Available in four different colors (including pink), the Gateway GWTN141-10BK laptop - an own-brand offering from US retail giant Walmart - could be a godsend for SMB looking for a business laptop on a shoestring budget.
At $499 including shipping, it is significantly cheaper than better-known rivals (from the likes of Dell or Lenovo) and we bet you won’t find a new laptop with equivalent specifications anywhere in the US.
Just bear in mind that this is a product that we haven’t tested or even held in our hands yet. However, on paper at least, it is one of the best deals we've seen for a business-focused laptop (or a lightweight mobile workstation).
Why is this laptop a great deal?
What do you get for your money, other than a CPU that trounces everything in its price range? Just because it's an own brand product, don't think this Walmart laptop doesn't pack a punch.
This Gateway laptop is powered by an Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU with Intel Iris Xe graphics - one of the most powerful processors you can find in a sub-$500 laptop.
Also included is 16GB RAM and a 512GB PCIe m.2 SSD, both of which can be easily replaced - a boon for busy IT system administrators - and you can also add a second SATA M2 SSD device.
The keyboard is not backlit and there's no Ethernet port, but there is a front facing IR camera, which is great for Windows 10's Hello biometric security system, plus a fingerprint reader. It boasts no fewer than three USB ports (including one Type-C connector that can be used to charge the laptop), a headphone jack and an HDMI slot. We would still recommend an external laptop docking station.
With a 14-inch full HD display, Bluetooth 5.1, support for THX spatial audio technology via two speakers and even a microSD card reader hidden in the front, you could do much, much worse for your money.
It runs on Windows 10 Home, (no Windows 10 Pro or S-mode here) and you will get a free update to Windows 11 when it rolls out. There are no bundled software as well; no antivirus, driver update software or Microsoft 365 Office trials.
One thing we're unsure of is the battery life but Gateway states that you will be able to type away for up to 10 hours, which is entirely feasible given how new the 1135G7 is.
