Top Laptops You Can Buy Under Rs. 30,000

"Rounding up the best value-for-money laptops priced under Rs 30,000"

While the PC race seems to be diminishing in terms of sales, factors like portability, performance and attractive features at lower price points continue to drive the laptop industry. In recent history, we have seen a surge in the number of affordable laptop options in a market that is witnessing cut-throat competition amongst numerous brands. To help ease your buying dilemma, let's take a look at our pick of the top laptops in this affordable segment.

Price: Rs 28,990

The Acer Aspire ES1-572 is an affordable offering from the Taiwanese manufacturer and is powered by a 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i3 6th Generation (6100U) processor paired with Intel HD 5500 graphics and 4GB DDR3L RAM, which can be further expanded up to 16GB.

The laptop has a 15.6-inch HD LED Display with resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels. It is wrapped in a simple but solid black casing which has dimensions of 382 x 258 x 24.6mm. While most options in this price segment tend to not include the Microsoft Windows operating system to reduce costs, the Aspire ES1-572 is an exception and comes pre-installed with Windows 10 OS.

A 4 cell Li-ion battery powers the laptop and is estimated to last for about 6.5 hours. From the networking and connectivity point of view, we have options like WLAN, HDMI out, two USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 port, digital media reader, Bluetooth v4.0 etc. The 1TB SATA hard disk provides sufficient space for creating a library of files and the laptop also sports a DVD drive for file reading and writing purposes. The integrated stereo speakers ensure good audio quality and make it an apt choice for media consumption.

Pros: good processor, pre-installed Windows 10 OS, ample internal storage, stereo speakers
Cons: bulky, uninspiring design

Price: Rs 29,990

With the Asus A555LF-XX409D laptop, the brand continues to stamp its authority in the Indian PC market with yet another professional looking, decent performing daily-use laptop. The A555LF-XX409D laptop presents a 15.6-inch HD LED Backlit ASUS Splendid Video Intelligent Technology display with a resolution of 1,368 x 768 pixels, which is good enough for viewing movies and videos.

As far as the appearance is concerned, it comes in a 2.3kg black casing, with a chiclet keyboard and a touchpad which supports multi touch gestures. Under the hood one can find an Intel Core i3 5005U processor which clocks a speed of 2GHz paired with 2GB NVIDIA GeForce 930M dedicated graphics, 1TB internal storage and 4GB of DDR3 RAM that can be expanded up to 8GB.

In the connectivity department, the ASUS A555LF-XX409D offers almost all the features that should be needed for daily operations. These include wireless LAN 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0, two slots for USB 2.0 and a single slot each for USB 3.0 and HDMI.

To keep the device up and running, the laptop is fitted with a dual-celled Li-Po battery, which keeps it going on for around six hours.

Pros: decent processor, dedicated NVIDIA graphics, stylish design
Cons: No VGA connectivity, relatively less RAM, no pre-installed Windows OS

Price: Rs 29,490

The Lenovo Ideapad 110 (80UD013KIH) laptop offers good features such as decent battery backup and ample amount of storage. Coming to performance, the powerful combination of processor and RAM results in smooth functioning of the system. The laptop flaunts a 15.6-inch HD TN GL display which has a screen resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels. Under the hood, there is a 2GHz Intel core i3-6006U processor aided by Intel HD graphics, 1TB internal storage and 8GB of DDR3 RAM, which is expandable up to 16GB. However, the laptop boots DOS operating system and therefore users may need to spend extra to install Windows.

For video calling and recording purposes, the laptop is armed with a 0.3MP webcam above the bezel. The laptop derives its energy from a 4 cell Li-ion battery which keeps the show running for long. On the connectivity front, the laptop has options such as a Ethernet 10/100M port, Wireless LAN 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v4.0, one USB 2.0 slot, one USB 3.0 slot, an HDMI port, a digital media reader, a headphone jack, a microphone jack and a 4-in-1 card reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC).

Pros: good processor, ample RAM, good battery backup
Cons: No pre-installed Windows OS

Price: Rs 28,734

Considering the price of the Lenovo essential G50-80 (80E502Q3IH) laptop, the features offered are quite spectacular, with special credit to good battery backup, great configuration and a wide range of connectivity features.

The laptop is fitted with a full sized 15.6-inch TN GL HD display with a resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels. The input peripherals include a touch-pad with multi-touch gesture support, a webcam and a standard keyboard.

The Lenovo G50-80 is powered by a 2GHz 5th generation Intel Core i3 (5005U) processor mated to 4GB DDR3 RAM, 1TB internal storage and 2GB AMD Radeon R5 M330 dedicated graphics, which make it the prime choice for gaming enthusiasts in this range.

A 4 cell Li-ion battery powers the laptop and can keep the show running for long hours. In terms of connectivity options, the laptop houses a Ethernet 10/100M port, Wireless LAN 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v4.0, one USB 2.0 slot, one USB 3.0 slot, an HDMI out, a digital media reader, a headphone jack, a microphone jack and a 4-in-1 card reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC).

Pros: decent processor, dedicated graphics, ample connectivity options
Cons: No pre-installed Windows OS, boring design, bulky

Price: Rs 29,490

The HP Pavilion 15-BE015TU (1DF78PA) laptop is a powerful performer which offers smooth performance to its users. Due to the presence of high amount of RAM, users should be able to multi-task without considerable lag. Although, the laptop misses out pre-loaded Windows OS, it is still a very good choice for daily usage.

The HP Pavilion 15-BE015TU laptop comes with a 15.6-inch HD SVA brightview WLED backlit display with a screen resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels and runs on DOS operating system. For driving the system, there is a 2GHz Intel core i3-6006U processor coupled with 8GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB internal storage and an integrated Intel HD Graphics 520 unit for rendering impressive visualisations, playing casual games and watching videos.

The laptop also offers an HD webcam and for networking and sharing, the laptop has options such as a Wireless LAN 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0, two USB 3.0 slots, two USB 2.0 slots, a SD card reader, a headphone jack, a microphone jack and a VGA port.

The laptop looks nice in the polished black coloured body which measures 384.3 x 254.6 x 24.3mm and weighs 2.19Kg. Users can expect it to run for around 4.5 hours on a single charge, thanks to the 4 cell Li-ion battery.

Pros: good processor, stylish design, ample RAM and connectivity options
Cons: No pre-installed Windows OS, no dedicated graphics