Best Laptops under $1200 in 2024 [Top 10 Picks]

A laptop under 1200 is the best choice to handle daily life work like web browsing, taking online classes, excel work, etc. When you buy a new laptop, it is not an easy task to choose the best laptop under 1200. There are many laptops at this price. However, I wrote this review to help you choose the best laptops under 1200 dollars. I did a lot of research and saved a lot of time for you.

With the development of technology, we are seeing more progress in the technological world. An important part of laptop technology it plays an important role associated with this world. However, different users have different purposes for buying a laptop. With a budget of $1200, you can buy a good laptop, no matter what your main objective.

But before buying a laptop at any cost, you need to consider your requirements. There are laptops available in the market to meet the versatile demands of various users. A budget of $1200 will give you a decently effective machine, whether you’re looking for a gaming laptop, touchscreen, 2-in-1 convertible, casual workload, or business.

In this article, we’ll cover the best laptops under $1200 for each category. Therefore, you can accordingly determine which one is suitable for your needs. Most of the laptops we listed come with excellent onboard specifications. We have gathered users’ opinions to choose the best laptop under this price range. Jump to the main point, without wasting much time!

Recommended: Best Touchscreen Laptops under $1000

Top 10 Best Laptops Under $1200

Here is a list of the best laptops priced under 1200 dollars to buy in 2021:

Apple MacBook Air Laptop – Best Laptop Under 1200

The MacBook Air M1 has easily been one of the most exciting laptops from Apple over the years. The M1 has several great features, such as the ability to run both legacy apps and M1-optimized apps. Apart from the long battery life, the performance is excellent. As with Apple Silicon, the Wedge still retains its iconic looks, while being more powerful and capable. Thanks to its M1 processor and good memory, the MacBook Air has phenomenal performance. It’s been a long time since Apple released its slimmest laptop line, but the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) has achieved that goal. It replaced the prior model’s Intel CPU with Apple’s highly acclaimed ARM-based M1 chip.

 

The company claims to deliver 2.8x faster processing than Intel-powered MacBooks, which is somehow true. Its CPU is combined with an integrated eight-core GPU that, according to Apple, is 5 times faster than the integrated GPU found on Intel-powered MacBooks. Machine learning is also at its peak with the 16-core Neural Engine. Overall, this MacBook M1 chip is more advanced and powerful. This could be a new innovative lineup to disrupt the industry, as we saw with the iPhone series in 2008.

The MacBook Pro further adds 8GB of DDR4 RAM and 256GB of SSD storage. But there is a 512GB model available, which requires Rs 200 more. If you need more space, you can consider the higher version. Otherwise, 256GB is enough for basic functions. Here, we cannot overlook the importance of the provided Thunderbolt 4 port. This port provides fast file transfers, and you can easily attach a fast external SSD drive to solve the storage issue.

Apart from this, the battery life is also impressive, with a claimed run of 20 hours. This is only possible because of the power efficiency offered by the M1 chip. You don’t have to worry about its build quality. It is made of a sturdy metal unibody design with a metallic finish. The laptop is delicate and lightweight, providing a highly portable finish.

There’s a 13.3-inch display at 2560 x 1600p resolution and 500-nits brightness. Arguably, this is one of the brightest panels you’ll find on any laptop. A pair of dual-firing speakers are loud enough for a superior audio experience which makes it a perfect choice for media consumption. Overall, it is a perfect choice if you are a business person or like to edit videos on Final Cut Pro.

• Display: 13.3-inch 2560 x 1600p QHD+
• Processor:  Apple M1
• GPU: Integrated GPU
• RAM: 8GB DDR4
• Storage: 512GB SSD

Acer Nitro 5 – Best Gaming Laptop Price Under 1200

The Acer Nitro 5 is another 15.6-inch laptop available for under $1,200. The design approach has a gaming look with a single-zone red color backlit lighting keyboard. However, it comes with an Intel Core i7-11800H processor with a base clock speed of 2.5GHz and can go up to 4.5GHz for all four cores.

