Laptops were one of the most in-demand product categories through the years of the COVID-19 pandemic — as global workforces shifted to remote operations. As a result, the past three years have seen user interest in laptops peak, leading to a surge in the range of options available in the market. However, the first quarter of this year has been somewhat different, with multiple market trackers reporting a drop in consumer interest in buying devices. This has been driven by factors such as concerns regarding inflation, a lack of need to buy or upgrade devices after two continuous years of gadget expenditures, and a lack of drastically new features in devices. Despite this, the top 10 laptops in India still garnered steady interest.
In Q1 2023, based on user searches and interest on the 91mobiles website, the top 10 laptops feature only four brands, while leaving out two of the top three consumer laptop brands. While Taiwan’s ASUS, a brand known for its gaming hardware, led the list on the 91mobiles platform, HP, India’s most popular laptop brand and with the largest market share, took up five spots among the top 10 laptops. On this note, here’s taking a look at the laptops that led user interest even in a lull phase, in Q1 2023.
Top 10 laptops in India in Q1 2023
The top 10 laptops in India feature HP, India’s most popular PC brand by shipment volume in 2022 as per IDC data, with five out of 10 laptops. ASUS, which ranked fifth in the IDC list, had the most popular laptop by user searches on the 91mobiles product platform, while fourth-ranked Acer also featured in the Q1 2023 list. Xiaomi is the only brand outside of the IDC top five to feature in our list. Here’s the full breakdown.
Note: Data sourced in the list is based on user queries and searches across the 91mobiles product platform for Q1 2023.
ASUS VivoBook 15
Price: Rs 32,990
The ASUS VivoBook 15 laptop, bearing model number X515JA-EJ362WS, was the most popular laptop on the 91mobiles product search platform in Q1 2023. The laptop had clear reasons for its popularity, given the balance of features and pricing that it offers. Key specs include a 10th gen Intel Core i3 1005-G1 processor, along with 8GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD storage. It also features a 15.6-inch full HD LED display, Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.1 in wireless connectivity, a dedicated number pad, a USB-C port, and a 720p webcam too. It weighs 1.8kg and measures 19.9mm in thickness.
HP Pavilion 15
Price: Rs 54,890
The HP Pavilion 15-ec2004AX is one of the most affordable gaming laptops in the mid-range laptop segment of India, which justifies its rank in the 91mobiles top 10 laptops list of Q1 2023. It offers a funky design with an asymmetric lid corner aesthetic, which adds a premium appeal. Key specs include the AMD Ryzen 5-5600H processor, along with 8GB DDR4 RAM and a 512GB SSD for storage. It also offers dedicated graphics with the 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU, and a 144Hz 15.6-inch full HD LED display tops the gaming-centric package. Other key specs include Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, a USB-C port, and a violet-backlit keyboard. The laptop weighs 1.98kg and measures 23.5mm in thickness.
Xiaomi RedmiBook 15 Pro
Price: Rs 46,990
The RedmiBook 15 Pro offered one of the best spec sheets when launched, and to this date, remains at the top of user interest driven by Xiaomi’s established brand presence and trust buoyed by its smartphone market presence. While it is not as premium as the Mi Notebook range, its pricing plays a strong role in its overall popularity. Key specs include the 11th gen Intel Core i5-11300H processor, along with 8GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB M.2 SSD for storage. It features a 15.6-inch full HD display, Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless connectivity, and 10 hours of rated battery life. However, there are no USB-C ports on the laptop. Other features include a 720p webcam, while dimensions clock in with 17.9mm thickness and 1.8kg overall weight. The laptop also misses out on a backlit keyboard.
HP 15s
Price: Rs 32,500
The HP 15s-eq1559AU is one of the most affordable in this list, but that comes at the clear cost of a few popular features on the spec sheet. Nevertheless, the value proposition of this laptop is there for all to see, which explains its popularity among 91mobiles user searches. Key specs include an AMD Athlon 3050U dual-core processor, along with 8GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB M.2 SSD storage. The 15.6-inch display offers only HD resolution, which seems inadequate in the modern PC era given that you can get full HD choices at a nominal premium over this model. Other key specs include Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2, and a 720p HD webcam, while despite missing out on some features, it does include a USB-C port. The laptop measures 1.7kg in weight and is 17.9mm thick.
Xiaomi RedmiBook 15 e-Learning Edition
Price: Rs 30,990
One of the most affordable on this list, the RedmiBook 15 e-Learning Edition laptop by Xiaomi makes a few clear trade-offs with the RedmiBook 15 Pro in order to cater to an increasing quantum of users looking for a basic laptop for their basic online education and meetings use cases. Key specs include the 11th gen Intel Core i3-1115G4 processor, along with 8GB DDR4 RAM and a 256GB SSD for storage. The display uses a 15.6-inch full HD panel, and it also retains the 10-hour rated battery life as its brethren. Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, and a 720p webcam clock in with ports on the device, although there is still no USB-C port here — a feature that students would have found to be important. The laptop measures 19.9mm in thickness and 1.8kg in weight and makes for one of the most affordable laptops in India right now with full HD display resolution.
