HP Laptop 14 (14-inch, 2024)

Surprisingly peppy processor ; Good battery life ; Fingerprint reader

Skimpy storage and memory ; Lackluster screen ; Keyboard isn't backlit, or overly comfortable ; Wireless networking supports Wi-Fi 5, not 6

If you have less than $500 to spend on a new Windows notebook, you could do worse than the HP Laptop 14-dq2020nr, but be prepared to live with its limitations.