It’s been a while since we last touched the laptop segment. While there has been a bunch of new launches, the final call about which are the top in a category remains with the specifications and the price you pay for it. While price has no barrier in today’s market, manufacturers are constantly trying to offer as much as they can for a minimum quoted price. Choosing the budget segment today, we researched upon the price tag of Rs 20,000 and realised that while there have not been much new launches in this price segment, the laptops which were earlier priced above 20K have now dropped in to make it under this price bracket. While there are a couple of options for 2-in-1 laptops around this price mark, we have concentrated more on the specs here.
HP 245 G5 Notebook – Rs 19,539
Starting with one of the most reliable notebook manufacturers, HP’s 245 G5 can be considered one of the best laptops for gaming in this price range. The notebook is powered by an AMD A6 Quad-Core 7310 Processor clocked at 2.0 GHz with RadeonTM R4 Graphics. There is 4GB DDR3 RAM (can be maxed out up to 16GB) and you get 500GB of eSATA hard disk. For the display, there is 14-inch 1366 x 768 Full HD LED display measuring at 34.54 x 24.15 x 2.39 cm. The device is decent in terms of design and comes in dark grey colour. Another downside for some can be the lack of Windows OS as the HP. 245 G5 comes with DOS (Disk Operating System) although you can get the Windows 10 version as well but then you will have to spend a little more. For the ports, we get 2 USB 2.0 ports, 1 USB 3.0 port, an HDMI port, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, an Ethernet port, and a VGA port. For the connectivity, there is built-in Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0. For the battery we get a 4-cell 41 Wh Li-Ion battery and the device weighs around 1.8 Kgs. You also get a year long manufacturer’s warranty.
Lenovo B41-35 – Rs 19,990
If you are not a fan of HP but still want similar specifications, Lenovo’s B41-35 can be the choice for you. Lenovo has always been known for its durable products when it comes to laptops. We get a 14-inch display with a Resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. On the inside, there is the same AMD A6 7310 Quad-Core processor clocked at 2.0GHz along with a 500GB hard disk and 4GB DDR3 RAM. In terms of connectivity, the laptop comes with built-in Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth and it also sports a webcam at the top of the screen. The laptop measures at 47 x 32.2 x 8 cm and we get 2 USB 3.0 ports, 1 USB 2.0 port, an HDMI port, a VGA port, 4-in-1 card reader etc. There is a 4-cell battery in there which Lenovo claims can provide up to 5 hours of battery life, however, unlike the HP 245 G5, we do get Windows 10 pre-installed. You also get 1 year manufacturer’s warranty.
Acer One 14 – Rs 18,990
Another 14-inch option we have in the sub-20k price segment is the Acer One 14. The device has its USP in the processor’s clock speed which is probably the maximum around this price tag. Starting with the display, we again get a 14-inch Full HD 1366 x 768 display with the notebook measuring at 34.1 x 23.6 x 2.1 cm. Underneath the hood, which is where this notebook shines, is Intel’s Pentium N3700 Quad-Core processor clocked at 2.4 GHz and comes with a 4GB of RAM right along and 500GB of SATA hard disk. For the ports, there are 2 USB 2.0 ports, 1 USB 3.0 port, 1 HDMI port, 2 Audio out ports, an Ethernet port, a Microphone port, a microSD card reader etc. In terms of connectivity, we get built-in Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth v4 whereas in terms of graphics we get usual Intel HD graphics. The battery capacity is a mystery but the average juice this notebook claims to offer is of about 4.5 hours. We get 1 year of manufacturer’s warranty and the laptop just weighs at 1.8 Kgs. As of now, the Acer One 14 is available for Rs 18,990 at Amazon India.
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ASUS A553SA-XX173D – Rs 19,990
Now, if you are not looking to buy a notebook for home and do not care much about the portability, ASUS’s A553SA-XX173D can be considered. The notebook’s highlight is its design which is the case with most of Asus’s recent notebooks and smartphones. Other than that, we get a 15.6-inch Full HD 1366 x 768 display wrapped in a body which measures 25.8 x 38 x 2.5 cm and weighs at 2.2 Kgs. There is an Intel Pentium N3700 1.6 GHz Quad-Core processor coupled with 4GB of RAM and 500GB of Serial ATA hard disk. While in terms of connectivity, we get built-in Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth, in terms of ports, there is a USB 2.0 port, a USB 3.0 port , an HDMI port, a Microphone port, a VGA port. Unfortunately, you don’t get any pre-installed OS as it comes with DOS. The laptop comes in both white and black colour options and was originally priced at around Rs 24,000. We get 2 years of manufacturer warranty as well. Apart from pretty similar specifications as other above-mentioned notebooks, Asus A553SA is for those who are pretty possessive about the design. The laptop would equally be a good media companion for households.
Dell Inspiron 15 Z565161UIN4 – Rs 19,990
A top notebook’s list would be incomplete without Dell. Another option if you are looking to buy a 15.6-inch notebook is this one. The Dell Pentium Quad-Core comes with a 15.6-inch Full HD LED Backlit TFT display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. The device comes with dual-speakers which are tuned with Waves MaxxAudio Processing. On the inside, we get Intel’s Pentium Quad-Core N3700 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz (can be boost up to 2.4 GHz). Apart from that, there is 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 500 GB of hard disk and usual Intel HD Graphics. For the ports, we get 1 USB 3.0 port, 2 USB 2.0 port, an HDMI port and a MicroSD card reader. In terms of connectivity, there is built-in Wi-Fi 802.11 a/c and Bluetooth v4.0. The device measures at 38 x 26 x 2.17 cm, weighing around 2.1 Kgs. In terms of battery, there is 4-Cell battery which the company claims can offer up to 6 hours of battery life. We also get an HD webcam at the front and 1 year onsite manufacturer warranty.