I’m usually reluctant to recommend affordable laptops, especially those running Windows, because they’re often crap. That’s starting to change, thanks in part to last year’s introduction of the Snapdragon X-series processors, which offer solid performance and good x86 and x64 application compatibility. If you need a compact 14-inch laptop with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD, Asus Vivobook 14 in the “Silent Blue” color scheme with the Snapdragon X octa-core processor, it’s $379.99 for the rest of the day at Best Buy (originally $749.99).
In terms of performance, the Snapdragon X is below the X Plus and X Elite found in more expensive laptops. It’s probably not an ideal choice if you’re running system-intensive applications, but it should be fine for web browsing and occasional content creation.
ARM-based laptops cannot natively run x86 or x64 applications, although steps have been taken to increase emulation compatibility and performance in many of the most popular applications. In short, it is much less painful now than it used to be, for example, to jump from a laptop with an Intel or AMD processor. And despite being a thin and affordable laptop, its port selection is quite impressive, boasting two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, an HDMI 2.1 output, a headphone jack and two USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 ports (both support charging and DisplayPort output). It also has a rather large trackpad, a 1080p Windows Hello IR webcam and a physical webcam cover. Seems like a pretty nice value if you ask me.