The newest and snazziest laptops that get announced each and every year can sound very appealing on paper, but when you look at the price tag, you often have to reconsider. Not everyone has thousands of dollars to spend on the best laptops around, after all.

But even if you have a budget of $1,000, you can already find some fantastic laptops out there, and if you're unsure which one to pick, we're here to help. We've rounded up some of the best laptops you can get for under a grand, and you'll be happy to know that all of these do their job very well.

The top laptops priced under $1,000 in 2024

Apple has been rocking the laptop world ever since it introduced Apple Silicon, and the M2-based model of the MacBook Air is easily the go-to option if you want a powerful laptop that looks and feels great without breaking the bank. This model used to cost $1,099, which is still the price you'll see at some retailers, but it got a price cut to $999 since the introduction of the M3 version, which makes it perfect for this list.

Powered by the Apple M2, this MacBook Air offers terrific performance overall being able to handle all kinds of day-to-day workloads and even some light photo and video editing without issues. It's also incredibly efficient compared to anything you'd find in the Windows space, making this a laptop you can carry around all day without worrying about a charger. The base model does include just 8GB of RAM, but it's still a solid machine, and it performs better than you might expect.

Compared to the M1 MacBook Air, this model also has a whole new design that's more balanced and even, and a little lighter. It also comes with a brand-new 13.6-inch display that's a little taller than before. It reaches up to 500 nits of brightness and touts support for P3 Wide Color, and even the webcam has been upgraded to a 1080p sensor enhanced by the ISP in the Apple M2 chip for even better image quality.

This design also comes in a range of four colors to choose from, and it brings back MagSafe charging in addition to USB4 and Thunderbolt support. Even the headphone jack is amped up to support high-impedance headphones. Of course, it still lacks some classic ports, but you're probably used to that if you've owned any Apple device in the past.

It's still hard to find laptops with OLED displays under $1,000, but ther HP Pavilion Plus is a standout choice that offers terrific value, much like the Pavilion lineup in general.

The 2023 HP Pavilion Plus comes in either Intel or AMD versions, both of which offer solid performance, with Intel offering better CPU performance while AMD has the best integrated graphics by far. However, outside of discounts, you can't configure the AMD model with an OLED display for under $1,000. Right out of the gate, you get 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, which is already very good.

The base configurations of the Pavilion Plus don't include the OLED panel, but the Intel version allows you to upgrade to OLED while staying under $1,000, which is very rare to see. That gets you a super-sharp 2.8K panel with a 90Hz refresh rate, making for a fantastic viewing experience. On top of that, the laptop includes a 5MP webcam, complete with IR support. This is all very rare in this price bracket.

It all comes in an aluminum chassis that feels premium, and it mostly comes in a Natural Silver color, though the AMD version is also available in blue or pink. The laptop is a bit heavier than you might expect, though, at 3.19 pounds, though this is still fairly portable. As for ports, you get two USB-C and USB Type-A connections, plus HDMI, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader. Unfortunately, though, there's no USB4 support.

It's not a perfect laptop, but if you want an OLED display on the cheap, it's hard to do much better than the HP Pavilion Plus.

If you're more of a fan of convertible laptops, then the Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1 may just be for you. The latest model of this excellent laptop comes with AMD Ryzen 8040 series processors, which deliver great performance overall, including Ryzen AI to power machine learning experiences. It also comes with up to 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, all of which still fits comfortably in the $1,000 range using Lenovo's configurator.

This laptop comes with a large 16-inch display and a 16:10 aspect ratio, making it great for productivity and multitasking, even if the display colors could be a bit better. Since it's a convertible, the display supports touch and pen input for more intuitive interaction, and you can rotate the screen 360 degrees to use it as a large tablet. Even the webcam is solid, using a 1080p camera along with an IR sensor for facial recognition.

All of this comes in a premium aluminum chassis that feels great, but is somewhat heavy at 4.38 pounds, making portability a concern if you plan to carry it around all day. On the flip side, there are a ton of ports here, with two full-featured USB-C ports, two USB Type-A ports, HDMI 2.1, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader. It's a very solid setup, and this laptop as a whole is an excellent choice for almost anyone.

The original HP Pavilion Aero really hit it out of the park when it debuted in 2021, and since then, HP has just been upgrading it with new processors, but that's all it really needs to do to be good.

For 2023, HP packed AMD Ryzen 7035U series processors into this laptop, starting with a Ryzen 5 7535U, with 6 cores and 12 threads that deliver great performance. The big upgrade with this processor, however, is the inclusion of Radeon 660M graphics, making it possible to actually play some lighter games on this laptop. The laptop also starts with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for storage, with upgrades up to 16GB and 1TB, respectively, if you can afford them.

HP hasn't really changed the display on this laptop in the last two years, but that's not a bad thing. The 13.3-inch panel has a 16:10 aspect ratio, and it comes in Full HD+ resolution by default, which is already quite good for the price. For just $30 more, you can also upgrade to a Quad HD+ panel. The webcam, however, is still a 720p sensor without facial recognition. If you want to use Windows Hello, you do get a fingerprint reader.

Back on a positive note, however, the Pavilion Aero is still impressive due to how light it is, coming in at 2.2 pounds. It also comes in four color options, something we don't see too often with magnesium laptops. There's a decent variety of ports, including USB-C, two USB Type-A ports, HDMI, and a headphone jack, though we have to lament the lack of USB4 support.

HP has been increasing the price of the Pavilion Aero with each new model, which is a bummer, but this is still an excellent laptop that offers great value.

