<-- test --!> Best laptop sales in Australia: cheap laptops to buy in {month} {year} – Best Reviews By Consumers
Best laptop sales in Australia: cheap laptops to buy in {month} {year}

Best laptop sales in Australia: cheap laptops to buy in {month} {year}

news image

a Lenovo laptop on a blue background with the TechRadar logo above it

(Image credit: Future)

These are all the best cheap laptop deals available this week. We’ve taken a look at all the major retailers and picked out the devices below as they’ve stood out above the rest. You’ll find a number of options for every budget, with a selection of budget Chromebooks, good value laptops and high-end ultrabooks that can suit all of your needs.

We’ve got two options that we think are up there as the best laptop deals this week. The first is at Dell thanks to the voucher code ‘SAVE17‘ that takes an extra 17% off a range of devices. With it, you can get a Dell Inspiron 15 3000 for $366.02 (was $588.99). It’s a terrific price for an all-around mid-range machine that will perform well with most everyday tasks thanks to the Intel i3 processor, 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD.

For the more premium option, you should check out this Lenovo Flex 5 for $599.99 at Amazon (was $849.99), which is unbeatable this week. There’s a massive $250 discount on this powerful 2-in-1 device that sports a 14-inch touchscreen, AMD Ryzen 5 processor, 16GB RAM and a 256GB SSD. This is a flexible and high-performance laptop that packs in a lot at the price point. We especially want to highlight 16GB of RAM, which is rarely seen below $600 – it will help with multitasking and any more demanding jobs.

Those are all the highlights in this week’s top cheap laptop deals. As you’ll see, we’ve got a few that are available from major retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart. Going direct to a manufacturer like Dell or HP can also get you a better deal as they regularly run offers on their devices each week, but they tend to change all the time.

If you’re after more web-based machines, check out even more Chromebook deals. If you’re a gamer, you’d be better suited to check out our selection of gaming laptop deals as the models on this page are not usually built with gaming in mind.

Cheap laptop deal of the week

Cheap laptop deals under $200

Cheap laptop deals from $200 to $400

Cheap laptop deals from $400 to $600

Best laptop deals over $600

This week’s best store-wide laptop sales

Which stores have cheap laptop sales?

If you’re looking for the best budget laptop to see you through everyday browsing, we’d recommend heading over to the generalist retailers – Walmart, Best Buy, and Amazon, for example. If you’re after something a little more specialist, Dell, Lenovo and HP will offer far more configuration options with their own discounts as well.

  • Amazon
  • Walmart
  • Best Buy
  • Dell
  • Newegg
  • Lenovo
  • HP

The best cheap laptops

The best budget laptops are usually the ones offering decent entry level specs (32 or 64GB of storage in a Chromebook or a 4GB / 8GB RAM, i3 processor, 128GB  storage in a Windows machine) at a reduced price. However, you’ll sometimes find mid-range specs offering a step up at similar prices on cheaper machines. Below you’ll find our top picks of cheap laptops that do exactly that during busy sales periods. 

Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook

(Image credit: Lenovo)

1. Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook

A cheap grab and go 2-in-1 laptop

CPU: MediaTek Helio P60T | Graphics: ARM G72 MP3 800GHz | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 10.1″ FHD (1920 x 1200) IPS touchscreen | Storage: 64 – 128GB

Incredibly versatile

High value 

Performs well for the price

Older components

If you’re shopping for cheap laptops, chances are you’re not going to spend too long poring over spec sheets or want to splash out on the latest processors and graphics. You might be looking for a simple everyday web browsing machine light enough to throw into a backpack and flexible enough for comfortable streaming. That’s where the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook comes in – it’s technically a tablet, but far more powerful than you’d expect from such a small machine.

Acer Chromebook 14

2. Acer Chromebook 14

Meet the anti-MacBook Air

CPU: Intel Celeron N3160 | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 400 | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 14-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) display | Storage: 32GB SSD

Top-notch build quality

Solid keyboard and touchpad

Full HD display

Flaky HD video playback

With its slick lines and a slim silhouette, the Acer Chromebook 14 makes for a subtle, snazzy laptop. Although its display isn’t the most attractive we’ve seen, it’s still acceptable for full HD. On top of that, the keyboard and trackpad adhere to the principle of ‘it just works.’ The battery life is satisfactory as well despite falling a bit south of Acer’s 12-hour claim in real-world use.

