The time has come for a brand new laptop, but it probably hasn’t been easy to pick up a budget laptop no thanks to shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but fret not, we have once again listed some of the best laptops that you can get for less than RM2000 if you are cash strapped for upgrading your laptop.
Acer Aspire 3 – Intel Pentium CPU, Full HD Display and Great I/Os
We believe that you shouldn’t save that few hundred Ringgit for a bad processor, Windows machines do require some fire power even if you aren’t doing intensive work on it, the Aspire 3 from Acer will set you right with a quad-core Intel Pentium Silve N6000 processor, it comes with 4GB of onboard RAM which can be later upgraded with an extra SODIMM slot, a 15.6-inch Full HD display ensures your eyes remain comfortable after long hours of staring at the screen, and you get lots of I/Os including a full-sized HDMI and Ethernet port on this budget 15.6-inch laptop.
Acer Aspire 3 Intel Pentium Laptop – A315-35-P5JS (Electric Blue) | Shopee Malaysia
JOI Book Classmate 30 – Rugged 14-inch laptop with great performance
Spoiled your laptop because of water spills or drops? The JOI Book Classmate 30 is the perfect device to start with for under RM1800, this 14-inch laptop is able to withstand drops of up to 2ft and water spills of up to 100cc. Best of all, it doesn’t compromise on performance and features as it is powered by an Intel 10th Gen Ice Lake Core i3-1005G1 processor, supported by 4GB RAM and 256GB SSD, this should be adequate for learning and office workflows.
JOI Book Classmate 30 14” Laptop Gray ( i3-1005G1, 4GB, 256GB SSD, Intel, W10P) | Shopee Malaysia
JOI Book Classmate 30 14” Laptop Gray ( i3-1005G1, 4GB, 256GB SSD, Intel, W10P) | Lazada
Machenike Machcreator A – Best Overall Value Laptop
We have reviewed this laptop before and find to be an excellent device for under RM2000, it comes with a very premium build aluminum build quality and has a webcam that’s better than some premium laptops, it is also the only sub RM2000 laptop that comes with a respectable specs sheet – Intel Core i3-10110U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 15.6-inch FHD display – that other laptops can’t match, but the question remains is if you are willing to go through the more tedious support process should you face any technical issues, although Machenike has clarified with us that they have a local warehouse that performs replacements should you have a problem with your laptop.
Buy the Machcreator A at Lazada.
Chromebooks – Best for web related learning and work
While there are certainly other affordable Windows laptops, we won’t recommend them due to their low resolution displays and low power processors, but on the other hand, if your workflow mainly involves on the web, such as Gmail, Google Sheets, Microsoft 365, Zoom and etc., you should definitely give Chromebooks a go as they are extremely capable machines that can perform faster than a Windows laptop of the same price range. Here are some of them that we recommend:
HP Chromebook X360 11 G3 | Shopee Malaysia
Meanwhile, check out work from home essentials at Good Deals by KLGG and enter code ‘WELCOME’ to receive a RM10 discount on your first purchase!