Looking for an affordable laptop to start the new year? This is the list for you. Most of these devices are all-rounder devices that should work well for both work and some play as well.
Asus Vivobook 16X
The RM2,999 Asus Vivobook 16X is probably the most powerful laptop on this list. It packs a Ryzen 5 5600H processor that’s mated to 8GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage.
The 45W TDP processor and Radeon Vega 7 integrated graphics should handle light gaming on esports titles, but it’s definitely no a “gaming laptop”.
You get a large 16” 1920×1200 WUXGA IPS panel, and while it’s not the best panel in the market you have to keep in mind the price point. It covers 45% of the NTSC colour gamut and has a max brightness of 300 nits.
There is a 50Whr battery and an included 90W charger as well as a solid suite of I/O ports including three USB-A ports, two of which are USB 3.2, a USB-C port, an HDMI port and a headphone jack.
Acer Aspire Vero
The most interesting thing about the RM2599 Acer Aspire Vero has to be the way it looks. This laptop is made out of 30% post-consumer recycled plastic which gives it an interesting look and texture.
It comes with no paint on the chassis, but features an Intel Core i5-1235U processor mated to 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage.Besides that, the Vero packs a 15.6” Full HD IPS display that covers 100% of the sRGB colour gamut.
Acer claims up to 11 hours of use on a single charge, and there’s also a plethora of I/O ports including three USB-A ports, one USB-C port, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Acer Aspire 3
A favourite amongst Malaysians looking for a budget laptop, the RM2,899 Acer Aspire 3 was recently refreshed by Acer.
This laptop now sports an Intel Core i5-1235U processor with Intel Iris XE graphics, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage.
There is a 15.6” Full HD IPS display, a 40Wh battery rated for up to 6.5 hours of use, as well as a plethora of ports including an Ethernet port, an HDMI port, three USB A ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14 is a solid all-rounder laptop, which means it’ll probably be good enough for most of your use cases. At its core, it is packing a 25W AMD Ryzen 7 5700U processor, which honestly should be good enough for whatever a student or office worker might need.
There are a few memory configurations here. While they have an RRP of over RM3,000, you can often find the ones with 8GB or 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage on sale for below RM3,000, making them a great pickup.
It also features a 14” Full HD IPS display, a 44.5Wh battery rated for up to 7 hours of use and even a fingerprint reader. I/O includes an HDMI port, two USB-A ports, a USB-C port, an SD card reader and a headphone jack.
Honor MagicBook 15
Honor has made a name for itself by making some excellent laptops at excellent price points, and for this list we’re recommending the RM2,499 MagicBook 15.
This device features an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U processor with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage. It features Radeon integrated graphics and a 15.6” Full HD IPS display that covers 100% of the sRGB colour gamut.
It features a 56Wh battery and a fingerprint scanner on the power button. I/O includes a USB-C port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