Asus VivoBook

(Image credit: Asus)

3. Asus Vivobook 15

Mid-range specs for entry level prices

CPU: Up to Intel i7 | Graphics: Nvidia | RAM: Up to 16GB | Screen: FHD (1920×1080) | Storage: 128GB SSD – 1TB HDD

Versatile and powerful

Full HD screen

Regularly discounted

You’re shopping in the $399 – $599 range when looking at an Asus Vivobook, with entry-level specs outperforming the vast majority of Chromebooks you’d usually find at this price. Plus, you’re getting some pretty premium features in this cheap laptop. A Nano-Edge display keeps everything looking sharp, the option for Intel Optane memory makes sure all your most-used programs and files are well within reach, and a 1.6kg weight on a full-sized 15.6-inch laptop is nothing to sniff at either.

Acer Swift 3

4. Acer Swift 3

The bigger, better value proposition

CPU: Intel Core i3 – i7 | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 620 | RAM: 4GB – 8GB | Screen: 14-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) ComfyView IPS | Storage: 128GB – 256GB SSD

Powerful for the price

Stellar battery life

Boring looks

Down-firing speakers

Here we have one of the few budget laptops with a processor nearly equivalent to a MacBook Pro from a couple of years back, that is if you opt for the Intel Core i5 configuration. The best part? Among the best Acer laptops right now, it’s roughly half the cost of its Apple-branded rival. Now given that it sells at a range of different prices, the Acer Swift 3 can be an obtuse purchase, but lucky for you, the midrange model will get you by just fine. There are often plenty of cheap laptop deals on Acer products so you’ll always be in a good position to grab a discount.

Cheap laptop deals: Tips and Tricks

One of the first things we often check when shopping for cheap laptops is the amount of storage on offer. As shoppers, we’ve become accustomed to comparing prices and models based on the number of gigabytes next to the model name. However, there may be more to it than that, especially when you’re browsing the cheaper shelves. You may also need to pay attention to your operating system when picking up a budget laptop deal under $200. 

Some cheap laptops are more worthy of your cash than others, and many simply need to be avoided. For example, you’ll easily find a Windows machine that offers just 16 or 32GB of storage, but with update file and software sizes increasing, you may quickly find that insufficient. However, finding a Chromebook with 16 or 32GB of storage for under $200 makes for a great cheap laptop deal. That’s because these machines run on Chrome OS which doesn’t require updates and operates largely through your browser. 

Similarly, a lot of laptops hold incredibly low price tags because they are labelled as ‘FreeDOS’. This means they don’t have an operating system on them already, so you will need to buy Windows 10 to get them set up. 

How much are the best laptop deals? 

Shopping for the best budget laptop deals between $50 and $200 will usually have you looking at the excellent range of Chromebooks on sale right now. Running Chrome OS, these budget laptop deals will see you through everyday web browsing, emails, and some light streaming for eye wateringly low prices. You’ll be picking up anything from a 16GB SSD to a 64GB hard drive, but you’ll also be looking to utilize the cloud for more storage.

If you’re punting a bit higher than $200, you’ll be opening yourself up to more RAM, moving from 4GB to 8GB in most models, meaning your cheap laptop will be able to open programs faster, generally retrieving information and multi-task in a more streamlined manner. You’ll also be picking up far more storage for your cash, with prices this week including either a 128GB or 256GB SSD. This SSD further streamlines your storage, acting as a lightning-fast drive to keep everything you need instantly attainable.

Once you search for laptop deals above $400, you may well start to find 16GB of RAM on offer as well as a few models with a 512GB SSD. Along with improved processors, that means exceedingly fast storage potential, keeping your cheap laptop zippy however many programs you have open. Laptops above this price range are also better suited to media editing than cheaper models.

James Pickard

James Pickard is a Deals Editor at TechRadar. After many years of scouring the net for the cheapest games and tech for his own personal use, he decided to make it his job to share those bargains with you. James also has over five years of experience covering some of the biggest sales events of the year at Eurogamer and VG247, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day. When not deals hunting, James can be found on the PS5, watching a classic film noir or cheeri

Read More