Gaming laptop prices have risen amid the continuing memory shortage, and budget models have been hit especially hard. Some manufacturers are introducing “new” gaming laptops in 2026 with the more than three-year-old RTX 4050 as their entry-level graphics option. In this market, the Lenovo LOQ 15 stands out as the only gaming laptop under $1,500 that the writer can confidently recommend.
Why the Lenovo LOQ 15 stands out
The LOQ 15 is neither the thinnest nor the most powerful gaming laptop available, but its combination of performance and display quality makes it difficult to match at this price. Its price has increased over the past year; during the first few months of 2026, it was available for less than $1,000. Even then, however, it was technologically ahead of many competitors.
The laptop includes a high-quality IPS display, an important advantage over many inexpensive gaming laptops with desaturated screens that can detract from the gaming experience. That display is one of the features that distinguishes the LOQ 15 from its rivals.
RTX 5060 configuration for $1,300
The LOQ 15 is currently available with an RTX 5060 for $1,300. While that is not particularly cheap compared with prices from the past few months, the RTX 5060 is a substantial upgrade over the RTX 5050. The system can provide up to 100 watts of power to the graphics card.
According to the writer’s testing, all tested games ran at well over 60 frames per second on the medium preset, including demanding titles such as Black Myth: Goku and monster hunter wild. Lowering additional settings or enabling some upscaling can increase the frame rate further.
Amazon sells an RTX 5060 configuration with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $1,300. Lenovo also sells an RTX 5050 version for less:
The RTX 5050 model has the same other specifications, according to the source. The writer tested several other gaming laptops at this price, including the MSI Cyborg A16 and Acer Nitro V 16, but found that neither matched the LOQ 15. Recent testing of the Alienware 15 and Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 revealed the same issue affecting those alternatives.
Waiting for a potential price drop
The writer says newer, more affordable gaming laptops could be recommended if any of the tested models had surpassed the LOQ 15. Buyers can wait until Black Friday to see whether its price falls further, although prices have not changed substantially in recent months. Amazon Prime Day in October, for example, brought discounts, but no major sales.
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Source: www.wired.com
