Want an all-around list of the best budget laptops of 2022? Here are the best ones to consider for your studies.

Got some cash aside for a student laptop? You may be wondering which budget laptop is the best for studying, gaming or streaming your favourite movies. We’ve compiled a list of the best laptops to consider for various budgets, plus all the features you need to know to make a decision.

There’s so much to consider when choosing a laptop, such as where to buy your laptop from and which laptops are specifically good for students, so whatever your budget, it’s worth weighing up a few options.

Best laptops under £300

HP 14S-FQ0014NA Laptop — £189.99

This HP laptop sports long-lasting battery life on a student budget. It’s one of the smallest laptops out there too, meaning it’s perfect to carry around all day long.

It’s super thin with a micro-edge display. Plus, it’s equipped with the latest AMD Athlon processor and super responsive touchpad to help you surf the web and research what you need in a flash.

Save as much as you need with their expansive storage including photos, videos and documents. more of what you love with abundant storage for all your photos, videos and documents. Its AMD Athlon Processor is top of the range for this budget range too, meaning you can get fast processing speed at a great price.

What’s in the box

• 1 x HP 14S-FQ0014NA Laptop
• 1 x Charging cable.

Technical specs

• Operating system: Windows 10 S 
• RAM: 4 GB RAM
• Processor: AMD Athlon Processor
• Storage: 128 GB SSD
• Screen resolution: FHD 1920 x 1080
• Screen size: 14-inch
• Screen type: SVA anti-glare micro-edge WLED-backlit
• Touch screen?: No
• WiFi?: Yes
• Ethernet: No
• Battery life: 8 hours
• Battery type: Lithium-ion
• Disc drive: None
• Memory card reader: Yes
• HDMI: 1
• Audio connections: Built-in audio sound system and mic
• Webcam: HD 720p webcam
• Colour: Black, silver.

Pros

• Backlit screen
• Decent battery life.

Cons

• Loud clickpad.

Get the HP 14S-FQ0014NA Laptop for less with a Laptop Outlet student discount.

IdeaPad 1 (11″ Intel) — £199

One of the best laptops under £300, the IdeaPad 1 is ideal for students as it’s very affordable. It’s great if you’re on a tight budget but need something to get your work done.

It comes with 4GB memory and 64GB of storage, and while this isn’t tons, it’s perfect for Microsoft applications, Google Drive, Docs and similar applications for note-taking. The AMD processor is on the lower end of the scale too, so bear this in mind when working with multiple software at once.

Its battery life is pretty decent and it also has webcam that’ll suffice for lectures and group work.  

What’s in the box

• 1 x IdeaPad 1
• 1 x User guide.

Technical specs

• Operating system: Windows 
• RAM: 4 GB DDR4-2400MHz
• Processor: Intel® Celeron® N4020 Processor
• Storage: 64GB
• Screen resolution: 1366 x 768
• Screen size: 11.6-inch
• Screen type: LED Backlit anti-glare
• Touch screen?: Yes
• WiFi?: 11AC (1×1) & Bluetooth® 4.2
• Ethernet: No
• Battery life: 8 hours
• Battery type: 2 cell, 32Wh
• Disc drive: No
• Memory card reader: Yes
• HDMI: 1
• Audio connections: Built-in mic, Dolby sound system.
• Webcam: 0.3MP with Dual Array Microphone
• Colour: Ice blue.

Pros

• Has an HDMI port
• Decent battery life
• Good display.

Cons

• No USB-C ports.

Get a Lenovo student discount.

Microsoft Surface Go 2 — £299

One of the best 2-in-1 laptops on a budget for students, the Microsoft Surface Go 2 is super sleek, has a great build and can be taken anywhere.

This cheap notebook sports a bigger screen (with smaller bezels too), has a higher resolution than its predecessors and overall it just “feels” expensive. It’s sure to make your fellow students a little jealous.

For a 2-in-1, its battery life is fairly decent, topping at around 10 hours. The only downside is the price doesn’t include the Type Cover keyboard and will need to be bought separately (it’s around £100, but less with our discount!).

What’s in the box

• 1 x Surface Go 2
• 1 x Power Supply
• 1 x Quick Start Guide
• 1 x Safety and warranty documents

Technical specs

• Operating system: 
• RAM: 4-8GB RAM
• Processor: Intel® Pentium® Gold Processor 4425Y
• Storage: 128GB SSD
• Screen resolution: 1920 x 1280 (220 PPI)
• Screen size: 10.5-inch
• Screen type: PixelSense™ Display
• Touch screen?: Yes
• WiFi?: IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
• Ethernet: No
• Battery life: 10 hours
• Battery type: Lithium-ion
• Disc drive:
• Memory card reader: 
• HDMI: 1
• Audio connections: Dual Studio Mics, 2W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™
• Webcam: 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video. 8.0MP rear-facing auto-focus camera with 1080p HD video
• Colour:  Type covers are Platinum, Black, Poppy Red, and Ice Blue.

Pros

• Feels expensive
• Compact and lightweight.

Cons

• Not as powerful as the other laptops on this list.

Get the Microsoft Surface Go 2 with our Microsoft student discount.

Dell Inspiron 15 3000 Laptop — £289

A Windows laptop with students in mind. Truly. Although made of plastic, it’s well built, thin and light to carry. It has a 1080p IPS display which is still fairly sharp for its price point and makes the 15.6-inch monitor look great. Its Intel CPU (no matter which one you pick) and integrated graphics will do a great job at handling web browsing, streaming and productivity applications all at once. But it’s not quite powerful if you’re on an animation or design course. 

