Buying Guides
Best Budget Laptops Under $700 Right Now
We tested 14 budget machines so you don't have to.
Sub-$700 is the most brutal price bracket in the laptop market. Manufacturers cut everywhere — screens, keyboards, build quality, speakers — and the difference between a great pick and a regrettable one is often $50.
We bought (yes, with our own money) 14 laptops between $499 and $699 and lived with each one for at least 72 hours. Three stood out.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (Ryzen 7 8745HS) is the overall winner. 16GB RAM, a genuinely good 1200p IPS panel, all-day battery, and a keyboard that punches well above its price.
Runner-up: the ASUS Vivobook S 14. Slightly worse battery, but a brighter OLED panel that's almost unheard of at this price. Great for media-heavy users.
Avoid: anything with 8GB of soldered RAM in 2026. You will feel it within six months. Spend the extra $40 and get 16GB — every time.