As laptop prices get higher, even budget laptops are approaching what used to be premium pricing. This is a disheartening trend if you're shopping for one of the best laptops in 2025. However, I have one critical recommendation if you're looking at the best laptop deals and trying to stay on a budget.
I recently reviewed the Asus Vivobook 16 (2025) and found it good but not great. At $799, it's in what we would now deem budget laptop territory, but it's not the best value. I’ve seen the Dell G16 (7630), one of the best cheap gaming laptops with a mechanical keyboard, on sale for $949. However, that’s before tariffs.
In this economy, you may need to ditch the idea of “newer is better” and look to some slightly older premium laptops to find the best laptop values.
Let's dive into some key examples.
1. Asus Zenbook OLED 14
To bring it back to Asus, the Asus Zenbook OLED 14 is one of my favorite budget laptops because it's not only affordable but it offers the quality I'd expect in a premium laptop.
The OLED display alone kills it with its infinite contrast, flying far above the Vivobook 16 with its cheap screen. Both laptops offer long battery life, but the Zenbook OLED 14 scores an hour longer on the Laptop Mag test and it's even paired with higher performance.
One of my biggest pet peeves with the Vivobook 16 is its squishy keyboard. The Zenbook sports a smooth and comfortable keyboard. It’s tough to beat, and you can get the Zenbook 14 OLED as low as $569 on Amazon with its Intel Ultra 5-125H version.
2. Apple MacBook Air 13 M2
Yes, you can buy the Apple MacBook Air 13 M2 right now at Best Buy for $50 less than the Vivobook 16. In our MacBook Air 15 review, we complimented the laptop for its elegant design, colorful screen, and excellent battery life.
The Vivobook 16 falls short of its battery life and can’t keep up with its display or thin design (0.45 inches vs. 0.7 inches). You can also tap away on the MacBook Air’s keyboard, feeling satisfied thanks to its springy feedback.
The MacBook Air 13 M2 is nearly three years old, but for its current price, it crushes the Vivobook 16 no contest. The two biggest caveats are whether you need Windows, in which case see our previous or next recommendation, or if you need more than just the two USB-C ports available on the Air M2.
3. Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i
The Lenovo Slim 7i Gen 9 is a standout laptop from spring 2024 that holds up well against the current competition, and thanks to the inexorable march of time, you can now get this premium laptop for under $800 directly from Lenovo.
It easily beats the performance of the Vivobook 16 in our testing, and the vibrant, gorgeous OLED display of the Slim 7i would make the Vivobook's display look like it's in black and white.
Battery life is the biggest trade-off that you are making, with a little over 10 hours compared to 14 hours for the Vivobook 16, but the other quality of life improvements should make this a worthwhile sacrifice.
