Forget Chromebooks, these Windows 11 laptops are just as cheap but much more powerful

A selection of laptops with the words 'Big Savings'

(Image credit: Lenovo / Acer / Dell)

With Amazon Prime Day just about to start, I've been preparing to offer my usual advice to not buy a cheap Windows laptop, and instead buy a Chromebook... but I've already found some brilliant offers that challenge that idea.

That's right – this year, there are Windows 11 laptops selling for $400 and under that are actually worth buying. In previous years, sub-$400 laptops were often not worth buying as they were packed with old and underpowered hardware that meant that Windows 11 and its apps would run appallingly.

Meanwhile, Chromebooks running the much more lightweight Chrome OS were much better buys, as for the same price – or even cheaper – you'd get much better performance.

However this year, I've found some brilliant ultra-cheap Windows 11 laptop deals that feature modern processors, plenty of RAM and good amounts of storage space. Windows 11 is also a more versatile operating system than Chrome OS and supports a much wider range of applications, and this means if you're after a cheap yet dependable laptop to work and study on, I'd actually recommend one of these Windows 11 laptops instead.

Make sure you check out our pick of the best Prime Day laptop deals as well, for more excellent savings on a range of devices, including laptops, Chromebooks and MacBooks.

Today's best budget laptop deals

Lenovo IdeaPad 1i: was $499.99 now $279.99 at Best Buy
Display – 15.6 inches
Processor – Intel Core i3
RAM – 8GB
Storage – 256GB
OS – Windows 11

This Windows 11 laptop has had a hefty $220 price cut, changing a decent mid-range laptop into an absolute bargain of a budget laptop. At this price, you're getting the full version of Windows 11, so if you've not fancied a Chromebook because of Chrome OS' limitations, this is an excellent choice. For students or anyone looking for a cheap yet dependable laptop to work on, this cheap laptop deal is well worth looking into.

Acer Aspire 3: was $599.99 now $329.99 at Best Buy
Display – 15.6 inches
Processor – AMD Ryzen 5
RAM – 8GB
Storage – 512GB
OS – Windows 11

When a Windows 11 laptop this good goes for this cheap (thanks to a $270 saving), then is there even a reason to buy a Chromebook? Thanks to its mid-range Ryzen 5 processor and roomy 512GB SSD, this is an excellent laptop for day-to-day use for the family – and it would make an excellent first laptop for students as well thanks to the low price. If you were considering a Chromebook but prefer the flexibility of Windows 11, then you'd be hard pushed to find a better Prime Day laptop deal.

Dell Inspiron 15: was $629.99 now $349.99 at Best Buy
Display – 15.6 inches
Processor – Intel Core i5
RAM – 8GB
Storage – 512GB
OS – Windows 11

Here's another great value Windows 11 laptop that could challenge the best Chromebooks when it comes to offering bang for your bucks. The 12th generation Intel Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and 512GB SSD means Windows 11 and its apps run very well, and you have plenty of storage space for your documents. The 1080p touchscreen gives this laptop a versatility many rivals at this price point lack, and while you shouldn't expect the Dell Inspiron 15 to be a video-editing powerhouse or able to play cutting-edge games, for day-to-day use this is a great choice, especially with $280 knocked off the price.

As the laptops above run Windows 11, you're able to use complex programs such as Adobe Photoshop, whereas with Chromebooks you're limited to lightweight apps from the Chrome store or Google Play.

While those apps are perfectly fine for easy tasks, for anyone wanting to do something more complex, such as photo and video editing, a Windows 11 laptop gives you much more versatility.

The fact that these laptops are going for around the same price as many Chromebooks means if you're not convinced by Chrome OS, you have some excellent choices.

More Amazon Prime Day deals in the US

Apple: up to $150 off MacBooks
Audible: three months free
Back to school: essentials and tech from $5
Gaming: free PC games until July 16
Kindle: three months Kindle Unlimited
Laptops: deals from $179.99
Music Unlimited: five months free
Smart home: cheapest ever Ring Doorbell
Tablets: Fire Kids tablets from $54.99
TVs: cheap TVs from $64.99

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. He’s personally reviewed and used most of the laptops in our best laptops guide - and since joining TechRadar in 2014, he's reviewed over 250 laptops and computing accessories personally.