Best Budget Laptops for Work From Home For Online Jobs 2023

This article is for those who have tight budgets and can’t afford to buy premium laptops like MacBook Pro, Dell XPS. But Best Budget Laptops for Work From Home offer some well-rounded packages at a reasonable price tag. Though you will definitely miss out with the premium features, but they will never disappoint you with day to day tasks like, web browsing, streaming, office work, casual gaming, and some sort of video editing. 

Typically, we mean a budget laptop somewhere around £500/US$500 or lower, but we may include the occasional model that goes a little higher if it’s really worth it. Our team has brought you a tested budget friendly laptop for work from home. You can choose from the list given below. so, let’s explore the best value laptop for work from home.

Our Top Three Picks

10 Best Budget Laptop Working From Home

IMAGE	PRODUCT	Rating	PRICE
	ASUS Vivo Book 15	9.5	Check on Amazon
	Acer Chromebook 514	9.5	Check on Amazon
	ASUS Chromebook Flip CM3	9.5	Check on Amazon
	Dell Chromebook 11 3000	9.5	Check on Amazon
	Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2	9.5	Check on Amazon
	Lenovo IdeaPad 1 Laptop	9.5	Check on Amazon
	HP Pavilion 15.6	9.5	Check on Amazon
	ASUS L410	8.7	Check on Amazon
	ASUS Chromebook Detachable CM3	9.5	Check on Walmart
	Acer Chromebook Spin 713	8.7	Check on Amazon

ASUS Vivo Book 15 – Best Budget Laptop for Working at Home

The metal finishing of the machine is not only classy but durable and sturdy too. The brand logo gives it a professional look. Ultra slim and lightweight make it easy to port. Only 17.9 mm thickness occupies a little to settle down and 1.7 kg weight feels very light while carrying.

A decent sized keyboard with a separate Numpad. Keys are spaced perfectly to reduce strain on the palm. Smooth and not enough. The layout is comfortable enough to type anything with ease. Backlight with 3 brightness options is perfect for low light conditions. The trackpad is a good one too with medium size having a fingerprint sensor for security reasons. 

15.6 inches FHD OLED display screen with 1920 x 1080 pixels. 85% screen-to-body-ratio means you will get a mid-range laptop with thin bezels. TUV Rheinland Certification shows that you are going to have a good device with perfect display setup.

It is a good machine to perform day to day tasks with ease as the device is packed with 8 gigabytes of RAM and 512 gigabytes of storage capacity. Intel Core i3-1005G1. The graphic card will allow you to play some types of games but you will not be able to play every game that easily plays with a premium version

So, overall a perfect choice for those who don’t have much to spend on a high-end laptop. Good at performing routine tasks. Lacking in performing heavy tasks though.

Acer Chromebook 514 – Best Budget Laptops for Work From Home

Let’s talk about the Aluminum finishing of the device. It looks sturdy yet lightweight and slim enough to carry anywhere you want. 3 pounds weight and 16.7 mm thickness is something that provides you with a perfect portability option. 

The device is packed with high-end and quality ports to connect other peripherals. The most important one is the Micro SD Card Slot that can be used to increase the storage of the device by using an external device.

It comes with the powerfil CPU, MediaTek Kompanio 828. Though its performance will not be as impressive as the Core i7 intel processor does, it is still powerful enough to do all day to day tasks with ease. Browsing, office work, and other routine tasks are easy to handle with this powerful processor.

The Speaker’s position is perfect in this model of the chromebook. The quality is good but I will give it 7 out of 10. Volume can be increased up to a modest level. 

Keypad is looks awesome with space between the keys and backlight is there to work in a darker environment. Regular sized keys with bright characters make it easy to type one. Noiseless and firm keys help you enhance your typing interest. Gorilla glass is used in the making of the keypad to ensure sturdiness and smoothness.

The 1080p display is just working perfectly. Though the specs do not show that it will perform that well but in fact it was more than my expectations. This 14 inches display with 250 nits brightness produces perfect results in daylight brightness. Anti glare does not degrade the screen though it protects your eyes. You might not get the same results that you normally have with premium devices but the results are still impressive enough to satisfy you.

MediaTek Kompanio 828, 8GB of RAM and capacity and 64GB internal storage rank it a mid-range device. Fast and reliable with day to day tasks. 

