Finding an affordable and capable laptop on a strict budget is tricky. There could be dozens or even hundreds of options to choose from, but most have major trade-offs. Even if you stick to one manufacturer, like HP, many options exist. Many of our favorite laptops from HP cost upwards of $1,000, but what if you can’t, or won’t, spend more than $600 on your laptop?

We’ve got you covered with a list of the best affordable HP laptops and Chromebooks. We tried to stay under $600 on every recommendation, although some laptop types will exceed that. For example, gaming laptops with a discrete graphics chip will be more expensive as they have more hardware inside. Some of these options are only below that price because of sales, but they’re also models that go on sale regularly, so check back if they’re being sold at MSRP.

Front view of the HP Pavilion Aero 13 2023 laptop
HP Pavilion Aero 13 (2023)
Editor's choice

Capable and stylish

$500 $930 Save $430

The HP Pavilion Aero 13 has powerful, efficient Ryzen 7000-series processors and a lightweight design. It's got a great display and Windows Hello support and looks significantly more expensive than it is.

Pros
  • Powerful AMD Ryzen 7000-series processor
  • 8GB RAM
  • Crisp FHD+(1920x1200) display
Cons
  • Only 256GB storage
  • No Thunderbolt ports

We review a lot of laptops, and it’s rare that a mainstream device gets high marks. One notable exception was the HP Pavilion Aero, which gained high accolades from our EIC, Rich Woods, who said, “it's something I personally would use as my daily driver.” It’s not hard to see why when you look at the Pavilion Aero. For a start, it weighs under 2.2 pounds, is thin, covered in aluminum, and looks like an ultrabook. You’d be forgiven for thinking this laptop was double the price, let alone more than the $500 that it often gets discounted to.

At that price, you can get a customizable version from HP, and even add some upgrades to stay under the $600 price range. The Ceramic white color is classy, and at $19 for the upgrade, it is well worth the scratch. The included AMD Ryzen 5 7535U is fine for most people, with a 4.55GHz boost clock, 6 cores, and 12 threads. The base model only has 8GB of RAM, which is on the low side, but a $60 upgrade doubles that to 16GB. The included 256GB of NVMe SSD storage will fill up quickly, although it’s fine for Windows, productivity software, and document storage.

The FHD+(1920x1200) resolution screen is crisp and, more importantly, bright at 400 nits. You’ll have no issues seeing your work under most lighting conditions, although bright sunlight could still be an issue. The webcam is 720p, which isn’t the best, but it should be fine overall. You also get multiple touches usually found on more premium devices, like Bang & Olufsen-tuned speakers, a fingerprint reader for security, and backlit keys on the keyboard. And you get two USB-A ports, one USB-C port, a full-sized HDMI port, and an audio port. Taken altogether, this is a great laptop for the price.

Angled front view of the HP Envy x360 in tent mode facing right
HP Envy x360 15 (2023, Intel)
Best convertible

Work your way

The stylish HP Envy 2-in-1 is an entertainment monster, with a clear FHD touchscreen, Bang & Olufsen speakers, and a 5MP webcam for video calls.

Pros
  • Stylish convertible design
  • 512GB of SSD storage
  • Outstanding 5MP webcam with privacy shutter
Cons
  • Only 8GB of RAM
  • No Thunderbolt ports

For those wanting the versatility of a convertible, the HP Envy x360 14 is worth looking at. For a $850 MSRP, it’s regularly discounted to below $600, and at that price, it’s a great deal. For a start, it comes with a 13th-gen Intel Core processor, the i5-1335U, with 10 cores and 12 threads, paired with 8GB of RAM. You get Iris Xe graphics and 512GB of SSD storage. That’s plenty for work-related storage needs, or for the images you might create on the touchscreen and is double what you'd expect at this price point.

The display has an FHD(1920x1080) resolution and 250 nits of brightness. That’s fairly dim, and the touchscreen means it’ll be glossy, so it will suffer from reflections under bright lighting conditions. The screen also supports an active stylus, which is included in the box. It has one USB-C port, and two USB-A ports, a HDMI port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The best thing about this convertible isn’t the form factor or the screen. It’s on the screen, though, and it’s the signature 5MP webcam that HP has been using for its premium laptops. This is also enhanced by HP Presence software that blurs the background or fixes lighting conditions.

