While $700 is still budget territory in the laptop world, there are some surprisingly capable options at this price. You can find thin and light models with sturdy construction, good displays, and enough performance for everyday productivity, and this is also roughly where entry-level gaming laptops begin to appear. Apple's MacBook Neo has significantly raised the bar for the category, bringing a well-built and highly portable MacBook under $700 for the first time. Windows laptops still offer advantages like broader software compatibility, larger displays, and more varied hardware options, while Chromebooks remain a good choice for simple web-based workloads. You won't find a true mobile workstation at this price, but there are plenty of good options for school, work, and general use.
We've tested over 175 laptops, and below you'll find our recommendations for the best laptops under $700 you can buy. You can also see our recommendations for the best laptops under $600, the best budget and cheap laptops, and the best laptops for college.
Since 2021, we've tested dozens of laptops every year. We buy our laptops to avoid bias and, following a rigorous methodology, test nearly every part of the laptop so we can deliver results you can rely on. We use a wide range of equipment to perform our tests, including a colorimeter, a Mecmesin MultiTest-i System Test Stand, and various performance benchmarking suites.
Want to know more? Check out our How We Test Laptops article, where we give you a broader overview of our review process, from the moment we purchase the product to the final review.
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Best Laptop Under $700
General ProductivityMultimediaGamingWorkstationSize:13"See all our test resultsOperating System:macOSThe best laptop under $700 we've tested is the Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 2026). At its regular $699 starting price, it offers a level of build quality and overall polish that's difficult to find at this price, while eligible students can get the base model for $599 through Apple's education store. Students can even get the upgraded 512GB model with Touch ID for $699. The Neo has an exceptionally sturdy aluminum chassis that's compact and easy to carry, impressive battery life, and a sharp, bright, and highly accurate display. You also get a large, responsive touchpad, great speakers, and an excellent 1080p webcam.
Its A18 Pro SoC delivers remarkably strong performance for such an inexpensive laptop, making everyday tasks like web browsing, productivity work, and light photo editing feel smooth and responsive. The biggest concern is its 8GB of non-upgradeable memory, but this limitation isn't as severe in practice as you'd think due to how efficient macOS is. The Neo remains responsive with typical multitasking involving browser tabs, office apps, media playback, and communication apps. You'll start running into limitations with very heavy multitasking or memory-intensive applications, so power users should look elsewhere, but 8GB is sufficient for the kind of everyday productivity this laptop is designed for.
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Best Windows Laptop Under $700
General ProductivityMultimediaGamingWorkstationSize:14"See all our test resultsOperating System:Windows 11If you want a Windows laptop under $700, consider the HP OmniBook 3 14 (2025). There are several configurations available at this price, and we recommend getting one with 16GB of RAM. Some models use a Snapdragon X processor, while others have AMD Ryzen CPUs; if available, a Ryzen 5 230 configuration is a particularly good option, as it provides solid performance without the app-compatibility considerations of Windows on ARM. We recommend avoiding 8GB configurations if possible, as that amount of memory can become limiting fairly quickly with multitasking in Windows 11.
The Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 2026) above is still the better overall laptop, though. It feels considerably more premium, is smaller and easier to carry, and provides a more polished user experience. However, the HP's 16GB of memory gives it more headroom for multitasking than the MacBook's non-upgradeable 8GB, and you get a wider selection of ports and configurations.
If you'd prefer a more premium Windows ultraportable, consider the Dell XPS 13 (2026). Its build quality, display, and portability are closer to the MacBook's, but the configurations that fit comfortably under $700 only have 8GB of RAM. If you were to go with the XPS 13, we'd highly recommend stepping up to the 16GB model if your budget allows.
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Best Chromebook Under $700
General ProductivityMultimediaGamingWorkstationSize:14"See all our test resultsOperating System:Chrome OSIf you have a lighter workload that you can access through a Chrome browser or Android app, check out the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (2024). This 2-in-1 convertible feels surprisingly well-built for the price, and it's easy to carry around, thanks to its compact and lightweight design. It has a nice FHD+ display, a comfortable keyboard, a smallish but responsive touchpad, and an excellent 1440p webcam. The display reaches 390 cd/m² of brightness, a rarity among Chromebooks, so you get good visibility in well-lit settings. Plus, you can flip the screen around and use it as a tablet since this is a 2-in-1 convertible. Its port selection is decent; it has two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s, a USB-A, an HDMI, and a headphone jack.
For under $700, you can get a model equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 5 115U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. There are more powerful configurations if you're willing to pay more, but they may be hard to find due to low availability. Besides, the Core Ultra 5 model is more than adequate for everything you'd need to do on a Chromebook. Its battery life is excellent at around 10 hours, and the laptop charges over USB-C, eliminating the need for a separate charger. Unfortunately, there are no biometrics like a fingerprint sensor or facial recognition camera, though that is fairly typical for a Chromebook in this price range.
