Home > High-End Laptops > Best Laptops under $1500
When you’re looking at the best laptops under $1500, it’s because you want a high-quality laptop that does not compromise.
At that price, everything in your laptop will be top-notch. From the high-quality lightweight casing, to the ultra-vivid display, without forgetting a battery life that will last all day.
Our Top 3
#1 – Asus Zenbook UX534FTC |
#2 – HP Spectre X360 13t |
#3 – Microsoft Surface Laptop |
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Awesome 15-inch |
Premium Convertible Laptop |
Near Perfect Laptop |
| 15.6″ HD | 13.3″ HD | 13.5″ QHD |
| Intel i7 with 16 GB of RAM | Intel i7 with 16 GB of RAM | Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM |
| 1000 GB SSD | 512 GB SSD | 256 GB SSD |
| Up to 6 hours | Up to 8 hours | Up to 14.5 hours |
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Buy on |
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| Jump to our Review | Jump to our Review | Jump to our Review |
What to expect from a laptop under $1500
There are few laptops on the market that sells over $1500. So here, expect a great quality laptop that doesn’t compromise on quality nor performance.
If you are into gaming, I suggest you search in our pages for gaming laptops. Not all laptops here will play AAA games.
Casing Quality & Style
No plastic here! You only get high-quality materials that will be light, sturdy and that will look awesome. We’re talking about quality casing made of aluminium, magnesium or a mix or other high-quality materials.
Whether you get a 12-inch, a 15-inch laptop or anything in between, you’ll get a sturdy laptop that will dissipate heat easily. While you’ll hardly find a mid-range 12-inch notebook, here you can find a great one thanks to the quality materials they can put in it. As for the bigger laptops, you’ll get a lightweight laptop that you would have a hard time finding in less expensive categories.
Display
Of course, you get any screen size at that price. But what’s most impressive here is the quality of the display.
Some laptops will have a full-HD resolution and you’ll also find some ultra-HD. But absolutely all of them will have a colorful, vivid display with wide viewing angles. Only high-quality displays here!
Performance
Chances are you’ll get a laptop that delivers more performance that you need!
If you are a performance junky and run high-demanding applications, go with a laptop equipped with an i7 CPU. Otherwise, an i5 processor is more than enough for most users.
Another thing that will greatly increase the speed of your notebook is an SSD drive. All of the laptops under $1500 I chose here have them. No exception! There is no way you should get a slow hard-drive when you pay that much for a laptop!
Audio
This is often an area where laptop manufacturers compromise… Putting a high-end audio system in such a small device is a technological challenge. But when you purchase a $1500 laptop, you expect to be able to enjoy your music without distortion. And that what you get here!
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Specs for the Top 12 Best laptops under $1500
Graphics 12, 13, 14 or 15-inch Processor Intel i5, Intel i7 RAM 8 to 16 GB Storage 256 to 512 GB Battery life 8 to 14.5 hours OS Windows 10, Windows 10 Pro Thickness / Weight 0.33 to 0.9″ / 1.73 to 4.4 lbs
Top 12 Best laptops under $1500
1 – Asus Zenbook UX534FTC – 15″ HD
“Awesome 15-inch”
Asus really did it this time with this brand new Asus Zenbook 15″ 4K edition. Its picture quality is really good and the colors are also very vibrant.
Honestly, it’s a multitasking powerhouse and has an outstanding performance. The 10th gen I7-1051OU handles tasks like it’s nothing, you could be watching YouTube and at the same time pull up an excel spreadsheet file and PowerPoint all on one screen then jump into adobe pro and render a photo or video.
The Asus Zenbook UX534FTC is literally night and day compared to the other old laptops.
Pros
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Cons
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Buy on NewEgg
| Graphics | 15.6″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) with NVIDIA GTX 1650 |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 16 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 1000 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 6 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 Pro |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.7″ / 3.64 lbs |
2 – HP Spectre X360 13t – 13″ HD Convertible
“Premium Convertible Laptop”
The HP Spectre series is the premium line of the manufacturer and I must say they made a great job here. It’s definitely one of the top laptops under $1500. The first version, its brother the HP Spectre 13, was already a great laptop but here they even managed to improve it.
