What Is the Best Laptop for Basic Home Use?

There are many laptops out there, and choosing the perfect one for personal use can be difficult. It may help to know that the best laptop should have a good resolution, should be portable and affordable. Are you confused about which laptop to buy or looking for a cheaper one?

This article reviews some of the best affordable laptops for home use.

5 Most Affordable Computers for Basic Home Use

1. ASUS Chromebook CX5 

ASUS is reputable for its powerful yet affordable products. The ASUS Chromebook CX5 allows you to use common services like YouTube and email in a simple manner, even when you lack computer skills. The model also features a sizable FULL HD screen with powerful speakers for great entertainment.

The model also comes with a pen so that you can write, which makes multitasking a reality. The picture quality is fantastic on the 15.6-inch screen.

The Chromebook has incredible performance speeds. For instance, it will take you less than two seconds to launch the Microsoft Word web app. When you want to unwind, you can easily convert the laptop to a tablet by folding the keyboard under the screen and enjoying excellent sound quality on video calls and streaming videos. 

Features

• Processor: Core i5-1135G7
• Storage: 128GB Solid State Drive NVMe
• Display: 1920 x 1080, 15.6-inch touchscreen
• Battery: 57Wh, three-cell
• Thickness: 0.7 inches
• Weight: 4.17lbs
• RAM: 16GB

Pros

• Great convertible, as a laptop or tablet
• It comes with high-end speakers

Cons

• The ChromeOS is a bit trickier to use for some tasks

2. Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook

The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook is yet another of Lenovo’s unique gadgets that you can use either as a laptop or a tablet. The Chromebook boasts an incredible 22 hours battery standby time, so you won’t worry if you lack power in the house.

Additionally, it has some impressive specs, and the versatile function of the Chrome OS or its use as a tablet makes it unique among standard tablets.

Generally, this can be a perfect laptop if you are cash-strapped and looking for a deal broker. 

Features

• Display: 10.1-inch Full HD IPS LCD touchscreen display
• OS: ChromeOS
• Battery: 7,000 mAh; includes 10W charger
• Memory: 4GB LPDDR4X + 64GB/128GB eMMC
• Chipset: MediaTekHelio P60T (12nm) 
• Cameras: 8 Mega Pixels autofocus, 2 Megapixels fixed focus

 Pros

• Lightweight and portable
• Long battery life

Cons

• Shared port for charger and headphones

3. Microsoft Surface Laptop 4

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 is an impression of all the previous Surface Laptop designs. It features a fantastic PixelSense touchscreen.

The keyboard is comfortable to use when typing and has a 13 hours- standby battery. The Surface Laptop 4 model runs on Windows 11 and has many great apps for your use.

Generally, the model is built on a high-quality design, making a combination unique from other brands like Apple yet affordable.  

Features

• RAM: 16GB
• Processor:  Intel Core i7-1185G7
• OS: Microsoft 11
• Memory: 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB available
• GPU: Iris X
• Storage: 512GB
• Screen size: 13.5 inches 
• Weight: 2.8 lbs
• Display: 2256 x 1504-pixels, 13.5-inch
• Battery life: 19 hours

Pros

• Easy-to-use keyboard
• Beautiful screen

Cons

• Few ports

4. Acer Swift 3 

Acer’s Swift 3 is a high-performance, slim laptop that’s affordable. Though slim, it features many ports, such as an HDMI-out and two USB ports. It has a plain chassis that is all aluminum, a roomy trackpad, and a backlit keyboard for convenient typing even in lowly-lit places and times.

It has a 30-minute fast charge and a punchy Ryzen 7 processor. It has a quick launch performance. It takes six seconds to launch from being switched off and a near-instant launch from sleep. The camera has a brilliant performance even in low-lit places, offers great pictures, and is excellent when making video calls.   

Even with these great features, the Acer Swift 3 is affordable compared to other brands.

Features

• Display: 16-inch 1080p LCD
• Weight: 3.86 pounds
• Dimensions: 0.63 x 9.3 x 14.5 inches
• Webcam: 720p
• Battery capacity: 55 watt-hour
• CPU: Intel Core i7-11370H
• Storage: 512GB PCIe SSD
• Graphics/GPU: Intel Iris Xe
• Memory: 16GB

 

Pros

• Plenty of storage
• Fast processor

Cons

• It looks a little plain

5. Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022) 

The new Apple MacBook Air M2 2022 is the best choice laptop for home use. It’s an improvement over the previous Apple MacBook Air model; it’s lighter, thinner, and interestingly larger. Additionally, it has an improved resolution, which you will love.

Generally, the new design gives it a more modern feel.

Other exciting additions to the new model include a powerful M2 chip that enhances performance, such as video editing. The battery can last for over 16 hours, making it an excellent outdoor companion.

The model also comes with a 1080p webcam, excellent for meeting video calls, and has an even larger Touch ID sensor for logging in with your fingerprint.

Features

• Camera: 1080p webcam
• OS: Apple M2 chip (8c CPU / 8c GPU, expandable to 10c GPU)
• Ports: Two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports
• Storage: 256GB storage (configurable to 2TB)
• Weight: 2.7 pounds 
• Ram: 8GB RAM (configurable to 24G)
• Display: 13.6-inch 

Pros

• Long battery life
• Brilliant new design

Cons

• Lacks exciting new colors

Choosing the Best Laptop for Home Use

It might be challenging to get a perfect laptop for your home use because almost every computer has its flaws. However, with the above picks, you can easily make a choice. When you decide to get one for your home use, this article will help you make an informed choice.