I researched a bunch of budget machines and narrowed it down to five solid picks that give the best mix of performance, battery life, and everyday usability under $300. These are great for students, light work, web browsing, email, video calls, and streaming. Below you’ll find a quick buying checklist, a side‑by‑side comparison chart, and detailed specs with pros/cons for each model.
What to expect at this price
- Everyday tasks, not heavy gaming or 4K video editing
- Plastic builds and basic screens; aim for IPS when possible
- eMMC storage is common; SSD is a bonus
- 4–8GB RAM is typical; ChromeOS runs fine on 4GB, Windows is smoother with 8GB