Top 10 Best Laptops Under 1000 Dollars (2021) – All Purpose Laptops

Last Updated on March 24, 2021 by Justin

The last two decades of technological transitions and developments overtake even the last entire century. From a giant room-sized computer to personal computers and PCs to bag sized laptops.

In the age we are living, everyone irrespective of the business, education, age, and profession needs a laptop. A laptop that one could carry around in traveling or office, job-site, programming or engineering work, school, college or playing video games at friend’s home.

Even today’s school and high-school education cannot be continued without having a proper laptop, I know many institutes that keep a check on students whether they have a computer at home or a laptop.

The problem is, choosing a laptop has become trickier than ever before. Although, growing numbers of laptop brands offer more than one variation and you got to choose from a wide range of laptops. The other face of the coin is it makes difficult, which brand to go with or which product suits the buyer’s needs

I feel that pain and curated the best laptops under $1000 to buy in 2021. These laptops are best for everything, writing, little bit gaming, video streaming or for business.

Here are the Best Laptops Under $1000 in 2021:

These are the top 10 best laptops under $1000. You can have your hard-earned money spent on housing one of these machines. Have a view and see what falls on your needs.

1. Apple MacBook Air
2. ASUS ZenBook 13
3. Acer Predator Helios 300
4. Asus Chromebook Flip C434
5. Acer Swift 5
6. Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
7. Asus Vivobook S15
8. Lenovo Ideapad L340
9. Acer Aspire 5
10. Lenovo Thinkpad E590

Best Laptops Under $1000

1. Apple MacBook Air 13

Apple needs no introductory words. The biggest corporation in the world, the first trillion-dollar company, and the biggest mobile brand offer great value to its customers. Their products are expensive but the product stuns the users with its reliability, functionality, and performance.

Take Apple MacBook Air 13 as an example, the laptop is a perfect combination of beautiful ascetics, powerful configuration, sturdily built and long-lasting battery runtime.

I have seen people opting with windows based system rather than Mac, and our list also consists of more Windows-based machines, the inclusion of the product was needed, the product earns its place to this list.

Macbook Air 13 comes with the latest 10th generation intel core i3 dual-core processor. The clock speed or frequency of the processor reaches up to 3.2 GHz when needed. With 8GB DDR4 RAM and 256GB SSD RAM, you get great specs to skyrocket your processing.

The added storage though seems less than what we expect, but the performance is going to stun you. You can go with larger SSD options if you got extra bucks to spend on other than 1000 dollars.

The laptop is very power efficient; its compartments are made to use minimal power to produce mind-blowing performance. As the laptop’s processor consumes minimal energy, it produces less heat.

The laptop does not come with a cooling system installed; the reason can be the laptop does not produce heat, that’s why no need to have a tool to fix an issue that is never going to surface.

MacBook Air 13 has an impeccable battery runtime. I can bet on the battery runtime, no other laptop enlisted could stand in front of this Apple product as long as the battery is concerned.

2. ASUS ZenBook 13

ASUS has improved the design of their business laptops. The ASUS Zenbook 13 pulled off a great look and packs impressive features into a 13-inch chassis that looks smaller than XPS 13.

The best Windows laptop comes with all bells and whistles that make it stand out in the crowd. It comes with all connectivity ports, facial recognition instead of fingerprint more sans, pro-longer battery life and light-up number pad on the touchpad.

It is loaded with Intel 8th Generation core i7-8565U processor which is paired with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage. The laptop lives up to the ASUS family reputation and renders sky-rocketing processing performance.

It is bolstered with a stunning 13.3 inches Full HD IPS display with good viewing angles and Anti-glare display. The display is impressive and presents sharp images with the aid of Intel HD graphics 620.

The touchpad functionality is outstanding. It comes with an exclusive dual-functional touchpad; you get a touchpad with immediate switchable numeric keypad for immediate data entry.