It does not delay while playing heavy games but is not made for continuous gaming. As far as the GPU is concerned, it’s backed by an Nvidia RTX 3050Ti graphics card along with the older 4GB GDDR6 video RAM. If we measure it on a hardware basis, it is completely up to date. Its overall performance is comparable to any other laptop in the same category.

Its thermals are managed very well with an advanced cooling system. The laptop absorbs heating waves to avoid possible overheating. Considering the RAM, it packs 16GB DDR4 RAM with 512GB SSD storage. Additional slots have been provided for the expansion of RAM and storage. If you need more storage and RAM then you can easily use these slots.

Of course, you’ll need at least 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage to store large gaming files and flawless data processing. The device is made of a plastic body with durable construction. The connectivity department is handled very well with WiFi 6 support and other connectivity ports. You can consider this as a 15.6-inch gaming laptop for under $1200.

• Display: 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080p
• Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 3050Ti 4GB VRAM
• Processor: Intel Core i7-11800H
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD

Lenovo Legion 5 – Best for Gaming & Productivity

It is a powerful gaming machine with powerful specifications. The Lenovo Legion 5 also offers a great design, and they all come in under $1,200. It has a 15.6-inch FHD display based on IPS LED technology. It has 1920×1080 resolution and 227 PPI. But the main feature of this display is a 165Hz high refresh rate with less than 3ms response time. In addition, it brings 100% sRGB color coverage and Dolby Vision support, which is a handy addition for content creators. It also brings AMD FreeSync Premium to improve the image quality even further.

Lenovo Legion 5 comes with AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor. It is a 7nm octa-core processor. It has been designed by Zen 3 architecture, which is related to the Cezanne generation. These Zen 3 cores are clocked at 4.4GHz Turbo Boost clock speed. Additionally, this is SMT or Hyperthreading support. It comes with the  Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics card. This GPU comes with 80 tensor cores and real-time ray tracing. Apart from this, it has 4GB GDDR6 VRAM which will give better graphics performance.

This laptop has support for Wi-Fi 5GHz bands combined with a Bluetooth 5 connectivity feature. It provides high internet speed and a stable connection. There’s also an Ethernet port for using a wired Internet connection. During this, it has one USB C, HDMI 2.1, an audio jack, four USB A ports, and an SD card reader. It also has an RGB backlit keyboard. Apart from this, Lenovo Legion 5 offers good battery life with fast charging technology. Essentially, you can take advantage of its offerings for light gaming and productivity tasks. Overall, it is not a complete gaming laptop and falls in between productivity and gaming.

• Display: 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080p
• Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 3050Ti 6GB VRAM
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
• RAM: 16GB DDR4 3200MHz
• Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD

Acer Predator Helios 300 – Powerful i7 Processor

This laptop comes with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card that includes 6GB of VRAM to add more power. As we know, this is the latest RTX 30 series (RTX 3050, RTX 3060, RTX 3070, RTX 3080, etc) processor with a DLSS chip for advanced optimization for gaming and machine learning. Plus, there’s also 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 512GB SSD drive. You’ll also have an additional slot to put SSD or hard drive to expand its storage capacity.

Moreover, its GPU powers are so much that you can play any game you want. To do this, you’ll need a display that fits. This is the reason why it has a 15.6-inch IPS LCD widescreen with 1920×1080 resolution. The panel offers a refresh rate of 120GHz, a mediocre offering at this price range, and that’s a great feature for smooth gameplay. Additionally, it has slim bezels that are also included in the front camera at the top. This laptop bundles everything including Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.