Battery life looks eternal. It gives you a backup time up to 15 hours if fully charged. By increasing brightness up to 75% you will still get half a day backup. That’s awesome.

All these features shows that the Acer Chromebook 514 is certainly a good choice for those freelancers and home-based workers who are searching for Best Budget Laptops for Work From Home.

ASUS Chromebook Flip CM3

This is the no detachable model which is not that powerful to draw the attention of many. It’s an entry-level device with good specs but does not have the capacity to do everything that you throw at it. 

The aluminum finishing ensures durability and long lasting. You can use it as a laptop as well as a tab courtesy of a strong and sturdy hinge system. 

Only a few ports to charge the ASUS Chromebook Flip CM3 and connect other devices. Well, that’s something ASUS compromising upon but you can’t expect anything more than that with a 12” device.

MediaTek 8183 CPU for better performance. 4 gigabytes of RAM to perform different tasks at the same time. But remember that it is not a device that will provide you exceptional performance. You can only open a few windows or a few normal tasks at a time. The Budget Laptops for Work From Home will have problems if you overload them with too many tasks at once.

Keyboard is normal sized, the layout is good. Keys are nice and smooth. In the first look you wouldn’t like it but after using it you will find it a perfect keypad because the spacing between the keys is exceptional. Big hands will definitely face some issues but severe ones. Massive trackpad with a smooth surface makes it easy to use.

Looks a bit outdated, good for normal use with entry-level specs. 32GB internal storage with micro SD slot to increase the storage capacity. Battery life is decent. 

Battery life looks massive. 16 hours backup time is enough for normal daily working and web browsing. But video watching reduces the battery life of the device.

Dell Chromebook 11 3000 – Best Cheap Laptop for Working From Home

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Let’s discuss the shape and sturdiness of the device. The rubberized finish of the body makes it more resistive. So, we can say the overall body along with rubber ensures its durability.

The RAM capacity of the device is 4 gigabytes, which is enough for a chromebook. Light multitasking browsing, office work, and streaming is not an issue. But it lacks its smoothness when it comes to heavy tasking.

Ports are quite important to connect other devices. It has 6 ports on both sides. Two USB type-C ports, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports and one is Headset/Mic Combo Jack.

All these might not bother you to decide whether to buy the device or not. So, let me show the some factors that will make your decision whether to go for it or not

The first is the reflection of the touchscreen. Some people take it as positive because it enhances privacy and some say the reflection is destructive. In my opinion it should not be there as it sometimes distracts you from working.

Bezels are thick enough that they look outdated. It should have slim bezels in order to increase screen-to-body-ratio. 

The decent size keypad is smooth enough. Tracking and handling your cursor is not a big deal using this impressive medium-sized trackpad. The keyboard is awesome and you would like to use it. It has everything, perfecting spacing between the keys, keys are smooth and sturdy. Very firm that worths every strike.

Intel Celeron N4020 CPU ensures better performance. These days most of the chromebooks come equipped with MediaTek processors. So, having an Intel processor is good to see.

Battery life is amazing. Once fully charged it may last for half a day if you engage the device with routine tasks. Heavy tasks definitely decrease the battery life.

  

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 

Slim enough and lightweight makes it a perfect portable choice for those who prefer to work in open air. The Fiesta Red color looks awesome. Looks sturdy when folded but feels a bit flexy when opened. Which is not food for a chromebook with such a high price tag.

Best awarded chromebook by CNN but does it meet all the requirements that you look for in a chromebook. Yes, of course, it covers most of the angles that a user can think of but there are some issues that might reverse your decision. Let’s talk about the positives first.

Added a fan to make it cooler. This is a big win as compared to the previous model. So, thermal issues of the device have been addressed quite well. 

13.3 inches QLED wide display screen. Screen resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels. Vibrant colors, thin bezels. With a display of this quality, it is impossible to tell the difference between a 4K display and this setup. All in all, a big win.

Battery life has improved a great deal. This is a perfect improvement that provides users with extra battery life. With this improved battery setup you can now work for 6 hours without plugging the charge.

Let’s talk about the negatives of the laptop. The processor has been reduced to core i3 from core i5. Though core i3 is still capable of handling tasks, it is not like core i5. 

