Top 4 Cheap Laptops Under $500

08 Sep, 2022   |   5 min read
Top 4 Cheap Laptops Under $500

 

No matter where you are today, a laptop is a necessity. You don't only need it for work and school but most of your life is heavily dependent on this technology. As the world is progressing for the better, more and more people are moving towards the option of remote because they feel that working that way would be 100% better. This is probably why we need to consider our need for a solid system from time to time and upgrade our laptops accordingly. A good laptop can save your day, time, and effort pretty easily. From gaming laptops with strong processors to those that will change the way you look at the screen, we have compiled a list of a huge variety.

check out Best Chromebook For Under $300

One thing that users are always worried about is the affordability. You obviously need to check if it fits in your price range and then you proceed to buy it. However, sometimes you tend to overlook certain features for the prices and that can cause you to change your laptop several times during the year. This is why we suggest that you make a good investment pretty early on so you are not struggling with a slow processor or a broken system from time to time as repairing it also costs money.

Our experts have reviewed the best budget laptops under $500 which are for people who are freelancing or are students. Usually, these two categories don't require very high-end processors and can make do with normal ones that provide great quality at just the right price. You won’t even have to conduct your own research because we care about you and have done it for you. So get ready to explore the best laptops for college students under 500 that will improve your academics drastically.

Our Top Picks for the Best Laptops

1. Acer Aspire 5 1. Acer Aspire 5 See Details
2. Asus Chromebook Detachable CM3 2. Asus Chromebook Detachable CM3 See Details
3. HP Stream 11 3. HP Stream 11 See Details
4. Samsung Chromebook 4 4. Samsung Chromebook 4 See Details
1. Acer Aspire 5
2. Asus Chromebook Detachable CM3
3. HP Stream 11
4. Samsung Chromebook 4
1

1. Acer Aspire 5

Best Review

Acer is a name that needs no introduction and we have put it on the top of our list for a reason. It is one of the best 2-in-1 laptops under $500 and that too with a very strong 8th Gen core i3 performance. You get long displays with a 1080p display and the battery life is something to be envious of. It will continue to work for the longest duration no matter which high-end app you are using at the time. The ASPIRE 5 series has really impressed the experts because they are loving the model as well as how smoothly it operates. Plus, the biggest selling point is that it is the most affordable option on the list. It is quite a stellar piece in the series and is thinner than its predecessors. As we said, you will be highly impressed with the battery and once you charge it, it will work for you even after 9 hours. You also get lots and lots of ports in the laptop and the 276 nits of brightness are such a great feature for the users who have to work on high-end editing. The laptop is covered with an aluminum hood and the bezels are also quite narrow. At this price, it is quite literally a steal so we suggest that if you are in urgent need of a great model, this is the one you should opt for.

Features

  • Intel Core i3-8145U
  • GPU UHD 620
  • 4GB RAM
  • 128GB SSD
  • 15.6 inch
  • 1920 x 1080 resolution
  • 3.76 pounds

Reason to Buy

  • Strong performance
  • Long battery life
  • Bright
  • 1080p display

Reason to Avoid

  • Middling graphics
  • The build is not solid

Buy Acer Aspire 5
2

2. Asus Chromebook Detachable CM3

Best Review

This is also one of the 2 in 1 laptop that we recommend to the readers. At first look, it feels like a tweed-bound journal but when you lift it, you realize how cool the book actually is. It opens like a versatile notebook and is quite a stylish piece at this price. Since it is a 2 in 1, it also has a stylus that is ideal for students who take notes on their laptops and also people who are into visual arts and love to draw. We understand that it doesn’t have the most powerful processors of the options available in the market but then again, for $500 this is a pretty solid mode. The display is colorful and vibrant and the contrast factor makes for an excellent screen. The thin structure means that you can put it into any bag and go about your day without worrying about the weight. It has a MediaTek processor inside which might be a problem for some people but with the CM3 present inside, the battery life is almost as long as 12 hours. So, you can take it out and use it in a café without worrying about losing your work. For $500, you will fall in love with it.