Additionally, this laptop has a Gigabit Ethernet port. It also comes with 3x USB Type-A ports, a Mini DisplayPort, 1x USB Type-C, RJ45 Ethernet port, HDMI 2.0, and a 3.5mm audio jack. It also has an RGB backlit keyboard. This laptop weighs 5.07 pounds which makes it a slightly bulky laptop, but it’s fine for a gaming laptop. Moreover, it includes good battery life with two high-performance fans with a backup and cooling technology of 4-5 hours. Overall, this is the best laptop under $1500.

• Display: 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080p
• GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060 6GB VRAM
• Processor: Intel i7-11800H
• RAM: 16GB DDR4 3200MHz
• Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD

HP 15 Laptop Notebook – Best From Touchscreen Under 1200

HP is well known and one of the largest laptop manufacturer companies in the world. They have a bunch of good laptops at varying prices. The HP 15 Notebook is a powerful laptop for casual multitasking. It comes with the latest 11th generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 chipset. This is a 10nm power-efficient chipset. It brings four cores with a maximum clock speed of 4.7GHz. Apart from this, this laptop comes with Intel Xe Graphics G7 GPU. In case you didn’t know, this is the new Intel Integrated GPU line-up. It offers excellent performance along with battery life.

On the outside, the laptop sports a 15.6-inch FHD+ IPS touchscreen display with 1920×1080 pixels screen resolution. Additionally, it can go up to 400 nits of maximum brightness. Hence, you will get an impressive outdoor viewing experience. In terms of colors, the display offers 100% sRGB color value with sharp picture quality, offering you superior video editing and photo editing for under $1200. To do even better, it has been given thin surrounded bezels. HP 15 Notebook comes with 32GB DDR4 RAM and a 1TB SSD drive. With this, it achieves 15 times faster performance.

The laptop runs on Windows 10 OS, which makes it one of the first adopters. With regards to the build, it is a compact laptop with a lightweight design. Despite this, it has two USB C ports, an HDMI, two USB A ports, and an audio jack. There is also a micro SD card reader that offers more compatibility. Apart from this, it has Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5 wireless connectivity features. This laptop is powered by a 45W battery which gives 8 hours of total battery backup. Also, it supports fast charging technology. Overall, the HP 15 notebook is a great and powerful compact laptop.

• Display: 15.6-inch Touchscreen 1920 x 1080p
• Graphics: Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7
• Processor: Intel Core i7-1165G7
• RAM: 32GB DDR4
• Storage: 1TB PCIe SSD

LG Gram 17Z90N – Best From 2K Display Under 1200

The LG Gram 17Z90N made it to our list only because of its large high-resolution display. The laptop comes with a 17-inch 2K thin-bezel display at 2560 x 1600p resolution. The display is sharp and bright enough to avoid eye strain. Content creators would love to use this demonstration to fuel their creativity. Along with this, this laptop offers a very impressive battery of 15 hours. It is a perfect combination for travelers who spend most of their time outdoors.

Furthermore, it is powered by Intel Core i5-1035G7 in conjunction with Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7. Given the integrated graphics, it can only manage native graphics without the presence of a dedicated VRAM. Furthermore, it has 16GB of DDR4 RAM to process tasks smoothly. On top of that, the laptop adds 512GB of SSD storage. Both storage and RAM are sufficient for doing casual tasks.

The device runs on Windows 10 Pro. In addition, the necessary I/O ports are available with RGB backlit keyboard and WiFi 6 support. If you want a bigger screen with longer battery life then this can be a good option. This is the best $1200 laptop with a big and great screen.

Buying Guide – How To Pick The Best Laptop Under $1200?

This will cover some important aspects that you should consider before buying a laptop under $1200:

Processor

The processor is deciding factor in choosing the best laptop. Very powerful chipsets are available for the price of $1200. You can easily pick up at least the 10th generation i7 from Intel. In recent years, AMD came to the fore strongly. AMD Ryzen 7 is best for gaming laptops.

But if you want an Apple laptop, you have to go for the Apple M1 chip, which is a powerful and optimized CPU for Apple laptops. We recommend that you are looking for an AMD-powered computer with at least Intel Core i7 10th Gen. Go to CPU or AMD Ryzen 7.

