5 Cheaper Options To The Microsoft Floor Laptop computer

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In case you’re searching for a Home windows laptop computer, Microsoft’s Floor sequence has been round for over 10 years. Right this moment, the corporate offersthree different-sized Floor Laptops, beginning with the 13-inch mannequin launched in 2025 and together with the 13.8-inch and 15-inch variants of 2024. Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X sequence processors, Microsoft’s present Floor lineup is usually a nice alternative for those who’re searching for a laptop computer that is not solely high-performance but in addition gives battery life as long-lasting as Apple’s M-series MacBooks. The Floor Laptop computer is skinny and lightweight, excellent for those who work on the go. Regardless of all its greatest options, the Floor Laptop computer is definitely not for everybody. 

One among its main downsides is the worth. The entry-level 13-inch mannequin launched with a producer’s recommended retail value of $899 for the bottom 16GB RAM and 256GB storage. The 13.8-inch mannequin with the identical specs prices $999. If you would like an analogous system to get your work performed however haven’t got not less than the$749.99 Microsoft is asking at present for a Floor Laptop computer, it’s best to contemplate options.

To avoid wasting you from the paradox of alternative, we have scoured the online to search out cheaper options to the Floor Laptop computer that gives you good efficiency, nice battery life, and, if attainable, the Copilot+ options if you wish to leap on the AI bandwagon. We used the worth of $749 as a information, which is the present retail value of the most affordable Floor Laptop computer we might discover. In case you want extra particulars about our choice, learn our full methodology on the finish of the article. 

Just like the Microsoft Floor, Acer’s Aspire 16 AI is a skinny and light-weight laptop computer that weighs 3.4 kilos. That is a number of kilos off the three.67 kilos of the high-end 15-inch Floor Laptop computer. One other similarity is the AI smarts, with the Acer 16 AI additionally boasting the Copilot+ PC badge. That means it guarantees all-day battery life, a chip prepared for advanced AI duties, and entry to a wide range of AI-related options on Home windows. It is also powered by a Qualcomm chip, though it is the entry-level Snapdragon X as an alternative of the marginally extra highly effective X Plus and X Elite on the Floor Laptop computer.

The Aspire 16 AI Snapdragon chip is paired with 16GB of reminiscence and a 512GB solid-state drive. The laptop computer has a leg up over the Floor on display dimension, because it comes with a 16-inch show with a decision of 1920 x 1200 pixels. Its contact display comes with a 120 Hz refresh fee for easy scrolling with much less lag and movement blur. Whereas the 16-inch show is likely to be seen as a disadvantage for these searching for a compact laptop computer, the Acer Aspire 16 AI continues to be extremely moveable regardless of having a big display. 

The slender bezel on the entrance homes a 1440p webcam, which gives higher picture high quality than 720p cameras of most funds laptops and than the 1080p webcam on the Floor. The Acer Aspire 16 AI has 4 USB ports: two USB-C ports with USB4 capabilities and two customary USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports. It additionally options an HDMI 2.1 port, a microSD card slot, and a headphone jack. For wi-fi connectivity, it helps Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. You should purchase the Acer Aspire 16 AI from Amazon for $699, though it is continuously offered on the discounted value of $565.

The Zenbook A14 is one other low cost various to the Floor Laptop computer. Underneath the hood, the {hardware} is sort of the identical because the Floor. For instance, an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus processor powers it, the identical one on the 13-inch Floor, which implies you will not compromise on efficiency. It additionally comes with 16GB of reminiscence and a 512GB or 1TB SSD. Though the MSRP of the 1TB SSD mannequin is just like that of the entry-level Floor Laptop computer, it gives 4 occasions extra storage.

The Zenbook A14 encompasses a 14-inch display with a 60 Hz refresh fee and 1920 x 1200 pixels decision. And what the A14 lacks in contact display functionality greater than makes up for it with the usage of a superior OLED panel. In relation to portability, it weighs 2.4 kilos, lower than the lightest Floor Laptop computer. If you wish to reap the benefits of Home windows 11 AI options to boost productiveness in your workflow, the Zenbook A14 is AI-ready like different Copilot+ PCs. 

As anticipated from a Copilot+ PC, the Zenbook A14 has strong battery life; PCMag examined the laptop computer and received practically 28 hours of display time, which is spectacular. The laptop computer consists of a single USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port, two USB-C ports with USB4 knowledge switch speeds, a single HDMI 2.1 port, and a headphone jack. Asus additionally features a 65 W energy adapter out of the field, whereas Microsoft solely gives a 39 W adapter on the 15-inch mannequin. In contrast to the Floor’s beginning value of $899, the Asus Zenbook A14 (UX3407) is commonly discounted to $599.99 at Greatest Purchase.

Apple’s MacBook lineup of laptops usually prices greater than its Home windows counterparts, so that you’d suppose your solely choices underneath $745 are Home windows laptops. Effectively, the 13.3-inch MacBook Air proves in any other case. Whereas this is not the most recent MacBook Air mannequin, it is the most affordable path into Apple’s ecosystem. It was unveiled over 5 years in the past, so it isn’t a part of Apple’s greatest merchandise of 2025. You may, nonetheless, nonetheless purchase a renewed 2020 MacBook Air. 

