Finding the best laptop under $1200 can be challenging, but we are here to guide you. With a budget of 1200, you can get a laptop that suits your needs, whether you want to game, work, or multitask. The laptops in this price range have good specifications and can handle any task you give them. We will show you the best laptops under $1200 for each category. You will find a variety of laptops that can meet your expectations.
Laptops are popular because they are portable and powerful. They can do what a traditional PC can do and more. If you are looking for a computer that fits your daily use, we have the best options for you. We will cover the best laptops for gaming, touchscreen, 2-in-1 convertible, business, video editing, or casual use. You have many choices to pick from. The more choices you have, the better chance you have to find a laptop that is worth your money. Let’s get started!
Recommended: Best Prebuilt Gaming PC Under $1000
Table of Contents
List of Best Laptops under $1200 in 2023
Are you looking for the best laptops under 1200 dollars to buy in 2023? We have a list of top laptops that can perform well under this budget.
1 [Overall Best Laptop under $1200] – Apple Macbook Pro M2
Key Features
- Display: 13.3-inch 2560 x 1600p QHD+
- CPU: Apple M1
- GPU: Integrated GPU
- RAM: 8GB LPDDR5
- Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD
Apple is the world’s biggest tech company and needs no introduction. If you are looking for the most portable business laptop, Apple MacBook is the one for you. The latest Macbook Pro features Apple’s own M2 chip, a highly optimized chip that delivers top-notch performance. Apple M2 is a very power-efficient chip that runs smoothly with the Octa-Core CPU.
Apple says that the M2 Macbook is up to 1.8x faster than the M1 Macbook, which is not far from the truth. Its CPU has an integrated eight cores GPU, which Apple claims, is 6x faster than the Intel-based MacBook. Machine Learning is also at its best with a 16-core Neural Engine. This Macbook M2 chip is much more advanced and powerful than its predecessor. It could be a game-changer for the industry, just like the iPhone series was in 2008.
Apart from that, the Macbook Pro also comes with 8GB DDR4 RAM and 256GB SSD storage. You can opt for the 512GB model, but it will cost you 200 dollars more. If you need more storage, you can go for the higher variant. Otherwise, 256GB is enough for basic tasks. You should also consider the Thunderbolt 4 port that comes with this laptop. This port allows faster data transfer, and you can easily connect a faster external SSD drive to solve the storage issue. The battery life is also amazing, with up to 20 hours of usage. This is possible because of the power efficiency of the M2 chip. You don’t have to worry about the build quality either.
It has a sturdy metal unibody design with a metallic finish. The laptop is thin and light, making it very portable. Macbook Pro has a 13.3-inch display with 2560 x 1600p resolution and 500-nits brightness. It is probably one of the brightest screens on any laptop. Moreover, this laptop also has dual-firing speakers that are loud enough for a great audio experience. It is a perfect choice for media consumption or video editing on Final Cut Pro. If you are a business person or a video editor, this is the laptop for you.
2[Best for Gaming & Productivity] – ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2023)
Key Features
- Display: 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080p (165Hz)
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4050 6GB VRAM
- RAM: 16GB DDR5 4800MHz
- Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD
Asus TUF is a well-known gaming series from the world’s biggest laptop maker. It has a 15.6-inch Full HD display with a 144Hz refresh rate. AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS is one of the best budget gaming chipsets that can handle high-end tasks. This octa-core chip has no lag in multitasking, thanks to its power-efficient 6nm node from TSMC. Its CPU has a 3.2GHz base clock speed that can go up to 4.75GHz in Boosted mode.
Apart from that, this laptop comes with a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050, a strong rival of RTX 3060 with 4GB GDDR6 Video RAM at a reasonable price. The memory section is not compromised as it has 16GB DDR5 RAM at 4800MHz clock speed. The laptop has a decent build quality with a backlit keyboard. However, it does not have RGB effects, which are common in gaming laptops.
This device has a 1TB SSD drive to store your important files. It is enough for an average user. The battery life is also good for a gaming machine that consumes a lot of power. Overall, it is a good gaming machine to buy under $1200. You can also use it for productivity tasks such as video editing, photo editing, Photoshop, AutoCAD, and others that need good color accuracy and a powerful GPU.
