7 Best Laptops Under $900 in 2023

If your main constraint and leading thought is budget, finding the best possible laptop can be quite a challenge. Whether you’re looking for an everyday device, a machine for work, or a gaming rig, there are unique issues for each category.

Luckily, you can find laptops under $900 for all walks of life and professions. With our detailed buying guide, you’ll learn about the meaning behind cryptic names of internal components and why you need a Core i7 or an RTX 4050.

We also handpicked and reviewed 7 best options in this price range. Did we get your attention? Great, let’s roll.

Top 7 Laptops under $900

If you don’t want to overthink all aspects of the buying guide, we found the 7 best laptops under $900. Let’s check them out together.

1. Versatile 2-in-1: HP Envy x360

HP Envy x360

• CPU: 2GHz AMD Ryzen 7 5825U
• RAM: 32GB DDR4
• Storage: 1TB SDD
• Display: 15.6-inch FHD Touch (1920 x 1080)
• GPU: Integrated AMD Radeon RX Vega 8
• Battery: Up to 12 hours

$899.99

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If you’re looking for touchscreen versatility, HP Envy x360 is one of the best laptops under $900 to consider. With great power, awesome display, and lots of RAM, this machine is a winner.

Envy runs on a capable Ryzen 7 processor, coupled with Radeon Vega graphics and a whopping 32GB of RAM. This is a snappy combo that will easily handle everyday tasks, data analysis and calculations, college software, and photo editing. But the integrated graphics does limit it for 3D modeling, CAD tools, and video editing.

I also like that HP decided on 1TB of storage. You’ll have no problem storing docs, media files, and larger projects.

Moreover, this thing is quite portable. At 4 lbs of weight and with 10-11 hours of battery life in my tests, the laptop is quite easy to carry around and will last a full workday.

The screen looks really good, too — a 15.6” display has very responsive touchscreen features and won’t strain your eyes during long hours of work. I wish it were a little brighter: 250 nits is quite enough for indoors, but I wouldn’t take it outdoors.

Overall, if you want a compact, elegant machine with a touchscreen and powerful performance, the HP Envy x360 is one sub-$900 laptop to consider.

2. Budget Gaming Laptop: Acer Nitro 5

Acer Nitro 5

• CPU: 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5-12500H
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Display: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)
• GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050TI
• Battery: Up to 6 Hours

$801.64

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Acer Nitro 5 has been a super-popular budget gaming laptop for a few years now and for a good reason. Powerful performance, gorgeous design and fast display — with a reasonable price tag — make Nitro one of our gamer sweethearts.

Nitro 5 packs a 12th-gen. i5 processor and a dedicated RTX 3050 Ti, along with 16GB RAM. This combo is quite capable of running AAA titles at high settings and good fps, whether you’re playing Cyberpunk 2077, Witcher, or Tomb Raider.

This sort of power translates well to a 15.6” display with a high refresh rate. It’s a great panel if you’re into first-person shooters, fast maneuvers, or car chases.

If you want to take your gaming to the bigger screen — you can. Nitro’s USB-C port actually supports the screen connection, which is awesome.

And I just love the Nitro’s design. The sleek, polished chassis is both sturdy and premium-looking. Plus, there’s that signature-red keyboard Nitro is known for.

Like most gaming laptops, Nitro isn’t big on portability. The body weighs 5.5 lbs, which is far from the worst, but it isn’t that light, either. In my tests, I got around 5-6 hours of battery life — again, not too bad, but I’d bring a charger if you’re going out for the day.

However, these are small things compared to the power and visuals you get for a relatively low price tag. Nitro 5 is one gaming laptop under $900 that’s easy to recommend.

Watch our Acer Nitro 5 Review

This YouTube review was created by the Not Just Laptops team. The specs may slightly differ from the laptop in the article.

