HP Portable 15'' HD Micro-Edge 2023 Review

If you're hunting for the absolute cheapest new Windows laptop you can find, the HP 2024 Portable 15-inch is probably on your radar. This is a basic machine built for one thing: getting you online and into basic apps for under $250. It comes with a 15-inch screen, an Intel Pentium processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. People searching for a 'budget laptop for students' or a 'cheap computer for web browsing' will find this, but it's important to know what you're getting into. It's designed for light tasks like email, web browsing, and document editing, and not much else.

Let's be direct about performance. The Intel Pentium CPU lands in the 1st percentile, which means it's one of the slowest processors you can get in a new laptop today. The integrated Intel UHD graphics are a bit better, in the 67th percentile, but that's mostly because they're not meant for gaming at all. For everyday use, this means the laptop will feel sluggish if you have more than a few browser tabs open. The 4GB of RAM is a major bottleneck, as Windows 11 alone uses a big chunk of that. Is it good for multitasking? Not really. It's fine for one thing at a time, like writing a paper or watching a YouTube video.

The value here is purely about the upfront cost. At around $190 to $240, it's one of the least expensive new Windows laptops you can buy. However, that low price comes with serious compromises in performance and future-proofing. For a similar budget, you might find a much more capable used or refurbished business laptop from a few years ago with better specs. If your budget is absolutely locked at $250 and you need something brand new, this is an option. Just know you're trading performance for that new-in-box feeling.

Compared to other laptops, this sits in its own ultra-budget tier. The Apple MacBook Pro or MSI Vector gaming laptops mentioned are in a completely different universe in terms of power and price, so they're not real competitors. A more relevant comparison would be to other budget Windows machines like the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 or Acer Aspire 3, which often offer slightly better processors or more RAM for a similar price. The key trade-off is that those might cost $50 more, but that $50 buys you a significantly better experience. The Asus Zenbook Duo is a premium 2-in-1, so it's not competing here either. This HP is for when every single dollar counts.

Should you buy this? Only in one very specific situation: if your budget is strictly under $250 and you absolutely must have a new laptop for the most basic tasks. It's okay for a secondary machine to check email or for a young student's first computer for simple schoolwork. For anyone else, the 4GB of RAM and tiny storage will become frustrating very quickly. If you can stretch your budget even a little, you'll get a machine that lasts longer and feels much faster. This laptop does the bare minimum, and you'll feel that limitation every day.