Features

  • MediaTek MTK 8183
  • GPU Integrated Arm Mali-G72 MP3
  • 4GB RAM
  • 128GB Emmc
  • 10.5 inches
  • 1900 x 1200 touchscreen
  • 12.7 x 8.9 x 0.68 inches
  • 2 pounds

Reason to Buy

  • Excellent battery life
  • Detachable 2-in-1 design
  • Durable
  • Built-in-stylus

Reason to Avoid

  • Weak performance

Buy Asus Chromebook Detachable CM3
3

3. HP Stream 11

Best Review

Now we know that spending $500 on a laptop might still be a lot for some people and therefore, we have included this great model for under $200 as well. It contains all the primary functions that you need from your system and the Stream 11 ensures that you are satisfied with the 11 inches of screen. It is an absolute classic that works like wonders and weighs just 2.5 pounds so you can carry it with ease. The thickness is 0.7 inches which means it can fit into all of your bags and laptop sleeves easily and wouldn't take up too much room. As we said, the size of the laptop is pretty petite and the black paint job together with the matte finish makes it look extremely adorable. The processor is Intel Celeron N4000 so the YouTube streaming is in 1080p which is extremely rare for laptops that are under $200. You also get a decent battery life with 9 hours of work time and an extra 19 minutes when you are in saving mode. The only downside that our experts have noticed is that the keyboard gets a little cramped but it is located at a good eye level so you don’t have to bend too much. If you are a student who doesn’t want to spend too much money, this is the ideal option for you.

 

Features

  • Intel Celeron N4000
  • 4GB RAM
  • 11 inch
  • 2.5 pounds

Reason to Buy

  • Long battery life
  • Better performance
  • Very cheap
  • Thin
  • Lightweight

Reason to Avoid

  • Washed out display
  • Poor webcam

Buy HP Stream 11
4

4. Samsung Chromebook 4

Best Review

Chromebook is recommended by the experts for people who have to spend a lot of time on their laptops, especially on high-end apps that require lots of heavy processing. It is almost as cheap as $250 which is great for people who are not looking to invest in more expensive options. The battery lasts for a whopping 10 hours 36 minutes which means that when you consider the rest of the options on the list, it is one of the best models one can get in this budget. The edges of this laptop are curved and a silver hue surrounds it. Lots of Apple fans say that it looks a lot like Macbook copies available in the market and that may be right to some extent, as far as the structure of the laptop is concerned. You might be disappointed to know that at this price, you get a plastic body that might be coated with aluminum to give it a nicer look. As for the processor, the 3000N Intel Celeron is an amazing option for this budget. The machine also has great multitasking so you can edit while working on other applications. We suggest this model specifically for the writers because the keyboard is quite good and it is the ideal laptop for typing. You might find the screen to be slightly underwhelming, though.

 

Features

  • Intel Celeron 3000N
  • Intel UHD 600
  • 4GB RAM
  • 32GB eMMC
  • 11.6 inches
  • 1366 x 768
  • 11.33 x 7.96 x 0.66 inches
  • 2.6 pounds

Reason to Buy

  • Long battery life
  • Thinner and lighter than competitors
  • Decent performance

Reason to Avoid

  • Dim display
  • Chunky bezels

Buy Samsung Chromebook 4

How to Find the Best Laptops?

Like we said, the list provided below is an apt guide for where to buy your laptop and which model to consider. However, you have the right to know how we have selected these products for you and which features should be given priority while making sure the rest of the specifications are also suitable for you. If you go out in the market to buy a laptop for yourself, you should be aware of which ones to get and how to select the different features that make a model desirable for the user.