The improved EngroLift design offers a comfortable typing position to help programmers and writers compile their docs using the ergonomic keyboard. The laptop comes with an enhanced cooling system that would not let the machine catch heat or reach thermal throttling due to excessive usage and heat.

The latest ASUS product on the line up of Zenbook comes with a high-capacity battery that offers power for more than 12-continuous hours. The battery performance would not let you down; you get the machine onboard literally for an entire day without searching for a power-chord.

3. Acer Predator Helios 300

I do not think a list of best laptops under $1000 price segment can be made without adding Acer Predator Helios 300. The product is among the top-selling gaming laptops under $1000 in 2019, just like the previous product on the same line-up.

The laptop is a one-stop-shop for a gamer, casual user or an engineering student hunting for a good powerful laptop under the mentioned price range. It showcases beautiful design, impressive specs, sharp display and efficient as well. You get all box checked with the model, that’s very rare though.

The laptop is powered with the Generation Intel Core i7-9750H coffee lake Hexa-core processor that makes the machine a highly efficient beast to tackle every amount of work-load.

The brand further expanded its power to give it an ample 16GB DDR4 RAM, the RAM size literally can take up a load of even high-ended games. The icing on the cake, the laptop is integrated with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card.

Do not take GTX 1060 Ti and GTX 1660 Ti same, the later is an upgraded and way powerful version. If you are a gamer and wanted to crack some new titles, get the power-packed laptop and run any title you wish.

The only drawbacks, and the reason why put the laptop a few chords down, its storage. This laptop comes with a 256GB SSD that is low than expected for a gamer. That would not be an issue, the storage is upgradable, one can extend the space spending a few bucks more.

It comes equipped with a 15.6 Inches FHD display. The IPS panels, viewing angles, and refresh rates are good to go. You get impressive color production, thus images would be pretty vibrant and clearer than expected.

In the end, the most important thing a gamer would check the feature on; keyboard. The laptop has a pretty nice backlit enabled keyboard with superb travel distance.

I do not think, you can find a better deal than this under the price segment of 1000 bucks.

4. Asus Chromebook Flip C434

If you want to save some money and house a laptop that runs a Chrome OS, that’s the best deal you can ever face. The only issue with the ASUS flip would be the Chrome OS if you can get by this, and wanted a built quality of Windows laptop twice that price, do not pass the product.

I do not think ChromeOS is a problem in this age or time, it is pretty in fashion and users love it. You get a superb functioning laptop, with a 14-inch touchscreen that can be folded and used as a tablet under one grand.

The brand would be able to come up with such a sturdy build, just because its specs are not that impressive (Do not compare specs of a Chromebook with Windows laptop).

The Chromebook designed by ASUS is powered with Intel Core m3-8100y Processor that reaches up to 3.4 GHz clock speed. The processor is super-fast and brings forth snappy results.

If you got tons of tabs opened, with music playing in the background, and running lots of apps, the laptop can take this much of hiccup without any issue. With 8GB RAM and 64eMMC storage that can be extended using a MicroSD card, the laptop runs quite smoothly.

The keyboard integrated is quite comfortable. You can have it for typing hours without any issue, key travel speed is good, plus backlit enabled keyboard that helps you in low light conditions.

The ASUS Chromebook Flip adorns with a 14-inch touchscreen FHD screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. The HD display has a 360-degree hinge that makes it usable as a tablet and a full-fledged laptop with a keyboard.

In the end, the machine comes with a good battery runtime. It offers 8-9 long hours battery runtime without any issue. The biggest benefit of having a Chromebook is, you can get your hands on Android apps.

The Chrome OS is easy to manage and free from bloatware and viruses. You do not have to worry about installing Anti-virus or anything to protect your data.

5. Acer Swift 5

If you are a frequent traveler and hunting for something feather-light, the new Acer Swift 5 can be the best grab. It was literally 2-pound of weight, holding 14-inches screen size. The only thing that makes the thing possible is, impressive designing and magnesium alloy chassis.

