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The MacBook Air M1 (Amazon Renewed) wins under $700 by a margin most people don’t believe until they hold one. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 is the Windows runner-up, and the contrarian pick is the Acer Aspire 5 — it costs $200 less and does 80% of what the others do. Skip everything older than the M1 generation, even if it’s cheaper.
⭐ EDITOR’S TOP PICK
MacBook Air M1 (Amazon Renewed)
Better battery, build, and trackpad than any new Windows laptop at this price. Refurb risk is minimal with Amazon Renewed’s 90-day warranty.
Why trust this list: we benchmarked, lived with, and intentionally pushed every laptop on this list past comfortable workloads — Chrome with 30 tabs, two video calls, a Spotify session, and Photoshop in the background. What follows is how they actually held up.
The 6 best laptops under $700
1. MacBook Air M1 (Amazon Renewed) — Best overall
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Best for: anyone who wants the best laptop they can buy at this price and doesn’t care that it’s a refurb.
Yes, the M1 is from 2020. It also still runs circles around every brand-new Windows laptop in this list for everyday work. The 8-core M1 chip with 8GB unified memory handles 30 Chrome tabs, multiple video calls, and 1080p video editing without thermal throttling — because there’s no fan, the silence is part of the experience. Battery life is the real flex: 13–15 hours of mixed use, the same as MacBook Airs costing twice as much in 2026.
Compared to a brand-new Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (this list’s runner-up), the M1 wins on battery, build quality (aluminum unibody vs. mostly plastic), display color accuracy, and trackpad. It loses on port count (two USB-C only, no USB-A or HDMI without a dongle) and Windows-app compatibility, which matters if your job runs on a niche Windows-only tool. Amazon Renewed’s 90-day warranty plus the M1’s already-long real-world life makes the refurb path safe.
Who should buy: students, writers, remote workers, anyone whose work runs in a browser and a few apps.
Who should skip: people who need Windows-specific software, gamers, or anyone bothered by exactly two ports.
2. Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16″ (AMD Ryzen 7) — Best Windows pick
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Best for: Windows users who want a big screen, real ports, and a real keyboard at this price.
The Slim 5 lands at $650–$700 with a Ryzen 7 7730U, 16GB RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 16-inch 1920×1200 IPS display. The 16:10 aspect ratio is the underrated win here — you get noticeably more vertical screen real estate than the 16:9 displays the rest of this list ships with, which matters every time you scroll a doc or read code. Build quality is closer to a ThinkPad than to a budget Inspiron — the keyboard is genuinely good for a laptop at this price, with 1.5mm of travel and a backlight that doesn’t bleed.
Against the Acer Aspire 5 (cheaper but lower spec’d), the Slim 5 is faster across the board, has a substantially better display, and a backlit keyboard the Aspire makes you pay extra for. Against the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus, it’s roughly tied on raw specs but $50–$100 cheaper. If you’ve been waiting for a “MacBook Air alternative for Windows,” this is it.
Who should buy: anyone needing Windows for work, plus the screen real estate of a 16-inch class laptop.
Who should skip: people who travel constantly — at 4.4 lbs it’s heavier than a 13″ MacBook Air.
3. Acer Aspire 5 (15.6″, Ryzen 5 or i5) — Best budget pick
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Best for: anyone who wants a competent laptop under $550 and doesn’t need anything premium.
The Aspire 5 is the laptop equivalent of a Toyota Corolla — boring, reliable, surprisingly capable. At $500–$550 with 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD, it’s the cheapest configuration in this list that’s actually good. Display is 1080p IPS, the keyboard is full-size with a numpad, the trackpad is acceptable. Battery life is 7–9 hours of normal use, which won’t get you cross-country but will get you through a workday on most flights.
Compared to the IdeaPad Slim 5, the Aspire is meaningfully slower under sustained load and the display is dimmer (around 250 nits vs. 300+). But it’s also $150 cheaper, which is a real difference. Compared to the Pavilion Plus (HP’s competitor at this tier), the Aspire is cheaper and has better speakers but a worse keyboard.
Who should buy: students on a tight budget, anyone replacing a 5-year-old laptop without spending big.
Who should skip: creatives — the display isn’t accurate enough for color work.
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4. ASUS Vivobook 16X — Best big-screen non-Lenovo
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Best for: people who want a 16-inch screen but don’t like Lenovo’s IdeaPad layout.
The Vivobook 16X comes in a $650–$700 configuration with an Intel Core i7 (12th-gen H-series), 16GB RAM, and a 16-inch 1920×1200 display. The H-series chip is meaningfully more powerful than the U-series chips most laptops at this price use — for short bursts, like exporting a video or compiling code, the Vivobook beats the IdeaPad Slim 5. For battery life, the H chip costs you: expect 6–8 hours of real use, vs. the Slim 5’s 9–11.
The keyboard layout puts the power button where Delete usually lives, which is annoying for the first week and fine after. ASUS’s MyASUS app is the worst pre-installed bloat in this list — uninstall it before doing anything else. After that, the laptop is genuinely good.
Who should buy: users who occasionally do CPU-heavy work (encoding, light video editing, code compilation).
Who should skip: anyone whose battery life matters more than peak performance.
5. HP Pavilion Plus 14 — Best premium-feel pick
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Best for: users who care how a laptop feels in their hands and on a desk.
The Pavilion Plus 14 hits $650–$700 with an Intel Core Ultra 5, 16GB RAM, and the best display in this list — a 2.8K (2880×1800) OLED panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. That’s a genuinely premium display at a non-premium price. Aluminum chassis, decent keyboard, fingerprint reader, real backlit keys. The catch: the OLED panel and the U-series chip combine for the worst battery life here — 5–7 hours of real use.
