The laptops in the market right now are built using different kinds of processors composed of various generations. These processors come with their own clock, speed, and threads, and they all work differently.
Each core offers a different working experience. For instance, Core i7s/i9s are ideal for gaming and heavy-load works. Meanwhile, the Core i3s offer holistic services for browsing and accomplishing everyday tasks.
Needless to say, you will not consider buying a Core i3 if you are a passionate gamer. Here we will review the top 8 best Core i3 laptops that will help you choose an ideal device.
Table of Contents
Top 8 Core i3 Laptops
1. Dell Inspiron 15 5502
- Display: 15.6” 1080p
- CPU: Intel Core i3-1135G4
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
- RAM: 8 GB
- Storage: 256GB SSD
The Dell Inspiron 15 5000 falls under Dell’s most impressive lines. Built with Intel’s 11th gen Core i3- 1135G4 processor and combined with Intel UHD graphics, it offers better efficiency and battery life.
It has a 15.6 Full HD energy-efficient display with an LED-backlit and a resolution of 1920 x 1080. However, it is crucial to point out that the resolution and contrasts are not optimal. While it will perform well in office lights, it’s not built to work well under sunlight.
The RAM is 8GB 3200MHz high bandwidth RAM that can run multiple applications and browser tabs simultaneously. Moreover, the hard drive has been upgraded to 256GB which is a solid-state drive that allows fast boot-up and data transfer.
The keyboard is a scribble-tile style that is placed nicely on the keyboard. The keys are not strong enough for serious typing but work well for office use. The trackpad is smooth and responsive.
The Dell Inspiron has a sophisticated design that is ideal for office work. However, the display doesn’t support touch. It comes with an attractive metallic lid and a sleek Dell logo to make it look appealing. The screen is sturdy, and it can be easily placed in your travel bags within a protective sleeve.
The keyboard, wrist rest, and screen bezel are all finished with matte black plastic. It consists of various useful ports for many accessories and gadgets: 2 USB 3rd gen ports, 1 USB 3.1 type C, audio jack, HDMI, fingerprint reader, and SD card reader. It is thicker than some laptops of the same kind and weighs 4.4lbs.
The battery is not the best compared to other laptops equipped with the same hardware, and it lasts for 3-4 hours on 50% brightness. Since it is not ideal for gaming and content creation, this laptop is great for office use, regular browsing, and emails.
2. MSI Modern 14
- Display: 14” 1080p
- CPU: Intel Core i3-10110U
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
- RAM: 8 GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
The MSI modern 14 is a highly affordable laptop with a simple yet nice design with an aluminum body and charcoal metallic paint chassis. Its compact design makes it lightweight, as it weighs about 2.8 pounds, making it portable and easy to carry.
The screen is 14 inches with Full HD resolution that offers average color contrast and brightness performance aligning with its price. However, please note that it doesn’t support touch. The keyboard has a spacious and compact layout. The keys are soft but with a good base, facilitating a nice typing experience.
This laptop features a wide range of ports. The left side holds a USB Type C port, HDMI connection, microSD card slot, and the right side holds two more USB 3.0 ports. For its price range, these ports are enough to meet basic needs. It also sports a Matrix Display function that can help you expand visions across multiple displays via HDMI.
The MSI modern 14 packs the Intel Core i3-10110U processor combined with the Intel UHD GPU. They deliver high-quality performance. It might not be suitable for content creation and gaming, but it’s still great for multitasking.
It also boasts of 8GB RAM and 512 storage. Although the storage is not ideal for storing heavy gaming content, it still works well for documents and daily tasks.
The best part about this laptop is its battery life. It is better than most of the laptops of the same kind, although they are more expensive. It has a battery runtime of almost nine hours and thus, it is very portable.
You can carry it around anywhere for a good period without a charger. MSI modern 14 may not have any striking or special features, but it’s safe to say that it is a great laptop at this price.
