The best laptops under $500 are a tough find because we're not discussing price when discussing budget laptops. These are the laptops that can give you all that they can while staying on budget. We want 1080p displays, decent performance, and considerable battery life. (Yes, there are still laptops out there with low-res displays.)
We don't want you to regret your purchase immediately after opening the box, so we're picky about our choices. Whether you're in the market for a regular clamshell or a 2-in-1 laptop that can fold into a tablet, we have some options.
Remember that some laptops on this page might be slightly older than we'd usually recommend, hitting the sub-$500 price point. Still, we'll update this page with newer budget laptops as they become available.
We are confident that these picks will meet your basic needs. If you are looking for a laptop to handle light productivity work, web browsing, and streaming content, every notebook on this page has you covered. You aren't going to find any gaming laptops or workstations here, but not everyone needs that kind of performance, and in exchange, you get to save hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Otherwise, here are the best budget laptops.
The Quick List
Best overall
The leveled-up Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus offers AI-infused next-level performance in a fun, affordable 2-in-1.
Best detachable
The Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook’s OLED display and 13+ hours of battery life make it a near-perfect Chromebook. Since it's detachable, you can have a laptop and tablet experience.
Best Windows laptop
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 is a compromise between price and power. It is one of the few Windows laptops that won't combust at this price.
Joanna Nelius has reviewed laptops and computer hardware since 2018. Her work has appeared in The Verge, USA Today, Gizmodo, PC Gamer, and Maximum PC. She holds an MFA from Chapman University and works as a creative writing instructor.
Best overall
If you're looking for a modern laptop that won't break the bank, we cannot recommend the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus enough. That's a mouthful, so I suggest it is a lot of work. But here it is, in all of its Intel Core i3 glory. Slap on 8GB of RAM and a 1080p display, and you have quite a decent laptop for just under $500.
While you might expect poor performance from a Chromebook, the IdeaPad Flex 5 averaged a Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 5,384, just above the 5,259 Chromebook average. It's also far above the performance of the Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook's average of 1,727 and the Lenovo Flex 5 14 (Intel)'s average of 3,841.
To make that performance even more valuable, this is a Chromebook. That means you won't run into intensive tasks as often as you would with a Windows laptop. On top of that amazing AI-backed performance, it also offers close to 10 hours of battery life. That'll take you into overtime (paid, or else call me).
One of my favorite features about the IdeaPad Flex 5i is its design. You won’t get stuck with a clunky laptop that looks like it came straight out of battling Windows 95. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this was a premium laptop by the looks of it. It comes in at 12.4 x 9.0 x 0.8 inches and 3.6 pounds. It’s not the lightest or the thinnest, but it makes up for it by being a sturdy shoulder to lean on.
Yeah, its 14-inch, 1080p display isn't colorful, but its 16:10 aspect ratio gives you more vertical space to work with.
See our full Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus review.
Best detachable
The Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook has been at the top of this list for years, and that's only recently changed because we want to make room for more up-to-date products. However, that doesn't change the fact that it is an absolute champion.
Regarding our synthetic benchmark tests, the Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook has some of the most underwhelming performance on this list. The Duet 5 Chromebook's Geekbench 5 multi-core average of 1,727 is well below the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 (Intel)'s 3,841 average. It is above the Acer Chromebook 317's 1,137, though both laptops fall below the Chromebook average of 2,253.
This baby is packed with a 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1080 OLED display. It reproduced 85.2 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut and averaged 361 nits of brightness. Those numbers we’d see in premium laptops — and some of those more expensive items don’t get as bright or colorful. And an OLED panel is an impressive addition. You’d find those in gaming laptops, MacBook competitors, and big TVs.
Speaking of dissing premium laptops, this detachable will also get you 13 hours and 31 minutes of battery life. That’s almost enough battery life to land on our laptops with the best battery life page. That alone is an excellent package for under $500. But there's more! This is a detachable 2-in-1, meaning it can go from a tablet to a full laptop. And unlike some pricier detachables, this machine includes the keyboard and cover (I wish that weren't boast-worthy, but it is).
The only downsides to this machine are its relatively weak performance and lack of a stylus. But for the price, it's pretty damn good.
See our full Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook review.
Best Windows laptop
It's a challenge to find a Windows laptop for under $500 that won't be DOA when it gets to your doorstep. That's where the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 (Intel) comes in. Another chunky name for another star on this list. It's got everything you need to make a laptop work at this price — strong performance, over 14 hours of battery life, and a comfortable keyboard. The battery life alone is enough to sell me on this machine, as we've seen plenty of budget and premium laptops die before they could get across the 8-hour mark.
