How much is a laptop? Today’s prices
Middle price today $1,001.84; by brand, $628.51 for HP, $1,079.99 for Lenovo and $1,899.99 for ASUS. Half of the 394 laptops we can price sit between $512.83 and $1,599.00.
A laptop’s price follows what it is for and how much memory it has, which is why one average across a Chromebook and a gaming machine helps nobody. The tables below are today’s Amazon prices for every new laptop we track, by brand and by RAM.
Updated · BasketPrice editorial
Memory splits the shelf
RAM divides the shelf more cleanly than any other figure on the spec sheet, and the table below prices each tier. It is also the spec least worth economising on. Every MacBook with Apple silicon and most thin Windows laptops have their memory soldered to the board, so the amount you buy is the amount the machine has for its whole life.
A listing that does not state its memory is left out of that table rather than guessed, so the tiers count fewer laptops than the shelf does.
A brand is a range, not a price
Every large maker sells from the cheap end of the shelf to the dear one: Lenovo has the IdeaPad and the ThinkPad, HP its Chromebooks and its workstations. A brand’s middle price shows where its listings bunch, not what a laptop from it costs; the “from” price beside it is the more useful half.
The two ends of the shelf
The cheapest laptops are mostly Chromebooks and small Windows machines with little storage, fine for a browser and documents. The dearest are gaming laptops and mobile workstations, where a dedicated graphics card is much of the price. If you are buying neither, the middle half of the shelf is where to look, and the panel below says where that half starts and ends today.
Laptops: the prices we see today
Half of the 394 laptops we can price today sit between $512.83 and $1,599.00, with the middle one at $1,001.84. The cheapest today is $188.00 and the dearest $6,699.00. The average is $1,242.61, pulled above the middle by the dearest few.
- HP: middle $628.51, from $225.99 · 88 priced
- Lenovo: middle $1,079.99, from $188.00 · 85 priced
- ASUS: middle $1,899.99, from $199.99 · 54 priced
- Dell: middle $1,125.00, from $499.00 · 50 priced
- Acer: middle $654.99, from $235.99 · 32 priced
- IST Computers: middle $1,349.99, from $248.99 · 17 priced
- Apple: middle $1,769.00, from $689.00 · 8 priced
- Microsoft: middle $1,599.99, from $1,044.46 · 8 priced
- KAIGERR: middle $564.98, from $359.99 · 6 priced
- MSI: middle $1,888.16, from $1,099.98 · 6 priced
Measured across the 394 products in this category we could price in the last few hours — one price per product, the cheapest live offer, new condition only. Not list prices.
Laptops by type
| Type | Middle price | Cheapest | Priced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chromebooks | $299.95 | $199.99 | 23 |
| Windows laptops | $799.50 | $188.00 | 262 |
| Gaming laptops | $1,971.00 | $319.99 | 101 |
Laptops by RAM
| RAM | Middle price | Half cost between | Priced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8GB RAM | $470.00 | $399.98–$599.00 | 41 |
| 16GB RAM | $835.00 | $599.98–$1,241.50 | 155 |
| 32GB RAM | $1,899.99 | $1,324.50–$2,494.00 | 103 |
| 64GB RAM | $2,549.48 | $1,599.25–$3,376.50 | 18 |
Laptops by screen size
| Screen size | Middle price | Half cost between | Priced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13-inch | $1,349.99 | $1,267.46–$1,749.25 | 16 |
| 14-inch | $766.72 | $319.74–$1,564.07 | 64 |
| 15-inch | $599.99 | $409.00–$999.99 | 117 |
| 16-inch | $1,399.99 | $1,149.99–$2,279.24 | 80 |
| 17-inch | $699.00 | $629.99–$1,149.89 | 17 |
| 18-inch | $2,994.37 | $2,161.50–$3,579.00 | 18 |
Questions people ask
- How much do laptops cost?
- Half of the 394 laptops we can price today sit between $512.83 and $1,599.00, with the middle one at $1,001.84. The cheapest today is $188.00 and the dearest $6,699.00. By brand, the middle price is $628.51 for HP, $1,079.99 for Lenovo, $1,899.99 for ASUS, $1,125.00 for Dell, $654.99 for Acer, $1,349.99 for IST Computers, $1,769.00 for Apple, $1,599.99 for Microsoft, $564.98 for KAIGERR, $1,888.16 for MSI. One price per product — the cheapest live offer in new condition — read in the last few hours, not list prices.
- What is the average laptop price?
- $1,242.61 across the 394 laptops we can price today, against a middle price of $1,001.84. The average sits above the middle because a few of the dearest models pull it, so the middle price is the better guide to what a typical one costs. One price per product, the cheapest live offer, read in the last few hours.
- Can you upgrade laptop RAM later?
- Only if the memory sits in a slot. MacBooks with Apple silicon and most thin Windows laptops use memory soldered to the board, which cannot be changed; many larger and gaming laptops still have slots. The maker’s spec sheet says which, and it is worth checking before buying the smaller configuration.