Alright guys, looking for the best laptops under $500? You’re certainly at the right place. Whenever someone thinks of buying a new laptop, the one thing that is certain in his/her mind is the price range. A lot of customers already decide their budget and then try to find a suitable laptop under that range.
So basically, today we will be reviewing laptops that are particularly popular at the moment and are coming at less than $500. There are some features in a laptop that are mandatory for every customer around the globe, e.g. a powerful enough processor with decent RAM and display quality.
Some buyers even prefer machines with extra ports for connectivity. Keeping all these features in mind, we went on a little bit of research to see which products are trending at the moment. A lot of websites and other platforms have their list of best laptops under $500 sorted out.
While we may not agree with all of them, we can safely say that most of them are indeed very good and suitable machines to buy under $500. However, we can our own list to review and without boring you any further, let’s check out the TechDetects list of the top 5 best laptops under $500 to buy in 2022.
Top 5 Best Laptops under $500
Acer Aspire 5
Price: $429.99 USD
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The laptops of Acer are popular throughout the world. They have a large sales network in almost every continent and they’re making machines for almost everybody to buy.
From large workstations to simple compact laptops, this company has been delivering in almost every aspect.
In our list of the top 5 best laptops under $500, we’ve decided to add the Acer Aspire 5. Let’s take a look at some of its main core features.
Intel Core i3-8145U:
The Aspire 5 is operated by a more than decent 10th Gen Intel Core i3-1005G1 Processor and it has a large 15.6-inch Full HD display that will give you the ultimate viewing experience. Moreover, you’d also get a powerful 4 GB DDR4 RAM alongside 128 GB NVMe SSD. It also offers the services of an Intel WiFi 6 AX201 with a backlit keyboard as well.
Full HD Display:
As discussed above, the Acer Aspire 5 is particularly known for its bright and colorful Full HD Display. It allows you to enjoy your favorite movies and TV shows on a huge 15.6-inch display. This model from Acer is operated by Windows 10 Home and there’s a fingerprint reader as well.
Final thoughts:
Since we’re talking about the best laptops under $500, we’re glad to tell you that this machine is coming at just under $430 on Amazon. It also occupies the Amazon Choice Award and we’re sure that you are aware of this award’s pedigree.
For a laptop that costs you just under $430, these specifications are quite commendable and we’d highly recommend it to all the customers looking to buy a suitable machine for less than $500.
If you are wondering about its battery life, we can safely assure you that the Acer Aspire 5 can give you good 8 hours on a full charge.
Benefits:
• Full HD display
• Core i3 processor
• 4 GB RAM
• Affordable
• Windows 10 Home
Drawbacks:
• Delicate build quality
HP Stream 11
Price: $229.99 USD
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Besides Acer, HP is another gigantic giant in the field of electronic gadgets. The laptops of HP are rated highly by professionals of every field and we’re glad to add the much affordable HP Stream 11 to this list of the top 5 best laptops under $500.
Intel Celeron N4000:
The little HP Stream 11 is operated by a powerful Intel Celeron N4000 and it also carries an Intel UHD 600 GPU. The overall performance is quite creditable and its long battery life is one of its main talking points. It can last up to 9 hours on a full charge and that is quite significant in our opinion.
RAM & SSD:
Besides a normal size 11-inch display, the HP Stream gives you a commanding 4 GB RAM that combines with 32 GB eMMC storage to give you the decisive level of performance. It hardly weighs around 2.5 pounds and is considered one of the most portable machines on the market.
Final thoughts:
Besides great 9-hour battery life, the HP Stream 11 is offering better overall performance than most of its competitors. At less than $280 on Amazon, this particular model from HP is a worthwhile addition to our list of the top 5 best laptops under $500.
It also enables you to use the Windows 10 Home in S Mode alongside Office 365 personal for one year.
Benefits:
• 4 GB RAM
• Decent battery life (9 hours)
• 32 GB storage
• Portable
Drawbacks:
• Small display
Lenovo Chromebook C330
Price: $292.54 USD
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If you lookout for some of the most trending electronic companies these days, you’d most probably find the name of Lenovo in the list of top 5.
This sensational company has earned a lot of fans cum buyers as they’ve improved their quality of performance over the years. The Lenovo Chromebook C330 is one of our favorite additions to this prestigious list of the top 5 best laptops under $500.
MediaTek MT8173C Processor:
The Chromebook C330 from Lenovo is operated by a very highly-rated MediaTek MT8173C processor. It also gives you an upright 4 GB LPDDR3 RAM alongside 64 GB eMMC storage. Since it is a Chromebook, your device will use the Chrome Operating System (OS).
IPS Display:
Although it only has an 11.6-inch display, it covers up this little drawback with an IPS HD display. Furthermore, this particular Chromebook is a 2-in-1 convertible laptop that offers a native resolution of 1366×768.
Some people like this 2-in-1 feature but there’s a huge portion of people that don’t really take this into account unless they’re getting proper results.
Final thoughts:
Apart from its magnificent and attractive features, this Blizzard White Lenovo Chromebook will also attract many buyers because of its design.
Also, this is another Amazon Choice winner in this list that can be bought on the same platform for less than $300. In some regions, you can also get it for $290.