Acer Aspire 7
Price: Rs 56,990
Priced towards the higher end of this list, the Acer Aspire 7 A715-51G is the second most affordable gaming laptop in the list behind HP’s Pavilion 15. It does not look as exciting as the latter, but in terms of its key specifications, is by no means one to fall behind. Key specifications of the laptop include the 12th gen Intel Core i5-1240P processor, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, and 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU. It features a standard 15.6-inch full HD display and is the first laptop in this list to offer Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless connectivity standards. It also gets a 720p webcam and a backlit keyboard, and measures 19.9mm in thickness and 2.1kg in weight — thus making it one of the heavier options in its bracket.
HP 14s
Price: Rs 61,990
One of the most expensive options in the 91mobiles top 10 laptops list for Q1, the HP 14s-dy5005TU offers an entry point for users into the premium world of ultrabooks. It is also the third HP laptop in the top seven, which is justified given its strong pricing point. Key specs and features include the 12th gen Intel Core i5-1235U processor with integrated Iris Xe graphics, and 16GB DDR4 RAM, and 512GB storage. It also offers a 14-inch full HD display, along with a backlit keyboard. The laptop measures only 17mm in thickness and weighs 1.4kg, which certifies it as an entry-level ultrabook. It also offers Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, and a 720p webcam.
HP Pavilion 14
Price: Rs 65,659
The HP Pavilion 14-dv2014TU is very similar to the HP 14s but offers an even more premium overall build and design language — enhanced by the slim bezels on the compact display. Key specs and features of the laptop include the exact same features and details as listed above, including a fingerprint sensor for biometric unlocking, Windows Hello support, and Windows 11 preloaded. The extra price you pay is literally for the enhanced design language on this one, which makes it a discretionary choice that is impressive to see — even amid the lull market phase.
HP 14s
Price: Rs 38,490
The HP 14s-dy2507TU is the more affordable choice in the trusted HP 14s lineup, thanks to its sub-Rs 40,000 pricing. The laptop tries to emulate the same design language as the two laptops above this one but makes a few tradeoffs that include thicker bezels and a heavier overall body. In comparison to the above specs, this one measures 17.9mm in thickness, and weighs 1.46kg. Key specs and features of the laptop include Intel Core i3-1115G4 processor, along with 8GB DDR4 RAM and a 256GB M.2 SSD for storage. Other features include a 14-inch full HD display, a 720p HD webcam, Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless connectivity, and a USB-C port as well — but no keyboard backlighting on this one.
Asus TUF Gaming F15
Price: Rs 58,990
Bringing up the rear in this list is the ASUS TUF Gaming F15 laptop, bearing SKU model number FX506LHB-HN358W. Key features of this list’s third gaming-centric laptop include a gamer-oriented design, the ‘TUF’ branding certifying MIL-STD-810H military-grade durability rating, and RGB LED lighting on the keyboard that includes highlighted ‘WASD’ keys that are popularly used in gaming. The spec sheet features 10th gen Intel Core i5-10200H processor, along with 8GB DDR4 RAM and a 512GB M.2 SSD. It also features the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 4GB GPU, while the 15.6-inch display offers a 144Hz refresh rate as well — a strong addition for its price segment. Other features include Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 for wireless connectivity, while a USB-C port is its biggest miss. The laptop measures 24.7mm in thickness and weighs 2.35kg, and while all of this makes it the bulkiest laptop on this list, the last laptop here is also the most well-equipped.
Trends analysis
The 91mobiles top 10 laptops list for Q1 2023 offers up a number of clear trends that laptop buyers are searching for, which have been collated from nearly 60,000 buyers during the first three months of the year. Here’s what they’re looking for.
Buyers prioritise storage on their laptops
The one clear takeaway is the demand for high storage, with 80 percent of the top laptop searches in Q1 2023 including laptops with 512GB storage. This shows a clear demand among users to have large-sized SSDs on their laptops — even among those who are searching in the sub-Rs 35,000 price segment. Case in point — only two laptops in the top 10 laptops list offer 256GB storage.
Laptops above Rs 50,000 show strong buyer interest
Despite India being traditionally referred to as a value-centric market, laptops priced above Rs 50,000 make for five out of the top 10 laptops in this list. This goes on to show that Indian laptop buyers are willing to consider a higher discretionary price point and are thinking about laptop purchases for the long term — and additional features such as dedicated GPUs or 512GB storage attract strong interest among consumers.
Gaming laptops show promise — even within tight budgets
It is interesting to see three gaming laptops in the top 10, which shows the trickle-down impact of esports and casual gaming’s proliferation in the Indian market. Options from HP, Acer, and ASUS show a diverse range of gaming laptops gaining user interest in India, and this adds up to reflect well on India’s increasing number of gamers — be it enthusiasts or hobbyists.
Intel the clear winner above AMD
The Intel vs AMD debate has often been a hard one to settle — especially given AMD’s resurgence in recent years when the company has taken the battle directly to Intel’s home turf. However, the budget laptop buyers segment (classified by IDC as sub-$1,000) continues to be dominated by Intel — only one of the top 10 laptops in the list featured an AMD chip.
