The best laptops under $500 are not easy to come by these days. As it stands, there simply isn’t a wide selection of high-quality, well-made laptops available to buy in that price range.
Fortunately, there are some fantastic options on the market today for people looking for a new laptop on the cheap. The lineup of laptops under $500 we’ve rounded up below highlights some quality machines that can help you get things done without hurting your wallet too much.
It’s true that you won’t get cutting-edge performance or the best in industrial design from most of these machines. But you can Buy yourself a reliable laptop for working on the go, or a sturdy device that you can give to the kids knowing that if (when) they break it, they won’t have destroyed anything terribly expensive.
If you can afford between $500 and $1000, you might also want to take a look at our list of the best budget laptops for a few more recommendations that cost a little more.
The best laptops under $500
The Acer Aspire 5 is a Windows 11 laptop for under $500, and it’s exactly what you’d expect from a budget laptop: nothing exceptional, but good enough to get you through a day browsing the web, performing basic work tasks or watching videos. .
It’s not the sleekest or most stylish laptop on the market, nor will the base model’s Intel Core i3 processor blow anyone away with its power. And the 8-hour battery life (at least in our tests) is barely enough to get you through an average workday. But you’d be hard pressed to find a better Windows laptop for this price.
Read our full Acer Aspire 5 Review.
If you’re looking for a good budget laptop and don’t mind the idea of a hybrid tablet/Chromebook, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet could be for you. Currently, for $245, you can get both the tablet and the detachable keyboard, rather than having to pay for them separately, as is the case with the Microsoft Surface Go, although that hybrid Windows 10 machine offers a more premium experience. With a 2.0GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P60T, an ARM G72 MP3 GPU, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of eMMC storage space, the 10.1-inch tablet doesn’t come with much power or storage.
But that doesn’t matter, since it’s a Chromebook, which primarily uses web-based services that do all the heavy lifting outside of the Lenovo Chromebook Duet. And a low spec means it won’t consume battery power. It also has an impressively sharp and bright 1920 x 1080 display that works just as well for binge-watching YouTube as it does for checking emails and browsing the web.
Read our full Lenovo Chromebook Duo Review.
A wild card to include in this list, we have the Microsoft Surface Go 2. Unlike the other laptops, it is a hybrid device capable of doing double duty as a travel laptop and a Windows 10 tablet. On the surface, Surface The Go 2 doesn’t look much different from its predecessor, except for a neat update where Microsoft reduced its bezels to fit a 10.5-inch screen, rather than a 10-inch screen; that screen still offers bright, punchy colors.
The Microsoft Surface Go 2 comes into its own when you add the optional Type-Cover accessory to the mix. That brings the base Surface Go 2 tablet from $299 to $359, but in the process turns it into a small laptop that’s surprisingly capable. But to keep the price under $500, you have to put up with an Intel Pentium Gold processor, just 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of eMMC storage. It’s not a great set of specs, but it should be enough for people who want a 2-in-1 device for reasonably light productivity tasks – think web browsing, word processing, and sending a lot of emails.
But if you don’t want to work on the go, you can load it up with movies and videos, as well as some indie games, courtesy of Steam support, and use them to get you through a boring trip. And with longer battery life than its predecessor, the Surface Go 2 should stay away from an outlet long enough to allow you to take a trip of decent length.
Read our full Microsoft Surface Go 2 review.
Acer’s Spin 311 is exactly what many people expect from a Chromebook: small, affordable, and capable enough to handle everyday work and light gaming. The keyboard is excellent for a Chromebook of this size and price; Battery life is also solid, and while performance isn’t great, it’s enough for light day-to-day tasks.
For students, kids, or anyone looking for an extremely portable machine that has the essentials, the Spin 311 is one of the best Chromebooks for kids that can also compete with some of the best Chromebooks of comparable price.
Read our full Acer Chromebook Spin 311 Review.
Okay, so the 2021 iPad isn’t really a laptop. But at $449 it can be equipped with an optional Apple Smart Keyboard, which turns the tablet into a sort of hybrid laptop for less than $500. In that sense, it’s a bit like the Microsoft Surface Go.
If you need to do some email work, compose a Word document, or do some light photo and video editing, this iPad is reasonably capable. Admittedly, it’s not a powerful machine, but few laptops on this list are. And although iPadOS has its limitations, it is still capable of performing a good set of everyday tasks. And then you have the rich curated ecosystem of apps to choose from in Apple’s App Store, making the entry-level iPad a solid device for light work and serious gaming.
As a secondary device, we can highly recommend giving this iPad some consideration, even if it looks a little dated compared to the more expensive iPad Air 5.
Read our full Apple iPad 2021 Review.
How to choose the best laptop under $500 for you
It can be difficult to weigh how much you can expect from a laptop that costs less than $500. You won’t get cutting-edge performance or a super premium design. And you may have to make some compromises on the screen, like how well it handles colors and how bright it gets. But that doesn’t mean you have to settle for a cheap-looking laptop; rather, look for one that is affordable. So here are some things to keep in mind when purchasing a laptop under $500.
Chrome or Windows? At $500 or less, you’re limited to getting a machine running Windows 10 or Chrome OS, as even the cheapest 2020 MacBook Air will be well out of your price range. As such, you’ll need to decide whether a Windows laptop or a Chromebook best suits your needs.
Chrome OS offers a lightweight operating system that will run on even the most basic hardware while offering a full set of capabilities and web-based applications to perform many of your daily computing tasks. Plus, it’s now compatible with Android apps.
Windows 10, on the other hand, requires a little more power to ensure it runs smoothly. But it supports a wide range of software, much more than Chrome OS can currently dream of. And Windows 10 is regularly improved, meaning you’ll be able to get the best software Microsoft has to offer years after you buy your laptop.
Shell or convertible: Laptops under $500 generally come in two varieties: traditional laptops or dynamic 2-in-1 convertibles. Clamshells are typically the cheapest of the bunch and provide a traditional laptop experience with a keyboard and non-touch screen. . But if you want a touchscreen device that can also function as a tablet, convertibles (or detachables, like the Surface Go) are worth considering.
Don’t settle for less than 1080p: Unless you’re really strapped for cash, you shouldn’t settle for most laptops with a 1366 x 768 display. Many affordable laptops start with a 1080p screen resolution, which will make a big difference when it comes to from streaming Netflix shows or working on Word documents for hours on end.
