Laptops

Laptops for your basic work and learn from home needs

All within a reasonable budget

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File photo: Lenovo Yoga S730

We’ve been getting a lot of inquiries about laptops that can handle basic work and study needs but preferrably cost under and around PhP 30,000. So we reached out to some brands to see what they have on offer.

Bare in mind, we haven’t exactly tested all of these for ourselves. We can’t say for sure how they well they perform and are adding them on this list purely because they look good on paper. Hopefully, it helps you make an informed choice.

Here they are in no particular order:

ASUS

ASUS is popular brand because of their wide range of laptops that cater to nearly every budget segment. We’ve heard several stories of college students and young professionals relying on ASUS laptops for their study and work needs. As for us, we’ve tried their VivoBook series and we’re huge fans.

VivoBook 15 X512DA-EJ364T — PhP 25,995
Specs: 15.6-inch FHD display, AMD Ryzen 5 3500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8, 4GB DDR4 DRAM, 1TB SATA HDD, full-sized backlit keyboard, fast charting to 60% in 49 minutes, Windows 10 Home, 2 years global warranty.

ASUS Laptop 14 X409JA — starts at PhP 25,995
Specs: 14″ and 15″ display options, Intel Core i3 1.2Ghz, 4GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB HDD storage, Windows 10 Home, 2 years global warranty.

ASUS Laptop 15 X509JP — PhP 31,995
Specs: 15.6 FHD display, Intel Core i3 1.2Ghz, 4GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD storage, fast charting to 60% in 49 minutes, Windows 10 Home, 2 years global warranty.

ASUS also has an ongoing sale with Shopee. See if there’s anything there you’re interested in and fits your budget.

Bonus: ASUS VivoBook X412F is a laptop that we also reviewed. At PhP 32,995, it caters to those who want an affordable yet premium experience.

LENOVO

Anyone who’s worked in a corporate setting should be familiar with Lenovo Laptops. They’re known for providing office-issued work machines that are peppered with security features. While the ones on this list are consumer versions, you should still expect the same general level of quality and security.

IdeaPad Slim 3i Ultrabook — PhP 29,995
Specs: 15.6-inch FHD screen, Intel Core i3-10110U, 4GB DDR 2667 RAM (Upgradeable),512GB SSD Internal storage upgradeable HDD storage, MX130 2GD5 GPU, Windows 10 Home, 2CELL 35WH battery, 2 years carry in warranty, no office subscription bundle. Comes in Business Black, Platinum Grey, and Abyss Blue.

IdeaPad Flex 3i Convertible — PhP 25,995
Specs: 14-inch HD display, Pentium Gold 5405, 4GB DDR 2400 RAM, 512GB SSD, Windows 10 Home, 4CELL 45WH battery, 2 Years Premium Care warranty. Comes in Onyx Black.

Flex 3 Chromebook — PhP 18,995
Specs: 11.6-inch HD display, C-N4020 processor, 8GB LPDDR4 2400 RAM, 64GB HDD storage, 3CELL 42WH battery, 2-year international care warranty. Comes in Abyss Blue and Almond.

There’s a lot more and you can check out this list to see for yourself. Lenovo also has an ongoing LSS Promo where you can get laptops that worth PhP 35,000 at PhP 2000 to PhP 5,000 off.

Bonus: The Lenovo IdeaPad L340 Gaming which we reviewed is also currently on discount. From PhP 44,995 at the time of our review, it now currently retails at PhP 35,995 through Villman’s Lazada Store.

DELL

Dell is low-key produces some of the toughest laptops out there. They’re after sales support is known to be really reliable — not something you often hear about brands. We’d argue these might be the best laptops for basic work and more on this list.

Dell Inspiron 15 3593 — PhP 35,990
Specs: 15.6 FHD display, 10th Gen Intel Core i5 3.6Ghz, 4GB, 4Gx1, DDR4, 2666MHz RAM, 1TB 5400 rpm 2.5″ SATA HDD storage, NVIDIA® GeForce MX230 with 2GB GDDR5 graphics memory, 3-Cell Battery, 42WHr, Windows 10 Home, 1Yr In Home : Onsite Service warranty. Comes in Silver, Black, White.

Dell Inspiron 15 3593 — PhP 27,490
Specs: 15.6 FHD display, 10th Gen Intel Core i3 3.4Ghz, 4GB, 4Gx1, DDR4, 2666MHz RAM, 1TB 5400 rpm 2.5″ SATA HDD storage, Intel UHD Graphics, 3-Cell Battery, 42WHr, Windows 10 Home, 1Yr In Home : Onsite Service warranty. Comes in Silver, Black, White.