3. Portable Business Machine: ASUS Zenbook

ASUS Zenbook

• CPU: 1.8GHz AMD Ryzen 7 5700U
• RAM: 8GB DDR4
• Storage: 512GB SDD
• Display: 13.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)
• GPU: Integrated AMD Radeon RX Vega 8
• Battery: Up to 10 hours

$649.00

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If you want fireworks on your display — in high resolution — and a powerful, super-portable laptop under $900, check out the ASUS Zenbook.

The laptop sports a gorgeous 13.3” OLED display that is bright, color-accurate, with rich, deep colors. This is a great choice for creatives, real estate agents, journalists, and everyone who appreciates a powerful display.

Under the hood, Zenbook packs a very capable Ryzen 7 processor and Radeon Vega graphics. In a nutshell, this combo can tackle and zap through all office and general tasks, productivity software, and light-to-mid photo editing.

I got around 9-10 hours of battery life; that’s quite enough juice for a full workday. Plus, the laptop weighs a ridiculous 2.5 lbs (lower than the Macbook Air), so it’s pretty easy to carry around.

I also love the design. Zenbook looks and feels premium, with sturdy build quality and polished chassis.

The cool design extends to the keyboard as well. Not only are the keys comfy and tactile, but ASUS also chose a numpad that’s integrated into trackpad, which I quite like.

The initial 8GB RAM is ok-ish for most general tasks, but if you want to play with more demanding tasks, I’d upgrade to 16GB.

Also, a cooling pad won’t hurt since the machine does get hot every now and then.

But overall, Zenbook sure gives a lot for the price. This laptop under $900 has a display that’s better than most more expensive devices, and the power to match it.

4. Reliable Everyday Laptop: Dell Inspiron 3530

Dell Inspiron 3530

• CPU: 1.7GHz Intel Core i7-1355U
• RAM: 16GB DDR5
• Storage: 1TB SDD
• Display: 15.6-inch FHD Touch (1920 x 1080)
• GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Xe
• Battery: Up to 8 hours

$795.76

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Another great everyday laptop under $900 hails from Dell. If, besides the latest specs, touchscreen display and sturdy body, you also care about customer service — well, few can match Dell in this regard.

Dell Inspiron 3530 comes with Intel’s latest processor, 13th-gen. i7. Add to that super-fast 16GB of DDR5 RAM and Intel Iris graphics, and you’ve got a versatile machine for office tasks, spreadsheets, complex projects, multitasking, photo editing, blogging, and so much more.

Plus, with 1TB of storage, you’re good to go with large files and docs.

Dell sports a 15.6” hi-res touchscreen display that’s very responsive and vivid. It’s a great choice for office, college, or if you’d like a more interactive approach to work.

If you often hop on Zoom calls and video conferences, I also like that the machine comes with a high-quality 1080p webcam.

In terms of portability, I thought the battery could have been a little better. In my tests, I got around 7-8 hours of battery life, which is ok — but if you’re working on more demanding tasks, you’re gonna need a charger.

Furthermore, in case you’re into video editing or CAD projects, the integrated GPU will limit the performance.However, Dell is famous for its customer service, and that’s super important. Besides getting a great touchscreen laptop under $900, you’ll also be sure it’s covered well.

5. MSI Gaming Powerhouse: MSI Thin GF63

MSI Thin GF63

• CPU: 2GHz Intel Core i7-12650H
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Display: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)
• GPU: 6GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050
• Battery: Up to 7 hours

$845.00

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Who said you can’t get a gaming powerhouse under $900? Next to Acer Nitro 5, MSI Thin GF63 is a great choice: powerful, portable, and cool.

I’m actually surprised with the specs Thin packs. GF63 comes with the latest NVIDIA graphics and a capable 12th-gen. i7 processor. This combo is sure to slay through AAA titles and do so with high settings and fps. For this price, that’s a pretty sweet deal.

Moreover, the 15.6” display has a high refresh rate and quite good saturation. This means that you’ll enjoy fast action and great colors, along with awesome movie playback.

