Our continually updated list of all the best laptops available today.
Choosing which laptop is the best for you can be a tricky business, and the amount of choice can be overwhelming.
There's no shortage of cheap laptops out there to choose from, but with new models being released and almost immediately replaced by manufacturers, the choice is no easy task.
As well as reading through this feature, you can also check out our video buying guide below:
The lure of netbooks and the rise of the mini-laptop are also huge factors for those looking for a new notebook, but each has their downsides.
That's why we've pored over our huge database of laptop reviews and picked out the best notebooks money can buy. We've picked out five of the best cheap laptop computers in each of four categories – the sub-£400 and sub-£600 (including some for under £500) price ranges, as well gaming laptops and lightweight notebooks.
PRICING NOTE: The prices listed here are for guidance only and aren't guarantees of availability at a certain price. Because of the wildly fluctuating availability of certain models, we often review laptops by series. As a consequence it may be that there are tens of models with similar or the same name, but available at various price points.
When considering what to buy, think about your needs and your most important factor, be it laptop battery life or screen size. The most important part is to be honest about what you need, and you could save a fortune on getting the best laptop for you.
Your comments (11) Click to add a new comment
lynnebl
March 22nd 2011
11. Help needed! i need a new laptop, but everytime i decide on one, someone pops up and says 'don't get that, get this!' My heart says a macbook pro 15inch but my head says 'stupid money'. Ditto Sony VAIO - people keep telling me they break...and so on. Right, I am a full time self-employed author, don't do any gaming, mostly work on word docs - i produce tens of thousands of words, obviously - and the only other thing I do is take holiday snaps and keep an iTunes library. i have just had a very bad experience with a new dell - got my money back, after a big fight, and have no other allegiance. Someone in the know - Dan? - please put me out of my misery, as I'm currently working at my tiny netbook, which is driving me mad.... Thanks!!
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laurencesung
March 11th 2011
10. these 20 laptops are very good quality & very welcomed laptops. I have bought MSI laptop for my wife as a birthday gift, she likes it very much.
Even those laptop's adapters are very hot sell.my friend's chinese factory sell so many these adapters worldwide,here are his link: www.autkey.com
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jpmoriarty
March 10th 2011
9. Plus the samsung u330 doesn't have gigabit ethernet, though it's still a great machine http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/pc-peripherals/notebook-computers/thin-and-light/NP-Q330-JA01UK/index.idx?pagetype=prd_detail&tab=specification
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stevenkoenig2
February 25th 2011
8. alienware is over priced junk i just got an asus g73jw it smoke fast and only cost 1,650 spec out fast than alienware m17 it was the best till dell became the onwer if alienware !!!!!!!!
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2005tammyf
November 16th 2010
7. Hi< Can anyone tell me where I can by a Samsung R730 for £399 (as listed above) I have looked all over buy cant find one less that £450
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scaramanga89
October 2nd 2010
6. no Macbook Pro?
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isnumeric
August 16th 2010
5. I was about to rant about your exclusion of the sony viao Z series when I noticed trini's post.
You can't have a review of high end laptops without including this model. It definitely deserves a shout or even its own review.
An awesome machine
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trini
August 8th 2010
4. Does TechRadar not have an editor? Did Mr Stables not look through TechRadar's own past reviews before writing this article? This article was published on the 30th June. On the 18th June TechRadar published a review on the Sony VAIO VPCZ11Z9E/B. It's verdict at the end was "While the price is certainly high, there's no doubt that this is the best ultraportable laptop you can currently buy." Based on Techradar's own review why was the Sony Z not included in the 5 ultra portables of this article??
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marcopolomint
August 4th 2010
3. Oh - and the Vostro V13. Lovely laptop but don't forget you can only buy this as a Business user on Dell's website, so there is TAX. The lowest version (not much more powerful than a netbook) becomes more expensive, and anything genuinely useful (you know, like dual cores) becomes seriously expensive - and you still woudn't use it as a primary machine with such poor battery life. Shame, as the design rocks.
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marcopolomint
August 4th 2010
2. @moinsheriff
Er.. the very last lappy is a Toshiba Portege R600. But the R700 (recently released) is a better deal.
Generally there are some VERY mediocre laptops on this list. Quite disappointed. Look at the bezels!
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moinsheriff
August 1st 2010
1. Haven't seen any Toshiba on the list.. Toshiba has some great laptops.. I bought one a few months back.. Satellite A505-S6965
4GB RAM , 500 HDD, ATI Radeon 512MB, 15.6 LED display, track pad (like apple), Backlit keyboard (very necessary).. harman/kardon inbuilt speakers (awesome sound and bass), slot loading DVD drive.. full numeric keypad.. HDMI port.. and all for just 800$ (510 GBP)
Now tell me, doesn't this deserve to be up there :)
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