7 Best Laptop Budget Under $500 For 2021

A good laptop has to perform a number of different functions. It needs to be portable, have a good battery life and a decent screen resolution and audio system.

But it also needs to have enough power under the hood for practical applications - otherwise you'd just be using a tablet.

However, if you’re prepared to shop around there are plenty of bargains to be had, with most manufacturers supplying functional laptops at competitive prices.

Whether you’re looking for something to use at university, for business purposes, gaming or just simple browsing, doing a little research can help you uncover some genuine laptop bargains.

It's also important to choose a computer that will be able to last you for some time. Most of us only replace our laptops every four or five years - so you're going to want something that stays useful long after your smartphone contract has expired.

To save you time and effort, we’ve looked at some of the leading laptop brands to search for what we believe are the best budget laptops of 2021.

Chrome OS

$249

This Lenovo IdeaPad is essentially a Chrome version of the first Microsoft Surface Go. Like the Go, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is a 10-inch tablet with a detachable keyboard and touchpad. Unlike Microsoft, though, Lenovo includes the keyboard. This Lenovo laptop also costs much less than the Microsoft Surface Go (including the Microsoft Surface Go 2), starting at $249 list for a 64GB version or $299 for one with 128GB of storage. The Lenovo IdeaPad is essentially a smaller, albeit less powerful, Pixel Slate that makes more sense for more people with a price that's more in line with what people expect a Chromebook to cost.    

The screen is small, however, so if you're regularly using it at a desk, we recommend attaching an external monitor to its USB-C port. You'll probably want to connect a wireless keyboard and mouse, too. 

Windows

$390

The 2019 Acer Aspire 5 15-inch clamshell includes an AMD Ryzen 3 3200U, with its Vega graphics processing. It also features a USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, 2 2.0 USB port options and HDMI port. The 4GB RAM and 128GB solid-state drive storage don't allow you to have many programs or lots of browser tabs open simultaneously, but this Acer Aspire 15-inch-screen model does weigh less than 4 pounds. Subsequent models have replaced it over the past few years, but this one keeps hanging in there.

Chrome OS

$450

If you'd rather have a wider screen instead of the taller one of a 13-inch model, this HP is the way to go. It's a bit wider than a premium 13.3-inch model, but that extra width makes it easier to work in two windows side by side. The two-in-one design means you can use it as a tablet (though it's a bit heavy to use handheld) or tent it and connect an external keyboard and mouse and use it as a small all-in-one computer. 

In our testing, the Core i3 processor and 8GB of memory kept it running smoothly even with a couple dozen tabs open and streaming video in the background. And it has a long battery life to boot, lasting 10 hours, 40 minutes in our tests.

Chrome OS

$410

This Lenovo laptop is somewhat small, with a 13-inch, full HD display, but the Flex 5 delivers convertible laptop convenience as well as excellent performance and battery life for the money thanks to an Intel Core i3-10110U processor, 4GB memory and 64GB SSD storage. The Lenovo Flex is not a great choice for outdoor use, since the display is pretty dim.

 

Chrome OS

$367

This is a pretty straightforward 15-inch Samsung Chromebook equipped with a Celeron N4000, 4GB RAM and 32GB storage (plus an extra 32GB via an SD card). There are less expensive laptop versions of the Samsung Chromebook at the same link starting at $390, but they're all 11-inch models, so unless it's for a small kid or a small space, I'd hesitate to get one of those.

Windows

$400

Amazon currently offers an older Core i3 8GB model for about $435, a reasonable price for a Windows laptop with an Intel Core processor. You'll also see listings with 4GB RAM, but that's way too little memory for Windows, which barely gets by on 8GB. Don't confuse it with the thinner, lighter, more expensive Asus VivoBook S15.

Newer models are on their way -- not quite in stock yet -- and there's a 2020 Asus VivoBook model that just squeaks in under $500, but it's got a higher-end Ryzen 5 processor and more storage.

HP Pavilion x360

Windows

$550

HP's higher-end mainstream two-in-one is at the top of the range, but this HP laptop has a surprisingly nice configuration for the money. You get a 10th-gen Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD, as well as the convenience of a convertible and the better construction of the Pavilion line. The display isn't real HD, but at 14 inches that shouldn't be a big problem.