Extra fan removal has reduced the price of the device but the company could keep that too at the present asking price.

Dropping fingerprint readers is also a drawback especially keeping the price that high. And sturdy build. These all are big deals. And these are the aspects that could strike users’ minds before selecting this new Chromebook from Samsung. Would you love to have a Chromebook from Samsung as the Best Budget Laptops for Work From Home.

Lenovo IdeaPad 1 Laptop – Best Affordable Laptop for Work From Home

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Plastic build with a decent outlook looks quite sturdy. The design is attractive and classy. Single hinge system shows wobbling when you open it but that’s fine in this price range. The bottom is also plastic finish with a fan grill to keep the device cool under heavy load.

3 Pounds weight looks a bit more than you expect but looking at the other laptops with 14 inches wide screen, this 3 pounds weight seems nothing. It is slim too. So, carrying the machine is not an issue.

Moving to the sides of the laptop we have found some jeneral ports that every laptop on this range comes equipped with. There is nothing special about the ports category of the device. But one thing to be praised and that is the MicroSD card slot to increase the internal storage of Lenovo IdeaPad 1.

The palm rest area of the device is exceptional. It is wide enough to rest your palms for comfortable typing. The keyboard is wide enough and along with perfect key spacing. Keystroke is quite significant. Overall a top-notch keyboard. Backlight is missing which is the only weak point I can see.

Trackpad is large enough with a smooth plastic surface. Tactile in nature moving the cursor smoothly. 

Display is very basic but we can’t expect a high-end display from a real budget pro laptop. The bezels on either side are slim enough. The chin is rather large and top bezels have got noticeable size as well.

A 720p HD display with 60Hz refresh rate is a mediocre type of display. The TN panels are of cheap quality which means you have very limited viewing angles. Anything above 25 degrees will create a sizable amount of anti-glare to disturb viewing.

51% sRGB means that you can’t enjoy vibrant colors as you enjoy while suinga  high-end display setup. 225 nits means the brightness of the device is very low. So, working outside in daylight is not possible.

Performance is also basic. It is a good choice if you need it for normal official work, web browsing and other daily tasks. It will not facilitate you with video editing, streaming and gaming. 

Battery life is something to talk about. Carrying out day to day tasks with 50% brightness it can last for 11 hours. If you are doing some sort of multimedia tasks then the battery life drops down to 9.5 hours which is still an ample amount of time. 

HP Pavilion 15.6

 

Numbers don’t matter a lot, it’s the performance that realy stands out when it comes to handling heavy tasks. However, let’s have a look at the firepowers of the device. It comes equipped with Core i5 11th Generation AMD Ryzen 5 4500U processor, 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD internal storage. Comes with a dedicated graphics card for adding some more features.

Quite wide display setup offers a 15.6 inches display screen perfect for enjoying videos with friends. FHD 1920 x 1080 pixels screen ensures quality. But limited viewing angles reduce viewing from different angles. Another thing to be addressed by HP is to increase the nits quality of the display screen. The 250 nits will definitely not work in full light conditions.

Full size keyboard with a complete Numpad works for everyone who is looking for the best budget laptop for working from home effectively. Spacing between the keys is wide enough to reduce strain on your palm. Striking is quite nice, smooth and firm keys with a backlight feature are quite awesome overall. 

Trackpad is not as massive as we expect from a laptop of this type. The medium sized trackpad is top-notch. Striking is awesome with a smooth surface and very responsive. 

The MicroSD Card slot is there to transfer multimedia and other files. A couple of other useful ports like USB Type-C and other usual ports.

Battery life is awesome. It gives 10 hours battery life if charged fully with normal taskings. Heavy tasks will reduce battery life pursuer.

ASUS L410 – Thin & Light Weight, You Will Love It

If you are expecting something extra from this device we would refer to some other options. Firepower like Core Intel Celeron N4020 processor, 4GB of RAM capacity and Intel UHD Graphics 600 are not capable of heavy tasks like video editing, streaming and playing high quality games. So, routine taskings do not have any issues.

Battery life is exceptional, if you use it for routine work like spreadsheet, web browsing or other simple tasks, you can use it for 8 hours or so without plugging it in. Listening to music will reduce backup time to 6 hours. 