Unlike most gaming behemoths, MSI Thin remains in the lightweight category at 4 lbs. The battery life could have been a little better, but this is still one of the more portable gaming machines that you can take anywhere.

I also thought the machine has a good cooling system. Sure, you’ll hear fans whirring every now and then, but the laptop temperature stays pleasant.

In terms of design, I get that MSI had to cut corners somewhere. The plastic chassis and the overall look feel a little 2018, but the laptop itself is sturdy.

If you don’t care so much about design and battery, MSI GF63 is one of the best gaming laptops under $900 you can get. With top-notch specs, great display, and powerful cooling, it’s bound to give hours of gaming fun.

6. Lightweight Design for Creators: Acer Swift Go

Acer Swift Go

• CPU: 2GHz AMD Ryzen 7 5825U
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• Storage: 512GB SDD
• Display: 14-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)
• GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti
• Battery: Up to 13 hours

$807.00

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If you’re often on the go and need a reliable performance, then Acer Swift Go is one of the laptops under $900 that might suit your needs very well.

To start with, this is the only productivity laptop on the list that packs a dedicated GPU — and a capable RTX 3050Ti at that. Paired with a great Ryzen 7 processor and 16GB RAM, this combo performs great with content creation, video editing, 3D modeling, and CAD.

And I like that Acer worked on color accuracy. The 14” hi-res panel is 100% sRGB color-accurate, which becomes important if you’re doing photo editing or color grading. The size may not be for everyone, but you also get an HDMI to connect to a larger screen.

Personally, I like smaller screens because of their portability. Swift lives up to its name because it weighs only 3 lbs and can last 11-12 hours on a single charge. It’s a great companion for traveling or everyday commute.

Unlike its very popular bro Aspire, it seems that Acer improved the keyboard for Swift. The keys are large, tactile, and look very modern.

However, the blocky design is still there, so make of it what you will. I can’t say I mind too much, but aesthetics sometimes plays a big part in choosing a laptop.

Yet, if you disregard the looks, Acer Swift Go has so much to offer. The value of this sub-$900 laptop is just amazing.

7. Flexible 16″ 2-in-1 Laptop: Lenovo Yoga 7i

Lenovo Yoga 7i

• CPU: 1.7GHz Intel Core i7-1355U
• RAM: 16GB DDR5
• Storage: 512GB SDD
• Display: 16-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200)
• GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Xe
• Battery: Up to 12 hours

$878.79

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Lenovo Yoga 7i is an elegant and powerful touchscreen laptop under $900. In line with some of the best Lenovo machines, this device is definitely worth considering.

Lenovo usually doesn’t skimp on most important things, and Yoga proves this. The mid-range laptop packs the latest Intel Core i7 processor and super-fast 16GB of DDR5 RAM. These make an awesome choice for data processing, MBA, and all sorts of doc work, but also the more creative tasks like photo editing.

The crisp 16” display is touchscreen and very responsive. You can flip it back into a tent mode for presentations or use it as is.

Lenovo somehow always manages to get the best of their design. Whether it’s budget IdeaPad or gaming Legion, you just know a Lenovo when you see it. Yoga’s design is super-sleek, elegant, and compact as well.

And their keyboards are always good if not one of the best. Lenovo Yoga comes with a numpad, and the keys are super comfy and nice to type on.

For a 16” device, 4.5 lbs of weight is very reasonable. Add to that 11-12 hours of battery, and Yoga 7i feels like a good travel buddy.

You should know that the RAM is non-upgradable. The initial 16GB will last a long time, but if you need more in your line of work, I’d consider a different model.

Overall, though, Lenovo Yoga 7i is a gorgeous, productive laptop under $900 and a wise investment that will reap many benefits.

Buying Guide for Laptops under $900 in 2023

Since we don’t know what you’ll be using your new laptop for, we’ll cover a couple of the most common scenarios and give you a buying guide that can cover everything from cheap gaming laptops to blogging and photo editing rigs.