This is the lightest laptop you ever had in your life, for sure. I mean, carrying the laptop for an entire in your bag would not even make you feel it is there present in the bag.

The ultra-weight Acer production comes with 10th Generation Intel Core i5-1035G1 Processor up to 3.6 GHz clock speed. The ultra-fast processor helps you go through any level of processing with zero delays and rendering.

The laptop’s RAM section is adorned with an 8GB RAM, that’s fair to have under the price bracket, the size is good for playing some entry-level games as well. The storage section is also good, it comes with 512 PCIe NVMe SSD.

Do not forget it is a 14-inch screen laptop and offers a mind-blogging Widescreen LED-backlit that has IPS panels and multi-touch display. The viewing angles are good enough, help you gaze the screen from any angle.

Yes, it has a backlit enabled keyboard to help to type in low light ambiance. The keyboard is a great, small-sized keyboard with decent keyspace. The trackpad and battery life is good, 6-hours plus battery is good to go.

6. Microsoft Surface Laptop 3

It would be near to crime if we do not mention the Microsoft Surface line in the list. I cannot call it a full laptop, the well-loved and rightly advertised Surface 3 is not a complete laptop but a tablet that is obliged to do double duty when connected to Microsoft Type cover.

Though the actual price of the laptop is not under one grand, the addition of type cover makes it near to the price bracket. The laptop houses an elegant looking design, thin and lightweight, weighing around 2.79 pounds that makes it easy to carry.

If you have used Surface Laptop 2, you would know the level of performance that the beast has to offer. With the Laptop 3, you will experience improved performance in all section, way faster than the previous model.

The powerful laptop houses the latest 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor to solve your computing and processing speed issues. You will not find the machine lagging behind when it comes to going through bulky processing. With 8GB RAM, you have an idea the multitasking can go to the level.

The storage option is better than before, 256GB SSD storage is not that less, enough to store files and folder for a normal user. The laptop integrates all connectivity options a laptop user would ever need; USB-C and USB-A and other docking stations.

The biggest benefit of having surface 3 would be its powerful battery. The laptop literally can go longer than you expect from it, 11-long hour’s battery backup is not less for a casual user. You can have this for an entire day, no need to search for a power chord in your surroundings.

7. Asus Vivobook S15

If specs are your issue, along with the price, go for Asus Vivobook S15. The laptop comes with a competitive specs configuration under the price lesser than 1000 dollars.

The laptop hosts the latest generation hardware configuration, beautiful design, and premium built quality chassis that makes it catchy for the eyes. The mixture of metal and Polycarbonate plastic adds an enhanced lifespan to the machine; the performance is an added benefit.

The laptop comes with a 10th generation Intel Core i7-10510u Processor with an 8M cache and reaches up to 4.9 GHz clock speed. The laptop is further paired with ample 16GB RAM and 256 SSD + 1TB HDD storage to make your casual computing outstanding.

You get it even for playing entry-level games, and video editing as well because of the MX250 graphics card. The laptop has a 15.6 inches Full HD display with IPS panels and a wide viewing angle integrated. The anti-glare coating helps reduce the eye strain, and would not harm the eye-sight for hours of constant gazing.

Yes, the laptop has a comfortable keyboard with good key travel speed and comes with backlit keys enabled for comfortable typing at the night. It does not have a separate Numpad that should not be a big issue.

The laptop comes equipped with all required ports and slots that make it easier to connect to the external storage. The latest cooling system helps to reduce the machine’s overall temperature and make it not to reach the thermal throttling.

In a nutshell, you are going to have an outstanding laptop that is good enough to make you play entry-level games. On the other hand, its premium looks give a pleasant feeling and touch to your style.

8. Lenovo Ideapad L340

If you are a gamer and searching for something powerful, beautiful and good at specs, do not overlook the Lenovo Ideapad L340. The laptop comes with all bells and whistles that a gamer would ever need to get his gaming reach to the next level.

