The 4 Best Laptops Under $500 - Fall 2023 Reviews

The best laptop under $500 we've tested is the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 (2021), an ultraportable Windows laptop with a sturdy build and all-day battery life. For a little over $500, you can get a model with an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U CPU, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of storage. While the Ryzen CPU is two generations behind AMD's latest mobile CPUs, it's still plenty fast for general productivity tasks like web browsing, video playback, text processing, and spreadsheets. You can get a better configuration with a faster CPU or more memory if you spend more, but for most people with a light workload, this configuration is more than adequate.

As for the display, its 15.6-inch 1080p screen gives you tons of space for multitasking and gets bright enough for use in most settings. Unfortunately, the display is a TN panel with narrow viewing angles, meaning the image quality degrades significantly when viewing from the side, above or below. Port selection is decent; you get two USB-As, a full-size HDMI, and a USB-C port. The downside is that you can't use the USB-C to charge the laptop or output a video signal to an external display.

If you can stretch your budget slightly, get the Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) instead. It has a nicer IPS display with full sRGB coverage, significantly longer battery life, and Thunderbolt 4 support. The latter allows you to transfer files quickly at up to 40Gbps and connect two 4k displays at 60Hz with a single cable. However, the webcam isn't as good, and you also lose the Numpad since it's a smaller 14-inch device.

Our best under $500 Chromebook pick is the Lenovo Chromebook C340 15 (2020). This 2-in-1 convertible feels well-built for its price and is easy to carry around. The battery lasts easily through a full day with plenty to spare, so you don't have to worry about bringing a charger. Its 1080p display looks reasonably sharp and provides plenty of room for multitasking; it just doesn't get very bright, meaning visibility can be an issue in very well-lit or sunny environments. The keyboard feels comfortable to type on, and while the touchpad is on the smaller side, it's responsive to all movements and gestures.

Spec-wise, you can get this laptop with an Intel Pentium Gold or Core i3 processor. The Core i3 is faster, although both are powerful enough to provide a smooth experience on Chrome OS. The downside is that you can only get a maximum of 4GB of memory, meaning you might experience slowdowns if you run too many things simultaneously. Another thing to remember is that most Chromebooks have an 'expiration date' at which they stop receiving updates, and the C340's end-of-life is June 2025, which means there are less than two years left. The laptop will continue working; you just won't receive any updates. It's unfortunate, but considering the laptop's price, it's not too bad.

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021) is our pick as the best for media consumption. It's a Chrome OS tablet with a kickstand and detachable keyboard, similar to the popular Microsoft Surface Pro line. This form factor is very versatile, as you can detach the keyboard to make the device easier to hold as a tablet or to save space, and you can snap it back on when you need to type something. It's easy to carry around thanks to its compact size, and its battery lasts around eight hours of video playback, plenty of time for a couple of movies or TV show episodes.

What makes this device great for multimedia is its gorgeous OLED screen. It produces vibrant colors, and the blacks look amazing, like on all OLEDs. The speakers are just okay; they get reasonably loud but sound slightly unnatural and lack bass. If you want to use headphones, know it doesn't have a 3.5mm headphone jack, so it's best to go wireless. As for the keyboard, it comes with the device, so you don't need to buy it separately. However, it doesn't feel particularly comfortable to type on. It's fine for a couple of emails on the go, but better options exist for typing a long essay.

If you're looking for something compact for media consumption or web browsing, get the Microsoft Surface Go 3 (2021), a Windows tablet with a built-in kickstand and a detachable type cover keyboard. Unlike the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021) above, you must buy the keyboard separately. It's a good keyboard with a lot of tactility and backlighting; it's just a little cramped. It's worth getting because Windows isn't very touch-friendly, and using the keyboard helps protect the screen against scratches. Speaking of the display, it's a sharp 10.5-inch IPS panel. It gets bright enough for use in most settings and supports pen input. Again, the pen is a separate purchase.

The Intel Pentium Gold model with 4GB of memory is fine for simple web browsing, emails, and video playback, but don't expect to edit 4k videos or play AAA games. If you can stretch your budget slightly, we highly recommend upgrading the RAM to 8GB, as you'll get a much smoother experience. The battery lasts about seven hours of light productivity, which is short compared to most clamshell laptops but not bad for a tablet. Port selection is atrocious; there's only one USB-C, a MicroSD card reader, a headphone jack, and a proprietary Surface charging port. Its 1080p webcam is surprisingly good, though, and there's also a facial recognition IR camera to log in quickly.