A laptop is one of the most productive, multi-purpose and efficient devices available today. Many professionals, students and gamers are looking for a good and budget-friendly laptop. A good laptop should have features that meet your needs. Common features that buyers look for in a laptop include battery life, port availability, durability, graphic performance, display and weight. The top laptop brands in the US include Apple, HP, Lenovo, Dell, Acer and Asus. Here are some of the best laptops under $1000 in 2021 that you should check out:
2020 Apple MacBook Air Laptop ($966.64)
The Apple MacBook Air Laptop comes with a long battery life of 18 hours. The Apple M1 chip with an 8-core CPU delivers up to 3.5x faster performance than the predecessor using way less power. With such powerful performance you can do everything from professional-quality editing to action-packed gaming with ease. With 8GB of unified memory your entire system becomes speedy and responsive.
That way it can effortlessly facilitate tasks like memory-hogging, multi-tab browsing and opening a huge graphic file. The laptop has a stunning 13.3” Retina display. This makes images come alive and give sharp and clear text and more vibrant colors. The MacBook is compatible with all your existing apps like Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft 365, and Google Drive. You can also use your favorite iPhone and iPad apps directly on macOS.
Altogether you’ll get access to the biggest collection of apps ever for Mac, all available on the App Store. the laptop is available in three rich colours- gold, silver and space grey.
Pros:
- Faster processor and graphic performance
- Traditional scissor switches
- Larger trackpad
- Touch ID fingerprint sensor
- Retina Display
- Solid Audio
- 2x Thunderbolt 3 Ports
Cons:
- Webcam Is 720p
Specifications:
| Display | 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit widescreen display |
| Processor | System on Chip (SoC) Apple M1 chip; 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores; Up to 8-core GPU; 16-core Neural Engine |
| Battery Life | Up to 18 hours |
| Number of Thunderbolt Ports | 2 |
| Storage | 256GB or 512GB SSD |
| Weight | 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg) |
| Height | 0.16–0.63 inch (0.41–1.61 cm) |
| Width | 11.97 inches (30.41 cm) |
| Depth | 8.36 inches (21.24 cm) |
| In the Box | 13-inch MacBook Air, 30W USB-C Power Adapter, USB-C Charge Cable (2 m) |
ASUS TUF Gaming F17 Laptop ($849.99)
ASUS TUF Gaming F17 FX706 is an incredible Windows 10 gaming laptop that incorporates gaming performance with up to a narrow bezel 144Hz IPS-type panel. You get to enjoy an extended lifespan, thanks to its patented Anti-Dust Cooling (ADC) system. It is equipped with NVIDIA GeForce graphics, a multi-core AMD Ryzen processor, and solid-state storage – FX706 for you to enjoy the best gaming and multitasking experience.
This laptop features one of the fastest Wi-Fi standards available — the latest Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) that boasts high data transfer rates. It is also an RGB backlit gaming keyboard rated at 20-million keystroke durability. You also get lots of I/O ports to connect your laptop to your preferred device and start working anywhere. One USB 3.2 Type C and two USB 3.2 Type-A ports enable speedy data transfers, with an additional USB 2.0 Type-A port that makes three total inputs for preferred peripherals.
Pros:
- Optional RGB backlight
- Lots of dedicated graphics memory
- Good memory
- Comfortable viewing angles and good contrast ratio
- Great Display
- Latest OS version
- Lock Port
Cons:
- Heavy Weight
- No optical drive
- No VGA port
Specifications:
| Memory | 8 GB |
| CPU Model Manufacturer | Intel |
| CPU Speed | 2.5 GHz |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Screen Size | 17.3 inches |
| Display Technology | FHD |
| Hard Disk Size | 512 GB |
| Dimensions | 15.71 x 10.59 x 1.02 inches |
| Weight | 5.73 lbs |
| Processor Count | 4 |
| RAM Type | DDR4 SDRAM |
| Memory Speed | 2933 MHz |
Lenovo V15 Business Laptop ($699.00)
The Lenovo V15 Business Laptop comes with 8GB memory and 1TB Hard Disk Drive for ample storage space It is powered by the Intel Core i5-1035G1 Quad-Core 1.00GHz Processor (6MB Intel Smart Cache, up to 3.60GHz). It also has Intel UHD Graphics. The laptop boasts a stunning 15.6″ Full HD Display (1920 x 1080) and runs on Windows 10 Pro 64-bit.
