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As we approach the end of the year, big sales events will begin cropping up regularly, culminating in Black Friday in November. This week, it's the Amazon Big Deals Days event, and I've just found what might just be the worst laptop deal of the year.
That's right, the worst. So why am I writing about it? Well, I think it's worth pointing out 'deals' that are actually a waste of money, and explain what makes those deals bad, to help you avoid getting stung in the future. Of course, I've also added some alternative laptop deals that are much better, and worth buying instead.
• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale
The awful laptop deal in question is for the HP 14-em0018na (what a great name for a product), that Argos is selling for £279.
Now, with prices for many devices climbing ever upwards, getting a Windows 11 laptop for under £300 might seem like fantastic value, but looking at the hardware involved, you should stay well clear.
The biggest red flag is that this laptop comes with just 4GB of RAM. That's a pitiful amount for a Windows 11 laptop in 2026 — these days I'd recommend 16GB as a minimum, with 8GB only being worth it if the laptop is really cheap.
Unlike ChromeOS, which Chromebooks run on, Windows 11 is a heavy (some might say 'bloated') operating system that needs a lot of memory to run smoothly, and 4GB just won't cut it. This laptop will be slow, unreliable and very annoying, especially if you want to run multiple apps at once.
The dual-core AMD Athlon 7120U processor is also pretty pathetic, and despite HP claiming the laptop has "plenty of storage", 128GB isn't going to last long these days, especially as most of that space will be taken up by Windows 11.
I'm annoyed at Argos selling this, as anyone buying it is likely going to feel ripped off. According to the Argos website, it seems this laptop is selling steadily as well, which is worrying. User reviews are positive, though vague (and one even admits they've not used it yet, but have still given it a high score), and I wonder if those impressions will be quite so positive after a few weeks of using the laptop.
Of course, budgets are tight at the moment, and not everyone can afford a high-end laptop packed with RAM and cutting-edge components, but there are plenty of cheap laptop deals out there that will offer much better value for money. So don't be tempted just because this laptop has a rock-bottom price tag — check out these laptop deals instead:
Today's best cheap laptop deals in the UK
14a-nf0003na 14in Intel 8GB 128GB Chromebook: £259
Here's another HP laptop deal from Argos, and not only is it cheaper, it's just an all-round better buy. For a start, it's got twice the RAM, which will help make things feel quicker, and because it runs on Chrome OS, that extra RAM will make even more of a difference with how snappy it feels compared to a Windows 11 laptop with similar specs. If you're after the absolute lowest price possible, then a Chromebook like this is a great pick.View Deal
15-fd1007nax: £299
See? HP can make good cheap laptops, and Argos knows it. This laptop is just £20 more expensive but comes with double the RAM and storage (8GB and 256GB, respectively), and a more powerful Intel Core i3 processor. While it's still far from powerful, it'll be much better at handling day-to-day tasks, and should last a lot longer as well before you feel the need to upgrade.View Deal
CX14 Chromebook Plus: £299
This is another sub-£300 laptop that's worth considering. It's a Chromebook Plus device, which is more powerful than a regular Chromebook, so with a decent (for a Chromebook) 8GB of RAM and Intel Core 3 processor, you're going to have a much better experience than if it was a Windows 11 laptop with half the RAM. Just remember that Chrome OS doesn't support all the applications Windows 11 does, but there's often alternative software that is just as good.View Deal