3[Best for Productivity] – ASUS VivoBook Pro 14
Key Features
- Display: 14-inch 2880 x 1620p WQXGA+
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 6800H
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3050 4GB VRAM
- RAM: 16GB LPDDR5 4800MHz
- Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD
The laptop industry recognizes Asus as a prominent brand. Recently, the company launched a laptop called Vivobook Pro 15 that is suitable for productivity tasks that require high graphics, such as Photoshop, video editing, and more. The laptop has a powerful hardware configuration and a dedicated GPU unit. The laptop features a 14-inch display with WQXGA+ 2880 x 1620p resolution at 90Hz. The display has a 100 DCI-P3 color gamut with Pantone Validation, which ensures outstanding color accuracy.
The display is also quite bright with 400-nit brightness. This makes it an ideal display for professional video editing. Moreover, the laptop’s hardware can handle these productivity tasks efficiently. The laptop has an AMD Ryzen 7 6800H CPU, which is a strong gaming chipset that can run top-end games smoothly. It also has an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU with 4GB GDDR6 Video Memory, which makes it a good choice for gamers. The laptop can perform graphics-intensive tasks without any lag with this hardware combination.
In terms of storage, the laptop has 16GB LPDDR5 RAM and 1TB SSD storage for storage. The internal storage can store large files easily. Additionally, the laptop has a good selection of connectivity ports, such as 3 Thunderbolt USB Type-A, a USB Type-C port, an HDMI 2.0, and an SD card reader. Moreover, the laptop also has WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity options. Furthermore, the laptop has a large trackpad with 1.35mm key travel, which is about 27% larger than its predecessor. The company also uses dual-fan cooling with IceCoolPlus technology to keep the laptop cool while running heavy applications.
4[Best Laptop for Multitasking under 1200] – HP Envy X360
Key Features
- Display: 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080p FHD
- CPU: Intel Core i7-1355U
- GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Xe
- RAM: 16GB DDR4 3200MHz
- Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD
The HP Pavilion X360 is a good option for you if you are looking for a laptop that can handle casual multitasking. This laptop has a 2-in-1 design that allows you to transform it into a tablet for more fun and creativity. The laptop runs on the latest 13th gen Intel Core i7-1355U processor, which is a 10-core CPU with a maximum turbo speed of 5.0 GHz and a 12MB cache. The processor is part of the Raptor Lake family, which uses a 7 nm SuperFin architecture to improve power efficiency.
The laptop has an integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics card, which is sufficient for everyday tasks and light gaming. This laptop is designed for the business class, so it is very light and portable. The laptop has a great build quality. The dual speakers are loud enough for watching videos and listening to music in the room. The laptop has a 15.6-inch Full HD display that covers the entire front. The display has good viewing angles and color accuracy. The laptop has a decent battery life of 8 hours, which will help you to use it on long trips.
In terms of storage, the laptop has plenty of RAM, as it comes with 16GB DDR4 RAM. It also has 1TB SSD storage for storing data. The laptop has all the necessary connectivity ports, such as 2x USB Type-A ports, 1x USB Type-C port with DisplayPort & PD charging, 1x HDMI port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a full-sized SD card reader. Moreover, the laptop also has wireless connectivity options, such as WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, which make it more convenient from a connectivity point of view. Overall, it is a good laptop in the budget segment with the latest hardware.
5[Best for Gaming under $1200] – Acer Nitro 17
Key Features
- Display: 17.3-inch 1920 x 1080p (165Hz)
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4050 6GB VRAM
- RAM: 16GB DDR5
- Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD
The Acer Nitro is a gaming-oriented laptop under $1200. One of the main features of this laptop is the new RTX 40 series graphics card. The laptop comes with a Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, which is one of the most advanced gaming GPUs in this price range. The RTX 4050 is a new GPU from Nvidia that has 6GB GDDR6x RAM, which is equivalent to the RTX 3060.
The RTX 40 series offers some useful gaming features, such as realistic Ray-traced graphics, more Tensor cores, improved DLLSS for AI, and other enhancements. The Acer Nitro 5 has an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS processor, which has an eight-core GPU. Moreover, it also has an octa-core GPU and 16 threads, with a base clock speed of 3.2GHz and a maximum turbo speed of 4.75GHz in burst mode.
Apart from that, the laptop has a 17.3-inch Full HD display with a 165Hz refresh rate on the front. The display is bright and smooth enough for a good gaming experience. The laptop has 1TB SSD storage and 16GB DDR5 RAM for storage. The laptop runs on the latest Windows 11, like other Windows gaming laptops. Overall, it is a good gaming laptop for under $1200 with the new RTX 40 series graphics card.