Front view of the HP Victus 15t laptop
HP Victus 15t
Best gaming laptop

Gaming on a budget

This Victus 15t gaming laptop is powered by an AND Ryzen 5 5600H processor and AMD Radeon RX 6500M graphics chip with 4GB of VRAM.

Pros
  • Capable AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor
  • AMD Radeon RX 6500M with 4GB of VRAM
  • Plenty of storage at 512GB of SSD
Cons
  • Older tech
  • Screen could be brighter

Gaming laptops usually don’t come cheap, but there are some great deals to be had on slightly older hardware. We reviewed the Intel version of this HP Victus 15t and found it was a pretty solid option. The AMD version we are looking at here has a Ryzen 5600H processor with 6 cores, 12 threads, and up to 4.2GHz boost clocks. That’s lots of processing power, and HP has paired it with an AMD Radeon RX 6500M graphics chip with 4GB of memory. You also get 16GB of RAM and 512GB of NVMe SSD storage, all for $650.

Some things had to be trimmed to get to this price point, and the display is one of them. Although, not as much as you might expect as you still get a 15.6-inch FHD(1920x1080) resolution screen with a 144Hz refresh rate. It’s only 250 nits of brightness, which is on the low side, but that’s fine for use in a controlled lighting environment like a dorm room or living room. That also means more responsive gaming, as most laptops have a 60Hz refresh rate.

The webcam also suffers slightly, as it’s only 720p. Fine for online classes but you’ll want an external webcam if you want to look your best on calls. It’s pretty stylish, too, although it is nearly an inch thick at the highest point, and weighs a touch over five pounds. The flipside is you get a full complement of ports, including USB-C, two USB-A, HDMI, an audio jack, and an Ethernet port. The 52.5Wh battery might drain quickly with all that power, but the 200W power adapter will get you topped back up.

Angled front view of the HP Pavilion 15
HP Pavilion 15
Best 15-inch laptop

AMD 7000-series for a very low price

The HP Pavilion Laptop 15 comes with either 13th-gen Intel Core or AMD Ryzen 7000-series processors and a stylish design, but you will have to keep an eye out for discounts for them to be considered affordable.

Pros
  • 13th-gen Intel Core and AMD Ryzen 7000-series options
  • Touch screen options
  • Stylish design
Cons
  • Expensive when not on sale
  • No Thunderbolt ports

For those who prefer a larger screen on their laptop, the HP Pavilion 15 is a great, affordable choice to look at. Refreshed for the current crop of 13th-gen Intel Core and AMD Ryzen 7000-series processors, it can often be found at deep discounts, although the normal price is pretty good too.

Right now you can get one equipped with an Intel i7-1355U with 10 cores, 12 threads, and 5.0GHz boost clocks for under $580, which is amazing for the power you get with that processor. You also get 16GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage, and Iris Xe graphics. Or if you want an AMD machine, you can get a Ryzen 5 7530U with six cores, 12 threads, and 4.5GHz boost clocks for under $400. You get 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage for that money, and you can customize either model with more memory or storage if you want.

The 15.6-inch screen is HD(1366x768) resolution on the AMD option, although you can upgrade it to the FHD(1920x1080) display that comes as standard on the Intel option. We recommend you do so, as 720p will look bad and fuzzy on a screen of this size. It’s only $40 for the upgrade or $100 if you want the touchscreen version, and it’s highly worth it. You also only get a 720p webcam, but that’s to be expected for mainstream laptops.

The design of the Pavilion 15 doesn’t look cheap, but it is thicker and heavier than HP’s more premium devices. The keyboard does have a full-sized numpad for easier number entry, and you get USB-C, two USB-A, HDMI, and an audio jack.

hp probook 445 g10
HP ProBook 445 G10
Best business laptop

Grab this one when it's on sale

The HP ProBook 445 G10 is a solidly built business-class laptop powered by AMD Ryzen 7000-series processors. It's a solid workhorse with plenty of enterprise-level security features and is easily user upgradable.

