The best laptops under $500 are a tough find because when we talk about budget laptops, we're not talking about price. These are the laptops that can give you all that they can while staying on budget. We're looking for 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, which is why we're pretty 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've got some options.
Keep in mind that some laptops on this list might be a few years older than we'd usually recommend, but we'll be calling in more budget laptops in the coming months.
Unfortunately, the best laptops have adjusted what the word "budget" means. We're talking about laptops under $1,000 instead of $500. But we are confident in these picks to meet your basic needs. That's not to say all of these laptops will meet your every expectation, so be sure to check out some of the best tablets or best kids tablets if you or your kid needs a more versatile experience. And if you're interested in Chromebooks, check out the best Chromebooks.
Otherwise, here are the best budget laptops.
Rami has reviewed and tested dozens of budget laptops over 6+ years. Let's be honest, laptops are getting more expensive every year, so it's tough to find something affordable and reliable. You need a good job to buy tech, but you need tech to find a good job. It's a pain. Fortunately, Rami knows how to get the most out of a budget laptop. One of the best cheap laptops you could buy is a Chromebook. You can do a lot on it thanks to its less intensive operating system. Rami understands that budget shouldn't compromise on quality and that you deserve the most for your coin. Extensive testing and hands-on have taught Rami which are the best budget laptops.
The Quick List
Best overall
The leveled-up Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus brings AI-infused next-level performance in a fun 2-in-1 that’s super affordable.
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 a detachable, you can have a laptop and tablet experience.
Best Windows laptop
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 walks the middle ground between price and power. And it is one of the few Windows laptops that won't combust at this price.
Best big laptop
The Acer Chromebook 317 is the world’s first-ever 17.3-inch Chromebook. It's also one of the biggest quality laptops you can get on this budget.
Best keyboard
The Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook is an affordable 2-in-1 with a fantastic keyboard. If you're a writer or working deep in spreadsheets, this laptop is for you.
The best budget laptops you can buy today
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Budget laptops can be exceptional, so you don't have to sacrifice everything to be able to afford a laptop. Below you'll find our best picks followed by full write-ups explaining why they could be right for you. We've thoroughly tested each laptop, so be sure that our recommendations can be trusted.
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. Yeah, that's a mouthful, which is why recommending 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, you have yourself quite the 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, which is just above the 5,259 Chromebook average. It's also far above the performance of the Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook's 1,727 average 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 great 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 that the Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook 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 packing a 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1080, OLED display. It reproduced 85.2% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and averaged 361 nits of brightness. Those are numbers we’d see in premium laptops — and some of those more expensive items don’t get nearly 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 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 being a tablet to a full laptop. And unlike some pricier detachables out there, this machine includes the keyboard and cover (I wish that wasn't boast-worthy, but it is).
The only downsides to this machine are its relatively weak performance and that it doesn't include 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 laptop
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.
How to choose one of the best laptops under $500
Do your intensive daily workloads require more RAM than the average person? Are you a video editor who needs extra storage? Are you a gamer who wants a powerful GPU? Sorting through the best laptops to fit your lifestyle is a tricky business.
To make your shopping process a little easier, we put together some tried-and-true guidelines to help you choose the best laptop.
Budget: What you get for the money.
You can find decent Windows laptops and high-quality Chromebooks for under $500. However, better mainstream laptops usually cost more than $700 and premium ultrabooks can run over $1,000. The best gaming laptops can cost $2.000 and up, but you can play the latest titles at decent frame rates on gaming laptops under $1,000.
Screen Size: 12 to 14 inches for Portability
Knowing a laptop's screen size tells you a lot about its portability overall. If you want to use your computer on your lap or carry it around a lot, go for one with a 12, 13, or 14-inch display. If you want to use the computer on tables and desks and won't carry it around much, a 15-inch model may give you more value. Some gaming rigs, media machines, and workstations even have 17 or 18-inch screens, but those are the hardest to carry.
2-in-1 or Clamshell?
More and more of today's laptops are 2-in-1s with screens that either bend back 360 degrees or detach so you can use them as tablets. If you like the idea of using your laptop in slate mode for drawing, media consumption or just using it standing up, a 2-in-1 could be for you. However, you can often get better features or a lower price by going with a traditional clamshell-style laptop.
Battery Life: 8+ Hours for Portability
Unless you only plan to use your laptop on your desk, battery life matters. Even within the home or office, having plenty of juice enables you to work on the couch or at the conference table, without being chained to the nearest outlet. For the best portability, we recommend getting a laptop that lasted over 8 hours on the Laptop Mag Battery Test. The longest-lasting laptops endure for over 13 hours.
Specs: 1080p / Core i5 / 8GB Are Best Bets
You can spend a lot of time delving into specs, but here are the key components to think about. If you just want really good mainstream performance, go for a Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a 1080p screen.
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 sRGB color gamut of the laptop's display. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 4.3 and 5.0 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 Dirt 3 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 10 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.
