Buying guide: Windows laptops, on a budget
The new generation of affordable laptops are well-built, impressively designed and still remain easy to carry around
Going for a budget laptop no longer means compromising on features and quality experience. Interestingly, some of the smartphone makers such as Micromax, iBall and now Xiaomi are trying to make a mark into the laptop business. These laptops are far better than the netbooks of yesteryear and are changing the perception about budget laptops.
These days, one can get a dependable laptop capable of handling a lot of tasks for around ₹ 10,000. We take a look at some of the best budget laptops and convertibles that you can buy right away.
Micromax Canvas Lapbook
Price: Rs10,999
Micromax’s second budget notebook Lapbook L1160 has a plastic exterior and it weighs just 1.13kg. The matte finish on the lid looks good and keeps it clean as well. It comes with a 11.6-inch display and a resolution of 1366x768p, which is not bad for the screen size. The viewing angles are good. Powering the Lapbook is Intel’s Atom Z3735F quad-core processor paired with 2 GB RAM. The notebook offers 32GB flash. While it isn’t much in terms of storage, it makes the Lapbook a little faster to use. You can always add more storage via a microSD card. The laptop’s real highlight is the battery backup—it can muster up to 14 hours in one go. It runs Windows 10 out of the box. Despite the sleek profile, it carries two USB 2.0 ports.
Lenovo Ideapad 110S
Price: Rs13,999
Lenovo’s most affordable laptop yet, the Ideapad 110S is pretty light and well-built. It tips the scales at 1kg which is impressive and makes it lighter than the Apple Macbook Air laptops. The silver coloured plastic lid almost looks and feels like a metallic ultra-book. It is ideal for professionals on the move with basic requirements such as typing, reading, web browsing and some amount of movie playback. Powered by Intel Atom Z3735F quad-core processor with 2GB RAM, the notebook can handle most basic tasks well. The 32GB flash storage opens up apps faster. It runs Windows 10 out of the box. For connectivity, it packs in two USB 2.0 ports and an HDMI port, and has a micro SD slot.
Acer One 10 S1002-15XR
Price: Rs15,999
Acer One 10 S1002-15XR is a convertible notebook with a detachable keyboard. On top of it, the keyboard’s hinge can swirl backwards up to 360 degrees, similar to the Yoga series of convertible laptops. It can be pretty handy if you wish to keep the display propped for watching movies. Together with the keyboard, it weighs 1.2kg. The display has a screen resolution of 1280x800p which is impressive for a budget laptop. It runs on a very capable Intel Atom Z3735 quad-core processor with 2GB RAM and 32GB flash storage. It comes pre-loaded with Windows 10. The battery is placed in the tablet and lasts up to 4 hours. If you are looking for a laptop which can double up as a touch-based tablet, this is the best option available right now.
HP 15-AC168TU
Price: Rs21,990
In case you are looking for something more conventional with a bigger screen, more storage and the latest Windows 10 OS, the HP 15-AC168TU is a solid option. It weighs just 2.2kg, which is pretty good, considering the fact that an average 15.6-inch laptop easily crosses the 2.5kg mark. The big screen packs in a resolution of 1366x768p which is adequate enough for watching movies. Equipped with Intel’s Pentium Dual Core-3825U processor and 4GB RAM, the notebook is powerful enough to handle more than just basic tasks. It offers 500GB of HDD storage which means users have ample space for storing HD movies on it. It has a full-fledged keyboard which is great news for users who type a lot. It also packs in all the physical elements such as USB 2.0, HDMI, LAN and optical drive, which you won’t get on any ultra-sleek laptop.
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