Pros
  • Choice of AMD Ryzen 7000-series processors
  • Optional 5MP webcam
  • User-upgradable
Cons
  • Expensive when not on sale
  • Screen could be brighter

Business-class laptops and cheap don’t usually go in the same sentence. The security needs of enterprise users often mean notebooks get high price tags, but thanks to an over 50% discount, this HP ProBook 445 G10 comes in close to our target price. For $620 at the time of writing, you get an AMD Ryzen 3 7330U with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage. You also get Windows 11 Pro, the only notebook on this list to get the more fully-featured version of Microsoft’s OS.

The Ryzen CPU with integrated Radeon graphics should be fine for productivity tasks, although it might struggle with multitasking. It’s certainly enough for the 14-inch FHD(1920x1080) display with a peak brightness of 250 nits. This model is upgradable, though, and another $100 or so gets you a Ryzen 5 version with a much speedier processor. It’s also one of the few models on this list with user-upgradable RAM and storage, with space for up to 32GB of RAM and two M.2 NVMe drive sockets to use.

It has a decent keyboard with spill-resistant keys and backlighting. Ports-wise, you get USB-C, three USB-A, HDMI, an audio jack, and RJ45 for Ethernet. That’s more than most, and in a notebook that is just over three pounds in weight, so it’s extremely portable. The webcam is 720p, as are many on this list, and you don’t get Windows Hello support or a fingerprint sensor as standard. It also has optional cellular connectivity, but that comes at a price premium. Overall, it's a solid business laptop and is a relative steal at the current asking price.

Front view of the 2023 HP Laptop 17
HP Laptop 17 (2023, Ryzen 7030)
Best 17-inch laptop

For when you want a larger screen to work on

The HP Laptop 17 is fairly basic, but that's the trade-off when you want a larger screen to work on at this budget level. It'll still do everything you want and more, thanks to the capable AMD Ryzen 7000-series processor.

Pros
  • AMD Ryzen 7000-series procesors
  • 8GB of RAM as baseline
  • Over half a pound lighter than the previous model
Cons
  • Only 128GB SSD storage on the base model
  • Only HD+(1600x900) 250 nits screen on base model

If you absolutely need the largest screen on your laptop, the HP Laptop 17 might be for you. This 17-inch screen notebook with the most bland name ever is pretty decent, especially since it goes on sale often. Starting from $650, it regularly drops to around the $400 mark, so keep an eye out for sales. While HP sells it in Intel and AMD versions, the AMD one is where the deep value is.

The model we’re looking at isn’t quite as deeply discounted, at $550 for an AMD Ryzen 7730U with eight cores, 16 threads, and a 4.5GHz boost clock. It does come with 16GB of memory and 512GB of SSD storage, which are upgrades from the base configuration of 8GB and 128GB. That’s a mid-tier but powerful processor, integrated Radeon graphics, and plenty of memory and storage for productivity tasks.

The 17.3-inch screen is an FHD(1920x1080) resolution with 250 nits of brightness. Unfortunately, something else had to give for the price, and it only covers 45% of the NTSC color gamut. It’s fine for work, but don’t expect media watching or light gaming to pop with color like on a more premium display. It is the better display for this model, though, as the others are HD+(1600x900), which is not the best for a 17.3-inch screen size. The webcam is what you’d expect for this price range at 720p. Ports-wise, you get USB-C, two USB-A, HDMI, and an audio jack. The real kicker is that the screen makes this laptop weigh over 4.58 pounds, but you probably knew that would be the case if you prefer your laptops on the larger side.

hp chromebook 14
HP Chromebook 14
Best Chromebook

Chrome OS is perfect for budget laptops

Sometimes, you only need to do basic computing tasks, and this Chromebook 14 is perfect for all the things most people do on their laptops while costing much less.

Pros
  • Chrome OS runs fast on low-powered laptops
  • Full-size keyboard and 14-inch display
Cons
  • 32GB eMMC storage is slow and in short supply
  • HD(1366x768) screen on base model

Let’s address the elephant in the room first–no, a Chromebook isn’t going to replace Windows laptops anytime soon but that’s fine, honestly. Chrome OS is lightweight, tuned to perform on the weakest of hardware, and that’s exactly what you want when shopping on a budget. I live in Chrome most days for work, between the CMS, GDocs and research, and I could easily do my job from a Chromebook. This HP Chromebook 14 is pretty representative of what you’d get, and it’s currently under $200.