Pros:
- Good graphics
- Clear screen
- USB C charger
- Good speed
- Long battery life
Cons:
- Fingerprints are easily acquired on the surface
- Doesn’t come with Microsoft Office
Specifications:
| Display | 15.6″ Full HD LED Display |
| Colour | Gray |
| Processor Count | 4 |
| Hard Disk Size | 1 TB |
| CPU Speed | 1.00 GHz |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Dimensions | 14.53 x 9.92 x 0.78 inches |
| Weight | 4.63 lbs |
| CPU | 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G1 Quad-Core 1.00GHz Processor (6MB Intel Smart Cache, up to 3.60GHz) |
| Memory | up to 20GB DDR4 RAM |
| Ports | 1 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Combination Audio Jack |
| Video | Intel UHD Graphics |
| Audio | HD Audio, Dolby Audio |
| Media | SD Media Card Reader |
| Wireless Connectivity | Wi-Fi (802.11ac) and Bluetooth 5.0 Combo |
| Battery | Integrated Li-Polymer 35Wh |
| Weight | 4.08 Pounds |
HP Elitebook X360 1030 G3 ($619.00)
The HP EliteBook 1030 X360 G3 Business Notebook is beautifully crafted for the modern professional. The highly secure and manageable HP EliteBook provides powerful collaboration tools, so you can be as productive as ever at home and at work. It has an ultra-slim design with a narrow border display. The bright display adapts to any environment, for an optimal viewing experience everywhere.
You can enjoy crystal-clear audio with advanced collaboration features like HP Noise Cancellation. Its speakers also produce powerful sound. It runs on Windows 10 Professional 64-bit operating system which is ideal for Home, professionals, business, and academic work.
Pros:
- Touchscreen
- Good speakers
- USB C charger
- Multi-level security features
- Light and compact
- Impressive keyboard
- Well built
Cons:
- Low battery life
- Average display
- Average camera
- No SD card reader
- No smart card reader
Specifications:
| Memory | 8 GB |
| CPU | Intel Core i5 8250U |
| CPU speed | 1.70 GHz |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Screen Size | 13.3 inches |
| Display | LED |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel UHD Graphics 620 |
| Hard disk | ssd |
| Hard disk size | 512 GB |
| Dimensions | 12.04 x 8.07 x 0.62 inches |
| Processor Count | 4 |
| Number of USB 3.0 ports | 3 |
| Processor | 1.7 GHz core_i5_8250u |
Dell Inspiron 3000 ($539.00)
The Dell Inspiron 3000 comes with a 16GB high-bandwidth RAM to smoothly run multiple applications and browser tabs simultaneously. The 1TB hard disk drive ensures fast bootup and data transfer. It is powered by the powerful Intel Celeron Processor N4020 (2 cores, 2 Threads, 4MB Cache, up to 2.8 GHz). The screen has an impressive 15.6-inch HD (1366 x 768) anti-glare, LED-backlit, non-touch display.
It also comes with Intel UHD graphics with shared graphics memory. The laptop runs on Windows 10 Pro which gives you all the features of Windows 10 Home operating system plus enterprise-grade security, powerful management tools like single sign-on, and enhanced productivity with remote desktop and Cortana.
Pros:
- It is a lightweight and compact laptop.
- The overall display and the added touch screen features are a huge advantage.
- It provides powerful performance in day to day work.
- A wireless mouse and keyboard combo come with this product.
- The speakers and the private webcam are great.
Cons:
- There is a limited scope of upgrading the memory or graphics.
- The graphic coprocessor doesn’t handle many tasks smoothly.
- Only a single USB 2.0 port is present.
- There is no optical DVD-RW drive.
Specifications:
| Display | 15.6-inch HD (1366 x 768) Anti-Glare LED-Backlit Non-touch Display |
| CPU | Intel Celeron Processor N4020 (4MB Cache) |
| CPU Speed | 1.10 GHz |
| Ports | 1 x SD Card Reader, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x Wedge-shaped lock slot, 1 x Power, 1 x HDMI 1.4b, 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1, 1 x Headphone & Microphone Audio Jack |
| Screen Size | 15.6 inches |
| Hard Disk Size | 1 TB |
| Dimensions | 14.33 x 9.8 x 0.78 inches |
| Storage | 256GB or 512GB SSD |
| Weight | 3.91 lbs |
| Processor Count | 2 |
| RAM Type | DDR4 SDRAM |
| Screen Resolution | 1366 x 768 |
| Video | Intel UHD Graphics |
| Media Drive | Multi-format SD Media Card Reader |
| Wireless Connectivity | 802.11ac 1×1 WiFi and Bluetooth |
| Colour | Black |
| RAM | 16 GB |
Dell Inspiron 15 3000 Business and Student Laptop ($439.00)
The Dell Inspiron 15 3000 Business and Student Laptop’s RAM is upgraded to 8 GB high-bandwidth RAM to smoothly run multiple applications and browser tabs all at once. The hard drive is upgraded to 256 GB solid state drive to enable faster bootup and data transfer. It is powered by the Intel Celeron N4020 1.1GHz Dual-Core Processor (4MB Cache, Up to 2.8GHz). You can get the best viewing experience with its stunning 15.6-inch HD (1366 x 768) anti-glare, LED-backlit non-touch display. It runs on the Windows 10 Home, 64-bit, English operating system.