The IdeaPad Flex 5 performed well in our lab, but it failed to blow us away. The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 (Intel) averaged a score of 3,841 on Geekbench 5's multicore benchmark. This is above the Chromebook average of 2,253 and is also well ahead of the Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook (1,727) and Acer Chromebook 713 (1,137). However, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus does have far snappier performance.
How was the keyboard so comfortable? Each stroke was met with a tactile click at the end, encouraging our fingers to tap dance across the deck at top speed. It was a little more shallow than we would’ve liked, but the typing experience was pleasant overall.
When we first reviewed the IdeaPad Flex 5 it hovered around $500-$650 depending on the configuration, but you can now find it for under $500 or even $400 for the base model, making it an even better value and easily the best Windows laptop under $500.
However, it might be more difficult to find the Intel version, but if you see the AMD Ryzen 3 model, it’ll likely offer the same benefits just with slightly different performance and battery life. Since we didn’t test it, we can’t say for sure.
See our full Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 (Intel) review.
Best big screen
Finding yourself a big screen in a laptop that's under $500 is pretty rare, but you don't have to look far because we have the Acer Chromebook 317 right here. Its massive 17.3-inch, 1080p display isn't the only thing it has going for it. Top that off with 9 hours and 30 minutes of battery life and you have a machine that'll last you beyond your average workday. And thanks to its size, you've got a large keyboard with a full num-pad to play around with.
Unfortunately, this machine is using an Intel Pentium processor, which is going to make it a bit slow. However, since it is a Chromebook, it won't be as slow as it would be in a Windows laptop. It scored 1,137 on the Geekbench 5 overall performance test, which failed to meet the average Chromebook (2,253) at the time of the review. It also landed short of the Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook (1,727).
It doesn’t have the most premium-looking design, but the interior is reminiscent of a MacBook. Throw a cute sticker on the lid and this baby will look better than ever. It’s a sturdy piece of tech, too, coming in at 5.3 pounds and 15.8 x 10.5 x 0.9 inches. Hope you’re okay with some weight in your bag.
While we do get a big 17.3-inch display, it’s not very bright or colorful. However, with all of that room, you can snap so many windows to get your work or school done. I just wouldn’t enjoy streaming film or TV on this thing. If you're doing a lot of browser-based work and need the screen space to manage that, the Acer Chromebook 317 is right for you.
See our full Acer Chromebook 317 review.
Best keyboard
If you're looking for a modern typewriter, the Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook might fit the bill. It has one of the most exceptional keyboards we've ever tested in a laptop, and it just so happens to be on a budget machine. Our fingers bounced across the deck of the Flex 5 thanks to the incredibly clicky keys. The whole interior looks tight as well due to the pretty backlighting and pair of vents tucked on either side of the keyboard.
The keyboard isn’t the only thing going for the Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook. We've got a sturdy 2-in-1 design, so you can easily use this machine as a tablet when you're not typing. Thanks to its 13.3-inch, 1080p display, it's rather thin and light, coming in at 0.7 inches and 2.9 pounds.
However, there are a few downsides to this machine, mainly its battery life, cutting short at 7 hours and 20 minutes. That may not be enough to last a full workday, but let’s be honest, workdays shouldn’t last that long anyway.
The Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook also suffers from disappointing performance, with a Geekbench 5 multicore average of 1,643. This is above the Acer Chromebook 317's 1,137 average but below both the Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook's 1,727 and the Chromebook category average of 2,253.
The performance has issues, but that's to be expected in a budget notebook. At least in a Chromebook, the performance shouldn’t be as big of an issue since the operating system is less intensive than Windows. The display also isn’t as bright as we’d like, so working outdoors will be a challenge. As long as you can get over the minor flaws, the Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook is a great choice on a budget.
See our full Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook review.
