Best Reviewed
Cheap Laptops
- Best cheap laptop Dell Inspiron 14z *Est. $600
- Affordable desktop replacement and gaming laptop HP Pavilion dv6t Select Edition *Est. $700
- Best budget business laptop Dell Vostro V131 *Est. $800
- Best-value cheap laptop Dell Inspiron 15r *Est. $500
Get info about new reports and updates
Best budget business laptop
- Thin and light
- Second-generation Intel Core processor
- Good battery life
- Excellent performance
- Lots of business and connectivity extras
- Poor speakers
- Not good for gaming
- No optical drive
- Average display
Business users looking to take a light, ergonomic laptop with a long battery life on the road should consider the 13.3-inch Dell Vostro v131, experts say. Although the base configuration sports an Intel Celeron CPU and starts out at $500, most experts recommend upgrading to a second generation Core i5 processor, 4 GB of RAM and a 500 GB hard drive, which brings the total closer to $800. The laptop also includes business friendly features like a fingerprint scanner, an 8-in-1 card reader and lots of connectivity and display options. The upgraded internals provide enough performance firepower that the Vostro v131 outshines similarly priced business laptops in benchmark testing and holds its own against more expensive models.
There are downsides, of course. Experts say the integrated Intel HD graphics and lackluster speakers make the laptop a poor choice for gamers, and it doesn't include an optical drive. The display also isn't particularly bright. If you don't mind a bit more heft and a little less battery life, the HP Pavilion dv6t Select Edition (*Est. $700 and up) provides more RAM, storage space and screen size for less money. If you are as interested in fun as you are in work, the addition of a discrete AMD graphics card (*Est. $75), can make the HP laptop a respectable -- though far from stellar -- gaming option.
A lot of sources cover the Dell Vostro v131. The best reviews come from Laptop Magazine, PCMag.com and CNET. All of these sources put the laptop through an intensive hands-on test, and the accompanying discussion touches on all aspects of performance and usability. PC World, DigitalTrends.com and Germany's NotebookCheck.net also provide useful feedback.
| Featured Stores | Store Rating | Notes | Total Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  2,064 store reviews | In Stock. | $599.00 | See It |
| See All Stores | ||||
Our Sources
1. Laptop MagazineDetails/Subscribe
The Dell Vostro v131 earns a 4-star (out of 5) rating from Laptop Magazine in a long review that covers every aspect of the system, from software to hardware to design, albeit in a version that's loaded with some extras that bring its price above the budget range. Sherri L. Smith says the laptop delivers good performance in an attractive, ergonomic case -- and it has a long battery life. "The Vostro V131 is a solid SMB system with style and substance," she writes in conclusion, although she concedes that the audio and graphics performance could be better.
Review: Dell Vostro V131 (Late 2011) Review, Sherri L. Smith, Oct. 18, 2011
PCMag.com subjects the Dell Vostro v131 to benchmark testing and a hands-on work out and ends up giving the laptop a solid 4 out of 5 star rating. Battery life and very good performance scores are two of the highlights for Cisco Cheng, although graphics-related tests don't fare as well due to the reliance on Intel integrated graphics.
Review: Dell Vostro V131, Cisco Cheng, Aug. 11, 2011
3. CNET
CNET gives the Dell Vostro v131 a Very Good rating. Echoing the comments of other reviewers, Scott Stein praises both the performance and the battery life of the machine, but says the mono speaker leaves a lot to be desired. The laptop posts benchmark scores near the top of the list in every test.
Review: Dell Vostro v131, Scott Stein, Aug. 16, 2011
Reviewer Jon L. Jacobi finds little to complain about in his review of the Dell Vostro v131 -- in fact, the only negative mark he lists is that the dimensions are toward the upper end of the "ultraportable" scale. "The Vostro V131 is going to draw a lot of attention solely because of its low price. But it's no good grabbing someone's attention if you can't impress them," Jacobi writes. "The V131 should have no problem doing that."
Review: Dell Vostro V131: Clean, Capable, Affordable, Jon L. Jacobi, Sept. 2, 2011
Matt Smith gives the Dell Vostro an 8.5 rating and an Editors' Choice award, but like Laptop Magazine, opts for a few bells and whistles that prices his configuration out of the budget range. Like others, he gives the performance, battery life and lightweight design high marks, but he says the keyboard and touchpad aren't that great. He also says he thinks the display is underwhelming and the laptop runs a bit hot.
Review: Dell Vostro V131 Review, Matt Smith, Oct. 10, 2011
J. Simon Leitner's review of the Dell Vostro v131 is one of the most comprehensive around. After carefully inspecting every inch of the machine and subjecting it to multiple performance benchmarks, he gives the notebook an overall score of 84 percent, though he notes that users will want to upgrade to a version that includes Intel's Core processors.
Review: Review Dell Vostro V131 Notebook, J. Simon Leitner (translated by Liala Stieglitz), Aug. 28, 2011
Cheap Laptops Runners Up:
3 picks by top review sites.
3 picks by top review sites.
2 picks by top review sites.
2 picks by top review sites.
2 picks by top review sites.
2 picks by top review sites.
2 picks by top review sites.