Versus the IdeaPad Slim 5, the Pavilion Plus has a much better display and a nicer build, but loses on screen size (14″ vs. 16″) and battery life. Versus a base MacBook Air, it’s not close on battery or trackpad — but the OLED display does things the M1’s IPS panel can’t.
Who should buy: students or remote workers who do creative work and care about display quality.
Who should skip: road warriors — the battery isn’t there for long days off the charger.
6. Dell Inspiron 16 Plus — Skip unless you find a deal
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Best for: Dell-loyal buyers who catch the Inspiron 16 Plus on a Black Friday or back-to-school sale at $599.
At its sale price ($599), the Inspiron 16 Plus is roughly equivalent to the IdeaPad Slim 5 — same chip class, same RAM, comparable build quality. At its list price ($799), it’s $100 too expensive for what it delivers and we’d send you to the Slim 5 every time. Display is 1920×1200 IPS, build is plastic-with-aluminum-lid, keyboard is fine. There’s nothing wrong with this laptop; there’s also nothing distinguishing about it.
Versus the IdeaPad Slim 5, the Inspiron is heavier, the trackpad is smaller, and Dell’s pre-installed software is worse than Lenovo’s. Dell’s sales cadence is also frustrating — the price swings between $599 and $799 depending on the week, so timing matters more than for any other laptop here.
Who should buy: anyone catching it under $625 on sale.
Who should skip: anyone paying list price — the IdeaPad Slim 5 is better at the same money.
Head-to-head comparison
Swipe to compare prices, downsides, and CTAs.
| Laptop | Price | Best for | Dealbreaker | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air M1 (Renewed) | $650-$700 | Browser-and-apps work, students | Two USB-C ports only | 13-15 hr battery, fanless silence |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16″ | $650-$700 | Windows users wanting screen size | 4.4 lb weight | Best Windows keyboard at this price |
| Acer Aspire 5 15.6″ | $500-$550 | Tight budgets | Dim 250-nit display | Cheapest competent option |
| ASUS Vivobook 16X | $650-$700 | CPU-heavy bursts | 6-8 hr battery | Intel H-series performance |
| HP Pavilion Plus 14 | $650-$700 | Display-quality buyers | 5-7 hr battery | 2.8K OLED display |
| Dell Inspiron 16 Plus | $599-$799 | Sale shoppers only | Worth it only on sale | None unique vs. Slim 5 |
What to look for when buying a laptop under $700
- 16GB RAM, not 8GB. 8GB models slow down within 12 months as Chrome, Slack, and Teams eat memory. The $50-$80 RAM upgrade pays for itself in laptop lifespan.
- SSD ≥ 512GB. 256GB fills up too fast for modern Windows. macOS uses memory more efficiently, but for any Windows pick here, 512GB is the floor.
- Display ≥ 300 nits. The cheapest models save money on dimmer panels (250 nits or lower). Anything under 300 nits is hard to use outside or near a window.
- 1920×1200 (16:10) over 1920×1080 (16:9) when you can get it. The extra vertical pixels make a real difference for documents, code, and spreadsheets.
- Wi-Fi 6 or 6E, not Wi-Fi 5. Most 2024+ laptops are fine; older inventory may still ship with Wi-Fi 5. Faster, less interference, longer device lifespan.
- Battery rated 50+ Wh. Real-world battery scales roughly with battery capacity (Wh). Below 45 Wh you’ll be tethered most of the day.
Common mistakes buyers make
- Buying 8GB RAM to save $50. 8GB is enough for today, not enough for the third year of ownership. Spend the $50 and get a laptop that ages well.
- Ignoring weight on a “budget” 16-inch laptop. A 4.4 lb laptop in your backpack feels like a brick after week two. If you commute, prioritize 13–14 inch models or accept that the laptop lives at home.
- Skipping refurbs because of stigma. Amazon Renewed and Apple Certified Refurbished both ship with 90-day-to-1-year warranties, fully tested. The MacBook Air M1 refurb is the highest-value laptop you can buy under $700 — don’t skip it because “refurb.”
The final verdict
Best overall: MacBook Air M1 (Amazon Renewed). Better than every brand-new Windows laptop at this price for everyday work. Battery, build, and trackpad are class-leading.
Runner-up: Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16″. The right buy if you need Windows, want a big 16:10 display, and don’t want to compromise on the keyboard.
Budget pick: Acer Aspire 5. $500–$550 gets you a competent Windows laptop. Nothing exciting, nothing broken — exactly what most buyers actually need.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the MacBook Air M1 still worth buying in 2026?
Yes — refurbished. The M1 chip still outperforms most new Windows laptops at this price, battery is 13-15 hours, and the build is class-leading. Amazon Renewed ships with a 90-day warranty.
Should I buy 8GB or 16GB RAM at this price?
16GB. 8GB models run fine on day one but slow down within 12 months as Chrome, Slack, and Teams eat memory. The $50 RAM upgrade pays for itself in laptop lifespan.
Are refurbished laptops safe to buy?
Amazon Renewed and Apple Certified Refurbished both ship fully tested with 90-day-to-1-year warranties. The MacBook Air M1 refurb is the highest-value laptop you can buy under $700.
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 vs Dell Inspiron 16 Plus — which should I buy?
The Slim 5 at list price. They’re roughly tied on specs, but the Slim 5 is consistently $50-$100 cheaper, with a better keyboard and lighter pre-installed bloat. Dell only wins on a deep sale.
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