How Much Should You Spend on a Laptop in 2026?

minimal laptop on dark desk with soft blue and red lighting, slightly open screen glowing in a low-light workspace

2/22/20264 min read

Spending $700 on a laptop feels safe.

Spending $2,000 feels “future-proof.”

And somehow, everything in between feels confusing.

Prices have stretched in both directions. Budget machines are better than ever. Premium machines are more powerful than most people will ever need.

So what’s actually reasonable in 2026?

The Short Version

Most people should spend $900–$1,100
16GB RAM matters more than a high-end CPU
Budget laptops are usable, but don’t age well
Premium laptops improve comfort, not just speed
Spending $2,000+ only makes sense for heavy workloads

What Changed in 2026 (And Why Prices Feel Weird)

Modern laptops are more efficient than they were even three years ago — something confirmed in independent testing, where newer chips consistently deliver better performance-per-watt, as shown in detailed benchmarks from NotebookCheck.

Chips like Apple’s M-series and Intel’s latest Core Ultra processors focus heavily on efficiency, not just raw speed. That means better battery life, cooler systems, and smoother everyday performance — even in mid-range models, especially once you understand what actually impacts performance in real use, like RAM and storage speed, which becomes obvious when you look at what 16GB RAM actually means in everyday use.

At the same time:

RAM and storage upgrades are still expensive, with pricing differences becoming more noticeable across configurations
Premium displays are more common
AI features are being bundled into marketing

The result?

You can now get a genuinely good laptop for less than you think.

But you can also overspend very easily — which usually happens when you focus on specs instead of actual usage patterns, a mistake many people make when choosing a laptop without overpaying.