3. HP 15 laptop
- Display: 15.6” 1080p
- CPU: Intel Core i3-1135G4
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
- RAM: 16 GB
- Storage: 256GB SSD
The HP 15 is just like the classic HP laptops – with a full black body and the HP logo right in the center – making it look very classy. The interior resembles the exterior with thick bezels. The speaker vent above the keyboard is not visible as it seamlessly blends in with the chassis.
It weighs 4.4 pounds and is sleeker than its other 15 inch competitors. It has a 15.6 inches Full HD Micro edge, non-touch (1920 x 1080) display. The resolution and display of HP 15 is less than ideal with its dull resolution of 1366 x 768. The color contrasts and brightness are average too.
It has a decent amount of ports but does not come with a USB type C port. It includes 2 USB 3.1 ports, HDMI port, audio jack, RJ-45 connector, multi-format SD card reader, and wireless AC plus Bluetooth combo.
The keyboard has keys that are adequately spaced with a comfortable palm rest, and although the keys may seem a bit mushy, they facilitate accurate typing. The touchpad is soft, and yet, the left and right keys are slightly stiff to use, without any backlight.
It also features a 720p webcam that produces low-resolution images and videos, which is not a problem when engaging in daily tasks and other regular stuff.
The HP 15 is powered by Intel’s i3-1115G4 dual-core processor and Intel UHD graphics that seamlessly run different programs. With its memory of 16GB high bandwidth RAM, it seamlessly runs multiple applications and browser tabs all at once. The hard drive is 256GB which allows fast boot-up and data transfer.
The battery life of HP 15 is not better than other laptops of the same category. It lasts only 4 hours, so it’s not portable enough to carry around without a charger as it might run out of battery anytime. With an affordable price tag, it offers great storage and CPU performance, although there are some drawbacks.
4. ASUS VivoBook 15
- Display: 15.6” 1080p
- CPU: Intel Core i3-1005G1
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
- RAM: 8 GB
- Storage: 128GB SSD
The ASUS ViviBook 15 has a 15 inch Full HD, non-touch display with a plain design and grey paint that gives it a metallic look. The chassis is made up of plastic that feels sturdy, and it weighs 3.75 pounds. It is portable enough to carry around in a bag with a sleeve.
The resolution is full HD, i.e., 1920 x 1080, which is great, although the color contrasts seem inconsistent on high brightness levels. It looks washed out, and the text lacks a bit of clarity. The keyboard ensures good travel on the keys, clean white backlighting, and is adequately spacious for palm rest. The touchpad also has a smooth touch and a fingerprint reader on top.
The laptop has useful ports on both sides. The left side is equipped with just two ports of USB 2.0 connections, while the right side is equipped with one USB 3.0 type A port, a USB C port, HDMI output, a microSD card slot, and an audio jack. The special thing about this laptop is it’s exclusive ergo lift design for improved typing.
The ASUS VivoBook 15 comes with the great Intel Core i3-1005G1 processor with Intel UHD graphics, 8GB RAM, and 128 GB storage. It is not a powerful hardware that can offer plenty of storage space for multiple videos and creative content, although it’s efficient for everyday tasks and word documents.
This laptop provides much better performance and productivity than other laptops of its kind. Opening up multiple tabs on chromes or files simultaneously may take some time, but the device won’t crash. While this laptop is not meant for intense gaming or content creation, including Photoshop and editing, it still performs better in these categories.
The battery life of the Asus VivoBook 15 is good, with an almost 8-hour-long run time. It can last a decent amount of time without a charger, making it a bit more portable. It is a cheap laptop, and while it doesn’t offer any above-average feature or performance, it is still pretty good for the price.
5. Acer Aspire 5
- Display: 15.6” 1080p
- CPU: Intel Core i3-1135G4
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
- RAM: 8 GB
- Storage: 256GB SSD
The Acer Aspire 5 might not offer an attractive design, but it offers reliable and smooth performance. It comes with a 15.6 inches Full HD display surrounded by thick bezels and is made up of metallic chassis. It is built with IPS technology and offers 1920 x 1080 resolution, providing good color contrasts. It weighs 1.7kg and is 17mm thick.