Processor

This is one thing where you will hear a lot of arguments. Apple users say that Mac has the best processor and can work wonders for graphic designers whose primary job is with colors. Android lovers will argue that their models have been updated in real-time for long enough and can therefore work better without draining too much power. All different types of options available in the market have their own pros and cons so you have to consider the type that will be the most suitable for you. HP Chromebook is said to be one of the finest laptops for editing videos and it has time and again resulted in being incredible for all the users. The reviews have been largely positive and people do recommend it to their friends as well. The reason behind that is the Intel Celeron processor which is quite famous for its performance. Even after months and months of video-editing, you will find it to be just as stellar so a word of advice to people who are buying new laptops is to always focus on this aspect the most. A good processor means that you are getting more cores, and greater memory, and that too with an operating system that runs smoothly and doesn't randomly switch off in the middle of your work.

Affordability

The reason why people prefer Chromebooks over Macbooks is because of the price. Even though fans of the latter argue that Mac is just a one-time investment, HP has proved to be quite good with editing as well. The screen that Samsung has given works wonders and the battery life is ideal for those who work for long hours. You get a remarkable 10 hours of battery life along with 11.6 inches of screen and that too at a much lesser price than Macbook. What more could you want? Of course, the features that Apple rolls out for their customers have a different customer base altogether so you have to see what is the priority for you in order to select the best laptop.

Memory and Storage

One of the most attractive qualities of big devices is their storage. You don't want a laptop that shows the disc to be full as soon as you download a couple of videos and documents. People who have to work on high-end projects and graphics tend to swerve towards the laptop that has enough storage to not just store all their stuff but also not slow down the processors due to heavy apps. Most laptops of the Chromebook variety usually have 64GB of storage but if you still have some money to spend, you can also select the same model with bigger storage and memory with 128 GB SSD. Some laptops also come with the option of inserting a card so there is also the option of going for it. The prices for those would be slightly up so only go for those options if you have reliable sources for them.

Screen

Usually, this is the selling point for many people. Users want an excellent screen experience because that is the primary concern when you are working on any video or photo-editing application. Sometimes, when you are picking affordable options, the specification says HD, and that may not always be true. The HD pixelation is supposed to have 1920x1080 resolution but it is often referred to as full HD for marketing purposes. You can probably get better screen options as well in the price range you have selected. We suggest that you go for somewhere around 14-inch because that is considered ideal but once again, it depends on what you need to use it for. Don't opt for washed-out screens even if they are big because the chances are you'll have to replace them soon. So, always invest in screens that operate smoothly and don't have poor viewing angles because they might even mess with your eyesight.

Conclusion

Every laptop goes under hardcore testing before we pick them for you. We know that laptops are in high demand and people are always looking for decent options, especially since the remote work is at an all-time high. During the COVID, the demand for laptops grew because of work from home and even though PCs have their own charm, knowing that you can work from anywhere in the world, no matter where you are traveling, is quite comforting. Always look for screens and processors that are compatible because you will find various sellers claiming that the display is HD but if the processor isn’t powerful enough to support it, then there is no point in getting something too high definition. The benchmark for storage is also important to consider. Don’t go for anything that is below 64 GB because after that, you will start facing slow processing speed which would be harmful in the long run. 


Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I get a food laptop for under $500?

Yes, you can get a good Chromebook for less than $500, and that too with a great display. Acer and Lenovo both provide pretty solid options so you can easily consider those.

2. Which budget laptop is the best?

If you want a laptop that gives you money’s worth in performance, then look into Samsung and Acer. Their battery lives are the primary deciding factors for many people.

3. Is Chromebook different from a laptop?

The only difference you will find between the two is the OS which means that you get a web-based system with Chromebook while other laptops use the Windows system which is well known within PCs as well.

4. How long should a laptop’s battery last?

It should easily provide you great work experience for 8 hours at least because below that, you won’t be able to travel anywhere without your charger or the stress of running out of battery.

5. Are HP laptops good?

Yes, they are the best in the business but you need to know which ones to buy in order to have a great experience.