6[Thin & Lightweight] – ASUS ZenBook 14
Key Features
- Display: 14-inch 1920 x 1080p Full HD
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
- GPU: AMD Radeon RX Vega 7
- RAM: 16GB LPDDR4
- Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD
If you are looking for a portable laptop under $1200, the Asus Zenbook 14 is a great choice. The laptop has a stunning design and a beautiful look that can impress anyone. The laptop also has some unique features that set it apart from its competitors, such as a 5.65-inch Full HD+ ScreenPad that replaces the conventional touchpad. You can use this ScreenPad to activate the numeric keypad directly. The laptop also has a 14-inch Full HD display that has a splendid 400-nits brightness.
The laptop runs on an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor, which has a 3.2GHz clock speed that can reach up to 4.4GHz with Intel’s Turbo Boost technology. This processor is part of the powerful AMD 5000 series that delivers excellent performance and power efficiency. You can expect smooth performance while doing casual tasks and high-end multitasking. The processor is made on TSMC’s 7nm process node to reduce power consumption.
Furthermore, the processor also has an integrated AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 graphics card that can handle graphics-intensive tasks. This GPU is not very powerful, but it can handle basic tasks like photo editing, video editing, and more. Moreover, the laptop also has 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage, and it comes with Windows 10 Pro pre-installed. The battery life of 15 hours is remarkable. Overall, the Asus Zenbook 14 is the best laptop under $1200 if you want a very well-made portable machine.
7[Powerful Touchscreen Laptop] – Lenovo Slim 7i
Key Features
- Display: 16-inch 2560 x 1600p Touchscreen
- CPU: Intel Core i7-12700H
- GPU: Intel Arc A370M
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD
The Lenovo Slim 7i touchscreen model is a great choice for the best touchscreen laptop under $1200. It is a new product from a reputable brand. The laptop has a 16-inch WQXGA touchscreen display that lets you interact with the screen directly. It is not a convertible laptop, so the hinge cannot rotate 360 degrees.
The only downside of this device is that it does not come with a stylus pen. This can be an issue for some people who need a pen for their creative work or online business. The device has impressive specs, such as an Intel Core i7-12700H processor, an Intel Arc A370M GPU with 4GB GDDR6 VRAM, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB NVMe SSD storage. These features make the device fast and spacious.
The device runs on Windows 11 Home, which provides some useful features for professionals. The battery life is also good, lasting for about 6 to 8 hours on average. The laptop is suitable for various purposes, such as education, content creation, small business, online classes, Google Classroom, Remote Learning, and video conferencing. This is likely the best touchscreen laptop under $1200.
8 [Bigger 2K Display] – LG Gram (2022)
Key Features
- Display: 16-inch 2560 x 1600p WQXGA
- CPU: Intel Core i7-1260P
- GPU: Intel Iris XE Graphics
- RAM: 32GB LPDDR5
- Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD
One of the reasons why the LG Gram 17Z90N is on our list is its large and high-resolution display. The laptop has a 16-inch 2K display with thin bezels and a resolution of 2560 x 1600p. The display is bright and crisp, which can prevent eye fatigue. Content creators can enjoy this display for their creative work. The laptop also has a remarkable battery life of 15 hours, which is ideal for travelers who are often on the go.
The laptop is powered by the Intel Core i7-1260P processor and the Intel Iris XE Graphics. The integrated graphics can handle basic graphics, but not advanced ones without a dedicated VRAM. The laptop also has 32GB LPDDR5 RAM, which can run tasks smoothly. The laptop has 1TB of SSD storage, which can store large and small files. The storage and RAM are sufficient for casual tasks.
Apart from that, the laptop comes with Windows 11 Pro pre-installed. It also has the necessary I/O ports, an RGB Backlit keyboard, and WiFi 6 support. This laptop can be a good option if you want a large screen with a long battery life. This is the best $1200 laptop with a bigger and more stunning screen.
9[Beautiful AMOLED Screen] – Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro
Key Features
- Display: 15.6-inch Full HD OLED
- CPU: Intel Core i7-1260P
- GPU: Intel Iris XE Graphics
- RAM: 16GB LPDDR5
- Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
Samsung is well-known for being the leading supplier of displays for various devices, including laptops. One of the laptops that has a stunning display under $1200 is the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro. The laptop has a 15.6-inch Full HD AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080p. The OLED technology makes the display colorful and clear from different angles. You will be impressed by the quality of the display, as Samsung always delivers.
