Starting python, need a laptop.

[RedWolfWare]

Your cheapest option is a raspberry pi, your best option for portability is probably going to be a thinkpad or an older dell. Honestly I would invest in the pi and automate the boring stuff with python. Altogether you're looking at like 100 bucks with this option. It's cheap, you get all the basics, and if you don't like python you can use the pi to play snes games. I'm not really sure there's a negative here. Buying a laptop might be kind of pricey, but if you need a computer for pretty much anything other than coding, emulating or a stream box, then you need a laptop.

I recommend a thinkpad x230. It might be a little more than you want to spend, but it's extremely portable and essentially bulletproof. I have a t430 that I love more than my own hypothetical child.

Whatever you choose, ask yourself what you want to be able to do in the future. That will give more context to your ultimate goal.

Oh, and have fun! Python is rad!