For gamers, the laptop choosing is all about the right choices, the Ideapad L340 makes a great call from the beginning. It comes featured with a latest 9th Intel Core i5-9300H Processor that is paired with 8GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD storage.

The specs configurations are quite robust and gaming laptop has the power to outshoot, outrun and outsmart your opponent. The storage integrated of the size 512GB is enough to store your latest entry and other files and folder you need.

This laptop as I said is advertised as a gaming laptop under $700 comes with a dedicated graphics card. The latest NVidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card mention is enough to show it got all the power need to run a high-ended game.

It has a 15.6 inches Full HD screen with IPS panels and anti-glare coating to make you have an error-free and pain-less watching experience. With the screen integrated, you are assured to have a bright, clear and crispy image display without missing any color.

The icing on the cake, this machine houses a premium quality audio system. It has a Dolby Audio that offers a spellbound audio and song listening experience.

It has a backlit enabled keyboard, a slick, stylish design, dedicated graphics card, and mind-blowing display, what else you want to have in a laptop under 1000 dollars.

9. 2021 Newest Acer Aspire 5

If you need a general-purpose everyday computing laptop that delivers outstanding computing performance, having Acer Aspire 5 would be a wise decision.

The laptop comes equipped with the latest-generation processor, dedicated graphics card and Full HD display that can tackle any job no matter how complex.

The laptop comes equipped with 10th Generation Intel Core i5-10210uProcessor that reaches up to 4.2 GHz clock speed. The processor is enough to power to take the load of any complex processing that comes to the way.

The processor is paired with an 8GB DDR4 RAM to help boost your multitasking. With the RAM size onboard, you can take any game or processing onboard and will make an easy walkaway.

The extended 512GB SSD storage is way quicker and faster than HDD. The size is enough to hold lots of your media files and other games that you play most of the time. In my opinion, 512GB storage is enough for a casual user, you will not have to enhance the storage size.

Leap into Full HD action and high-ended gaming with NVidia GeForce MX 250 graphics card. The graphics card added helps you have a smoother, brighter and crisper image and video processing. The graphics card makes your movies jump off the screen, literally.

It has 15.6 inches Full HD display with IPS panels onboard. The anti-glare coating protects your eyesight for prolonged gazing to the screen. The latest Acer color intelligence, you will have improved colors display and true-to-life images on the screen.

And do not forget Acer TrueHarmoney sound and voice feature. The feature brings deeper bass and more volume through the speakers.

In the end, the extended battery runtime of 9.5 hours should not be ignored. This battery runtime with the specs and compartment it integrates needs applauds.

10. Lenovo Thinkpad E590

If you do not mind less sturdy built and only performance is your issue, roll your hands on the latest Lenovo Thinkpad E590. This is not a fancy model, not a lighter one; but power-packed performance is the only thing that lures professionals buying it.

The laptop has all bells and whistles on board what a business laptop should have under this price tag.

You can have it for home using, a laptop for your school kid, or doing aggressive CAD work on a regular basis. Lenovo advertised it as a business laptop; I find it surpassing the level of business laptops.

The laptop houses an Intel Quad-Core i5-8265U Whiskey lake processor that reaches up to 3.90 GHz clock speed. The processor is powerful and handles complex processing without any delay. You will not find it lag behind in processing irrespective of the load of work you throw at it.

It has a bulky 16GB RAM that is enough for a business laptop. The RAM and storage can be expanded; the extra slots are there, just to put the specs into. The 512GB SSD storage is enough to store your folders and files. For a casual user, this is more than the required space; at least you would not feel any need to extend the storage.

The icing on the cake, it has 15.6-Inch Anti-Glare display, IPS panels are onboard as well. You will have pixels dancing on your screen, way better video watching experience with the screen integrated. The laptop does not house a dedicated graphics card though it has an integrated one; Intel UHD Graphics 620.

