A live price tracker, not a review — we check UK retailer prices for laptops and rank them cheapest first. Right now the lowest is the HP Envy x360 15 from £219 (used). Across the 18 laptops we hold a live price on, prices run from £219 to £1,168 across 4 UK retailers, in new, refurbished and used condition.
The operating system decides which apps you can run and how much you pay. Windows laptops span the widest range of prices and software; MacBooks (macOS) are strong on battery life and creative apps but start higher; Chromebooks (ChromeOS) are the cheapest and are built around the browser and web apps — ideal for everyday use but limited for specialist desktop software. Decide which apps you must run, then match the OS.
The processor generation, memory and storage are the biggest price levers. For most people 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD is the comfortable middle; paying for the top chip rarely pays back unless you do sustained heavy work.
Ex-corporate machines are often refurbished to a high standard and heavily discounted. Refurbished and used options frequently undercut new by a wide margin.
The cheapest laptop with a live price is the HP Envy x360 15 from £219 (used). Prices move as retailers update stock, so the leader can change between checks; last checked 4 September 2026.
Across the 18 laptops we currently hold a live price on, prices run from £219 to £1,168, drawn from 4 UK retailers in new, refurbished and used condition.
For everyday use and study, 16GB of RAM with a 512GB SSD is the comfortable middle and ages well. 8GB still handles light browsing and documents; pay for 32GB or the top CPU only if you do sustained video, code or 3D work.
Ex-corporate machines are often refurbished to a high standard and heavily discounted, and graded refurbished units usually come with a warranty. Check the grade and remaining warranty — refurbished and used options frequently undercut new by a wide margin.
We track 20 laptops and currently hold a verified live price on 18 of them across 4 retailers. We only headline a price we can verify, so a model without a trusted live price is listed without one rather than shown a guess.