Best laptops under $1000 for everyday use

Top pick: Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 14 (Core Ultra 5). It's the best all-rounder here for everyday use — a current Core Ultra chip, a sharp 1920×1200 touchscreen that flips into a tablet, and a solid-state drive, so browsing, video calls and documents all feel quick. It's the one I'd buy for a household's main laptop.

Who the others suit:

• Asus Zenbook A14 — if you want the lightest, longest-lasting machine to carry around; an octa-core chip keeps it snappy.
• HP OmniBook 5 14 — a touchscreen all-rounder if you prefer HP's keyboard and support.
• Acer Aspire 16 AI — a bigger 16-inch screen for streaming and spreadsheets at a desk.
• Dell 15 (Core 3, 512GB) — the sensible budget choice for basic tasks; 8GB RAM is fine for one person, tight for heavy multitasking.
• 15.6" 2K touch i5 — a large, sharp screen for the money if you mostly work at a table.
• MacBook Neo — if you'd rather have macOS and a Retina display.
• HP 14 / HP 15.6 / ASUS Chromebook / IdeaPad Slim 3i — light, cheap second machines for email, streaming and schoolwork; 4GB RAM models will feel slow with many tabs open.

Skip anything with 4GB of RAM if this is your only computer.