The best laptops for under £400

Chromebooks are a go-to option for affordable laptops, and the Samsung Chromebook 4 only improves on earlier Samsung Chromebook models. It’s a simple, reliable notebook that will do the trick for work, school, or basic daily use.

The Intel Celeron N4000 along with 4GB of RAM provides solid performance, and, with 32GB of storage, this model offers double the storage of the Chromebook 3, which itself was a well-loved affordable option. 

The Chromebook 4 has a more modern design than the Chromebook 3, and it charges via USB-C, which also serves to transfer data at speeds up to 5Gb/s and can connect to a 4K monitor. It includes a USB-A port as well. Overall, a bargain.

With a vibrant, 14.1-inch display and 256GB of SSD storage, the Chuwi HeroBook Pro seems like anything but a budget laptop. 

The laptop is lightweight and slim at 0.8 inches. The design is sleek and modern, lending the appearance of a much more expensive notebook. The display has anti-glare properties and unbeatable viewing angles for the price. While it’s not the biggest display we have on this list, it is one of the best.

The big sell is that it’s equipped to handle video editing. The processor and graphics card combo ensures good graphics processing and decoding of 4K video. 

Overall, performance and speed are great with this machine. Battery life isn’t the longest, however, as it lasts about nine hours. 

With a colourful display, robust storage, and 13 hours of battery life, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet is possibly the best Chromebook overall. It’s small and lightweight, yet powerful and reliable enough to handle heavy browsing.

This is a great choice for tablet fans who want something even lighter and more versatile — the keyboard will allow you to treat this as a laptop whenever you please. 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM are packed inside this machine, too.

While this has only one USB-C port, and is missing an audio jack, you’ll be able to connect to just about any accessory via Bluetooth. 

The HP Stream 11 may not be the latest product on the market, but it’s one of the best available for the price. That’s why it remains consistently popular.

At under 1.1 kilograms and 11.6 inches, this laptop is highly portable, making it a great option for someone who travels often or has a daily commute. And though it’s not much to look at — it looks a bit like a kids’ laptop, in fact — appearances can be deceiving. There’s plenty to rave about beneath the hood. It sports a long battery life and pretty strong performance for the price point.

It also includes a microSD card reader, one USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.1 port, an HDMI port, and a headphone jack, but unfortunately there’s no USB-C port. 

The Acer Aspire 1 a basic laptop, great for your home office or for the kids’ schoolwork. It’s typical of what you’d see for a laptop that's less than £300, with 4GB RAM, 64GB of eMMC storage, but it’s a good-looking device — both the chassis and display look sharp.

Wireless performance is good, and this laptop runs Windows 10. A comfortable keyboard and an attractive design sweeten the deal. The laptop includes also includes a decent port selection, with two USB-A ports, a headphone jack, an HDMI port, and an Ethernet port.

As you might expect at this price, there are some compromises. The laptop looks good though it’s a bit flimsy in the hands and the webcam isn’t up to much. But these are downsides you expect at such a low price.

Yes, Acer makes the list again. And for good reason. The Acer Chromebook Spin 311 is a more than capable multi-mode device that flips — quite brilliantly we might add, thanks to its very smart flip design — between a standard laptop, tablet, tent, and display modes. That means its versatile and can be put to all kinds of uses.

Of course, we’ve also rated the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet for being the best convertible laptop in this price range, and that still stands. What sets this apart is its touchscreen. It’s protected by hard-wearing Gorilla glass and it’s a breeze to use. Remember that it’s a small screen, however. In fact, the Acer Chromebook Spin 311 is small all-round — best for anyone who needs that portability, or needs a device in their bag at all times.