Our comparison table only shows our top 5 picks. You can find the other recommendations within this article.
It has become very easy to find high-end laptops since many reputable blogs cover this topic. However, when it comes to finding the best laptops under $350, you will rarely see any list or guide.
Here we have listed 10 of the best laptops under $350. Looking at the prices and specifications of laptops in the past few years, Windows laptops have gotten dirt cheap, and one can easily find a decent laptop for around $350.
We recommend these kinds of notebooks for watching movies, working with MS Office, editing documents, writing, casual gaming and another light usage. A few years ago you'd only find netbooks and mini devices for such price, but now you can get an actual laptop for $350. In addition to traditional 15-inch laptops, you'll also see some 2-in-1 machines and Chromebooks in this guide.
Tips for Buying a Laptop under $350
If you're looking to play games like CS GO, Sims 4, World of Warcraft, Minecraft, etc. then no, I haven't got any tips for you and you should check our guide of budget gaming laptops.
But if you need it for day to day basic tasks then we prefer a laptop over Chromebook because with Chrome OS you are limiting yourself to the tasks you could do on Windows device.
When it comes to processor, you should prefer at least an Intel Pentium processor although some of the Celeron processors work well in a budget laptop. For example, you will find i3 laptops in our list. We also suggest that you buy a laptop with a minimum of 4 GB RAM.
You should know that $350 is a relatively low budget, but your laptop should be able to fulfill most of your daily needs. If you're going to use it for traveling then buy a compact and lightweight laptop since carrying a bulky laptop can be a painful thing.
You should also figure out how much battery life you'll need and make sure your new laptop has a decent battery for your needs.
Our Top Picks for Laptops under $350
1. Acer Spin 1
Specs:
It’s easy to find a decent 2-in-1 computer for under $400 but is rare to find one with the same quality of screen as the Spin 1, and as sturdy a build quality.
The absolute stand-out feature of this Acer laptop is the screen. The Spin 1 may only feature an 11.3-inch screen but it is full HD at 1080p and uses IPS technology for wider viewing angles. It features exceptional brightness, a high level of contrast and a wide gamut of RGB colors.
This quality screen is also very responsive with the 10-point touch technology working without any hitches—Acer even include an active pressure-sensitive stylus in the box.
Although this laptop has only modest specifications of an Intel Celeron N3350 CPU and 4GB of RAM, most feedback has noted it be a competent multitasker.
The only downside tends to be the smaller 32GB solid state memory. However, a surprising number of ports and connectivity options on this compact laptop offer plenty of opportunities for more storage.
The Acer Spin 1 is a compact and ultra-portable laptop built to last, with an all-aluminum case from top to bottom and a simply stunning screen. Our only concern about the portability was the meager battery life of just under seven hours, where really we would prefer eight or more from an ultraportable.
Specs:
This HP Chromebook has been designed with flexibility and ease of use in mind. The screen hinges have the ability to rotate 180 degrees on their hinges, giving you multiple viewing angles.
I love that this computer isn’t pretentious in any way. It hasn’t been exclusively designed for the computer savvy amongst us, but it is advanced enough to perform harder than usual tasks.
Using this Chromebook model feels a lot like using a tablet rather than a computer. It is ideal for people who like the idea of having a tablet, just with a keyboard permanently attached to it.
3. Lenovo Chromebook S330 Laptop
Specs:
This thin and lightweight laptop is ideal for everyday multimedia and computing on or offline. Enjoy its wide array of multitasking features such as powerful processing power and multitasking abilities whether you are working or playing.
If you are a teacher or someone who needs a powerful little laptop that can be taken from place to place with you, this is a great option. It is powerful, responsive, efficient, and has awesome connectivity, exactly what professionals and students need in a compact laptop.
I am very impressed with the quality of the screen. Images are products in full HD, and the screen doesn’t feel too small for watching films and videos on.
Specs:
The HP Pavilion 15.6-Inch Flagship Touchscreen Laptop is designed to be comfortable and portable. It features solid sound and is specially developed for travelers and writers. HP has already released this model in some different variants including with Intel and AMD processors.
Powered by AMD A6 and 8 GB RAM, it's able to run most of the common programs with ease. These specs aren't bad for a laptop in the $350 range.
Its 1TB HDD will easily store your favorite games, movies, music, work files, etc. We tested it with light gaming and multi-tasking on Google Chrome, and both of the tasks ran pretty smoothly.
After doing extensive research, we can tell you that it's among the best laptops under $350, and one can use it for writing, editing, presentations, college, and similar activities. Overall, it's an excellent option for daily use and runs quite fast.
5. Acer Chromebook Spin 311 Convertible Laptop
Specs:
What a brilliant laptop for working and studying! It is small and durable, so you can feel comfortable traveling with it knowing that it is very safe in your bag. Up to 10 hours of battery life is also ideal for people who need to travel with their laptop, as chances are you won’t need to charge your Chromebook all day.
The backlit keyboard is incredibly impressive, especially when it is not something commonly found in laptops at this low price. The keys are also relatively silent, which again is a rarity for budget laptops.
Your eyes won’t get too fatigued working on the Acer Chromebook Spin 311 convertible, thanks to the anti-glare and anti-reflective screen. This is a big deal for regular laptop users as eye fatigue can also interfere with sleep quality and concentration.
Specs:
The ASUS VivoBook Flip is one of the lightest VivoBooks, at just 3.3 pounds, and is finished in an attractive silver color.
