Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5

The IdeaPad Slim 5 covers the basics competently at a price that leaves money for a monitor. You get a 14-inch IPS display, a comfortable keyboard, a decent selection of ports including USB-A and HDMI, and enough performance for browser work, documents and video calls. The chassis is part aluminium and flexes a little, and the webcam is adequate rather than good. Memory is partly soldered, so choose 16GB now rather than planning to upgrade. Recommended for students and second machines where dependability matters more than specification.