I just asked my laptop tech-geek friend who lives in UK the question of "Which is a good quality inexpensive laptop right now?"
Here's his answers:
I think Huawei are good value for money. They often have discounts on their website.
2. I (him) plan to get a Xiaomi Mi pad 6 tablet and a Logitech Anywhere keyboard. As a lightweight solution to take out and about, leave the laptop at home.
3. Really inexpensive: Chromebook or INSTALL chromebook in a used other brand laptop:
Ah, ok. So, the good thing about a Chromebook is how resource light it is. You can install it on an old windows computer and it would run great.
So where the computer with windows on it may be fit for the bucket, you can install Chrome and give it a new lease of life.
That would be the cheapest solution.
You can pick up many Chromebooks for just a few hundred too.
https://chromeos.google/products/chromeos-flex/
4. I told him don't want to go that route of having to install something for the girl so his ultimate suggestion was can't go wrong right now with a Huawei.
or if you want it super portable go with #2 (but means you probably have something else at home you can use too).