We’ll update this list whenever necessary. If you have laptops at around this budget that you would like to recommend. Let us know!

Gaming

Razer Blade 16 (2026) packs more cores, faster memory

Razer’s thinnest gaming laptop yet

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Razer Blade 16

Razer has officially unveiled the 2026 version of its Blade 16, doubling down on what it does best: squeezing high-end performance into an ultra-slim chassis.

This year’s refresh focuses on meaningful internal upgrades. That includes a new Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, faster LPDDR5X memory, and NVIDIA’s latest RTX 50 Series laptop GPUs — all while keeping the Blade 16 as the thinnest gaming laptop in Razer’s lineup.

Performance gets a serious bump

At the core of the new Blade 16 is the Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, featuring 16 cores and up to 4.9GHz boost clock. Razer claims a 33% increase in core count versus the previous generation, translating to stronger performance across gaming, content creation, and AI workloads.

There’s also an integrated NPU capable of up to 50 TOPS, enabling faster on-device AI tasks like image generation and live translation.

Memory gets a notable upgrade too. The Blade 16 now supports up to 64GB of LPDDR5X-9600MHz RAM, which Razer positions as the fastest available in a laptop today. The result: quicker responsiveness for heavy multitasking, creative apps, and AI-assisted workflows.

On the graphics side, NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 50 Series (Blackwell architecture) brings DLSS 4 and enhanced AI capabilities for both gaming and creator use cases.

Display and design stay premium

Razer isn’t fixing what isn’t broken. The Blade 16 retains its signature CNC-milled aluminum chassis, measuring just 14.9mm thick and weighing around 2.14kg.

The display remains a highlight. You get a 16-inch QHD+ OLED panel with a 240Hz refresh rate, now brighter and certified for VESA DisplayHDR TrueBlack 1000. It supports full DCI-P3 coverage, Calman calibration, and NVIDIA G-SYNC, making it just as suited for creators as it is for competitive gaming.

Battery life and efficiency improve

Despite the performance gains, Razer is also pushing efficiency. Thanks to Intel’s newer architecture and system-level optimizations, the Blade 16 can hit up to 13 hours of productivity use and up to 15 hours of video playback under ideal conditions.

That’s a notable improvement for a machine in this class, especially given its slim form factor.

Connectivity and audio step up

The 2026 Blade 16 gets a future-ready connectivity suite, including Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 6.0. There’s also a full set of ports, from USB-A to HDMI 2.1 and an SD card reader.

Audio gets an upgrade too. The six-speaker system now supports THX Spatial Audio+ with virtual 7.1.4 surround, aiming to deliver more immersive sound both on speakers and headphones.

Price and availability

The Razer Blade 16 configured with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 (16GB VRAM) and 32GB LPDDR5X-9600MHz RAM is priced at US$3,499.99 / €3,599.99 MSRP.

It is available now, exclusively via Razer.com and select RazerStores worldwide.

Still the Blade, just sharper

At a glance, the 2026 Blade 16 doesn’t reinvent the formula. But under the hood, it pushes performance, memory speed, and efficiency forward in ways that matter.

It’s still the same idea: a no-compromise gaming laptop that looks like it belongs in a minimalist workspace — just faster, smarter, and a bit more future-proof this time around.

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Laptops

ASUS launches Zenbook DUO and S14 in the Philippines

Plus, the ZenBook A16 is coming soon.

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At CES 2026, ASUS unveiled an exciting lineup of notebooks headed for launch throughout the year. Earlier this month, the brand finally launched the latest Zenbooks built for maximum portability. Now, ASUS has released the new Zenbook S16 and S14, plus the new Zenbook DUO, in the Philippines.

Zenbook S16, S14

Much like its predecessor, the latest Zenbook S16 is designed for ultra portability. In terms of thinness, the notebook measures only 1.1 centimeters. Plus, it weighs only 1.5 kilograms, making it a perfect addition to your daily kit. The Zenbook S14, on the other hand, weighs only 1.1 kilograms.

As is always expected from the Zenbook S lineup, both laptops will have a tactile Ceraluminum lid, bolstered by an EasyLift hinge for ease of use. It will also have an ErgoSense keyboard with dished keycaps.

The 16- and 14-inch 3K ASUS Lumina OLED screen has touchscreen capabilities and a refresh rate of 120Hz. For audio, the S16 has a six-speaker Dolby Atmos system, including four front-firing tweeters and dual woofers. The S14 has four speakers.

Under the hood, the Zenbook S16 will sport an AMD Ryzen AI 9 465 chipset, while the Zenbook S14 has an Intel Core Ultra 9 Series 3 processor.

