and business uses. With a sleek design and reliable finish, the current 2021 model balances performance and storage with durable quality and affordability.

It can run just like any standard laptop supporting Windows 10 OS, an Intel Celeron N4020 processor (up to 2.8 GHz), and up to 64 GB of eMMC storage. It is the ideal laptop for browsing the web, responding to e-mails, and work for an office. Its simple design is also easy to operate and comes with multiple USB ports and an SD port for expanded storage and usage.

Specifications

  • 14” HD display screen (1366 x 768)
  • Intel Celeron N4020 dual-core processor (2.8 GHz)
  • 1 USB 3.1 c-port
  • 2 USB 3.1 ports
  • 1 HDMI port
  • Single headphone jack
  • SD card reader
  • Supports Windows 10 and Windows Home S mode
Pros
  • Lightweight
  • Extensive battery life
  • Touch screen
  • Plethora of USB ports
  • Interchangeable parts
Cons
  • Weak processing power
  • Unreliable trackpad
  • Limited storage
  • Inconsistent screen brightness

Sample customer review… Bought this for my son’s 15 birthday. He needed something for school projects. He loves the color and it’s nice and lightweight. Perfect size. Not too big or small. Very fast and user-friendly. It has a long battery life and is very good for its value and price point!

Read more reviews at Amazon.com

11. ASUS Chromebook – 15.6” HD Laptop

The ASUS 15.6” HD Chromebook is the perfect device for streaming, browsing the internet, and accessing all things Google. Running on the Chrome OS, the ASUS Chromebook can connect to the Google Play store, run all types of Google apps and features, and stream movies and videos.

Like most Chromebooks, it has offline access to important documents and files located within the Google storage system, as well as additional cloud storage. This ASUS model contains a decently fast processor for a Chromebook (Intel Celeron N3350 – up to 2.4 GHz) and comes with an Anti-Glare NanoEdge display that can support resolutions up to 1366×768.

Specifications

  • 15.6” Anti-Glare NanoEdge display screen (1366 x 768)
  • 180-degree screen hinge
  • Intel Celeron N3350 dual-core processor (2.4 GHz)
  • 32 GB eMMC internal storage
  • 1 combo audio jack
  • 2 USB 3.1 ports
  • 2 USB 3.0 type-c ports
Pros
  • Lightweight
  • Anti-Glare screen feature
  • Decent screen quality
  • Decent battery life
  • Fast for streaming
  • Touch Screen
Cons
  • Weak processor
  • Not intended for intensive work
  • Flimsy screen
  • Not durable
  • Not good for video calls

Sample customer review… Purchased this Chromebook for my son because of the screen size, price, and specs so that he can participate in his online learning during this pandemic. I have a smaller 11″ Chromebook by Samsung as well.

I like Chromebooks because of their simplicity in usage, especially for kids the OS is easy to navigate and it connects seamlessly to their Google accounts. Battery life is decent. On a full charge, this Asus pumps out about 6-7 hours of Roblox gameplay.

The only aspect I dislike on Chromebooks is I noticed the screens & resolution on both of my Chromebooks aren’t sharp and vivid. The colors are washed out and the sharpness is lacking. There’s also a lack of display options on both so you can’t adjust the screen’s attributes.

Read more reviews at Amazon.com

Buying Guide: Things to Consider When Buying a Laptop Under $400 

Battery Life 

Battery life is important when considering buying a laptop because you do not want it dying on you in the middle of your work. A laptop with 7 hours battery life should be sufficient as anything else may interrupt your work and defeat the purpose of a laptop in the first place. If not moving around frequently and able to charge your laptop the majority of the time, long battery life would not be as important, but it is still something that everyone should take into consideration. 

Weight and Size 

When considering buying a laptop, the weight and size of the laptop are important when it comes to portability. A thin and light laptop allows for ease when moving it around and carrying it with you everywhere you go. If you move around your laptop frequently, a lighter computer would be something to consider, and there are multiple on this list that weighs in below 4 pounds. 

Storage 

Storage is important when looking at laptops, but little storage can be an issue in laptops at this price range. When looking at them, you should aim for around 32-64 GB of storage. Luckily, a nice alternative is to change out memory cards in certain laptops or purchase an external hard drive. The cost of these vary, but depending on the storage required costs less than a laptop with more storage. With these options, a laptop with limited storage can easily be resolved, but it should still be considered. 

Display 

When purchasing a laptop, the display is something to look at and the quality varies in different laptops. If you like to game or stream a lot of videos on Youtube, Netflix, or Hulu, the quality of the display would matter more when looking at these laptops. Quality of 1080 p is important if these aspects matter to you, but if used more for work, a lower quality display would work just as well. 

Processing Power

The processing power of a laptop determines how fast the computer runs and can complete tasks. If used for multitasking frequently, a higher CPU is something to take into consideration when purchasing a laptop. A newer computer will typically have more processing power, so any from this list would be suitable. If the computer’s primary function is work, a higher processing power would be more valuable to you as a buyer.

Conclusion

These are just some of the best laptops under $400 dollars that seem that they are worth giving a try. It also depends on what you are looking for in a laptop-like having a laptop that would work to do online learning then most of the laptops here are good to use. Other laptops may be better but these laptops are based on online learning, working, and playing, and keeping up with a certain budget.

From looking at budget and quality, the best one to use during these quarantines is between HP Chromebook X360 or the Lenovo Chromebook Duel since both are new generations and could be converted into laptops and tablets.

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Written by Evelyn Ramirez, Adelaide Durant and Henry Liu