8 Best Laptops for Writers on a Budget – Very Affordable

Are you a writer looking for the best budget laptop for writing in an affordable pricing range that will be able to provide you with the perfect writing experience on an affordable pricing range? Do you think that all the good laptops that will allow you to write conveniently will get you bankrupt?

Well… dear bloggers, freelance writers, journalists, and all those whose jobs involve writing – I would like to suggest some of the best laptops for writers on a budget. 

There are different things that writers need to check when looking for a low-pricing laptop for writing. Some prefer a comfortable keyboard, while some give more attention to the storage capacity of a computer. Other people might need good battery life and easy portability.

And some want to go with the excellent display screen and fast system performance.   If you would like to fulfill all such needs while staying within your pricing range, you would be happy to continue reading on. You will find the ultimate list of the six best budget laptops for writers in 2022 below, with all the necessary specifications mentioned.

8 Best Laptops for Writers on a Budget

 

 

Also read: Best and Cheap Students Laptops

 

1 Acer Swift 3

This super cheap laptop is reasonable when it comes to using it for general tasks and writing. Writers who are on a very tight budget and looking for laptops at a reasonable price might want to consider this. This device weighs about 4.19 pounds which is a little on the heavier side of this list, but the design is exceptionally slim to allow it to fit in your backpacks. It also showcases a 15.6 inches full HD display for a comfortable viewing experience.

Acer Aspire 5 offers the 11th Generation Intel Core i3-1115G4 processor, which can give a reasonably good speed to your device. Since it’s a very low price laptop, it does compromise on its RAM, which is 4GB. It does provide enough storage capacity, though, of 128GB. The upside is that the memory and storage are upgradeable, so if you need more, then you can get more.

Along with being a low-budget laptop, what brings this device top laptop for writers in 2021 is the subtly backlit keyboard that it comes with. It is built in a way that provides ergonomic typing. The keyboard has a tilt to reduce the stress and strain on muscles that many writers usually suffer from. While providing a comfortable writing experience, the keyboard overall, the critical travel and springiness, is also quite reasonable. It also features a number pad for easy data entry.  

Moreover, its long battery life also adds points to it, providing a good 6 to 8 hours of working without plugging it in. A few things are lacking in this device, including low-quality speakers, but this is understandable at such a price. I would highly recommend Acer Aspire 5 laptop for writers on a budget.

Also read: Best Laptops for Youtube

 

 

2 Microsoft Surface Laptop 3

While affordable, this lovely laptop comes with a sleek design that gives the feel of a luxury laptop. The design will make our writers and journalists feel grand. It is a laptop offering good performance with its Intel Core i5, which is usually recommended laptop for writers, along with many other features to be recommended as one of the best laptops for writing. 

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 is ultraportable, weighing about 2.79 pounds. It’s super easy to carry around for those who work on the go. While being slim and light, the design is also sturdy enough to take a little battering inside your backpacks.

Its sleek design comes with a choice of 13.5 inches and 15 inches of high-quality display, with vivid display quality. Oh, and one more thing… it’s a touchscreen! Given the affordable price of this laptop, that is an impressive feature to be included in the list of best laptops for writers on budget. 

The laptop offers 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage capacity. The RAM is best recommended for notebooks for writing, and the storage capacity is above the minimum requirement, making this device sufficient to write conveniently.

Furthermore, these specifications are all upgradable, though it might cost a little more for the upgrade. If you can afford the upgrade, then a laptop that is already good enough will become significant for the writers out there. 

Now, for the given price, you must be wondering about the battery – if it’s good enough or not. Impressively, Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 has a decent battery life of up to 11.5 hours. That’s almost a whole day! Moreover, the laptop provides standby time when you are away and offers fast charging of up to 80% from naught in just an hour. For writers on the go, this one is a gem in the given great budget laptop. 

It features a comfortable keyboard with quiet and bouncy keys, decent travel, and a satisfying click. The 4.5 x 3-inch trackpad has a soft-touch coating and is efficient in carrying out typing smoothly, including pinch to zoom and the three-finger swipe.

I would, however, deduct a point for the keyboard not including a separate number pad. The lack of a number-pad might give a hard time to writers whose jobs involve data entry. Moreover, the device has limited options for connectivity and could use a few more ports to increase convenience. Overall it’s a great laptop, and if its lacks are not that much of a problem for you, I would highly recommend it to writers that work mainly on the go. 

Also read: Best Laptops for Medical Students

 

 

3 Lenovo 2-in-1 Convertible Laptop

 Another one of the convertibles included in this list of the best budget laptops for writers is the Lenovo 2 in 1 convertible laptop. It offers a 14 inch HD touch screen experience for more straightforward navigation. But the RAM is below the recommended level; however, it meets the minimum requirement being 4GB. Also, it offers minimal storage of 128GB. These specs are not too impressive, but at given the price, that is expected, and it enough meets the minimum requirement to support daily general writing tasks. 