Lightweight and slim too that makes it super portable. 2.87 lbs weight feels nothing.

Front camera is just rubbish. Though it will get tasks done like skype or zooming meetings. But the quality is nothing. The layout of the keyboard is not a good one.

HDMI port, Super speed USB-A port and the most useful one USB Type-C. All these ports at this price range are significant.

Keyboard apart from the layout is exceptional. Key spacing is perfect to reduce strain, though small in size yet everything is perfectly placed. The trackpad is also outstanding, smooth, large and responsive and the most important part is that the Numpad is integrated in the touchpad. You can use it in both ways as a Numpad or a calculator. Awesome at a reasonable price tag.

The 180 degrees flipping feature is awesome. You can enjoy screen watching at different angles which makes it a better option if you are looking for the best budget laptops for working from home jobs 2022.

ASUS Chromebook Detachable CM3

ASUS Chromebook Detachable CM3 comes equipped with MediaTek 8183 mediocre Processor 64GB Storage, 4GB RAM. With these specs you can only expect basic tasks like web browsing, spreadsheet or other official works. 

10.5 inches display with vibrant colors provides users with excellent results. The wide aspect ratio of the new model allows you to enjoy a relatively bigger screen. 320 nits shows that the device’s screen is bright enough. So, you can easily work outside in the open air.

Keyboard is not full-sized and that is obvious. The space between the keys is enough to reduce the amount of stress on your hand while using the keypad. Buttons are smooth and clicky. But not an ultimate choice for a long duration. 

Touchpad is rectangular in shape and large enough. Quiet and smooth and responsive moving cursor on the screen.

The back panel kickstand is awesome. It works in two ways. You can use it horizontally as well as vertically. The detachable feature of the laptop allows you to use the machine as a tab.

Rechargeable, removable stylus pen for free-handing writing is included in the box. No need to pay extra.

Battery life is upto 12 hours when used for normal taskings. For heavy tasking you the battery reduces. 

Pros:

Acer Chromebook Spin 713 a Batter Choice for Online Home-Based Work

Concentrate more on your work and less on your device. The Chromebook comes with a metal chassis that offers a streamlined, reinforced design that is stylish and offers military-grade durability that has been independently verified. It can survive 130 pounds of weight and a 4 feet drop. Enjoy all the screens with thin bezels around. Not the thinnest one but lightweight that makes it easier to carry with you.

Display is exceptional, infact this is the biggest selling point of the device. The 13.5 inches wide display screen offers 2256 x 1504 pixels. Though it is not like a 4K screen but well above the standard 1080p. 3 by 2 aspect ratio is more like a vertical display setup. 450 nits, bright enough that can be used in high-light conditions.

Keyboard is clicky, soft and smooth with exceptional key travel. Wide enough but not a full size keypad. Backlight is added to make keys visible in dark conditions. 

Touchpad is massively protected with Gorilla Glass. Smooth and responsive, great control over the cursor.

Useful ports for connecting peripherals. Both sides have USB Type-C ports, USB Type-A that is usual. HDMI is back which is a good gesture. 

Speakers are below par. You should have a pair of headphones or external speakers. 

Core i5 10th Gen processor with 8GB of RAM capacity and 128GB SSD internal storage. A monster specs wise. Choose the best with a reasonable price tag. 

Battery life is exceptional, 10 hrs backup is all day battery life. Reducing the brightness and normal tasking will increase the battery life. 

The Best Budget Laptops for Work From Home

Conclusion

We hope you have got everything that you were here for. We discussed the 10 best budget laptops for work from home to make your selection easier. Every piece of laptop has its positives and negatives. Remember that these are the best budget laptops for working at home. So, you can’t expect high-end specs, features and performance. You can choose any of the laptops that are discussed above. If you ask me to choose a laptop for you. Here are the best that I recommend:

FAQs About Best Budget Laptops for Work From Home

Which laptop is best for work from home?

There are plenty of laptops available for working from home. It depends on your needs and requirements. But the best budget laptops for work from home are, Lenovo Ideapad 1, Asus Chromebook.

Is Buying a Chromebook Worth It?

If you are working on clouds for hours, Chromebook will provide you with better options. If you store more data locally then Chromebook is not the ideal choice.