The laptop runs on Windows and has the latest 12th-generation Intel Core i7-1260P Processor with a base clock speed of 3.40 GHz, which can boost up to 4.7 GHz with Intel’s Turbo Boost technology. The processor is powerful and can handle any task with ease. The laptop also has an integrated Intel Iris XE graphics card, which enhances the graphics performance. The laptop is designed for casual multitasking and does it very well. It has 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, which is enough for the price range.
The laptop has 512GB SSD storage, which can store large files. Another great feature of the laptop is its long battery life. The company claims that the battery can last up to 20 hours on a single charge. However, you can expect around 10-12 hours of battery life in normal usage. The laptop has all the necessary connectivity options, including the next-generation WiFi 6E, which is up to 3x faster than standard WiFi. This makes the connectivity even faster. Overall, this is a great laptop for under $1200 with a sleek and portable body and powerful hardware.
10[Macbook Alternative] – Microsoft Surface Laptop 4
Key Features
- Display: 13.3-inch 2256 x 1504p Touchscreen
- CPU: Intel Core i5-1135G7
- GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Xe
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
If you are looking for a Windows laptop that is similar to a Macbook, then you might want to check out the Microsoft Surface series. They are not as powerful as macOS, but they are still a good option if you prefer Windows for some reason. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 has a 13.3-inch 2K touchscreen with a resolution of 2256 x 1504 pixels. The screen is clear and bright, with great viewing angles. It is ideal for watching videos and other media.
Apart from that, the laptop also has good performance, with the latest Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor inside. The integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics card handles the graphics tasks well. The laptop runs on Windows 10 Pro, which gives you a pure Windows experience. Microsoft is the creator of Windows, so the laptop is well-optimized for this operating system and the hardware.
The laptop has 512GB SSD storage and 8GB DDR4 RAM, which are enough for casual tasks and some high-end tasks. The battery life is also impressive, with 15 hours of usage on a single charge. The laptop is portable and durable, making it one of the best Windows laptops for casual tasks.
11[Bonus for Content Creation & Productivity] – Acer Swift X
Key Features
- Display: 14-inch 1920 x 1080p FHD
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800U
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3050Ti 4GB GDDR6
- RAM: 16GB DDR4 3200MHz
- Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
If you are looking for a laptop that can handle professional workloads, you might want to check out the Acer Swift X. This laptop has a 14-inch FHD IPS LED screen with a resolution of 1920 × 1080p, which makes the most of its GPU. The screen can also reach a brightness level of 300 nits and has a 100% sRGB color gamut. This means that you will enjoy stunning visuals and accurate colors on this laptop. The laptop runs on the AMD Ryzen 7 5800U processor, which is part of the new “U” series of processors for slim and light laptops. This processor uses the 7nm design technology from TSMC to reduce power consumption and is based on the Zen 3 microarchitecture.
The AMD 5000 series processor has a base clock speed of 1.9GHz and can boost up to 4.4GHz with its eight cores and 16 threads. This is a powerful processor that can handle demanding tasks. The laptop also has 16GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB Solid State Drive for memory. To match the performance of the CPU, the laptop also has the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics card. This is a new Nvidia GPU with 4GB VRAM that supports features like Dynamic Boost 2.0 and enhanced real-time Ray Tracing.
One of the advantages of this laptop is that it supports the latest WiFi 6 technology, which can improve your internet connectivity. However, you will need a router that supports WiFi 6 bands to get the high speed. The laptop also has a fingerprint scanner for security reasons. The I/O ports include a USB Type-C, 2x USB Type-A, an HDMI, and a headphone jack. The laptop has a nice backlit keyboard with white lighting and a large trackpad. The laptop weighs only 3 pounds, which makes it easy to carry around. The Acer Swift X is a great laptop for content creation. You might want to consider this laptop if you are into video editing or photography.
Buying Guide – How to choose the best laptop under $1200 in 2023?