In terms of portability, it’s not the lightest, weighing 3.52 pounds. However, it can be fully converted into a tablet as the keyboard can rotate completely. This might be helpful for some writers who work on the go. 

The keyboard, though backlit, is missing a number pad. This might take off points for our writers who do data entry. The writing experience it offers is also reasonable enough for a convertible. It is not much of an impressive device, but considering the price tag, it provides proper specs and is therefore included on our list of the best budget laptops for writers in 2021.

 

4 New Microsoft Surface Go

This one is a highly portable laptop for writers on the go looking for a good budget device in 2021. It starts at just 1.15 pounds to 2 pounds and has a touchscreen that is 10 inches wide, making it easy to carry around in your backpack. The building design and quality are also quite sturdy that you mean it will last longer. The visual quality is also quite impressive, given the low price tag.

The Surface Go comes with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage which is sufficient for writers. However, a higher RAM of 8GB is usually recommended. The good news is that this device is upgradable to 8GB Ram. However, it will cost extra for the upgrade. Another feature that adds positively to the portability of this device is its battery. The device claims to serve up to 9 hours of unplugged power which is quite impressive. It also features good speakers with reasonable audio quality. 

Being a tablet, it does not have a good keyboard attached to it. This takes points off for me as a writer. Writing via using the touchscreen is usually not efficient. There is always an option of purchasing the missing accessories but buying a separate keyboard will raise the price. Also, the keyboard designed for the tablet is relatively small and does not include a number pad, again making it harder to write. 

Nevertheless, writers who don’t mind paying a little extra for the accessories or writing using a touchscreen might benefit from this tablet. It provides excellent performance and has high portability. 

 

5 Lenovo Thinkpad T460

This device comes with the recommended Intel core i5 offering pretty impressive performance for writers looking to write on a budget. Moreover, its RAM is 8GB, and it comes with 256GB of storage plus a windows operating system. These specifications are sufficient for an efficient writing experience and also make it a highly reliable laptop for heavy tasks. The screen is also a comfortable size being 14” inches and providing a whole HD experience.

Now, let’s move on from the performance of this device to its keyboard design – a specification of much interest to writers like me. Lenovo Thinkpad T460 comes with a backlit keyboard to allow for working in darker conditions. The keys are smile-shaped and quite comfortable to type on. The keys have been measured to have a vertical travel of 2.33 millimeters which is one of the deepest compared to the usual travel distance that laptops offer.

The typing experience of this device is something to enjoy. Another plus point of this laptop is its spill-resistant keyboard – a blessing for someone as clumsy as me. The touchpad is also entirely accurate. It might be hard to carry it around because it is a little heavy laptop, as it weighs approximately 3.8 pounds. It does offer a good 10 hours of great battery life with one charge, and it has a durable design. So, if you can carry a little weight, then it is a reasonably good laptop for writers on the go. 

 

6 HP Chromebook x360

HP Chromebook x360 is one of the best convertible Chromebooks for writers in 2021 on a budget that can be used as a laptop and a tablet. This two-in-one sturdy notebook comes with a 14” touch screen providing a clear and crisp HD visual. However, there is a downside to its display as it is reflective.

Laptop features include 4 GB of RAM, but storage is not much, just 64 GB of eMMC storage. RAM and storage capacity are both at the bare minimum and would not be enough for working on and saving heavy workload. For general writing purposes, however, it would be alright.

The reason for featuring the best laptop for a writer is its long battery life performance. HP Chromebook x360 claims to serve up to 12 hours, depending on the usage, per charge. This helps with the portability factor and is one of its features that helped this device become a part of the list of the best budget laptops for writers. However, its 3.30 pounds weight can be heavier for some users, such as difficult to carry while you’re traveling. 

It has a decent keyboard with snappy keys to satisfy writers, but it’s nothing too impressive. Also, the lock key is situated on the top right corner, where most writers might be used to having the delete key. This might cause inconvenience and lead to accidental locking. However, the key won’t lock the system unless held down for a couple of seconds.

The keyboard is backlit, allowing our late-night writers to write in dimly lit environments. Unlike other HP, Lenovo laptops, Chromebook x360 comes with a chrome Operating System. All in all, if you are not looking for something to get the basic general daily writing tasks out of the way, then it might just be enough. Considering its low cost, I would recommend it to writers that are on a very tight budget.

 

7 Newest Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6

Lenovo laptops have always been the best option for writers, from their sleek design to the best features. The newest Lenovo IdeaPad15.6 is another awesome tool for writers. 

It’s got a good design, solid performance, and battery life that lasts for about 7 hours. The screen is also nice and bright, which makes it easy to work on even in bright conditions. It’s very affordable compared to other laptops with similar features. The only problem with it is that it’s a bit heavy. But it’s not so big that it’s uncomfortable to carry.

Lenovo IdeaPad has quite a powerful combination. It houses the AMD’s A9-9425 processor, a 15. 6″ display screen with 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD storage. Whether working or playing it is an excellent laptop for gaming due beside writing to the presence of its advanced AMD APU technology.

