It’s hard to find an affordable laptop to recommend these days, since I consider 16GB of RAM the minimum to run Windows 11 smoothly. If you want a roomy screen on top of that, fahgeddaboudit… unless you happen to be shopping during Amazon’s Prime Day sale. Right now there’s an Asus Vivobook 16 that fits the bill for just $449.99, over $100 off.
The Vivobook 16 is definitely on the budget side of things, but with a 13th-gen Intel Core i5 processor, it’s not lacking in punch. 16GB of RAM — again, my personal minimum for a Windows laptop — and 512GB of storage aren’t anything to sneeze at, either. But if you’re looking at this laptop in particular versus some of the alternatives, you want that 16-inch, 1920×1200 screen. It’s not the most pixels around, and at 60Hz it won’t wow anyone for gaming, either. But the extra space is great for anyone who tends to squint at the smaller screens on ultraportable machines.
That extra size also means a backlit keyboard with a full number pad, nice for those of you who spend a lot of time in spreadsheets, not to mention a decent array of ports. Just one USB-C and HDMI port, but there are three USB-A ports, making quick attachments for flash drives super easy–barely an inconvenience. But be aware that at over four pounds, this thing isn’t exactly a featherweight, and a small-ish battery and large screen mean you’ll want to keep your charger handy.
This laptop won’t blow away anyone in terms of raw power, and I’d go with a more recent AMD model if you want more gaming options. But for handling basic web browsing, video, and office stuff, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better deal on Prime Day. That said, if this one isn’t quite what you’re looking for, here are the rest of the deals from Amazon and beyond.
Get an Asus laptop with 16GB of RAM for $450