Best laptops under $400 for work and video
Researched by Deal.ai's shopping agent across stores on November 9, 2026. Prices below are today's.
Top pick: Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15.6" — the most balanced choice for work and light video. A full-HD 15.6" screen, AMD processor and graphics, and Windows, with a strong rating from hundreds of buyers. It's the one I'd hand most people.
Who the others suit:
- HP EliteBook 645 G9 — a business-class build with fast NVMe storage; best if you want a sturdier machine for office work and don't mind a smaller screen.
- NIMO N157 15.6" — 16 GB RAM and a 1 TB drive; pick it if you'll be editing longer clips and need room to store footage.
- Acer Aspire Go 15 — a solid full-HD all-rounder if the IdeaPad isn't available.
- HP ZBook 15 G2 — a workstation-style option for heavier editing, though it's older hardware.
Avoid the Celeron/4 GB models for video work — they'll struggle with editing.
The picks
- #1
Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15.6" Laptop
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- Operating System: Windows OS
- Processor Brand: AMD CPU
- Graphics Processor: AMD GPU
- Touchscreen: Yes
- Drive Type: Solid State Drive
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