The 4 Best Laptops Under $500 - Spring 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. At around $500, you can get a model with an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U CPU, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of storage. The Ryzen 5 5500U is two generations behind AMD's latest mobile CPUs, but it's still plenty fast for general productivity tasks like web browsing, video playback, text processing, and spreadsheets. Of course, 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 Ryzen 5 model is more than adequate.

As for the display, its 15.6-inch 1080p screen gives you tons of space for multitasking, and it gets bright enough for use in most settings. Unfortunately, the display is a TN panel with narrow viewing angles, which means the image will look inaccurate when viewed at an angle. There are models with an IPS panel, although they're more expensive. 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.

Our best under-$500 Chromebook pick is the Lenovo Chromebook C340 15 (2020), a 2-in-1 convertible with a 360-degree hinge. It feels well-built and is easy to carry around. The battery lasts easily through a full day with plenty to spare, and it charges over USB-C, so you don't have to lug around a proprietary power adapter. The keyboard feels comfortable to type on, and while the touchpad is on the smaller side, it's responsive to all movements and gestures. You get a reasonable number of ports, including two USB-Cs that support video output and charging.

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 stutters and slowdowns if you run too many things simultaneously. Its 1080p display looks reasonably sharp and provides plenty of room for multitasking; however, it doesn't get very bright, meaning visibility can be an issue in very well-lit or sunny environments.

We recommend the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021) for media consumption; it's a Chrome OS tablet with a kickstand and detachable keyboard. 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 like all OLEDs, the blacks look amazing. 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 not the best option for typing out 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 buy the keyboard separately. It's a good keyboard, and it's worth it because Windows is not the most touch-friendly operating system; just know that you might have to spend a little over $500 with the keyboard included. The display is a sharp 10.5-inch IPS panel that gets bright enough for use in most settings. Above the display sits an excellent 1080p webcam, and there's also a facial recognition IR camera for quick logins.

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 over $500, it's worth getting a model with 8GB of memory, as you'll get a much smoother desktop experience with fewer slowdowns when multitasking. The battery lasts about seven hours of light productivity or a little over three hours of video playback, so you'll likely need to keep the charger close. You can charge the device via its USB-C port, but you'd lose the only USB port available, which means you'll likely need a dock.