It can barely last 8 hours, so it’s best to pack your charger if you do head out with it.

What’s in the box

• 1 x Dell Inspiron 15 3000 15.6″ Laptop
• 1 x Power adapter
• 1 x Documentation.

Technical specs

• Operating system: Windows 11 Home (S mode)
• RAM: 4GB, 1 x 4 GB, DDR4, 2400 MHz
• Processor: AMD Athlon™ Silver 3050U Mobile Processor
• Storage: 128 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD
• Screen resolution: 1366 x 768
• Screen size: 15.6-inch
• Screen type: LED-Backlit
• Touch screen?:
• WiFi?: 802.11ac 1×1 WiFi and Bluetooth
• Ethernet: No
• Battery life: 8 hours
• Battery type: 3 Cell, 41 Wh, integrated
• Disc drive:
• Memory card reader: 
• HDMI: 1
• Audio connections: Stereo speakers, 2 W x 2 = 4 W total
• Webcam: 720p at 30 fps HD camera
• Colour: Platinum silver.

Pros

• Large FHD screen
• Comes with Windows 11
• Affordable.

Cons

• No USB-C ports.

Check out our Dell student discounts.

Best laptops under £500

ACER ASPIRE 3 — £499

Budget laptops don’t necessarily mean budget components. The ACER ASPIRE 3 is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 5  2500U processor, which for the price, can run all the tasks you need. It’s got a beautiful 15.6-inch FHD display, which again, for the price, is super generous. The only downside is its poor battery life. It only lasts around 4.5 hours, which is probably enough for a day’s lectures, but you’ll definitely need to take your charger with you.

What’s in the box

• 1 x ACER ASPIRE 3
• 1 x Aspire 3 A315-53-5721 Notebook
• 1 x Lithium Polymer Battery
• 1 x AC Adapter

Technical specs

• Operating system: Windows 10 Home
• RAM: 16GB
• Processor: Intel Core i7
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Screen resolution: 1920 x 1080
• Screen size: 14-inch
• Screen type: ComfyView LCD
• Touch screen?: No
• WiFi?: 802.11 ac
• Ethernet: Gigabit Ethernet
• Battery life: 4.5 hours
• Battery type: Lithium Polymer
• Disc drive: None
• Memory card reader: SD/SDXC card reader
• HDMI: 1
• Audio connections: Stereo
• Webcam: 0.3-megapixel
• Colour: Clamshell.

Pros

• 1TB hard drive
• Lots of ports.

Cons

• Poor battery life.

Get the ACER ASPIRE 3 with our ACER student discount.

Best budget student laptop

ACER ASPIRE 5 — £699.99

The ACER ASPIRE 5 sees a massive improvement over the ASPIRE 3 (but at a higher price point). All-round, its specs are very strong. It includes an AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, Intel UHD, 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD (yay for fast writing speed). This laptop is fantastic for fairly heavy use (we’d still shy away from heavy editing software though) and looks stunning in its  15.6-inch, 1080p IPS LCD screen.

Battery life seems like a massive improvement too, 10 hours in fact. And like the ASPIRE 3 it still has a  fantastic selection of ports too, so you can hook it up to a larger monitor or TV. You also get a built-in HD webcam, which is perfect for video meetings. This is the laptop for you if you’re willing to spend a tad more for better specs.

What’s in the box

• 1 x Acer Aspire 5 Laptop
• 1 x Power adapter
• 1 x User documentation.

Technical specs

• Operating system: Windows 10
• RAM: 8 GB DDR4
• Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7 Processor – Quad-core – 2.4 GHz / 4.2 GHz – 8 MB cache
• Storage: 512 GB SSD
• Screen resolution: Full HD 1920 x 1080p
• Screen size: 14-inch
• Screen type: IPS LCD Anti-glare – LED backlighting
• Touch screen?: No
• WiFi?: Intel® WiFi 6 – 2×2 – Up to 2.4 Gbps
• Ethernet: Gigabit Ethernet port
• Battery life: 10 hours
• Battery type: Lithium-ion
• Disc drive: No
• Memory card reader: No
• HDMI: 1
• Audio connections: 3.5 mm jack
• Webcam: HD webcam
• Colour: Black & silver.

Pros

• Super affordable
• Good battery life
• Webcam included.

Cons

• Has bigger bezels.

Get the ACER ASPIRE 5 with our ACER student discount.

And there you have the best budget laptops in 2022! We hope the range of prices suit all budgets and needs out there. Don’t forget to sign up to Student Beans to redeem offers on these laptops too.

How to upgrade RAM on a laptop

Upgrading your laptop’s RAM can help it run and perform faster. If you’re needing more RAM or have an old laptop that could do with an upgrade, check to see if your laptop has an extra RAM slot or RAM that can be replaced.

Can it be done? If so, let’s find out how to upgrade RAM on your laptop:

1. Remove the old RAM by pressing the clips the RAM is slotted into. Remove it gently and try not to touch any of the metal components
2. Align the new RAM replacement into its slot until you hear a click and lock it with the clips.

And that concludes the best budget laptops of 2022 for students! Sign up to Student Beans to get your hands on all the deals we mentioned earlier and check out our other tech student deals too while you’re at it.

Need more great advice on buying a laptop? Check out our extensive laptop buying guide especially for students.