Display

You’re going to spend hundreds of hours staring at your laptop’s display. That’s why a good display is as important as a powerful processor. In regards to that, the display should be bright and colorful. Also, you can get a gaming laptop that will offer a higher refresh rate.

Graphics card

The graphics card is another major component that can significantly affect the ultimate performance of any laptop. This is why most gaming laptops come with a dedicated graphics unit. From a gaming perspective, the minimum recommended is the GTX 1660 Ti, which is decently powerful enough to handle high-end games at medium to high settings.

But if you want the best gaming performance, you need to have RTX 2060 graphics in combination with a powerful CPU. Meanwhile, for casual work and general multitasking, an integrated graphics card is sufficient. Similarly, the integrated GPU saves battery drain to improve overall battery life. The new range of Intel Iris XE graphics can handle graphics-intensive tasks with great ease.

RAM and Storage

For a smooth experience, RAM is just as important as the CPU and GPU. Whenever the laptop requires more RAM it can significantly affect the overall performance. For a gaming laptop, at least 16GB of RAM is the ideal choice, and if you get a chance to get more RAM, that’s even better. Any gaming laptop with less than 16GB of RAM can lag when playing AAA titles.

For general use, you should consider at least 8GB of memory. But there are more options available with 16GB RAM. As far as storage is concerned, it depends on how much RAM you want to store the data. It is always recommended to go for faster SSD storage, which is better than traditional HDD storage. Most of the listed gaming laptops under $1200 offer 16GB of RAM and 8GB of RAM for the rest of the device.

Design

However, the design is a personal choice. But it is important to choose a laptop with a strong structure. Metal construction is a common practice for business laptops. They are built very well with solid construction. Portability is the main reason why people buy laptops. Otherwise, there are better options available for creating a desktop. That’s why people prefer to buy a light laptop with thin bezels.

But the main problem with gaming laptops is that most of them are heavy and bring plastic bodies to reduce the risk of overheating. Any laptop weighing less than 5lbs is a good choice for gaming. On the contrary, you have many options available to serve other purposes.

Battery life

Battery life is also important when choosing the right laptop. Technology has been improved dramatically to produce laptops with longer-lasting batteries. Most business laptops offer great battery life. In the case of the MacBook Pro M1, it comes with 20 hours of battery life. In comparison, some Windows laptops also go on for more than 8 hours.

But gaming laptops are highly regarded when it comes to battery life. Most gaming laptops tend to deliver less than 5 hours of battery life. Getting at least 4-5 hours of battery life while playing high-end games is more than enough. There are several batter options available with integrated graphics cards. Overall, these deciding factors will help you choose the right laptop. Comfort depends on your needs.

Conclusion

Hopefully, after reading this entire article, you have decided to choose the right laptop in your mind that meets your needs under a budget of $1200. But if you want to know my advice, it all depends on your purpose. If you’re a heavy gamer looking for a powerful gaming laptop, you should consider picking up the Acer Nitro 5 with a solid Nvidia RTX 3050Ti GPU. Another laptop, the ASUS ROG Strix G15 (2021), is notable for gaming with the newly launched NVIDIA RTX 3050Ti 4GB VRAM graphics card.

Also, if your main objective is to find a lightweight and portable laptop, then there is no better option than the Apple MacBook Pro M1. Alternatively, if your preference is Windows OS then there are Asus ZenBook 15 and HP 15. Both these laptops offer beautiful designs and strong hardware on the inside laptops under the $1,200 price range.

Lastly, there are few options available for a touchscreen laptop with a traditional design. We have picked the HP 15 in this category. This laptop comes with updated hardware and a stylus pen included in the box. In addition, there are other options available if you strive for greater diversification. If you liked the content, you can share it with your friends and family members who you think need to find the best laptop under 1200 dollars. What are your thoughts? Please tell me in the comment section below!