Not everyone wants a typical laptop, and if you're after something a little less conventional and more portable, the Surface Pro 9 is probably the one for you.

Because the Surface Pro 9 starts at $1,000, you don't get a lot of spec options if you want to stay under our price limit. The base model comes with an Intel Core i5-1235U processor, which has 10 cores and 12 threads. Aside from that, you get 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD.

The display is one of the best things about the Surface Pro 9, being a 13-inch panel with a very sharp resolution of 2880x1920, and a tall 3:2 aspect ratio. It also has a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate. Of course, being a tablet means it supports touch and pen input, too. The Surface Pro 9 also has one of the best webcams around, with a 5MP sensor supporting 1080p video along with Windows Hello facial recognition. There's also a second camera on the back, a 10MP sensor that can record 4K video.

Being a tablet means this is also one of the lightest and thinnest devices on this list, coming in at 1.94 pounds and 9.3mm, respectively. Portability is a big deal here, though that point is somewhat nullified once you add a keyboard (which also goes over the $1,000 budget). The best thing about the Surface Pro 9 is that it comes in some cool new colors, but the base configuration doesn't have them, so you're likely stuck with platinum. For ports, you only get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, so a docking station is almost required. There isn't even a headphone jack here.

These shortcomings are to be expected with a tablet, though, and the Surface Pro 9 is still the best Windows tablet out there. If that's the form factor you're looking for, this is the device you want.

Business laptops have a tendency to be fairly expensive, so a $1,000 budget is more restrictive than you might think. But Lenovo's ThinkBook 16 (2023) stands out as an excellent choice, offering a lot of value for what you pay.

It's available in either Intel or AMD versions, though it's hard to recommend the AMD models considering they're using Zen 3-based processors that aren't as fast. Either way, you're getting more than enough performance for day-to-day workloads, especially with up to 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD available in the configuration options.

As the name suggests, the ThinkBook 16 has a 16-inch display and it uses a 16:10 aspect ratio, so it's great for productivity, despite some less-than-stellar colors. The 1920x12000 resolution is also solid, if not overly impressive. While optional, you can get a 1080p webcam with an IR sensor for Windows Hello.

Unlike the more prominent ThinkPad lineup, Lenovo's ThinkBooks have a more modern design language that looks great in any environment. It also has a ton of ports including two USB-C connections (one of which supports THunderbolt 4 in the Intel model), two USB Type-A ports, HDMI, RJ45 Ethernet, a headphone jack, and a full-size SD card reader.

All in all, this is a terrific laptop, and depending on sales, it can be an excellent value proposition.

Gaming for under $1,000 is challenging, but the Dell G15 is a great choice if you have a limited budget. It comes in either Intel or AMD versions, but the AMD-powered models usually offer better value.

These models include AMD Ryzen 7040 series processors along with Nvidia graphics, starting with a GeForce RTX 3050 6GB, which is a big upgrade from the standard RTX 3050 with only 4GB of memory. It offers great performance, and with some sales, you can even upgrade to an RTX 4050 while staying under $1,000. You also get 16GB of RAM by default, plus up to a 1TB SSD.

Depending on the model you get, you'll get a Full HD display with either a 120Hz or a 165Hz refresh rate, and both options are great for gaming, though the latter is naturally better. The webcam is only 720p resolution, though, and there's no Windows Hello support.

Another notable downside is the size, with this laptop weighing around 6.19 pounds, which makes portability a no-go. In return, you get a lot of ports, with USB-C, three USB Type-A ports, HDMI, RJ45 Ethernet, and a headphone jack. This is also a fairly subdued gaming laptop that looks great and even comes in a few color options (with varying prices).

Overall, this is a great laptop for up-and-coming gamers, and the price makes it a great deal.

Finally, for fans of Google's ChromeOS, we have the Acer Chromebook Spin 714, easily one of the best Chromebooks on the market, even disregarding the price.

Powering this laptop is an Intel Core i5-1335U, more than fast enough to run ChromeOS as smoothly as possible. It also comes with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, and while that wouldn't be particularly impressive for a Windows laptop, it's phenomenal for ChromeOS.

We're looking at a 14-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, and since it's a convertible, it supports touch and pen input by default. Said pen is even built into the laptop for easy use and storage. The base model comes with a Full HD+ panel. There's a 1080p webcam above that display, too, but no biometric authentication is available.

As for the design, the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 comes in a subdued Steel Gray colorway, which looks and feels premium. It's a decently light laptop, too, at 3.09 pounds, and it still packs a decent number of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4 connections, USB Type-A, HDMI, and a headphone jack, making for a well-rounded setup overall.

There's very little to criticize with the Acer Chromebook Spin 714, and it definitely earns a recommendation from us.

Best laptops under $1,000 in 2024: Bottom line

Whether you want a standard laptop for day-to-day use or something more powerful for gaming, there are a lot of laptops here that cater to different needs and wants. The MacBook Air ahs to take the top spot because it offers so much that you can't get on Windows. The efficiency and performance of the Apple M2 chip make this so easy to recommend for just about anyone, and the modern design with a great display are the cherry on top. It's hard to recommend anything else unless you want something specific.

There are other great options on this list, though, most of which are a bit cheaper. The HP Pavilion Plus is a very compelling option thanks to the OLED display, which looks absolutely stunning. ut there are other choices available to satisfy all kinds of needs.

When it comes to this list, we're definitely a bit limited in terms of power, but if you need more performance for something like video editing, check out the best laptops for creators. Those are more expensive, but there are some great options in there.