Dell’s 15 inch Windows laptop has dropped to $399.99, making it one of the cheaper options if you want a traditional x86 laptop without moving to a Chromebook or an Arm based Windows device.
The deal cuts $240 from the usual price and brings the laptop into budget territory. It is not a high performance machine, but it covers the basics for school work, browsing, documents, streaming, video calls, and light daily use.
The laptop comes with a 15.6 inch display at 1920 x 1080 resolution. It uses Intel’s Core 3 100U processor, an entry level Raptor Lake chip with six cores. That includes two performance cores and four efficient cores, with boost speeds up to 4.7GHz on the performance cores.
The rest of the specs are basic but usable. You get 8GB of DDR4 memory and a 512GB SSD. The storage is a good point at this price, since many low cost laptops still ship with only 256GB. The weaker part is memory. In 2026, 8GB of RAM is still usable, but it can feel tight if you keep many browser tabs open or run heavier apps.
| Laptop | Price | CPU | RAM | Storage | Display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dell 15 | $399.99 | Intel Core 3 100U | 8GB DDR4 | 512GB SSD | 15.6 inch 1080p |
| Dell 15 upgraded model | $499.99 | Intel Core i5 1334U | 8GB DDR5 | 512GB SSD | 15.6 inch 1080p |
| Dell 15 touchscreen model | $599.99 | Intel Core i7 1355U | 8GB DDR5 | 512GB SSD | 15.6 inch touch |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i | $499.99 | Intel Core i5 1335U | 16GB LPDDR5 | 256GB SSD | 15.6 inch 1080p |
Dell also has upgrade options. For $499.99, you can move to a Core i5 1334U processor and DDR5 memory. For $599.99, there is a Core i7 1355U model with a touchscreen display. Those upgrades bring better performance, but they also move the laptop away from the strongest part of this deal, which is the low starting price.
The bigger issue is that Dell does not offer a cheap 16GB RAM option on this model. The lowest configuration with 16GB of memory reportedly costs much more, which makes it harder to recommend if you want a laptop that will age better over the next few years.
There are alternatives if RAM matters more than storage. Lenovo’s IdeaPad Slim 3i is currently listed at $499.99 with a Core i5 1335U and 16GB of LPDDR5 memory, though it only has a 256GB SSD. That may be the better pick if you multitask often, while Dell’s model is better if you want more built in storage for less money.
Other deals include a Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x with Snapdragon X Elite, OLED display, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB storage for $799.99, plus an ASUS Vivobook with a Core i3 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB storage for $489.
For the lowest price, the Dell 15 at $399.99 is a decent budget Windows laptop. It is best for simple everyday use, not gaming or heavy creative work. If you can live with 8GB of RAM, the 512GB SSD and full HD screen make it a practical cheap laptop. If you want smoother long term performance, a 16GB model from Lenovo or ASUS may be worth paying more for.
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