For battery, the S16 will have an 83 Wh battery, which can reportedly last over 21 hours, and the S14 has a 77 Wh battery.

Zenbook DUO

If portability isn’t your main focus, the new Zenbook DUO packs in two screens in one device. Though it packs a bit more punch the Zenbook S series, the dual-screen notebook still weighs only 1.65 kilograms.

The Zenbook DUO features the newest Intel Core Ultra 9 Series 3 processor, up to 32GB of memory, and up to 1TB of internal storage. This time, both screens have anti-reflective coating for a better viewing experience.

As with the previous generations of the DUO, this iteration comes with a detachable keyboard and a four different use cases including dual screen, laptop, desktop, and sharing modes.

Powering the beast is a huge 99Wh battery. ASUS says that this is the most they can pack inside without getting users in trouble at the airport.

Zenbook 14

To be clear, this is different from the Zenbook S14, but it bears a striking resemblance to that previous notebook, both in terms of design and hardware. For one, the new Zenbook 14 is 14.9mm thin and only 1.2kg light.

The 14-inch screen carries a WUXGA ASUS Lumina OLED display, putting out images in a 16:10 aspect ratio. The notebook also has an Ergosense keyboard and touchpad for more comfortable typing and more precise controls.

Under the hood, the Zenbook 14 trades the S14’s Intel chip for an AMD Ryzen AI 7 445 processor, capable of up to 50 TOPS. It will also have 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

For battery, the notebook will have a 75 Wh battery, reportedly capable of lasting over 15 hours of unplugged use.

Zenbook A16

Embodying the spirit of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” the brand is also introducing a modest upgrade to the Zenbook A series.

The new Zenbook A16 is only 1.2 kilograms in weight. Plus, with a 70Wh battery, the notebook can remain unplugged and outside for an entire day. The A16 comes with a 16-inch 3K 120Hz OLED screen and the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme.

Price, availability in the Philippines

The Zenbook S16 comes in Scandinavian White and starts at PhP 134,995. Meanwhile, the Zenbook S14 comes in Antrim Gray and sells for PhP 129,995.

The Zenbook DUO comes in Moher Gray and starts at PhP 179,995.

Meanwhile, the Zenbook 14 comes in Jade Black and sells for PhP 79,995.

Finally, the Zenbook A16 is coming soon.

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Laptops

Alienware celebrates 30th anniversary with new Area-51 laptops

The series features Alienware 30, an all-new design language.

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Despite the rise of more gaming brands, Alienware is still one of the most recognizable names for gamers who want dedicated hardware. This year, the brand is celebrating its 30th anniversary. To commemorate the milestone, Alienware has launched the new Area-51 and Aurora notebooks.

Alienware Area-51

Alienware’s Area-51 lineup is the brand’s flagship line of notebooks, packing in the best of the best from the industry. This time is no different.

First of all, the new series will rock Alienware 30, a new design philosophy made especially for the 30th anniversary. On the outside, the laptops have fluid contours, emphasizing curves opposed to the industry’s more angular contemporaries. It also has a Zero Hinge, which hides the laptop’s hinge from view. Finally, it has pillowed palm rests to make usage easy for long gaming sessions.

The 16-inch model can rock up to a WQXGA Anti-Glare OLED screen, featuring 240Hz refresh rate and 620 peak HDR nits. It will also have an LCD option. Alternatively, the 18-inch model has a WQXGA screen, featuring 300Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of brightness.

Inside, the Alienware Area-51 boasts up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX processor and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 24GB GPU. For memory, gamers can enjoy up to 64GB Dual-Channel DDR5. Finally, for storage, the series can rock up to 2TB SSD natively but can support up to 3 slots, allowing for up to 12TB of internal storage.

The series will have a sizable 96Whr battery. This is complemented by a 280W adapter and the brand’s largest fans by volume to keep things cool.

Alienware 16X Aurora

For those who portability over raw power, the new Alienware 16X Aurora fits inside any day-to-day kit. For example, it ditches the thermal shelf typical of most gaming notebooks today to increase portability. It has rounded edges to make it easier to grasp and to create a slightly pillowed palm rest, similar to its flagship counterpart.

The 16-inch WQXGA OLED panel touts 240Hz refresh rate, 0.2ms response time, and 620 nits HDR peak brightness.

Inside, the notebook has up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU. These specs are paired with up to 64GB Dual-Channel DDR5 memory and up to 2TB SSD.

Finally, the Alienware 16X Aurora will have a 90Whr battery. This is supported by up to a 280W charger (for the RTX 5070 variant).

Price, availability

Both series are available starting today, March 17.

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