The top thick bezel houses a low res webcam with a good viewing angle. The display offers a comfy widescreen view with LED backlight. The trackpad is not the regular modern glass trackpad and instead, is made up of stingy plastic. However, it offers quite a smooth touch, although you might require some time to adjust if you are not used to this.
The connectivity ports are portable; the right side is equipped with a USB Type-A 2.0 and a headphone jack. There is an HDMI port, a pair of USB 3.1, and a USB Type C connector present on the left side. It doesn’t come equipped with an SD card reader. The audio stereo speakers are located at the bottom, delivering average audio quality that is compatible with the price.
It offers a high-quality CPU, Intel’s Core i3-1115G4 processor paired with Intel’s UHD GPU. The 8GB RAM and 256 GB storage offer great multitasking capabilities and adequate space for storing regular Word documents and files. This laptop may not be a great choice for heavy-duty tasks like gaming, but it is a holistic device for daily tasks.
The Acer Aspire 5 offers generous battery life of up to 8-10 hours with 48WH. It means you can carry this laptop around without a charger for a decent amount of time. It provides excellent performance and battery life at an affordable pricing.
6. Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1
- Display: 14” 1080p
- CPU: Intel Core i3-1135G4
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
- RAM: 12 GB
- Storage: 256GB SSD
The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 laptop is a well-built convertible device with a 14-inch Full HD display. The IPS technology is not above average, but the color contrasts are great. The brightness level is not well-suited for working under sunlight. The matte silver chassis of this laptop seems sturdy with an aluminum palm rest that weighs 3.42 pounds.
The LED-backlit touch narrow border display is surrounded by thin bezels. The top bezel has a webcam with a low resolution (1280 x 720), which can still be used for Zoom calls and photos. There is a fingerprint reader built into the power button. The touch screen has a glossy finish instead of a matte finish, disrupting the display’s contrast color.
The keyboard is spacious, although it is not equipped with HOME, PAGE UP/DOWN, and END keys. However, the typing is good without the keys being mushy. The touchpad also has smooth and responsive touch. The speakers are mounted at the bottom and produce adequate sound without bass for regular work and streaming Netflix. It also includes various ports like USB Type C, 2 USB type 3.1 A ports, HDMI port, audio jack, power connector, USB type 2.0 port, SD card slot.
The Dell Inspiron 14 is built with Intel’s Core i3-1115G4 processor and UHD graphics. The 8GB RAM and 256GB solid storage drive are great for storing office documents and multitasking. It is better in productivity, performance, storage, and graphics than most laptops of the same kind. The 48WH battery of this laptop lasts for up to 8 hours which is impressive considering its hardware and price.
It is a great device offering productive performance and good storage. It weighs less than four pounds which is amazing for a convertible laptop, as it is portable and can be carried around in a bag.
7. Lenovo IdeaPad 3
- Display: 15.6” HD
- CPU: Intel Core i3-10110U
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
- RAM: 8 GB
- Storage: 256GB SSD
The amazing Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is a budget laptop equipped with a 15.6 inches HD display. The chassis is made up of silver-gray plastic, which is sturdy with an ergonomic design. The display supports touch and offers a resolution of 1920 x 1080, offering average color contrast and brightness.
However, the contrast looks washed out under high brightness. The bezels are relatively thick, and the laptop weighs 4.84 pounds, which is a bit heavier than other laptops of the same kind. The top bezel has a webcam shutter to protect your privacy.
The keyboard is centered and spacious, but the typing has a flat and dull feeling. The keyboard consists of mute and media control keys and a separate numeric pad, although some keys like HOME, PAGE UP/DOWN, END, etc. are missing.