It’s a high-performance, sleek 2-in-1 laptop that’s definitely one of the best of its category. From the It also comes in two colors, the classic silver or the black & gold version if you want your laptop to stand out a little!
Pros
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Cons
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Buy on online
| Graphics | 13.3″ HD touchscreen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 16 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 512 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 8 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.67″ / 2.88 lbs |
3 – Microsoft Surface Laptop – 13″ QHD
“Near Perfect Laptop”
With its classic laptop, Microsoft did what they did so well with the other members of the Surface series.
The Microsoft Surface laptop is a high-quality notebook that easily competes with the best in its category. As with its siblings, it has a QHD display that will make some others blush, is equipped with enough power to go through any task and it has one of the longest battery life you can find.
Really, a great sub $1500 laptop!
Pros
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Cons
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Buy on online
| Graphics | 13.5″ QHD touchscreen (2256 x 1504) |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 14.5 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.57″ / 2.83 lbs |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
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Burgundy
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4 – Asus Zenbook UX434FLC – 14″ HD
“High-Quality 14-inch”
The Asus Zenbook UX434FLC will exceed your expectations, and if you don’t own a laptop yet then this laptop will remind you of what you have missed not having a laptop.
For the price of under $1500, it’s a very good machine. The battery life is amazing and it is very easy to travel with. It’s super light and you can barely feel it in your bag. You should also note that even with the brightness set to it’s lowest, you can still see the screen clearly. Also, it is hard to find affordable computers with more than 8gb RAM, so this is a good deal for that.
But for its screen, I would rate it 4 out of 5 because it has only a 1080p screen.
All in all, I highly recommend this laptop, especially for students as it is compact and easy to carry.
Pros
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Cons
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Buy on online
| Graphics | 14″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 16 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 512 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 Pro |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.7″ / 2.78 lbs |
5 – Dell XPS 15 – 15″ QHD
“High-Performance 15-inch”
The sub $1500 laptop category is filled with great products, and that’s the only reason why the Dell XPS 15 is not higher on this list. It’s really a great, light 15-inch laptop that has very few flaws.
The screen is gorgeous, you can’t ask for more power thanks to the i7 and the powerful graphics card, and it looks premium. A great choice if you’re looking for a high-quality 15-inch.
Pros
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Cons
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Buy on online
| Graphics | 15.6″ QHD touchscreen (3840 x 2160) with NVIDIA GTX 960M |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 11 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.66″ / 4 lbs |
6 – HP EliteBook 820 G4 – 12″ HD
“Superb & tiny”
This laptop is very portable, weighing only 2.78 pounds. The keyboard is really nice and doesn’t have much flex on it. You would love typing on it and you’d be able to work on it for hours without your fingers getting tired. Its 12.5″ screen comes with vibrant colors and it has a very good viewing angle that allows you to have a clear view of the screen even after you pull the screen completely down.
One thing that I want you to know is that the HP Elitebook 820 G4 is not designed for gamers, so if you are looking for a laptop that would run your latest games smoothly, then I wouldn’t recommend this.
But overall, I’m sure it will prove to be a fantastic, lightweight, sturdy replacement for your previous work laptop.
Buy on online
| Graphics | 12.5″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SDD |
| Battery life | Up to 8 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 Pro |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.39″ / 2.2 lbs |
# 7 to 12 Best laptops under $1500
7 – MSI Creator A10SE-421 – 15″ HD
“A Graphic Designer’s dream”
Microstar International or better known as MSI released the MSI Creator A10SE-421 and from the name itself, it suggests that this laptop has been aimed for the creators. This laptop is not much talked about but I’m super interested in it because of its truly impressive list of specs, especially for someone who edits a lot of high-resolution videos or images on a laptop.
It has a subtle, professional look with no crazy RGB on the keyboard and comes with an option of 1080p or 4k screen. If you edit your photos or videos on Adobe, then for you MSI Creator A10SE-421 has a “true pixel display” which covers 100% of the Adobe RGB color gamut. The keys are nice enough and satisfying to type on.
