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Best cheap laptops in Australia

Our expert team has analysed hundreds of customer reviews of cheap laptops of every kind to determine the best available in Australia for all purposes.

Joab Gilroy
Joab Gilroy

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Mother helping her daughters to finish school homework during coronavirus quarantine. They are using laptop.

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The best cheap laptops in Australia

How did we pick this list?

Our editorial team selected the products on this list based on extensive research, real customer reviews and personal experience. For each category, we carefully selected parameters based on our research and identified the products with the highest review score within those parameters.

Read more detail on our methodology below.

Best cheap laptop overall: HUAWEI MateBook D14 2020

  • Users love the ultrabook style
  • Reviews talked up the battery life
  • People aren't fans of the camera placement
  • Does not have a touchscreen

Price (RRP): $1,099

Buy at Amazon
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Why we chose it

Earning a 4.7 out of 5 from 906 ratings on Amazon, the HUAWEI MateBook D14 (2020) is our pick for the best cheap laptop overall. It's a fantastic all-rounder for people looking to grab a sleek, thin laptop on a budget. It weighs just 1.38kgs, boasts a battery life of 9.5 hours and its ability to charge off USB-C means it can be powered by a good quality powerpack.

Reviews noted that they weren't a fan of the camera placement and many recommended grabbing a portable mouse to avoid relying on the trackpad. It's also rare to find a laptop these days that doesn't use a touchscreen, which might turn some away, but outside of these quibbles, there is no laptop that can satisfy as many roles as the MateBook D14.

Best cheap 2-in-1 laptop: HP Chromebook X360 14-Inch 14b-ca0010nr

  • Charging ports on both sides
  • Well-regarded in both laptop and tablet form
  • ChromeOS isn't for everyone
  • Not a full 1080p screen

Price (RRP): $799

Buy at Amazon

Why we chose it

The HP Chromebook X360 14-Inch 14b-ca0010nr scored a 4.7 out of 5 from 570 ratings on Amazon, which is why it's our pick for best cheap 2-in-1 laptop for Australians. Reviews praised the ability of the HP X360 to transition quickly between laptop and tablet, allowing them to use it for everything from drawing to watching media and word processing.

Being a Chromebook, the X360 uses ChromeOS, which could be a dealbreaker for some. The Google-made operating system utilises Chrome Apps and Android Apps instead of regular Windows programs, relying heavily on cloud-based storage solutions instead of onboard storage, making it a little less suitable for people without a stable Internet connection. But savvy users can take advantage of the USB 3.0 connections and external storage to make up for any deficits.

Best cheap laptop for gaming: Acer Aspire 5 A515-55G-57H8

  • Geforce MX350 graphics card
  • Full-HD IPS screen
  • Bad audio via 3.5mm and speaker
  • The fan can get noisy under load

Price (RRP): $1,099

Buy at Amazon

Why we chose it

The Acer Aspire 5 A515-55G-57H8 scored a 4.6 out of 5 rating from a whopping 1,043 reviews on Amazon, making it our pick for best cheap gaming laptop for Australians. With a gorgeous 15.6-inch (39.6cm) 1080p low-refresh rate IPS screen and a Geforce MX350 graphics card built in, the A515-55G-57H8 is perfect for those hoping to play games on the go.

Being a budget laptop, it's important to note that it's not going to play everything perfectly, but if you're after a machine that will knock out 60+ frames in Counter-Strike, World of Warcraft or League of Legends then you can't go past this. Many reviews noted that the fan was very loud under load and the onboard sound isn't great, so it might be necessary to rely on alternative sound solutions if you're hoping to hear that incoming flash ult.

Best cheap laptop for students: HP15-DW0083WM

  • 10 hours and 45 minutes of battery life, plus HP Fast Charge
  • Reviews love the screen's brightness and clarity
  • Only 1366x768 resolution
  • Comes with Windows "S mode" pre-activated (though easy to disable)

Price (RRP): $700

Buy at Amazon

Why we chose it

The sleek red HP15-DW0083WM is our pick for best cheap laptop for students in Australia thanks to its 112 ratings giving it 4.7 out of 5 on Amazon. Praised for its clear and bright screen and its gorgeous bright red design, the HP15-DW0083WM is perfect for students who need a workhorse laptop that also looks pretty good.

