Best Laptops Under $500 in 2023
Laptops priced under $500 might not dazzle you with their performance or looks. However, if you’re working with a tight budget, having something dependable takes precedence. In this price bracket, the laptop should handle basic tasks efficiently, offer reasonable battery life, and exhibit a sturdy build.
Acer Aspire 5 (2021)
- Processor: Intel Core i5-1135G7
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe (integrated)
- Memory: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Display: 14-inch, 1920 x 1080, LCD
- Battery life: About 6 hours
The Acer Aspire 5 offers excellent value for its affordable price. Its slim design and decent processor handle basic tasks effectively for home, work, or school use. While its build quality falls short of pricier models, it delivers comparable performance. This laptop suits tasks like writing, designing with a Cricut cutting machine, and email. With around 6 hours of battery life, it’s portable for office or coffee shop use. It’s equipped with various ports like USB-A, USB-C, Ethernet, and HDMI.
However, some compromises were made to maintain affordability. The display is lackluster with dull colors and slight light bloom. The plastic chassis flexes under pressure and isn’t very rugged. The keyboard and trackpad work fine, though the keycaps have a rough texture. Despite these downsides, treating it well can make it last a few years. An upgradeable storage bay enhances future-proofing, a feature becoming rarer in modern laptops.
Lenovo Yoga 6 (2022)
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5500U
- Graphics: Integrated
- Memory: 8GB LPDDR4X 4266MHz
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Display: 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1200, 60Hz, IPS
- Battery life: 10+ hours
While a slightly lower price would be ideal for the Lenovo Yoga 6 given its moderate performance, its sleek design and impressive battery life stand out. The responsive keyboard offers comfortable key travel, and the touchscreen is quick and accurate, resembling writing on paper with a stylus. Its compact size facilitates easy switching between laptop and tablet modes.
However, the downsides mainly revolve around computing power. The Ryzen 5 5500U processor is sufficient but prioritizes performance without overheating. The 8GB RAM doesn’t notably enhance speed, and the speakers disappoint. It’s about 12% slower in single-core performance (vital for budget laptops) but 31% faster in multicore compared to our top pick, earning it “second place.” If you can find it close to or under $500, it’s a worthy deal.
Acer Swift 3 (2021)
- Processor: Intel Core i7-1165G7
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe (integrated)
- Memory: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 15-inch, 1920 x 1080
- Battery life: About 9.5 hours
The Acer Swift 3 is impressively lightweight, clocking in at under 3 pounds, similar to more expensive models like MSI Prestige 13 EVO and 13-inch MacBook Air M2. It features the second-fastest processor and second-longest battery life in this lineup, although it stays just above the $500 mark.
If you can spare an extra $30, choosing this laptop over the Acer Aspire 5 is recommended. For that bit more, you’ll enjoy improved processing power, double the RAM and storage, and an additional 3-4 hours of battery life—crucial for productivity. The Swift 3’s display is also an inch larger than the Aspire 5, adding to its appeal.
Vaio FE14 (2022)
- Processor: Intel Core i5-1235U
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe (integrated)
- Memory: 8GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 1920 x 1080p
- Battery life: About 7 hours
The Vaio FE14 is now affordable and worth recommending. At about $420, its 12th-gen Intel processor offers similar or slightly better performance than most on our list. It excels in storage capacity and integrated graphics speed.
While not the most stylish, it comes in fun colors and features handy “old school” trackpad buttons. However, the display lacks brightness, causing issues in sunlight or bright indoors. With only 65% coverage of the standard RGB space, it’s not suitable for creative work.
Ultimately, in this price range, the Vaio FE14 is reliable and adequately fast—the key considerations.
Gateway 15.6 Notebook (2021)
- Processor: Intel Core i5-1135G7
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe (integrated)
- Memory: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080, LCD IPS
- Battery life: About 6 hours
This Gateway 15.6 Ultraslim Notebook offers a ton of memory and a respectable amount of storage space, and it has the same processor as our best overall pick.
If you quickly find yourself running out of storage, you can either get a microSD card for the slot on the left, or you can install a second SSD stick in a hideaway compartment on the bottom. Other ports include a USB-C port, an HDMI port, two USB-A ports, and a headphone jack. There’s even a fingerprint reader at the top left of the trackpad, a rare feature for this price range.
Sadly, the build quality is not up to par. The chassis itself is all plastic, and flexing it behind the display distorts the laptop’s screen. While the screen is full HD, it’s also dim and muted even at its brightest setting. The audio, keyboard, and trackpad are about the same: serviceable, but disappointing. The sound is tinny, the keyboard is stiff, and the trackpad is rough.
Bottom Line
In the realm of laptops, $500 marks the lower limit. Going below this might lead to a sluggish or short-lived device. Shopping in this range often involves compromises as it’s unlikely to get all features in a single package.