If you want to buy a laptop under 1200 dollars in 2023, you need to pay attention to some important factors. Here are some of them:
Processor & Graphics Card
The processor is the most crucial factor for any laptop in any price range. You can find very powerful processors for under 1200 dollars. You can easily choose at least the 10th generation i7 from Intel. AMD has also become very competitive in recent years. The AMD Ryzen 7 is a good option for gaming laptops. If you prefer an Apple laptop, you will need the Apple M1 chip, which is a powerful and optimized CPU for Apple laptops. We suggest you go for an Intel Core i7 11th Gen. CPU or AMD Ryzen 7 if you want an AMD-powered laptop. The graphics card is another important component that can affect the performance of any laptop.
Most gaming laptops have a dedicated graphics card. For gaming, you should look for at least an RTX 3050, which can handle high-end games in medium to high settings. But if you want the best gaming performance, you should go for an RTX 3060 graphics card with a powerful CPU. For casual work and multitasking, an integrated graphics card is enough. An integrated GPU also helps to save battery life. The new series of Intel Iris Xe graphics can handle graphics-intensive tasks very well.
RAM & Storage
The RAM is also very important, just like the CPU and GPU, for a smooth experience. It can make a big difference in the performance when the laptop needs more RAM. For a gaming laptop, you should look for at least 16GB of RAM, and more if possible. Any gaming laptop with less than 16GB of RAM can struggle with AAA games.
For normal use, you should look for at least 8GB of memory. But there are more options with better RAM. For storage, it depends on how much data you want to store. You should always go for faster SSD storage, which is much better than traditional HDD storage. Under 1200 dollars, most of the gaming laptops have 16GB RAM, and the other laptops have 8GB RAM.
Design
The design is a personal preference. But you should look for a laptop with a strong structure. A metal build is common for business laptops. They have solid construction and durability. Portability is one of the main reasons people buy laptops. Otherwise, they could build a desktop with better options. That’s why people like to buy lightweight laptops with thin bezels.
However, the main problem with gaming laptops is that most of them are heavy and have a plastic body to reduce the heat. Any laptop under 5 lbs is a good choice for gaming. But you have many other options for other purposes.
Battery Life
The battery life is also important when choosing the right laptop. The technology has improved a lot to produce laptops with long-lasting batteries. Most business laptops have great battery life. The Macbook Pro M1 has an amazing battery life of more than 10 hours. Some Windows laptops also last for more than 10 hours, but they are rare.
But gaming laptops are very weak when it comes to battery life. Most gaming laptops have less than 5 hours of battery life. It is enough to get at least 3-4 hours of battery while playing high-end games. There are many better options with an integrated graphics card. These factors will help you to choose the right laptop. The rest depends on your needs.
[FAQ] – Frequently Asked Questions
You might be wondering about some things when looking for the best laptops under $1200. Here are the answers to some of the usual queries:
What is the best laptop under $1200?
Depending on your needs and preferences, you might want to consider one of these three laptops under $1200: Apple MacBook Pro, Lenovo Legion 5, or HP Pavilion X360 15T. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages in different aspects.
Can I get a good gaming laptop for under 1200 dollars?
If you are looking for a laptop that can handle gaming, you have plenty of options in the $1200 range. You can enjoy most of the latest games with high performance and graphics. However, if you are a serious gamer who wants the best possible experience, you might want to consider spending $1500 for a more powerful configuration. This is only advisable if you play games professionally or frequently. Otherwise, a $1200 laptop will meet your gaming needs.
Conclusion
By now, you should have a clear idea of which laptop suits your needs and budget under $1200. But if you ask me, it all boils down to what you want to do with your laptop. If you are an avid gamer who needs a powerful gaming machine, you might want to check out Lenovo Legion 5, which has a robust RTX 3050Ti GPU and Ryzen 7 processor. Another gaming laptop that deserves a mention is Acer Nitro 5, which comes with a new RTX 3060 graphics card and a larger 17-inch screen. However, if you are looking for a light and portable laptop, the Apple Macbook Pro M1 is hard to beat.
You can also opt for Asus Zenbook 14 or Surface Laptop 4 if you prefer Windows OS. Both of these laptops have sleek designs and impressive performance. Finally, if you are interested in touchscreen laptops with conventional designs, we recommend HP 15. This laptop has updated hardware and a Stylus pen included in the package. Of course, there are other options available if you want to explore more possibilities. If you enjoyed this content, feel free to share it with your friends and family members who might be looking for the best laptop for under 1200 dollars. What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below!”