Now, you won’t get speedy performance from these specs. The Intel Celeron N4500 has two cores, two threads, and a 2.8GHz boost clock. You can get it with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of eMMC storage, or 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage. The chances are, if you embrace the online nature of Chrome OS, you can get by with the lower storage amount.

The base model display is a 14-inch, HD(1366x768) resolution panel with 250 nits of brightness. That’s not great, but there’s a silver lining. Remember, this only costs $200, so you can add upgrades. The most effective upgrade for the display is up to an FHD(1920x1080) resolution, anti-glare IPS panel with WLED backlighting for $20 or $50 if you want a touchscreen. Either way, you’re substantially improving your web browsing experience for a very small cost. HP also lets you upgrade to Wi-Fi 6 for no cost, and you can add backlighting to the keyboard for $20 if you prefer that to unlit.

The 720p webcam is on par with most of this list, and the keyboard will be comfortable to type on. It’ll be easy to carry around at just over three pounds, too. The only other drawback is that you only get one USB-A port and an audio jack for inputs. The USB-C port is only for charging the device.

hp envy 2-in-115.6
HP Envy 2-in-1 15.6"
Best AMD laptop

Versatility and power

The Envy x360 15.6-inch is a capable convertible laptop powered by a powerful AMD Ryzen 7000-series processor. It's got a touchscreen with active stylus support, and has a great 5MP webcam.

Pros
  • Great 5MP webcam
  • AMD Ryzen 7000-series processor
  • Versatile convertible form factor
Cons
  • No Thunderbolt ports
  • 15.6-inch is slightly unwieldy in tablet mode

While many affordable laptops stick to clamshell designs and sub-par webcams, HP’s Envy range bucks that trend. The 15.6-inch Envy x360 has a versatile convertible form factor and a 5MP webcam that is only surpassed by very few premium devices. At around $500 when on sale ($900 MSRP), this AMD-powered convertible is great value.

Let’s start with performance. The AMD Ryzen 7530U has six cores, 12 threads, and a boost clock of 4.5GHz. On this model, that’s paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage. That’s a midtier CPU with integrated Radeon graphics and enough storage for your programs and documents.

The 15.6-inch touchscreen display is FHD(1920x1080), with 250 nits of brightness. It’s also compatible with an active stylus; you get an HP Tilt pen in the box. The best feature is the 5MP IR camera, which has AI software to make you look great, and Windows Hello support. That camera also has a physical privacy shutter, which is a nice touch.

Considering the thinness of the device, you get multiple ports, including two USB-C, two USB-A, HDMI, and an audio jack. You also get a multi-format SD card reader. Sure, the 15.6-inch display might be a little unwieldy to hold as a notebook, but it’s perfect for watching movies on or using for video calls with that superb webcam.

You don't have to spend a small fortune to get a decent laptop from HP

The HP Pavilion Aero is consistently our recommendation for the best affordable HP laptop. It has a great display, powerful performance, and a thinner design that looks much more expensive. The current generation is supposed to retail at over $900, but you can regularly find specific configurations for under the $600 mark. The current offer is for a customizable model that starts from $500 with an AMD Ryzen 5 7535U processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage.

Front view of the HP Pavilion Aero 13 2023 laptop
HP Pavilion Aero 13 (2023)
Editor's choice
$500 $930 Save $430

The HP Pavilion Aero 13 has powerful, efficient Ryzen 7000-series processors and a lightweight design. It's got a great display and Windows Hello support and looks significantly more expensive than it is

If you want to game on your laptop, the only affordable option from HP is the Victus 15t. You get a choice of 13th-gen Intel Core or AMD Ryzen 7000-series processors and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics chip. For other options, we've got a list of the best cheap gaming laptops to look at. Even then, affordable gaming laptops approach four figures quickly, so it helps to know what you're getting into before making a purchasing decision.