The estimated battery life of this machine is round about 13 hours on a full charge. Overall, we’re more than impressed with the specifications of this machine and is definitely recommendable from our side.
Benefits:
• IPS Display
• 4 GB RAM
• 64 GB Storage
• 13-hour battery life
• Affordable
• Amazon Choice award
Drawbacks:
• Small display
• No Google Play Store app
HP Chromebook x2
Price: $399 USD
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At first, we tried hard enough to keep laptops on this list under $500. However, we couldn’t resist the HP Chromebook x2 but it’s a little in the higher range of the budget. The Chromebook x2 from HP is a fantastic option for all those people who can afford to buy a machine as expensive as $700.
Intel Core m3-7Y30:
The Chromebook x2 from HP is a reliable 2-in-1 laptop that comes with many advanced features. It uses an Intel Core m3-7Y30 CPU and it plays a vital role in speeding up its overall performance. Moreover, you’d also get an Intel HD 615 GPU alongside a decent 12.3-inch display.
RAM & Storage:
The HP Chromebook x2 is offering a powerful 4 GB RAM alongside 32 GB eMMC storage. It weighs around 3 pounds roughly and the keyboard is also pretty comfortable for typing. The display is quite colorful and is offering a native resolution of 2400×1600 pixels.
The x2 also packs a solid pair of speakers and music lovers will totally love this addition. A portion of people are not comfortable with its heavyweight nature as this particular model doesn’t promise you portability.
Final thoughts:
Apart from its average CPU, there are many things to like about the HP Chromebook x2. It has a powerful 2400×1600-pixel panel display and its 9-hour battery life is more than capable of taking you through multiple computing tasks.
The overall package also includes the HP’s Active Pen that gives you an additional luxury of drawing and writing. We can safely say that the Chromebook x2 from HP is one of the finest machines we’ve seen on the market. As far as providing value for money goes, this one certainly does that with pleasure.
Benefits:
• 4 GB RAM
• 32 GB Storage
• 9-hour battery life
• Colorful display
• HP Active pen
• Comfortable keyboard
Drawbacks:
• Average processor
• A bit heavier
• Expensive
Buy this if you can spend extra bucks:
Lenovo Flex 5
Price: $629.99 USD
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The last one on our list of the top 5 best laptops under $500 is a little over the given budget. The above-reviewed HP Chromebook x2 is also coming at almost $700 for new and this Lenovo Flex 5 is another Amazon Choice award winner coming at close $600.
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U Processor:
The AMD Ryzen 5 4500U processors are considered one of the most sustainable CPUs in the market. It allows the users to multitask on a certain level and the AMD Radeon Graphics will make your day for sure.
RAM & SSD:
This brilliant 2-in-1 machine from Lenovo is also giving you a substantial 16 GB DDR4 RAM alongside 256 GB SSD. The Digital Lenovo Pen is also included in the package and the 14-inch display of the Flex 5 is a massive achievement for a 2-in-1 laptop.
The Lenovo Flex 5 is one of the very few thin, light and stylish laptops that are offering such brilliant features. It hardly weighs around 3.5 pounds and is only 0.82-inches thick. The touch is also pretty soft and comfortable. Overall, it offers a great user experience.
Final thoughts:
The 14-inch Full HD IPS touchscreen display with a native resolution of 1920×1080 is a fantastic addition to this laptop. It has a 360⁰ hinge that allows you to use your 2-in-1 touchscreen laptop as a tablet as well.
This is a very suitable machine for everyday computing and its dominant AMD Ryzen 5 4500U mobile processor with Radeon graphics is one of its main talking points. The Flex 5 from Lenovo is coming with miraculous 10-hour battery life and it also charges up pretty quickly.
The overall performance is quite dominating the overall performance is largely affected by its dominating AMD Ryzen 5 4500U mobile processor. The Radeon graphics are doing their magic perfectly and this is one of the most productive laptops we’ve ever seen.
Benefits:
• 16 GB RAM
• 256 GB SSD
• IPS touchscreen
• 10-hour battery life
• Amazon Choice award
Drawbacks:
• Customer service is a little average
• Expensive
Our top 3 picks:
We’ve reached the end of our today’s analytical piece. Since we were asked to add laptops that come under the price range of $500, we tried our best to find out the best possible products for you.
In search of the top 5, we also encountered a few very generous machines that are a little expensive but more than capable of giving you top-notch performance.
As far as our top 3 picks from this are concerned, we’ve kept the Acer Aspire 5 at the first spot because of its modern features at a very reasonable price. The second spot according to us goes to the Lenovo Flex 5.
The Flex 5 is a little expensive at $590 but its powerful 16 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD made us choose it. The third and last spot goes to the HP Stream 11 as it offers a respectable 4 GB RAM and is considered one of the most portable devices on the market.
Conclusion:
Finding a decent laptop under $500 is not as hard as it seems. There are tons of machines available under this price range but none of them can offer you a guaranteed performance.
The ones we’ve included in this list are from top-rated companies and we feel no hesitation in saying that these are some of the best you can get on the market currently. Still, we’d recommend you complete your research before opting for any of the above-mentioned products.
That brings us to the end of this analytical guide. Write it down in the comments below if you’ve any queries. We shall try and act upon them as much as we can. See you soon in our next informative guide. Until then, goodbye and good luck with whatever you choose.