A sub-$400 price range doesn’t allow you to be expressive with the laptop purchases. Instead, you need to prioritize your requirements and get hold of laptops that offer the most value for money. Going under 400 dollars means that you would be concentrating on budget laptops, which is a keenly contested arena, comprising ultraportable, Chromebooks, and durable gadgets.
What to Look for in a Laptop under $400?
- Budget laptops aren’t easy to pick as you would have to let go of quite a few features just to get hold of some important ones.
- However, it is necessary to be sensitive and at least opt for a gadget with decent battery life. Besides, you must look for a laptop with AMD Ryzen 3 or Intel i3 processor, at least 4 GB RAM, and 128 GB SSD.
- In case you are more inclined toward a visually appealing screen, catering to your streaming and creative needs, an HD panel with 1366 x 768 pixels is the bare minimum. However, if possible, you should look for a laptop with a full HD display.

1. Acer Aspire 5 A515-46-R14K - Slim Laptop
PROS
- AMD Ryzen fast processor
- Wi-Fi 6 support
- Ultrafast storage space
- Long-lasting battery
CONS
- A lower chunk of RAM
- TN display isn’t as bright
In case you want to jump right to the crux of the discussion, it is the Aspire 5 that qualifies as the best laptop that can be purchased for less than 400 dollars. Besides a full HD IPS display and an AMD Ryzen 3 3350U processor, this laptop is also known for the fast 128GB PCIe NVMe SSD, illuminated keyboard, and the latest wireless standards for establishing the fastest possible connections.
- AMD Ryzen 3 3350U with 4GB DDR4 RAM and 128 GB SSD.
- 15.6-inch FHD with Vega 3 integrated graphics
- Backlit keyboard, 10 Hours of battery life
- Ultra-fast SSD, Best for productivity
As mentioned, the Acer Aspire 5 is easily the most competent laptop under 400 dollars. While this laptop doesn’t actually flaunt a sub-$400 price point, you can ditch Intel and opt for the AMD-powered variant for lowering the price point, further. To start with, the Acer Aspire 5 is one of the more portable laptops under 400 dollars that weighs less than 4 pounds.
Acer features a brilliant 15.6-inch screen, bolstered further by 1920 x 1080 pixels as the cumulative resolution. While the $400 price range doesn’t justify the inclusion of IPS technology, you get access to a TN display, boasting of an inherent faster screen refresh rate. The Twisted Nematic panel also brings Acer’s Color Intelligence technology into the mix, followed by the glare-minimizing, BlueLightShield support.
As far as the processing performances are concerned, Acer persists with an AMD Ryzen 3 3350U CPU. The existing processor readily justifies the price range and is capable of reaching turbo clock speeds of up to 3.4GHz. The excellent single-core processing firepower, clubbed with HyperThreading technology makes this 10th gen Intel core processor capable enough to manage accounting and academic tasks sans lags. Besides, the integrated UHD graphics allows you to indulge in casual games and online editing processes.
Acer Aspire 5 boasts 4GB RAM, which is capable of handling basic multitasking, at least 10 simultaneous chrome tabs, and other CPU-intensive processes, without any lag. Storage-wise, there is a 128GB solid-state drive with NVMe-support in play for storing files, data, and Windows 10 S OS, for facilitating quicker boot-ups. Furthermore, Acer also makes room for a smooth, durable, and backlit keyboard followed by innovative speakers with TrueHarmony support, an HD webcam, and dual microphones.