Whether you’re a student, freelancer, or you simply need a work PC for home, the best laptops under £300 should do the job. Sure, you get what you pay for at this price, but as long as you keep your expectations to a minimum, they can be adequate for getting stuff done.
At £300 or below, laptop makers will take every opportunity to hit that low price point, be it the hardware, design, or build quality. Still, these cheap laptops should be good enough for running Office apps, surfing the web, and streaming videos– but that’s it. If you’ve multiple app windows or browser tabs open, the system could slow down quickly.
Most people think it isn’t possible to find a decent notebook at this price; we say otherwise. Here in this guide, you’ll find the best laptops under £300 in the UK that should just hit the spot.
Our Recommendations for the Best Laptops Under £300 UK
[amazon box=”B09K4GRDRL,B08CNMYV3Y,B096XM6BCW,B08NC9YRJ7,B08CV46SNP” template=”table”]
The Best Laptops under £300 in the UK
We admit that buying a laptop under £300 can get tricky, especially when demand for them has never been this high. But for you, we’ve painstakingly rounded up the best models found on Amazon and reviewed them. Be sure to check out all of them below.
1. Dynabook Satellite Pro C40-G-109
[amazon box=”B09K4GRDRL”]
- Display: 14” 1366 x 768
- Processor: Intel Celeron 5205U (2C/2T)
- Memory: 4 GB DDR4-2666
- Storage: 128 GB SSD
- Battery: Unspecified (Up to 10 Hours)
- I/O: 2 x USB-A 3.2 (5 Gb/s), 1 x USB-C 3.2 (5 Gb/s), 1 x HDMI, 1 x MicroSD Slot, 1 x RJ-45 LAN, 1 x 3.5mm Combo Jack
If you’re looking for a cheap work or study laptop under £300, the Satellite Pro C40-G is worth checking out. This 14” portable offers the versatility you need for a productive day yet is stunningly slender at 18.9 mm and lightweight at 1.55 kilos. Plus, the 10-hour battery life makes it a great on-the-go companion.
The C40-G features one of the more “powerful” dual-core Celerons out there, providing just enough power for day-to-day tasks. The 128 GB SATA SSD keeps the system relatively responsive, though the 4 GB RAM somewhat impairs multitasking. Thankfully, you get an M.2 and SODIMM slots for storage and memory expansions.
Connectivity is surprisingly well-rounded for a budget laptop, with two USB-A, a single USB-C port supporting power delivery and display output, HDMI, MicroSD slot, and a flip-type Gigabit Ethernet jack. It also got dual-band Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0.
A few caveats of the Satellite Pro C40-G are its mediocre display, tinny stereo speakers, and average trackpad. But these are some compromises you’d usually see on a budget laptop anyway. It comes with a licensed copy of Windows 10 Pro and is eligible for the Windows 11 Pro upgrade.
[amazon fields=”B09K4GRDRL” button_text=”Check Latest Price” value=”button”]
2. Lenovo IdeaPad 3i (81WA005CUK)
[amazon box=”B08CNMYV3Y”]
- Display: 14” TN 1920 x 1080
- Processor: Intel Pentium Gold 6405U (2C/4T)
- Memory: 4 GB DDR4-2400
- Storage: 128 GB SSD
- Battery: 35 Wh
- I/O: 2 x USB-A 3.2 (5 Gb/s), 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x HDMI 1.4b, 1 x SD Card Reader, 1 x 3.5mm Audio
The IdeaPad 3i is another 14” laptop perfect for your everyday tasks. This time around, you get a Full HD screen with 2-sided narrow bezels and 3W stereo speakers with Dolby Audio support. The 220-nits TN panel isn’t bright enough for outdoor use, but the anti-glare coating does help under ambient lighting conditions.
This entry-level variant of the IdeaPad 3i has a dual-core, hyperthreaded Pentium chip, 4 GB of soldered DDR4 memory, and 128 GB of upgradeable solid-state storage. Since it runs Windows 10 Home in S mode out of the box, it’s relatively snappy and responsive when using Office apps or the Edge browser. You can add an extra 8 GB SODIMM module in the device’s only memory upgrade slot for better multitasking.