Overall, it is one of the best laptop under $1500 for the creators.
Pros
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Cons
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Buy on online
| Graphics | 15.6″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) with AMD Radeon Pro |
| Performance | Intel I7 with 16 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 1000 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 8 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 Pro |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.85″ / 4.1 lbs |
8 – Apple Macbook Air – 13″ QHD
“A redesigned classic”
Apple has rediscovered itself with the 2020 Apple Macbook air.
In my opinion, the 2020 MacBook Air is a perfect laptop. It has physical keys that are a pleasure to type on, a beautiful screen, an optimal size, good pricing, and a quad-core processor. The only “touch” button is the fingerprint sensor and the touchpad.
Apple Macbook Air is a very lightweight laptop but it doesn’t feel crammed or too small like its other competitors. The charger on this laptop is probably the best part, as you no longer need the bulky long chargers with two cords.
Overall you’ll be very pleased with your purchase and if you need a personal laptop for the day to day basis, then this is a great buy.
Pros
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Cons
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Buy on online
| Graphics | 13.3″ QHD screen (1680 x 1050) with Intel Iris Graphic |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 512 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
| OS | MacOS |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.16″ / 2.8 lbs |
9 – MSI GL75 – 17″ HD
“For real gamers”
Finally, for the gamers out there, MSI GL75 is one of the best gaming laptops under $1500 and it offers amazing performance for the specs.
MSI GL75 comes with a 17.3″ 1080p 144Hz IPS level screen with good viewing angles. The brightness is a little above average with a fair color gamut for a gaming laptop.
The lid is a clean matte black aluminum and the interior is black plastic. The dimensions are similar to the other modern 17 inch laptops, however, it is on the thicker side which helps it with cooling. Being a gamer, I know that you’d definitely love its SteelSeries keyboard with perky RGB backlighting & a lot of effects that you can control through the software.
MSI GL75 will run all your latest games smoothly and you will have an amazing gaming experience with MSI GL75.
Pros
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Cons
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Buy on NewEgg
| Graphics | 17.3″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) with NVIDIA GTX 1660Ti |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 16 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 512 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 6 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 1.1″ / 8.41 lbs |
10 – Microsoft Surface Pro – 12″ QHD Detachable
“The reference in small hybrid laptop”
If you’re looking for a high-end hybrid small laptop, this one should definitely be on your list. It’s a quality portable and stylish detachable laptop that delivers good performance. Microsoft revolutionized the genre a few years ago with the first versions and this one is even better.
Some people say it’s more a tablet that transforms into a laptop thanks to the case / keyboard and they might be right. But as a portable laptop to bring on the road, it’s pretty much the best you can get. Read our full review.
Pros
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Cons
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Buy on online
| Graphics | 12″ QHD touchscreen (2736 x 1824) |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 9 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.33″ / 1.73 lbs |
11 – Lenovo Yoga 720 – 15″ HD Convertible
“High-Quality 2-in-1 laptop”
You have to hold the Lenovo Yoga 920 in your hands to see what a quality and beautiful high-end laptop this is. The touchscreen is amazing as you can expect from a laptop in this category and it shows that Lenovo has been the leader in hybrid laptops; the design is near-perfect. A great high-end product here.
Buy on NewEgg
| Graphics | 15.6″ HD touchscreen (1920 x 1080) with NVIDIA GTX 1050 |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 16 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 512 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 8 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.8″ / 4.4 lbs |
12 – Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon – 14″ HD
“The Sturdiest Laptop under $1500”
This business laptop from Lenovo is the sturdiest laptop on the list and also one of the lightest. This one is built out of carbon fiber and can actually withstand a drop of 30 inches. That’s a solid laptop! It’s powerful, light and has a great screen. The 14-inch screen combined with its weight of 2.6 pounds makes it a perfect road companion for someone that needs portability but still needs a bigger screen.
Buy on NewEgg
| Graphics | 14″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 11 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 Pro |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.65″ / 2.6 lbs |
Erik is the owner and main editor of lptps.com. He has been working in computers and information technology for more than 20 years. He’s a business analyst, developer, and avid traveler.