Pros:
- Affordable with multiple configuration options
- Speakers deliver good volume
- Comfortable keyboard
- Dedicated number keys
- HDMI and Ethernet ports included
- Good battery life
- 5th gen Intel Core i3 processor
Cons:
- Hard drive instead of an SSD
- Integrated GPU (shared graphics)
- No USB-C ports
- Touchpad tracking takes patience
Specifications:
| Screen Size | 15.6 Inches |
| Hard Disk Size | 256 GB |
| CPU Speed | 2.80 GHz |
| Display Resolution | 1366 x 768 pixels |
| Screen Size | 15.6 inches |
| Hard Disk Size | 256 GB |
| Display Technology | LED |
| Dimensions | 14.11 x 9.27 x 0.74 inches |
| Weight | 3.64 lbs |
| Processor Count | 2 |
| RAM Type | DDR4 SDRAM |
| Processor | Intel Celeron N4020 1.1GHz Dual-Core Processor (4MB Cache, Up to 2.8GHz), Ultra-low-voltage Platform. Four-way Processing Provides Maximum High-efficiency Power to Go |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 600 with Shared Video Memory Provide Solid Image Quality For Internet Use, Movies, Basic Photo Editing and Casual Gaming |
| Hard Drive | 256 GB Solid State Drive |
| Audio | High Definition Audio, 2.0 Stereo Speakers, Realtek ALC3204 with Waves MaxxAudio Pro, 2 W x 2 = 4 W total |
| Built-in HD Webcam | 720p at 30 FPS HD Camera, Single-Array Microphone |
| Ports | 1 x USB 2.0 Gen 1 Port, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Ports, 1 x HDMI 1.4b, 1 x Headphone / Mic Combo Jack |
| Battery | Up to 8.5 Hours |
| Colour | Carbon Black |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-46-R14K Slim Laptop ($349.99)
The Acer Aspire 5 A515-46-R14K Slim Laptop comes with AMD Ryzen 3 3350U which delivers powerful performance and amazing battery life in a slim notebook. With Precision Boost, you can get up to 3.5GHz for your high-demand applications. Maximise your viewing experience with the stunning 15.6″ Full HD display with 82.58% screen-to-body, 16:9 aspect ratio and narrow bezels. Its Biometric fingerprint reader and Windows Hello sign-in options help keep your Acer PC secure. The laptop has 4GB DDR4 onboard memory (1 slot available); 128GB NVMe solid-state drive storage (1 hard drive bay available) to store your files.
Acer’s Purified voice technology, features enhanced digital signal processing to cancel out background noise, improve speech accuracy and far-field pickup, which not only makes calls clearer but makes talking to Alexa easier than before. It runs on Windows 10 Home (S mode) which comes with in-built advanced security features, like protections against phishing and malicious software so you don’t have to think twice when navigating to a new webpage or downloading an application.
It offers 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 Dual-Band 2.4GHz and 5GHz connectivity featuring MU-MIMO technology and Bluetooth 5.1 technology. It has ports for all your accessories including USB 3.2 Type-C, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 (1 Power-off Charging), USB 2.0, HDMI 2.0 with HDCP support, headphone speaker line-out jack, Ethernet (RJ-45) and DC-in for AC adapter.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Slim and lightweight
- Solid quad-core performance
Cons:
- Cramped solid-state drive
- Only 4GB of RAM
- No integrated memory card reader
Specifications:
| Memory | 4 GB |
| Processor | 3.5 GHz ryzen_3 |
| CPU Speed | 3.5 GHz |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Screen Size | 15.6 inches |
| Hard Disk Size | 128 GB |
| Display Technology | LED |
| Dimensions | 14.31 x 9.86 x 0.71 inches |
| Weight | 3.97 lbs |
| Processor Count | 4 |
| RAM Type | DDR4 SDRAM |
| Graphics Coprocessor | AMD Radeon Vega 6 Mobile Graphics |
| Battery Life | 10 hours |
