Gaming laptop prices have risen significantly, with the ongoing memory shortage affecting the market particularly heavily. Some manufacturers have even introduced 2026 models starting with Nvidia’s RTX 4050, a graphics card that is more than three years old.
Against that backdrop, the Lenovo LOQ 15 remains a standout recommendation below $1,500. It is not the thinnest or most powerful gaming laptop available, but its combination of performance and display quality has kept it ahead of competing budget models.
The laptop was available for less than $1,000 during the first months of 2026, although its price has since increased. Even at that time, it offered a high-quality IPS panel alongside solid performance. This display is a key advantage over many inexpensive gaming laptops, whose heavily desaturated screens can weaken the overall gaming experience.
The LOQ 15 is currently available with an RTX 5060 for $1,300. This configuration includes 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, and the graphics card receives up to 100 watts of power from the system. Testing showed that every game evaluated ran above 60 frames per second at the medium preset, including Black Myth: Wukong and Monster Hunter Wilds. Higher frame rates can be achieved by adjusting graphical settings or using upscaling.
Lenovo also offers an RTX 5050 configuration for $999 with otherwise identical specifications. Other budget gaming laptops tested at similar prices, including the MSI Cyborg A16 and Acer Nitro V 16, were unable to match the LOQ 15. The Alienware 15 and Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 were also affected by the same shortcomings.
Although future discounts could appear during Black Friday, prices for the Lenovo LOQ 15 had not changed much in recent months. It also failed to receive a deeper discount during October’s Amazon Prime Day, yet remained one of the strongest gaming laptop deals in its price range.
Sources: WIRED.