It encompasses a 13.3-inch LED-backlit IPS show with a decision of 2560 x 1600 pixels. Apple’s first-generation M1 chip with an 8-core CPU may be paired with both 8GB or 16GB of reminiscence, whereas storage is configurable as much as 2TB. Efficiency-wise, the MacBook Air has wonderful battery life and impressed reviewers at launch. As anticipated of an Apple laptop computer, this mannequin runs Apple’s macOS software program. Though a few years have handed because it first hit the cabinets, the M1 MacBook Air is suitable with macOS Tahoe 26, so you will not miss out on the newest macOS options. 

The MacBook Air is kind of moveable as properly, weighing 2.8 kilos. Its 720p digital camera is one among its weak factors, because it may not supply the very best quality to your on-line conferences in comparison with the 1080p one on the Floor. The Air can also be restricted in ports supplied, because it comes with two Thunderbolt ports with USB-C interface and one headphone jack. The 13.3-inch base M1 MacBook Air is out there renewed at Walmart for $649.99.

There’s so much to be enthusiastic about with the HP OmniBook 5. Whereas it is available in 14-inch or 16-inch conventional clamshell or 2-in-1 type components, the small-sized clamshell mannequin gives nice worth in comparison with the Floor Laptop computer, and HP nonetheless manages to promote it for cheaper. Just like the Floor, it is also powered by the Snapdragon X Plus, though variants with Intel and AMD chips can be found. It is paired with 32GB of reminiscence, greater than every other fashionable laptop computer we might discover at its value, and a 1TB SSD. That combo alone makes the OmniBook 5 price choosing over the Floor. 

The 14-inch show with a decision of 1920 x 1200 pixels makes use of an OLED panel, which delivers vivid colours, excessive distinction, and deeper blacks, appropriate for color-sensitive work like graphic design. As a Copilot+ PC, count on wonderful battery life from the OmniBook 5 – HP guarantees as much as 34 hours, 11 hours greater than Microsoft’s battery life estimates of its Floor lineup. It helps quick charging, and HP features a 65 W energy adapter out of the field. At 2.84 kilos, the OmniBook 5’s weight falls between the 13-inch and 13.8-inch Floor fashions, so it is simply as moveable.

For connecting exterior gadgets or charging the OmniBook 5, you get nearly the identical ports as on the Floor: two USB-C ports, a USB-A port, and a headphone jack. The webcam makes use of a 1080p lens, and HP features a digital camera privateness shutter. The 14-inch 32GB/1TB HP OmniBook 5 is out there on HP’s web site at a reduced value of $679.99. In case you miss out on the HP deal, you will discover the 16GB/1TB or the 16GB/512GB fashions on Amazon for $685.33 and $649.99, respectively.

In case you favor the 2-in-1 type issue over the normal clamshell, the HP OmniBook X Flip is a superb possibility. This mannequin encompasses a 16-inch, 1920 x 1200 pixels contact display, bigger than the high-end 15-inch Floor. This contributes to the OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 weighing 4.18 kilos, barely greater than the heaviest 3.67-pound 15-inch Floor. Underneath the hood, AMD’s Ryzen AI 5 340 processor and a Radeon 840M GPU energy the OmniBook X Flip. These chips work in tandem with 16GB of RAM, and also you get a 512GB NVMe SSD you may exchange with 1TB or 2TB choices for those who’re keen to spend extra. 

It comes with a 68 Wh battery, and HP guarantees as much as 21 hours of battery life. Quick charging is supported by way of USB-C, and HP features a 65 W energy adapter with the system. This laptop computer has six ports: a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port, a standard USB-C port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a headphone jack. It features a 5 MP webcam for on-line conferences and, just like the aforementioned 14-inch HP OmniBook 5, has a privateness shutter for when you do not want the digital camera. 

You should purchase the 16-inch HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 from Amazon for $570.49 for the 16GB/512GB model. For extra storage, there’s an HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 with a 1TB SSD and 16GB reminiscence going for $679, which continues to be cheaper than the bottom Floor Laptop computer. Each choices additionally embrace a 128GB exterior SSD, which additional sweetens the deal.

The tenet in our choice was pricing. To find out what’s cheaper than the Floor Laptop computer, we first thought of the present retail value of the bottom 13-inch mannequin, which is $749 from Microsoft, down from its $899 MSRP. As soon as we had a value to work with, we searched on-line for fashions which are cheaper than $745 however supply nearly the identical (and even higher) worth proposition by way of battery life, efficiency, and portability. 

In our search, we solely thought of the bottom value we might discover for laptops in on-line marketplaces like Amazon, Greatest Purchase, and Walmart. The costs we discovered for many fashions on this record had been lower than the Floor MSRP. Since costs are dynamic, you would possibly discover a laptop computer promoting for much less or greater than what we have indicated. 

Though we centered our search on Home windows laptops, we made an exception for the 2020 MacBook Air since we discovered like-new fashions being offered on the time of writing.