For example, if things are deteriorating financially, or if you do not want to invest that much money in a device in principle, you can also buy a laptop with a maximum of 300 euros. But don’t expect to give up some points. We list what you can count on with a low-cost laptop.

This is a condensed version of a more comprehensive story about budget laptops best test†

On a cheap laptop, you can often do most basic things just fine. It’s OK to write a letter in Word or reply to an email in Gmail, and you can also shop online for it.

You don’t have to think about everything, as most budget laptops are about the same in terms of specs. This allows you to make a decision quickly and you’ll get your laptop home relatively quickly, which can be very useful in an emergency, for example.

The screen is often small in size and lower in quality

The cheapest laptops usually have an 11-inch screen. And because the screen is small, a laptop often also has a somewhat smaller keyboard, which doesn’t fit your fingers either.

The screens of budget laptops are often not touchscreens. The picture is also not very luxurious, which you see when streaming via Netflix, for example. Everything is a little dull and less sharp.

Less elegant design

You won’t easily find a nice, stylish and compact laptop at such a low price. Cheaper laptops often have thick black borders on the sides of the screen. They are in any case somewhat bulkier in terms of design and consist of plastic cases. The advantage of plastic is that it’s nice and light, so budget laptops don’t make your bag too heavy.

Sometimes they don’t fit well in that bag because they aren’t as compact. All the internals are a bit cheaper and therefore larger, which makes the laptop feel thicker and more angular.

Laptop without Windows or macOS

You will likely encounter Chromebooks primarily at the bottom. This is partly because Windows is a heavier operating system and therefore requires more of a laptop. In addition, manufacturers have to pay a relatively high licensing fee for Windows.

The cheapest laptops overall are Chromebooks, which run on Google’s ChromeOS. The advantage of this is that you do everything in the browser and you use the cloud a lot, so few heavy parts for your laptop are needed. In addition, your documents are often stored constantly, so that you do not lose anything quickly.