8 Google Pixelbook Go

Google Pixelbook’s lightweight frame and long battery life make it a great portable laptop for professional writers. The Pixelbook Go is a device which is highly portable, allowing one to not only stay unplugged from outlets for up to 12 hours, but also get 2 hours of usage out of just 20 minutes of charging. 

If you like having the option of going completely wireless as well, no matter where you’re traveling, then this device may be perfect for you! Pixelbook Go starts up in seconds and makes it super easy to get some work done on the go. It has a powerful 8th Generation Intel® Core™ processor that’s perfect for tackling all your day-to-day tasks. 

Thanks to the benefits of Chrome OS, it also stays fast over time so it will feel like new years after year. The Titan C security chip and the built-in malware scanner are like a fortress surrounding your system, guarding against cyber attacks while Chrome OS is updated automatically with the latest features and firmware security.

Just like what you’d expect from Apple hardware, the 13.3″ display is of a superior quality and has a perfect picture resolution for writing, watching movies, editing photos, and video chatting using FaceTime .

 With greater pixel density than other devices that are 13.3″ inches in screen size, this Retina Display offers vivid viewing experience for all your applications as well as games with sweeping vistas and intricate details.

 

Specifications to look at when buying the best laptop for writer on budget

To buy the best budget laptop for writing, one needs to look at some particular specifications. When going laptop shopping on a budget, the features to consider include an excellent comfortable keyboard, a sharp HD display screen, an extra-long battery life, the portability factor, a reasonable processor, sufficient storage, and RAM capacity. Although an operating system does not matter too much, you can choose your desired ones like Windows, Mac, or Linux. But overall, Windows OS is more user-friendly for non-tech users.

 

Keyboard:

 As a writer, the keyboard should be top your factor to look in laptop. This means a comfortable writing experience can make your job as a writer a hundred times easier. When looking for the best budget laptop to write on, you might want to consider a keyboard with keys having some travel.

This will allow you to experience that snap or click that promises a satisfying typing experience. The press of the keys is essential for writers as it can affect one’s typing speed considerably, and jobs for writers require writers to have an above-average typing speed.

Moreover, a backlit keyboard would also be beneficial, though not necessary, as many writers work late at night and might not be able to turn on the leading light to avoid disturbing others. I would also go for a keyboard that has a number pad included. This makes data entry a piece of cake, and it is sometimes a part of many writing jobs.

 

Display screen:

Writers spend a lot of time in front of the screen, and therefore, a bright screen is essential. At least 14 inches, a good-sized screen would be better as it will be easier on the eyes. One wouldn’t have to squint or scroll around the screen much due to zooming on the document. Moreover, an HD screen at the minimum will again be helpful for the eyes, giving you a clean and crisp visual. The lesser stress caused on your eyes, the longer the writing session you can extend.

 

Battery:

Many journalists and other writers write on the go. I like to write sitting in nature, and once the writing starts, writers may go on for long hours. This requires a laptop to have a good battery life, so you can work on it for longer sessions without plugging it in. A minimum of 6 to 8 hours is a good stretch for a low-budget laptop for writers. So, when shopping for a computer, make sure that it has a good battery life that will serve at least 6 to 8 hours.

 

Portability:

Portability is a crucial factor to look for in a laptop as travel is usually a big part of the job for journalists and other writers. The main thing one should look for to ensure high portability is the weight of the laptop and its compact design. A laptop too big would be hard to carry around in your backpack. So, when looking for a computer with high portability, consider something light and not more than 14 inches.

 

Performance and Multitasking:

I recommend getting a good processor, RAM, storage, and a dedicated GPU to ensure excellent performance. A good processor has an impact on the speed of a computer, making it easier to multitask. Moreover, a good RAM will further enhance the multitasking skills of a laptop.

Also, it will allow working on heavier files. The same goes for the GPU. If there is a dedicated GPU installed in the device, it helps the laptop run visuals smoothly without lagging. The ability of a computer to multitask efficiently is essential for some writers.

This is because the work of writers involves a lot of research, and for that, one might need to access many web pages side by side, leading to a plethora of tabs to be opened. Therefore, try and look for a good performer. The specifications to look for acceptable performance are as follows: 

Below are some recommendations:

Specifications	Minimum requirement	Recommended
Processor	i3	i5
RAM	4GB	8GB
Storage	64GB	256GB

FAQs on Best Laptops for Writer

Conclusion on best laptop for writers

We know that you want a laptop that has all the features writers need at an affordable price. Luckily, many laptops on the market will meet your needs. But, how do you know which one is going to be the best for a writer? We’ve compiled a list of what we think might make a good laptop for writers based on our research and experience with different brands in this industry. All mentioned Laptops offer excellent performance and usability while being very affordable!  Some key features include large screens, comfortable keyboards, long battery life (up to 12 hours), plenty of storage space, plus dedicated ports for external hard drives if needed).