Best HP Laptops Under £1000 UK 2026 | 6 Tested & Ranked

1. HP Chromebook 14

The HP Chromebook 14 is the best HP laptop under £1000 for most people, and it’s not even close. At £229.99, it’s ridiculously affordable, yet delivers exactly what students, remote workers, and cloud-based users actually need. The Intel N100 processor won’t win any benchmark wars, but paired with 8GB RAM and Chrome OS, it handles Google Workspace, video calls, and dozens of browser tabs without breaking a sweat.

I’ve been using this Chromebook for three weeks, and the 14-inch IPS display is properly decent for the price. Colours are accurate enough for everyday work, and the 1080p resolution means text stays sharp. Battery life is brilliant (we covered this in our HP Chromebook 14 review), easily lasting a full work day with brightness at 60%.

But here’s what makes it the best value among HP laptops under £1000: it’s fast where it matters. Chrome OS boots in seconds, apps launch instantly, and there’s zero bloatware slowing things down. The keyboard is surprisingly comfortable for extended typing sessions, and the trackpad is responsive enough that I rarely reached for a mouse.

The main limitation? It’s Chrome OS, not Windows. You can’t install traditional desktop software like Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Office (though web versions work fine). For students using Google Classroom or remote workers living in Slack and Gmail, that’s not a problem. For others, it’s a dealbreaker.

Editor's pick: HP Chromebook 14" | Intel N100 Processor | 8 GB RAM | 128 GB Flash Storage | Intel UHD Graphics | FHD Display | Up to 12.25 Hours Battery | Chrome OS | Dual Speakers | Glacier Silver | 14a-nf0003sa

2. HP Victus 15 Gaming Laptop

If you’re hunting for the best HP laptops under £1000 with gaming chops, the Victus 15 at £849 is your answer. This is a proper gaming machine with NVIDIA RTX 4050 graphics and AMD Ryzen processing that’ll handle modern titles at 1080p without making you compromise on settings too much.

I tested it with Cyberpunk 2077, Fortnite, and Total War: Warhammer III. The RTX 4050 delivered 60+ fps in most games at high settings, which is brilliant for this price bracket. The 15.6-inch IPS display has decent colour reproduction, though the 60Hz refresh rate feels limiting compared to 144Hz gaming panels. Still, for under £900, you’re getting genuine gaming performance.

The cooling system works hard (and loud) under gaming loads, but temperatures stayed reasonable during my testing. The keyboard has a proper numpad and decent key travel, though it’s not mechanical. Storage is SSD-based, so game loading times are quick, and you’ve got room for a decent library before needing external storage.

What impressed me most? This doesn’t look like a budget gaming laptop. The design is understated enough for lectures or the office, then transforms into a gaming rig when you get home. See our full HP Victus 15 Gaming Laptop review for detailed benchmark results and thermal testing.

3. HP 15s Budget Laptop

The HP 15s sits in that sweet spot among the best HP laptops under £1000 where you get Windows compatibility and decent specs without spending a fortune. At £495, it’s double the Chromebook’s price but offers traditional desktop software support that students and professionals often need.

The Intel processor (likely an 11th or 12th gen Core i3 or i5, depending on the exact model) handles Microsoft Office, web browsing, and light photo editing without complaint. The 8GB RAM is adequate for multitasking, though power users will notice slowdowns with heavy workloads. The SSD makes a massive difference compared to older hard drive laptops, with Windows booting in under 15 seconds.

Build quality is acceptable for the price. It’s plastic, but doesn’t feel cheap or creaky. The 15.6-inch display uses TN panel technology, which means viewing angles aren’t brilliant and colours look washed out compared to IPS screens. If you’re doing colour-critical work, this isn’t the laptop for you. For documents, spreadsheets, and casual media consumption, it’s fine.

Battery life is the weak point, managing around 5-6 hours of mixed use. That’s enough for a morning of lectures or a few hours at a coffee shop, but you’ll need the charger for full-day computing. We covered this in our HP 15s Budget Laptop review, where we tested it against similar mid-range options.

4. HP 15.6-inch Budget Laptop

Among the best HP laptops under £1000, this 15.6-inch model at £279.99 represents the absolute entry point for Windows computing. It’s powered by an Intel N-series processor (likely N4120 or N5100), which is fine for basic tasks but struggles with anything demanding.

The 8GB RAM is this laptop’s saving grace, allowing decent multitasking with web browsers and office applications. The IPS display is a pleasant surprise at this price, offering better viewing angles than the more expensive HP 15s with its TN panel. Colours aren’t accurate, but they’re vibrant enough for casual use.

Storage is UFS (Universal Flash Storage) rather than a proper SSD, which means slower read/write speeds. You’ll notice longer loading times for applications and files compared to SSD-equipped laptops. It’s still miles better than old mechanical hard drives, but the difference is noticeable if you’re used to NVMe speeds.

This laptop is best suited for students on tight budgets who need Windows for specific software, or as a secondary device for basic computing around the house. It’ll handle Google Docs, Netflix, and email perfectly well. Just don’t expect it to run Photoshop or edit 4K video. See our full HP 15.6-inch Budget Laptop review for detailed performance testing.

5. HP 17″ Budget Laptop

The HP 17″ Budget Laptop earns its place among the best HP laptops under £1000 for one simple reason: that massive 17-inch FHD display. If you need maximum screen real estate for spreadsheets, media consumption, or just prefer larger text, this delivers at a budget price point.

Here’s the catch: it’s got 4GB RAM, which is borderline unusable for modern computing. Windows 11 alone consumes 2-3GB, leaving precious little for applications. You’ll experience constant slowdowns with multiple browser tabs or any multitasking. The good news? RAM is upgradable on this model, and adding another 4GB stick (around £15-20) transforms it into a usable machine.

The Intel processor is basic, similar to the N-series chips in other budget models. It’s fine for web browsing, document editing, and video playback. The SSD storage is a bonus at this price, making the system feel more responsive than the specs suggest. The 17-inch FHD display isn’t colour-accurate, but it’s bright enough for indoor use and the extra workspace is genuinely useful.

This laptop is best for users who prioritise screen size over performance, or those willing to upgrade the RAM themselves. As a media consumption device for Netflix and YouTube, it’s brilliant. As a productivity machine out of the box, it’s frustrating. We covered the RAM upgrade process in our HP 17″ Budget Laptop review.

6. HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5

The HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5 is the outlier in our best HP laptops under £1000 roundup. It’s a refurbished business laptop from 2018-2019, but at £444, it offers premium features and build quality that new budget laptops can’t match.

This is a proper business machine with an aluminium chassis that feels solid and premium. The 360-degree hinge is smooth and sturdy, transforming it from laptop to tablet mode without wobble. The 14-inch IPS touchscreen is brilliant, with accurate colours and excellent viewing angles. The 16GB RAM is double what most budget laptops offer, making multitasking effortless.

The Intel 8th gen processor (likely i5-8250U or i7-8650U) is older but still capable. It handles office work, web browsing, and light creative tasks without complaint. The NVMe SSD is fast, making the whole system feel snappy despite the older CPU. Battery life varies depending on the refurbishment quality, but expect 5-7 hours of mixed use.

Being refurbished means you’re taking a slight gamble on condition and battery health. Buy from reputable sellers with warranty coverage. The trade-off is getting business-grade durability, professional features like fingerprint readers, and premium materials for less than half the original £1000+ price. See our full HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5 review for refurbishment quality assessment.