It doesn’t have any backlit display feature. The touchpad is smooth and responsive, without any keys. The audio system is located at the front bottom. The bass is faint, but the audio response is decent for regular use. The 720p webcam is of low resolution but is good enough for Zoom calls.
This laptop has various ports for easy connectivity, such as an HDMI port, USB 3.0 Type-A port, power connector, audio jack, SD card slot, and wireless Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth connections.
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 boasts of Intel’s Core i3-10110U processor and Intel UHD GPU, providing seamless multitasking and good performance for daily tasks. It has 8GB RAM and a 256GB storage drive that is spacious enough for storing small files. The laptop performs nicely in terms of productivity, graphics, and rundowns compared to other Core i3 laptops.
The battery performance of the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is not above average, lasting up to 8 and half hours after full charge with its 45W AC adaptor. It can survive a decent amount of time without charge at work and in school. With sufficient memory and decent battery time at such a low price, it is a nice laptop.
8. HP Pavilion X360 2-in-1
- Display: 14” HD
- CPU: Intel Core i3-1005G1
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
- RAM: 8 GB
- Storage: 128GB SSD
With a 14-inch convertible, touch, and LED-backlit display, the new HP Pavilion X360 is one of the most likable choices among Core i3 laptops. It weighs about 3.55 pounds and is sleek, but it’s a little heavier than other convertible laptops of the same kind.
The laptop has a sleek silver metal chassis with a dark-brushed metal finish keyboard. There is a chrome HP logo at the center of the lid. The bezels are thin with concave edges. The contrasting colors of the display are good, and the texts are clear with its 1920 x 1080 resolution. The two hinges allow you to fold the laptop however you want with its 360 flip and fold design.
It is also equipped with various ports like two USB 3.2 Type-A ports, audio jack, Type-C port, HDMI output, SD card slot, SIM slot, and AC adapter. A special feature is that this laptop supports LTE with a SIM slot, keeping you connected even when there is no Wi-Fi.
The webcam has a 720p resolution, and thus, ensures clear pictures and videos. The speakers are average with little bass. The keyboard is spread out across the whole body and the typing feels a bit sloppy. The button-less touchpad has a smooth and responsive touch and clicks.
This laptop also features Intel’s Core i3-1005G1 with UHD GPU. It has 8GB RAM and a 128 SSD that can store small files. Pavilion X360 performs well under different benchmark tests like productivity, photoshop, graphics, etc., compared to other laptops.
The battery runtime is almost 8-9 hours which allows you to go about your day at work or school for a good period without a charger. This laptop is a great, low-cost laptop that offers performance, convertibility, and decent features with LTE support.
Best i3 Laptops: Quick Answers
Is i3 better than an i5 laptop?
Intel’s Core CPUs upgrade with each generation, so technically, i5 is better than i3. But in certain tasks, i3 performs better, so this is where the competition halts. The various cores in i5 might not be good enough for certain programs that may perform better under i3. Where i5 might offer speed and hyperthreading, both these cores have their benefits and cons.
Is it worth buying an i3 processor?
Core i3 processors are great for everyday work and tasks. If you regularly browse chrome, emails, office and media applications, software, and low-end games, then an i3 processor is a great choice. Core i3 processors also are low on budget, so that’s a plus point. Core i3 can’t handle heavy gaming and content creating, so keep that in mind.
Is Core i3 still good in 2023?
The Core i3 is still great in 2023 thanks to its upgrades in speed and performance. While several other Cores processors are more powerful, these i3 processors are good for day-to-day tasks. Also, the best part about the Core i3 is the price. You will obtain a regular tasking laptop at a low price, so it doesn’t matter which year; the Core i3 processor will always be worth it if you are on a budget.
Conclusion
Core i3 processors have their own pros, and they are capable of decent performance. They are great budget laptops that offer decent performance and multitasking for office and regular work. We hope that our review for the best Core i3 laptops can help you find the best laptop for yourself.
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