The 14-inch full HD touch-sensitive display sports ASUS splendid technology to provide vibrant colorful images. Many users still find the display isn’t the brightest on the market and the lack of IPS means viewing angles can be limited. One of the nice features of this laptop is that you can rotate the display and use it as a tablet.
However, for everyday work tasks or home entertainment, it’s still a pretty decent display.
An ergonomically designed keyboard provides a more comfortable typing platform, with a large touchpad offering a precision that is normally only found on touchscreens. For the security conscious it also features a fingerprint sensor.
The VivoBook 14 has all the ports you require to hook up any accessories and also includes 802.11ac Wi-Fi or Bluetooth 4.0 for more connectivity options.
The powerful Intel Celeron N5000 processor has 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD, offering a faster boot-up of Windows 10. Integrated HD graphics are adequate for running Adobe Photoshop or similar applications, but it's only suited to lighter gaming tasks.
The specifications and features of the ASUS VivoBook Flip make it one of the main contenders for the best $350 laptop making it the most suitable for frequent travelers or students.
Specs:
The Acer Chromebook 15 CB5-571-C09S is highly known for delivering the performance like no other laptop. It's a basic Chromebook for users who are tight on budget and still need a reliable device.
Being the cheapest one in our Acer Chromebook 15 CB5-571-C09S doesn't make it any less powerful and its full white body attracts a lot more attention than Apple's MacBook. Its full HD IPS display and Intel Celeron Dual Core processor along with 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB SSD are the reason behind its popularity.
It's surely not the most popular Chromebook on the market but it's the only reliable 15-inch Chromebook that's available for such low price. For graphics, it comes with integrated Intel HD graphics and it's able to handle HD movies and videos effortlessly.
Its 9 hours of battery backup is just outstanding and of course that's exactly what Chromebooks are known for. However, if you would like to run it more than 9 hours then you'll have to lower its brightness and you'll be okay for another 3 to 4 hours.
Specs:
Dell Latitude E6430 is one of the most favored refurbished laptops under $350 and is undeniably the best business laptop for budget users. Being a refurbished laptop doesn't mean that you're getting an old laptop, since it is certified refurbished device, it's packed with all new body and there's a very little difference in performance.
Featuring a professional business design along with powerful specifications like Intel Core i5 processor, 320 GB of HDD and 8 GB of RAM make it among the most powerful laptops under $350.
It also features NVIDIA 5200M GPU which is good enough to handle most of the casual programs and games. That being said, we personally tested running few business programs like QuickBooks, FreshBooks, Xero, etc. and all of them ran pretty smoothly.
The latest model of this 14-inch business laptop will cost you somewhere around $700 but as it is a certified refurbished model, you're getting it for incredibly low price. For gamers, if you can ignore the business look we also recommend it for playing HD games and it has the specifications that your games require.
Despite its specs and OS, it's a well-built laptop not only for businessmen but for almost everyone including gamers.
Specs:
The Acer Aspire E 15 is great laptop for everyday computing. If you don't need high-end specifications, it's also very affordable.
This features a very capable 8th generation i3-8130U processor with 6 GB of RAM and a spacious 1TB HDD. These specifications are great for activities ranging from Internet surfing to document editing and basic business applications. Although it's a rare feature today, this laptop includes a DVD-RW drive.
The 15.6" FHD display powered by an Intel UHD Graphics 620 processor are great features for a laptop in this price range. Combined with Acer's TrueHarmony stereo audio technology, this laptop will easily stream the latest movies and other video content in style.
There are also good connectivity options. Along with high performance Wi-Fi, the Aspire is equipped with a USB 3.1 Type-C connector, an HDMI port and Bluetooth 4.1.
Overall, we really like this laptop. It has great specification for the price and would be a great option as a starter laptop for a student or anyone with tight budget constraints.
10. Lenovo N23
Specs:
This is a flexible laptop from Lenovo, and it's specially made for daily users. Its sophisticated design and features make it among the best 11-inch laptops, and it's extremely portable to carry around and use on your lap.
It comes with Intel Pentium N3060 processor, 4 GB of RAM, touchscreen display and 32GB eMMC SSD. One can easily run basic tasks like word processing, web browsing, watching movies and YouTubing. If you need extra storage, you can use cloud storage services like Google Drive or DropBox.
Since it's a portable 11-inch laptop, you won't be getting a full-size keyboard, and if that's your priority then you should look at other options. Lenovo has worked hard on this one to cut the extra costs and provide you with the best design and specifications for such price. Even so, there are features like the touchscreen display and convertible body that make this laptop a good fit for many buyers.
The N23 ships with Windows 10 Pro which is an upgrade over the typical Windows 10 Home edition. The extra security features could be a benefit when using this device away from home.
The N23's premium look makes hard to believe that it's a budget laptop and on top of that, it's extremely thin. The battery life of up to 7 hours on full charge is very respectable. We believe Lenovo has succeeded in the goal of making this very good fit for every-day computing needs.
Conclusion
We hope now you know and clearly understand what laptops under $350 are best for you, and we have also linked each one of these laptops with Amazon. These machines include processors from Intel and AMD as well as decent graphics.
Before finalizing the listing, we also checked reviews of experts from sites like PCMag, CNet, Techradar, Laptopmag, etc. If you're looking for a brand new laptop for $350, then you will mostly find netbooks and Chromebooks, but if you're ready to go with refurbished models, then you might even find a notebook with Intel Core i5 processor.
You should also understand that these laptops are strictly not recommended to gamers as they need a lot more power than usual budget laptops.