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Best Gaming Laptop Under $700
BusinessMultimediaGamingWorkstationSize:15.6"See all our test resultsOperating System:Windows 11The HP Victus 15 (2022) is our best gaming pick. While it's usually found for a bit above $700 USD when not on sale, you can get a model with an Intel Core i5-12500H CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a 60Hz FHD display. This CPU/GPU combo provides a relatively solid 60 fps gaming experience at 1080p, though you'll have to tweak the graphical settings a bit to get there. Its 8GB RAM amount isn't ideal for gaming, as it'll significantly impact performance, but thankfully, you can upgrade the memory yourself. Doing so might end up being cheaper, anyway. The biggest downside is the 60Hz display, so you're better off plugging it into an external monitor.
As for the overall build, this laptop feels sturdy despite its all-plastic construction. The keyboard feels spacious and reasonably tactile, and the port selection is varied, including a true HDMI and Ethernet port. There are no biometrics like a fingerprint sensor or facial recognition camera, though we don't really expect it at this price range. Unfortunately, this laptop isn't very portable, as it's rather bulky and heavy, and like most laptops with a discrete GPU, the battery lasts only an hour or so when gaming.
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Best 2-In-1 Tablet Under $700
BusinessMultimediaGamingWorkstationSize:13.3"See all our test resultsOperating System:Chrome OSThe best 2-in-1 tablet under $700 we've tested is the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021), a Chrome OS 2-in-1 tablet. Like the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (2024) mentioned above, this is a Chrome OS device, so you must ensure you can do everything through the Chrome browser or Android apps from the Google Play Store. Windows 2-in-1 tablets exist, like Microsoft's Surface Pros, but they're typically more expensive. As for the Duet 5, this is mainly a media consumption device. It sports a bright and colorful OLED display, and like all OLEDs, it produces deep, inky blacks for an amazing dark room viewing experience.
Unfortunately, the speakers are pretty bad, as they sound unnatural with no bass whatsoever. Also, there's no 3.5 mm headphone jack, so you'll want to use wireless headphones for the best audio experience. As for productivity, you can attach the included keyboard type cover when you need to get some work done, but it's worth noting that the keyboard is best suited for short emails, as it doesn't feel particularly comfortable to type on and can cause fatigue. Besides, the processor can only handle simple tasks. The battery lasts around eight hours of video playback or 10 hours of light use (web browsing), and you can charge the tablet via USB-C.
Notable Mentions
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ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023):
Get the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) if you want Windows or a larger display than the Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 2026). Its 16-inch screen gives you more room to work, and you can upgrade the memory, but the MacBook is much more portable, better built, and provides a more polished overall experience.
See our review -
Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9 11 (2024):
Take a look at the Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9 11 (2024) if you'd prefer a smaller, easier-to-carry alternative to the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021). Both are 2-in-1 tablets with detachable keyboards, but the Duet 5's larger 13.3-inch OLED display makes it more comfortable for productivity and media use. Both have the same general app-compatibility limitations of ChromeOS.
See our review -
Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 (2022):
Consider the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 (2022) if portability matters more than the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021)'s larger display. It's even more compact and has better battery life, but its smaller non-OLED screen isn't as good for media consumption, and the keyboard feels more cramped.
See our review
Recent Updates
Aug 28, 2026:
The Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 2026) is now the 'Best Laptop Under $700', as it's better and more readily available than the Acer Swift Go 14 (2024). The HP OmniBook 3 14 (2025) is now also the 'Best Windows Laptop Under $700', specifically its 16GB variants. Due to availability issues, we made some changes to the Notable Mentions. We also updated the intro to match the current state of the under-$700 laptop landscape.
Apr 30, 2025:
Verified that all picks are valid and available. No change in recommendations.
Mar 03, 2025:
Removed the Acer Siwft 14 (2020) from the Notable Mentions because it's a 2020 model and no longer worth getting. Added the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) and the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024) as Notable Mentions.
Jan 09, 2025:
Replaced the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (2021) with the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021) because the Surface costs well over $700 USD. Added the Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1 14 (2024) as a Notable Mention.
Nov 11, 2024:
Replaced the Lenovo Yoga 6 13 (2023) with the Acer Swift Go 14 (2024) because the Acer performs better and provides a better user experience. Replaced the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2022) with the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (2024) since the 2022 model was discontinued. Removed the ASUS Vivobook S 16 Flip TP3604 (2023) from the Notable Mentions due to a price increase. Removed the HP Pavilion Aero 13 (2024) from the Notable Mentions because there are better options.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best laptops for less than $700 and the best gaming laptops under $700 to buy for most people. In addition to the test results, we factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.
If you prefer to make your own decision, here's the list of all of our laptop reviews. Most laptops are available in various configurations, and the table only shows the results of the model we tested, so it's best to see the full review for information about other variants.