Are you searching for laptops under £400 in the UK? If yes, then check out the below-mentioned list of the best laptops under £400.
A decent Windows or Mac laptop will set you back at least a grand. Nowadays, it’s possible to pick up a budget notebook with hardware capable enough for home, work, or school use, for £400 or less. You can also find 2-in-1 tablet PCs that provide the functionality of both a laptop and a tablet at this price.
However, there will be trade-offs in one aspect or the other. Sure, you could buy a modestly powerful 15” class laptop, but you’ll have to live with a mediocre display and general build quality issues. Other options may have an overall better design and build at the compromise of a low-end processor and smaller storage capacity.
The good news is that you’ll need to make do with lesser compromises with modern budget laptops than in the past, all thanks to the lower manufacturing costs and recent advancements in mobile processing capabilities. But to ensure you make a happy purchase, we’ve prepared this guide to the best laptops under £400 in the UK.
Our Picks for the Best Laptops Under £400 in the UK
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Top 4 Best Laptops Under £400 Reviews
Upon going through a plethora of sub-£400 laptops on Amazon and comparing them against each other, we’ve rounded up the four best options below. You can also check our minute-long reviews to learn more about the devices.
1. Asus X515 (X515EA-BQ068T)
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- Display:6” IPS 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz
- Processor: Intel Core i3-1115G4 (2C/4T) w/ UHD Graphics
- Memory: 4 GB DDR4
- Storage: 256 GB NVMe SSD
- Battery: 37 Wh
- I/O: 1 x USB-A 3.2 (5 Gb/s), 1 x USB-C 3.2 (Gb/s), 2 x USB-A 2.0, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x MicroSD Card Reader, 1 x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack
We consider the Asus X515, an entry-level 15-inch laptop, as a solid pick for several reasons. Firstly, it’s a slender machine that’s also pretty lightweight at 1.8 kilos, and it features a 15.6” 1080p IPS display with an 83% screen-to-body ratio. Plus, the ergonomic chiclet keyboard enables comfortable typing. It isn’t backlit but does have number keys.
Secondly, the X515 packs an 11th-gen Core i3 CPU that’s significantly more capable than the Pentiums and Celerons found in other budget models. Despite having only two cores, it never feels sluggish during word processing, browsing, and video playback, though the 4 GB of DDR4 RAM somewhat hinders multi-tasking.
Fortunately, you can upgrade the memory capacity by installing an extra SODIMM module. The X515 also has an M.2 slot (preoccupied with the 256 GB NVMe SSD) and a standard 2.5” SATA drive slot for mass storage expansion. Connectivity options are similarly versatile, with three USB-A, single USB-C, one HDMI port, along with Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.1 support.
The Asus X515 comes with Windows 10 installed, with a free upgrade to Windows 11. Overall, this is one of the best portables you’ll find at this price.
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2. Lenovo V14
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- Display: 14” TN 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (2C/4T) w/ Radeon Graphics
- Memory: 8 GB DDR4-2400
- Storage: 256 GB NVMe SSD
- Battery: 35 Wh
- I/O: 2 x USB-A 3.2 (5 Gb/s), 1 x USB-A 2.0, 1 x HDMI, 1 x SD Card Reader, 1 x 3.5mm Headset Jack
The Lenovo V14 is a 14-inch class laptop that strikes a good balance between features and compromises. It’s lightweight and portable enough to carry around. Its in-mould rolling lid with textured lines and thinner screen bezels give the laptop a premium look.
The screen itself isn’t that impressive. Despite being Full HD, the TN panel doesn’t get bright, with inferior colour accuracy and narrow viewing angles. However, it’s alright for regular work and casual media consumption. The anti-glare coating makes it slightly more usable under ambient indoor lighting.
Inside the V14 is a dual-core Ryzen 3 APU with integrated Radeon graphics. Not only does it perform reasonably in lightly-threaded apps, but it’s also power efficient. The 8 GB RAM and fast 256 GB NVMe storage, both of which are expandable to an extent, contributes to the system’s overall fluidity and responsiveness.
There’s no USB-C connectivity with this laptop, yet the ports selection is pretty solid regardless. On the plus side, you get dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0. The 0.3 MP webcam is terrible, like on most other similarly-priced laptops.
This variant of the Lenovo V14 also doesn’t come with an operating system, so you’ll need to install your own. Others could spend extra pounds on this model with Windows 10 Home preinstalled.
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3. Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (81W40048UK)
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- Display:6” TN 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 4300U (4C/4T) w/ Radeon Graphics
- Memory: 4 GB DDR4-2666
- Storage: 128 GB eMMC
- 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 3 from Lenovo comes in several (and somewhat confusing) variants, but we chose to showcase this particular 15-inch model. Granted, it has a TN screen, average battery life, and no USB-C port– trade-offs you’ve to live with when picking up this laptop.
However, what you get in exchange is a Ryzen 3 APU with four powerful Zen 2 cores that effortlessly handle day-to-day tasks and even some light gaming. While the laptop comes with only 4 GB of soldered RAM, the extra SODIMM slot lets you expand system memory to up to 20 GB. The same goes for the 128 GB flash storage, which you can replace with a higher-capacity M.2 SSD.
The IdeaPad 3 is also a thin-and-light device with ample connectivity options, though some may miss the Type-C USB port. Its precision touchpad is on the smaller side. The keyboard does have a number pad but isn’t backlit. Note that none of this hampers regular usage. The privacy webcam shutter is pretty useful.
If you can overlook its flaws, the IdeaPad 3 is a well-rounded laptop for the price. It runs Windows 10 Home, albeit in S mode out of the box. Thankfully, you can follow microsoft official guide to switch out of S mode and run your regular x64 apps.
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4. MSI Modern 14 (B10MW)
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- Display: 14” IPS 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz
- Processor: Intel Core i3-10110U (2C/4T) w/ UHD Graphics
- Memory: 8 GB DDR4-2666
- Storage: 256 GB NVMe SSD
- Battery: 39 Wh
- I/O: 2 x USB-A 2.0, 1 x USB-C 3.2 (10 Gb/s), 1 x HDMI, 1 x MicroSD Card Reader, 1 x 3.5mm Audio-out/Mic-in Combo
MSI is well-known for its high-end gaming laptops, but they also have options for everyday use. The Modern 14 B10MW is an underrated value-for-money competitor in the budget segment, with a thin-and-light aluminium chassis that weighs only 1.3 kilos.
The 14-inch, edge-to-edge IPS display offers adequate brightness, excellent colour accuracy, and wide viewing angles, making it great for watching movies and shows on the go. The backlit keyboard and medium-size trackpad also improve productivity.
Powering the Modern 14 is a dual-core, hyperthreaded Comet Lake i3 chip. It’s older and less capable than the newer 11th-gen Tiger Lake counterpart yet still delivers decent performance in regular applications. It’s paired with 8 GB of RAM and a super-fast 256 GB NVMe Gen4 drive. You can easily upgrade both of them later down the road.
Other notable features include the USB-C SuperSpeed (10 Gb/s) port, 4W stereo speakers, HD webcam, and dual-band WiFi 5 connectivity. MSI throws in a 65W charger and a Windows 10 Home license with the Modern 14.
If you can stretch your budget slightly more, the Modern 14 B11M should be a significant step-up in terms of performance and battery life, thanks to its quad-core Tiger Lake i5 processor and larger 52 Wh battery cell.
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Read – Best Laptops Under £600
Final Words
And with that, we conclude this guide to the best laptops under £400 in the UK. We recommend taking a close look at our reviews once again before making a final decision. Alternatively, check out our other laptop buying guides if you are searching for more options, or leave a comment below.