1. Each Task Uses the CPU Power

This is one of the few aspects you need not worry about. Any modern CPU is efficient and fast and quite capable of handling Windows, productivity, and light gaming when paired with a discrete GPU. 

If you’re using a laptop for browsing and multimedia, you can work with Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3. We recommend at least 12th Gen i5 or AMD equivalent so you can squeeze in some multitasking and still have a seamless experience.

Gamers and professionals could aim for Core i7 and more robust AMD CPUs to get the best out of their $900 budget and have more future-proof systems.

2. Windows Machines Need Increasingly More RAM

An 8GB RAM laptop is the minimum. Even with 8 gigs, you can experience memory shortage if you go too far with open tabs in Chrome while simultaneously using other apps.

In 2023, the Windows system will work best with at least 16GB, and if you want to play games or use the laptop for video editing and similar performance-hungry apps, you should choose machines with 32GB of RAM.

3. Better Display Equals Better User Experience

This is a personal choice. Large displays are great for productivity and gaming but are less portable. 

I’d recommend 13-14 inches for an Ultrabook, 15 or 16 inches for a work machine, and 15-17 inches for a gaming laptop. Some manufacturers offer OLED displays in this price range. However, you are more likely to find IPS panels, which is perfectly fine.

Don’t go below a Full HD resolution, and look for 100% DCI-P3 for video editing — or excellent Adobe RGB coverage for photo editing machines.

4. You Will Need a Discrete GPU for Gaming

Integrated GPUs like Intel Iris XE or AMD Radeon Vega 8 will suffice for most purposes, excluding gaming and 3D modeling tasks. A discrete GPU is a must-have if you want to use a laptop for playing modern games. 

Adobe Premiere Pro, Photoshop, AutoCAD, and other professional apps can also utilize dedicated GPUs. In this price range, you can choose between Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti or RTX 4050. If you’re lucky, you might get a laptop with RTX 4060, which is a significant upgrade.

5. Consider Weight and Form Factor

If your laptop is below 3.3 lbs, it is very convenient and portable. Ultrathin devices can go below 2.64 lbs but usually have higher prices. All above 4.4 lbs is heavy and not as convenient for your laptop bag or backpack.

If you need a school/college device, you will probably favor smaller, more portable devices. You can find convenient convertible devices that can serve as tablets or have tent mode for presentations.

Modern design dictates trends like 16-inch displays with a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is still not broadly accepted. Laptops with thin bezels, on the other hand, are widespread.

Gamers and working professionals will focus more on internal components, which results in a more conventional laptop design where the importance of the cooling system outweighs the compact, stylish design and the laptop’s weight. 

6. Prioritize Laptop Autonomy if You Can

If you utilize a discrete GPU at full capacity, it will drain your battery fastest. Gamers and professionals who use GPU-intensive workflows can’t expect great battery life. 

However, if you are not gaming or rendering videos, choose energy-efficient laptops with Ryzen or Intel Core CPUs with Sufix U to maximize your autonomy.

FAQs about Laptops under $900

Verdict

When the budget is the only limitation, a natural instinct is to get the best value with as much power as possible for $900. After extensive testing, we chose the best devices, and if this budget is still too much, check our similar test with top laptops under $800.

Gamers will want the best GPU, and content creators will focus on the competent components and best display, while students might go for affordability. 

While there is no one universally best laptop, here is a quick recap of the best picks:

• If you are looking for a portable device that can perform well and has incredible visual fidelity, the ASUS Zenbook with the OLED display is the way to go.
• Gamers and users looking for the best performance can go with MSI Thin GF63 with its Core i7 and RTX 4050 combo.
• Lenovo Yoga 7i is a stylish convertible device and an excellent choice if you want the best design and the latest CPU.

If you’re still undecided, you might benefit from checking our detailed laptop buying guide.

On the other hand, if you’d rather throw additional questions at us, please use the comment section below. We’re eager to help you decide on your perfect sub-$900 laptop.