In a nutshell with this laptop, you will feel productivity and creativity soaring high. Maximize your productivity and ensure the best value for the hard-earned money you are going to spend with Thinkpad E590.

CPU

CPU should be the most important feature to look into a laptop, especially if you are going to spend your all savings. Spending 1000 dollars on a laptop that comes integrated a poor CPU, will make your day restless.

In this price bracket, one should look for the latest generation processor with good performance and speed. I do not mind having a 9th generation core i5 or i7 processor.

But, I do not think anyone can bag all configurations that high if you get the latest generation CPU, the brand will cut the corner to match the price bracket.

Still, our lookout should be having the best CPU, as that’s the brain of the computer, you cannot function properly without having an efficient CPU.

Graphics Card

If you are looking for a gaming laptop to fulfill your gaming hobby, that section holds the utmost importance for you. Without a good graphics card, no one can make a good gaming laptop.

I have added few gaming laptops under 1000 in the list as well, if you have sharpened sight,  you will disclose them in a moment and if you want the entire gaming laptop list check out my best gaming laptops under $1000 post.

As long as the dedicated graphics card is concerned, for a gamer, it should be at least NVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti at this price, if gaming is not your objective, and hunting for a laptop for all-purpose, MX 250 would fill the bill.

RAM

Your laptop multitasking depends upon the random access memory aka RAM. The average size for the gamer and casual user at the price should be around 8-12GB.

If you are a gamer or wanting a laptop for doing video editing, running bulky software like AutoCAD or something related to heavy tasks handling, do not settle less than 8GB ever. Or you will suffer and have to expand the RAM Size.

For casual doings, 8GB RAM would be enough to handle any task.

Storage

Storage holds greater importance especially if you are the one who needs to store bulky apps, games, software or other stuff related. The bigger important thing is housing SSD type storage.

You know traditional storage is going obsolete now, in near future you would even be able to see them integrated into laptops. Still, they are running and help a lot wherever we need a hell of the storage to store data.

As long as the storage for the price bracket is related, having 512GB SSD storage would be nice to grab. Or at least go for 256GB SSD, lesser than this would be a poor tradeoff.

Display

These days 2 in 1 are getting popularity a lot. But, the touchscreen comes with many drawbacks and the type soars the prices up. Other than that, they are not good for casual use.

At this price, you should look for a 15.6 inches Full HD screen with IPS panels, good angles, and anti-glare coating. Especially check if the screen is good at playing high definition videos.

The poor display is something that you cannot afford to have especially at the price of less than one grand. I do not think, any laptop at the price would come with poor quality display.

Portability

Yes, weight and portability go hands in hands. We have seen people checking this feature as it helps to carry the model around.

The bulky laptops are going obsolete nowadays, slimmer laptops, ultra-weight machines are getting fame. So, try to have a lookout for this feature, and adds it as a count while summing up.

Operating System

I do not think for casual computing, playing games or editing photos and videos can better handle other than windows. Windows is still a leading PC operating system.

it will take one more century to eradicate the operating system from the roots. Though to some extent, other operating systems have taken the space, still, the dominancy of this is still unchallenged.

Yes, if you spend your time on the web, watching Netflix, checking mails, storing files to Google Drive, having a Chromebook would be a wiser decision.

Guru’s Verdict

Buying a good laptop with premium features, good quality build, and beautiful aesthetics sometimes takes more than arms and legs. I have seen people who cannot afford premium 3000 dollars laptop, that’s why we decided to come up with the guide.

These are the best laptop under the price bracket and offer impressive performance with few to no drawbacks. The laptops hold good hardware configuration; good size RAM, latest generation CPU, enough store and much more in the row.

I think the list will make you find the best laptop as per your job and work need. The list consists of laptops for business using, studying, gaming and casual computing. Have a bird’s eye view on the specs and other features and decide which falls right on your criterion.

If you like this guide and think this helped you in choosing the best laptop under the price bracket of one grand, please share the guide and help us reach more people.