While I/O is relatively simple on the IdeaPad 3i, a USB-C port would’ve been good to see. But for a budget laptop, the 2×2 Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 support are welcoming additions. What’s not great is the cramped keyboard and small trackpad, which will take some time to get used to for you.
Apart from its rudimentary screen, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is a good value laptop that covers the basics.
[amazon fields=”B08CNMYV3Y” button_text=”Check Latest Price” value=”button”]
3. Asus E510 (E510MA-EJ015TS)
[amazon box=”B096XM6BCW”]
- Display:6” 1920 x 1080
- Processor: Intel Celeron N4020 (2C/2T)
- Memory: 4 GB DDR4
- Storage: 64 GB eMMC
- Battery: 42 Wh
- I/O: 1 x USB-A 3.2 (5 Gb/s), 1 x USB-C 3.2 (5 Gb/s), 1 x USB-A 2.0, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x Headphone/Mic Combo
Those who want a laptop with a bigger screen will find the Asus E510 compelling. It packs a 15.6-inch Full HD display with an impressive 84% screen-to-body ratio. The thin-and-light, fanless chassis is accompanied by a stylish lid detailed with a unique motif pattern, setting it apart from the boring-old look of budget laptops.
The E510 comes with a dual-core Celeron and 4 GB DDR4 memory. This weak hardware combo manages to offer palatable performance in basic productivity applications as it runs Windows 10 Home in S mode. Good thing you can upgrade the total system memory to 8 GB and add an M.2 SSD module down the road.
Asus hasn’t cut corners on connectivity, including a Type-C USB 3.2 port and a full-size HDMI output. Battery life is also surprisingly decent, and the E510 will last you through the day on a single charge. The touchpad is small, but the full-size keyboard with its 1.4 mm key travel feels good to type on.
Overall, the Asus E510 is a well-balanced laptop for well below 300 pounds. It’s eligible for the free Windows 11 upgrade, plus you get a 1-year Office 365 subscription.
[amazon fields=”B096XM6BCW” button_text=”Check Latest Price” value=”button”]
4. Acer Swift 1 (SF114-34)
[amazon box=”B08NC9YRJ7″]
- Display: 14” IPS 1920 x 1080
- Processor: Intel Pentium Silver N6000 (4C/4T)
- Memory: 4 GB LPDDR4X
- Storage: 128 GB NVMe SSD
- Battery: 48 Wh
- I/O: 2 x USB-A 3.2 (5 Gb/s), 1 x USB-C 3.2 (5 Gb/s), 1 x HDMI, 1 x 3.5mm Audio
The Swift 1 is a 14” class notebook from Acer under £300. It’s got a stylish aluminium body that’s less than 15 mm thin and weighs just 1.3 kilos, meaning you can effortlessly carry it around with you. Despite the slim form factor, it’s rated for an all-day battery lasting up to 15 hours– and that’s on a single charge, too.
The passively-cooled quad-core Pentium Silver CPU inside the Swift 1 delivers satisfactory performance in regular tasks, further helped by Windows 10 Home running in S mode. Sadly, the 4 GB onboard memory isn’t upgradeable, so multitasking takes a hit. You still get a PCIe M.2 slot for storage expansions, though.
Apart from the lack of an SD card reader, the I/O on the Swift 1 allows for fast data transfer, 4K video output, and connecting wired headphones. You also ger dual-band Intel 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 as fast wireless connectivity.
The fact that the Swift 1 features an edge-to-edge FHD IPS screen, backlit keyboard, and a fingerprint reader for instant and secure logins makes it even more attractive at the low-end segment.
[amazon fields=”B08NC9YRJ7″ button_text=”Check Latest Price” value=”button”]
Related
Conclusion
We’ve shortlisted and reviewed laptops at different price points before. However, it took us more time and effort than initially expected to compile this guide to the best laptops under £300 in the UK simply because of their limited availability. Still and all, if you find any of the following laptops suitable for your usage, feel free to use our provided buy link.