It comes with Windows "S mode" enabled by default, but many reviews pointed out that this is easy to disable, allowing users to install whatever apps they choose. With nearly 11 hours of screen-on time and HP Fast Charge able to take it from 0–50% charged in 45 minutes, it can lighten the load on students who forget to charge their laptops overnight. Some users lamented that the screen resolution is only 1366x768 but most still praised the machine, particularly the screen, overall.

Best cheap laptop for portability: Acer Swift 3 SF314-42-R7LH

  • Only 1.2kg
  • Slick design
  • Some Bluetooth issues out of the box
  • Subpar speakers

Price (RRP): $1,050

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Buy at The Good Guys

Why we chose it

With a score of 4.3 out of 5 from 21 ratings, the Acer Swift 3 SF314-42-R7LH is our pick for best cheap laptop for portability for Australians. At only 16mm thick and weighing just 1.2kg, the Acer Swift 3 is by far the best marriage of size and weight at this price point. It has ultrabook looks at under $1,100.

The 1080p 14-inch IPS screen provides a crisp and clear picture for people using the Swift 3 for watching videos or doing work, although reviews noted that it doesn't have the hardware needed to play anything but the most basic games. Many reviews said they had Bluetooth issues out of the box which required a driver update to fix.

Best cheap laptop for battery life: HP Chromebook X360 14-Inch 14b-ca0010nr

  • Charging ports on both sides
  • 12.5 hours of battery life
  • ChromeOS isn't for everyone
  • Need to purchase a stylus separately

Price (RRP): $799

Buy at Amazon

Why we chose it

Our pick for best cheap laptop for battery life for Australians was also our best cheap 2-in-1. The HP Chromebook X360 14-Inch 14b-ca0010nr boasts 12.5 hours of battery life and the reviews from real users back those claims up. By relying on eMMC storage and a lower resolution screen, the HP X360 extends its battery life immensely – many high-end laptops struggle to get 12.5 hours of screen-on time.

It has charging ports on both sides, making it easy to top its battery back up in any orientation, something many users really liked. It doesn't come with a stylus, which means people using it for art will need to purchase one separately. Reviews recommended getting a drawing glove as well to deal with palm rejection.

Best cheap laptop with the most ports: Acer Aspire 5 A515-44-R41B

  • Loads of ports, including HDMI and USB-C
  • Thin and light
  • "Plastic feel"
  • Cramped keyboard

Price (RRP): $1,099

Buy at Amazon
Buy at The Good Guys

Why we chose it

The Acer Aspire 5 A515-44-R41B has a crazy amount of ports and scored 4.4 out of 5 from 93 ratings on Amazon, which makes it our recommendation for best cheap laptop with the most ports for Australians. With a USB 2.0, a USB-C, an HDMI with HDCP support and an expandable RJ45 (ethernet) and two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports the Acer Aspire 5 A515-44-R41B has expansion options for days.

Reviews complained about the cramped keyboard causing some accidental wrong presses and some said that it had a plastic feel that made it feel budget compared to other machines. But most people overlooked these issues and instead praised the machine's high-quality screen and above-average battery life while recommending this laptop, especially for anyone who hates USB hubs.

Best cheap Microsoft Surface laptop: Microsoft Surface GO 2

  • Reviews rave about the screen
  • Super-fast boot time
  • Only five hours of battery life
  • Reviews say there isn't as much storage as they'd like

Price (RRP): $1,099

Buy at Amazon
Buy at Kogan
Buy at Catch

Why we chose it

The Microsoft Surface GO 2 is the best cheap Microsoft Surface laptop for Australians, with a score of 4.6 out of 5 from 119 reviews on Amazon. Reviews make it clear that the Core M3 variant with 8GB of RAM is the only Surface GO 2 to purchase, as the cheaper versions are barely able to accomplish even basic computing tasks. The version we picked also comes with a Type Cover – the Surface laptop – and while it is possible to save some money by not purchasing a Type Cover you will be restricted to using the on-screen option or a separate Bluetooth keyboard.

Once Windows 10 is installed, many reviews pointed out that 128GB isn't a stack of storage space and with just 5 hours of battery life it's certainly not a machine you can take away from a power source for a long time.

Methodology

20
Brands considered
50
Products compared
8
Best products chosen
  • Our editorial team compared laptops from brands found in major stores across Australia.
  • We examined hundreds of customer reviews and ratings as well as expert reviews.
  • The products on this list are chosen by our editorial team and are not selected based on commercial relationships.

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