Benchmark comparisons
Click to view chart data in table format
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus | Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook | Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 | Acer Chromebook Spin 312 |
Geekbench 6 (Higher is better) | 5,384 | NA | NA | 4,477 |
Geekbench 5 (Higher is better) | NA | 1,727 | 3,841 | NA |
Jetstream 2 (Higher is better) | 272.91 | 70.1 | NA | 215 |
CrXPRT 2 (Higher is better) | NA | 55 | NA | 140 |
Handbrake time ((MM:SS), lower is better) | NA | NA | 25:30 | NA |
Battery life - Web surfing (HH:MM) | 09:43 | 13:31 | 14:16 | 10:33 |
SSD transfer speeds (MBps, higher is better) | NA | NA | 565.9 | NA |
DCI-P3 Color Gamut (Higher is better) | 46.5% | 85.2% | 45% | 55% |
Display Brightness (Nits, higher is better) | 306 | 361 | 200 | 277 |
Hottest temperature (95 degree comfort threshold) | 89.5 | NA | 94 | 91.5 |
Recently reviewed
Not every laptop can make the best laptops under $500 page; we review new laptops every week and over 100 laptops yearly. But here's a look at our most recently reviewed laptops that didn't make this page either due to a fault, price, battery life, display brightness, or something else.
How to choose one of the best laptops under $500
To make your shopping process a little easier, we put together some tried-and-true guidelines to help you choose the best laptop for under $500.
Budget: What you get for the money
You can find decent Windows laptops and great Chromebooks for under $500. But pay close attention to the specs — everything from internal hardware to keyboard quality. We thoroughly the good and bad of cheap laptops in our reviews, so you'll know what laptops offer more or less for their price.
If we haven't reviewed it, we recommend typing the laptop's name into your favorite search engine followed by "review." You should find what you need to make an informed decision.
Screen Size: 12 to 14 inches for portability
Screen size can tell you a lot about a laptop's overall portability. 12-, 13-, and 14-inch models are generally the lightest and thinnest, and most $500 and under laptops come in these sizes.
Form factor: Clamshell or convertible?
Clamshell (traditional) laptops often have better features for a lower price, but there are a decent number of convertible laptops with a 360-rotating display (2-in-1s) or detachable keyboard that are just as inexpensive. If you want to use your laptop as a notebook or drawing tablet, either of those forms could work for you!
Just keep in mind that a 2-in-1 in tablet mode will be thicker, since the display folds back to meet the bottom of the keyboard — and that also means the keys face outward. Laptops with detachable keyboards don't suffer from the same awkwardness.
Battery Life: 9+ hours
Even a sub-$500 laptop should have enough battery life to last an entire workday before it needs a charge. We recommend buying one with at least 9 hours of battery life, according to our tests.
Specs: What's the best for $500 or less?
If you come across a cheap laptop with 16GB RAM, a 256GB storage drive, and an Intel 13th-gen processor or newer, then you might have found one of the few options out there with the best specs for the price.
What you'll come across more often are sub-$500 laptops with some combination of 8GB RAM, 128GB or less of storage space (the slower, eMMC kind), and a MediaTek Kompanio or Intel N-series processor. You'll get more milage out of those specs with a Chromebook compared to a Windows laptop, though.
FAQs
Q: Are budget laptops worth it?
A: If you don't use a laptop for anything more than checking email, watching videos, or doing homework in Google Docs, there's a good chance you'll be pleasantly surprised by the quality of today's cheap laptops. Some feature snappy processors, clicky keyboards, or colorful displays.
But as Laptop Mag review editor, Rami Tabari, points out, not all budget laptops are a great deal. Even on sale. It's crucial to keep the laptop's potential longevity in mind, especially when it comes to battery life.
Q: Are laptops getting cheaper?
A: There are lots of factors that ultimately determine laptop pricing (like tariffs), but the average price of a laptop has stayed relatively the same over the last several years, while their overall quality has improved. If or when tariff hikes hit laptops, it's likely they'll be significantly more expensive — and it could become harder to find a quality laptop under $500.
Q: When are laptops cheapest?
A: Black Friday and Cyber Monday is when you'll usually see the best deals on laptops, but many manufactures and retailers have great deals throughout the year. (We keep track of the best laptop deals you can get right now, so check 'em out.)
How we test the best laptops under $500
We put each laptop through extensive benchmark testing — both synthetic and real-world — before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers and heat management.
In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and DCI-P3 color gamut of the laptop's display. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 5 and 6 and 3DMark professional graphics tests.
To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and to duplicate a 4.97GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is the Sid Meier's Civilization 6 Gathering Storm benchmark with medium settings at 1080p resolution.
We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows 11 laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a good result whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered for longer than 5 hours deserve praise.
These tests are complemented with extensive hands-on testing from our reviewers who critique everything from the laptop's materials to the feel of its touchpad.
See this page on How We Test Laptops for more details on our benchmarking procedures.
Why trust Laptop Mag
Laptop Mag reviews over one hundred different laptops every year, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming.
We are 100% independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades, and we continue to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on.
Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it.
Our editorial trustworthiness is enforced by one of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.
