2026 is proving to be the best and worst time to buy your next big laptop for back-to-school. If you’re hoping to stick to a budget under $1,000, your options are more limited than ever. Thankfully, laptops offered at this price point are some of the best in recent years.
At the same time, both Apple and PC manufacturers are pushing lightweight laptops that don’t feel cheap persistent memory loss increased the price of all RAM and SSD components. This has affected components such as discrete GPUs – the kind needed for any more intensive tasks that young engineers or data scientists might require.
Even while writing this list, we’ve noticed that a few of our laptop picks have suddenly gone up in price. We can’t guarantee that most of the laptops on this list will stay below your budget maximum. However, with careful shopping, you can find a basic MacBook Air or other high-end computer for less. If you’re looking outside of this list, I suggest you follow bargain accounts like Wario64. Bluesky or Twitter. Otherwise, feel free to use this list as a jumping off point when looking for a laptop that will treat you well for the next few years.
MacBook Neo
Elegant and colorful MacBook Neo In a set of soothing colors, it will be a general offer for anyone looking for a laptop for back to school in 2026. It starts at $700. after recent price hikesbut you can claim it for $600 with a student ID. The base model comes with 256GB of storage and 8GB of storage. If you opt for the $800 model, you’ll double your storage to 512GB and get a Touch ID button to unlock your laptop. If you plan to use cloud-based storage, you can choose a cheaper model.
There’s a reason why the MacBook Neo sets the standard for budget laptops. Its all-aluminum chassis is more than worth the price. Its display and audio kit are also among the best in this category. If you want a Mac that will serve you for all your regular browsing, writing or light editing tasks, this is the one for you.
Check out the MacBook Neo on Amazon
Check out the MacBook Neo on Apple.com
Dell XPS 13
Dell’s direct answer to the MacBook Neo tries to up the ante on visual fidelity while maintaining the solid build quality of Apple’s budget laptop. The Dell XPS 13 Starting at $700 ($600 with a student discount), the base version comes with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage (twice what you get in the MacBook Neo for the same price). It also packs in Intel’s latest Core Series 3 chips, starting with the Intel Core 5-320 CPU.
Will this be a powerful laptop? No, not with limited RAM and a chip that doesn’t fit Apple’s designs. However, the XPS 13 has a 13.4-inch screen does touchscreen and also has a refresh rate that varies between 30 and 120Hz. If you want more storage, up to 16GB of RAM, you’ll have to spend $900 ($800 with a student discount).
Check out the XPS 13 on Dell.com
Asus Zenbook A14
If you’re the kind of person who can’t stand the feeling of a 3-pound laptop in your bag, then you might want to consider this. Asus Zenbook A14. The laptop uses a type of anodized material that Asus calls “keraluminum” throughout the chassis, from the lid to the palm rest. It adds a nice ceramic-like texture and also helps this laptop clock in at just 2.4 pounds.
This configuration comes with the latest generation Snapdragon X Plus chip, 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. While you’ve heard a lot about ARM-based PCs lately, chipmaker Qualcomm has done a lot to add backwards compatibility to many other Windows 11-based software. Performance may not be on par with the latest chips, but at least you’ll be looking at a beautiful OLED display.
Check out the Asus Zenbook A14 at Best Buy
Lenovo Yoga 7a 2-in-1
For people who think they need a pseudo-tablet to go along with their laptop, we can’t think of a better $1,000 2-in-1 than the Lenovo Yoga 7a. This configuration has 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, as well as an AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 chip from this year. What you should really notice is the OLED touchscreen, which reaches a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200.
We won’t pretend it’s solid iPad Air If you’re just looking for something to shoot with, it might be a better choice, but for laptop convenience, the Lenovo Yoga 7a includes a nice, springy keyboard. In terms of I/O, it also has an HDMI port and a microSD card slot.
Check out the Lenovo Yoga 7a 2-in-1 at Best Buy
Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14
While you might not like the idea of ChromeOS relying so heavily on browsers, you may not actually need anything more complicated than a Chromebook. Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 simply one of the best Chromebook Plus models. Its MediaTek Kompanio Ultra chip, plus 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, are more than enough to handle whatever you plan to use your Chromebook for.
The Chromebook Plus 14 features an OLED display that will make streaming content look rich and vivid. Not only that, but it also has a very strong battery life that will last you through your course work. Just don’t expect to do much with it. It’s still just a Chromebook.
Check out the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 at Best Buy
Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514
If you’re looking for a 2-in-1 Chromebook, there’s no better choice than the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514. Like the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14, it’s powered by a MediaTek Kompanio Ultra chip, though it packs less RAM at just 12GB. That’s not too bad considering it sits at a lower price point than a Lenovo laptop. You’ll also have to accept its LCD display rather than OLED.
Despite the differences, the Chromebook Plus Spin 514 feels durable, which is an important factor if you plan to flip the screen over and use it as a tablet.
Check out the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 at Best Buy
Microsoft Surface Laptop (13 inch)
Microsoft’s Surface line received a quick-and-dirty price cut just in time for the back-to-school season. Unfortunately, it came with memory loss. The the redesigned Surface Laptop 13-inch it has only 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. That’s not much to be sure. However, if you plan to connect your device to a Google or Microsoft cloud account, you can still have a laptop that feels great in the hand.
The 13-inch Surface Laptop has the Snapdragon X Plus chip from last year. It might not equal all the performance you want, but if you’re using your laptop for the basics—writing, browsing, and streaming—it’s more than enough. If you’re looking for a more tablet-sized device, you can opt for the 12-inch Surface Pro instead. You’ll have to spend close to $1,000 to get one with the Flex Keyboard, though there is a model that comes in at $850.
Check out the Microsoft Surface Laptop (13-inch) at Best Buy
Acer Nitro V16
If you really need a laptop with a discrete GPU, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a new one in 2026 for under $1,000. Acer’s Nitro V16 comes closest to offering an all-round budget gaming laptop with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 GPU and older AMD2 Ryzen0 CPU. However, you still get access to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage.
It also packs a 180Hz IPS LCD display with a laptop-best resolution of 1,920 x 1,200, which should be more than enough for lighter gaming or graphics tasks. It’s no slouch for ports either, with three USB-A, a single USB-C, plus an HDMI and Ethernet port.
At the time of writing, the Acer Nitro V16 was priced at just under $1,000, but has since risen to $1,059 at the time of publication. Maybe you’ll get lucky and the price will drop again.
