Welp MagazineThe cost of laptops can get extremely high. Achieving your ideal computing setup can be a costly thing to do, especially in a world where a new MacBook, GalaxyBook or any other kind of shiny new Book seems to roll off the production line every year. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or simply someone who loves staying connected, finding a laptop that offers optimal performance without breaking the bank has become a primary concern. The good news is that you don’t have to compromise on quality when shopping on a budget. But which is the best laptop under $700 for you?
If you’re on the go, and on a budget, the best laptop for you is a reliable high-quality machine that comes in under $700. A range of laptops are available in this more accessible price bracket, and we’ve reviewed as many as we can to figure out this list of the very best. From screen quality to battery life, we’ve evaluated them all against the categories that matter most to you. So, let’s get started on presenting our five categories of the best laptop under $700.
Product Comparison Table: Best Laptop Under $700
| Title | Price | Rating (Amazon) | Best in class | Buy | |
 | Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14” Laptop | $ | 4.2 stars | Best Under $200 | Amazon |
 | Acer Chromebook Spin 311 Convertible Laptop | $$ | 4.5 stars | Best Under $300 | Amazon |
 | HP Pavilion 15.6″ HD Touchscreen Anti-Glare Laptop | $$$ | 4.4 stars | Best Under $500 | Amazon |
 | HP Envy x360 2-in-1 15.6″ Touch-Screen Laptop | $$$$ | 4.5 stars | Best Under $600 | Amazon |
 | Lenovo 2021 IdeaPad Gaming 3 | $$$$$ | 4.5 stars | Best Under $700 | Amazon |
Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14” Laptop
There’s many groups of people looking for the very cheapest sub-$200 category of the best laptop under $700, but students are always guaranteed to be among them! Students (or their parents) strapped for cash, whether they’re thinking about university, college or school will be particularly more than happy with the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14” Laptop.
This laptop may be compact at just over 3 lbs and less than 1 inch thick, but it’s fully equipped with crisp and clear HD screen technology and a backlit keyboard that’s ideal for taking notes in lectures and classes and revising them afterwards. Moreover, pre-installed Windows 11 works beautifully with the Windows Office Suite to make student word processing a breeze – while Dolby Audio delivers crystal-clear sound for movie streaming after class.
Pros
- HD screen
- Lightweight and portable
- Dolby Audio built-in
Cons
- Windows 11 in S mode
Verdict
We found the lightweight and portable Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14” Laptop to be the best laptop under $700 for students and their parents with a $200 budget. Not just because it’s affordable; it’s equipped to suggest it’s intended for day-to-day uni computing, and night-by-night Netflix streaming.
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Acer Chromebook Spin 311 Convertible Laptop
A Chromebook is a great budget-friendly alternative to a traditional laptop, particularly if you spend most of your time on the internet. They run ChromeOS, a cloud-storage operating system that has Google built in, and multiple layers of security. A ChromeBook and a laptop, technically, are two different things – but the Acer Chromebook Spin 311 has earned its place as the sub-$300 entry in our best laptops under $700 list.
Lightweight, sleek and ultraportable, the Acer Chromebook Spin 311 is powered by Intel’s Celeron processor and boasts up to 10 hours of battery life; almost anything is possible that you can do on a normal laptop (and more) down the rabbit hole of apps available on the Google Play Store.
Pros
- The best Chromebook we found
- Sleek design
- Lightweight and portable
Cons
- Not (technically) a laptop
Verdict
The reason why we chose to include a Chromebook in our best laptops under $700 list (when they’re not officially laptops) is that Chromebooks never price too high. Even the best Chromebooks rarely exceed this price, meaning that unlike a budget laptop, you’re not buying a budget version of a potentially high-end product if you’ve only got $300 to spend!
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HP Pavilion 15.6″ HD Touchscreen Anti-Glare Laptop
The sub-$500 HP Pavilion 15.6″ HD Touchscreen Anti-Glare Laptop made it onto our best laptop under $700 thanks to a brilliant display. This is a 15.6″ diagonal, HD micro-edge display with BrightView technology – 220 nits and 45% NTSC. Images on the screen are crisp, colourful and bright to the extent that even desktop backgrounds look pretty.
The HP’s not just a pretty face either. Not only is the display touch-screen, but it’s multi-touch too. The Intel Core i3 processor, long battery life and HP Fast Charge technology are also more than convenient, boosting your productivity in conjunction with the adaptive mage rotation that makes sharing what’s on your screen easy. This laptop feels fast, sharp and capable for the price.
Pros
- Bright and beautiful display
- Speedy startup
- Touch-screen technology
Cons
- Quite large to carry around
Verdict
We chose the HP Pavilion 15.6″ HD Touchscreen Anti-Glare Laptop as the sub-$500 entry among our best laptops under $700 because the graphics and display technology wowed us while staying true to HP’s reputation for quality and dependability. The HP’s fab display and processing power lets you enjoy a more immersive experience while watching TV or movies on your laptop, even if it is a little large to carry around all day.
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HP Envy x360 2-in-1 15.6″ Touch-Screen Laptop
People who need the best laptop under $700 are often computing on the go, or using their laptops for less traditional things like streaming, digital drawing or even as an online recipe book! For those off-the-wall types, we present the winner of our sub-$600 category: the HP Envy x360 2-in-1 15.6″ Touch-Screen Laptop, our 2-in-1 best laptop under $700.
A 2-in-1 device is both a tablet and a conventional laptop, and the Envy x360 genuinely offers the best of both worlds in one package. The multi-touch support edge-to-edge touchscreen display and AMD Radeon Graphics compete in terms of visuals with even top of the range tablets, but the Envy matches this with the laptop-level performance we know and love from HP with a speedy AMD Ryzen 5 Processor.
Pros
- All the benefits of a tablet with laptop performance
- Gorgeous touchscreen display
- Speedy AMD Ryzen processor
Cons
- Battery life could be better
- Stylus not included
Verdict
The HP Envy x360 2-in-1 15.6″ Touch-Screen Laptop is our best sub-$600 laptop, but also our best laptop under $700 if you’re looking for a 2-in-1. Ideal for watching movies, creative work and even gaming thanks to the Ryzen processor – it’s time to get you a laptop that can do both. It’s even available in two colors, too.
Lenovo 2021 IdeaPad Gaming 3
Our second entry from the Lenovo IdeaPad family onto our best laptop under $700 list is the Lenovo 2021 IdeaPad Gaming 3; this is both our best laptop under $700 in the highest price category on this list, and our best laptop under $700 if you’re looking for a budget laptop that can handle some hardcore gaming!
The IdeaPad Gaming 3 delivers a powerful experience with its legendary AMD Ryzen 5000 H-Series Processor that excels itself in everyday computing as well as MMORPGs. While the 15.6″ FHD IPS display with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU gives you killer gaming visuals with a 120Hz refresh rate for tear-free gaming, the two inbuilt high-def speakers with Nahimic Audio for Gamers offer an equally appealing treat for your ears as well.
Pros
- Impressive performance
- Tear-free and fast refresh rate
- High-def speakers
Cons
- Might be too much for non-gamers
Verdict
Portable, easy to carry, and definitely among our best laptop under $700 contenders, the Lenovo 2021 IdeaPad Gaming 3 is a neat little package for any gamer. With quality this decent at such a (relatively for a gaming laptop) low price, it’s hard not to put this handy gamer’s war-station at the top of the gaming category in our ranks of the best laptops under $700.
