5 Best Budget Laptops Under 500 in 2024

The first laptop-sized portable computer in the world, the Epson HX-20, was introduced in 1981. Laptops have come a very long way since then, and you can now get a machine capable of performing all common tasks, and sometimes even playing games for a fairly low price. So, without any further ado, let’s take a look at the top 5 best budget laptops.

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At A Glance: 5 Best Budget Laptops Under $500 in 2022

• Acer Chromebook R 13 Convertible, 13.3-inch Full HD Touch
  Our Top Pick
• Acer Aspire E 15 E5-575-33BM 15.6-Inch FHD Notebook
• ASUS VivoBook F510UA 15.6

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Best Budget Laptops Under 500

1. Acer Chromebook R 13 Convertible

The Chromebook R 13 from Acer is one of the most popular convertible Chromebooks on the market. It runs on Chrome OS, a modern operating system from Google based on the Linux kernel and the Google Chrome web browser. Chrome OS primarily supports web applications, but it can also run hundreds of thousands of Android apps and games from Google Play.

Thanks to its 360-degree hinge, the Acer Chromebook R 13 can transform from a laptop into a tablet, allowing you to enjoy all kinds of content the way it was meant to be enjoyed. The R 13 combines the efficiency of a tablet with the productivity-oriented features of a laptop. It remains completely silent even under heavy loads, and the absence of air vents makes it impossible for dust to get in and negatively affect the lifespan of the laptop.

The Acer Chromebook R 13 is equipped with one USB 3.1 Type-C port, one USB 3.0 Type-A port, one HDMI port with HDCP support, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a high-capacity Li-polymer battery that can keep it running for up to 12 hours on a charge.

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2. Acer Aspire E 15

We get that convertible laptop are not everyone’s cup of tea. If you know that you would never use a laptop in the tablet mode, it doesn’t make sense to pay extra for the option to do so. Instead, you can get a much better value for your money when you buy a no-frills budget laptop such as the Acer Aspire E 15.

With this laptop, you get a 7^th generation Intel Core i3-7100U processor, 4 GB of memory, 1 TB hard drive, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and up to 12 hours of battery life. The excellent performance of this laptop is underlined by the 15.6-inch Full HD LED-backlit LCD Display with a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio and Acer ColorBlast technology, which gives you more than twice as many colors as the average laptop.

The Acer Aspire E 15 is certified for Skype and ready for business. It has both the USB 3.1 Type-C port for ultra-fast data transfers and the standard USB 3.0 for peripherals and charging when the laptop is powered off.

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3. ASUS VivoBook F510UA

Who said that stunning design is expensive? The ASUS VivoBook F510UA proves that the budget category has a lot to offer even to customers who demand excellence in every way. Thanks to its ultra-narrow NanoEdge Display with an incredible 80% screen-to-body ratio, the ASUS VivoBook F510UA looks like a high-end laptop.

Even more surprisingly, it also performs like one. Powered by an Intel Core i5-8250U processor, with 8GB DDR4 RAM and Intel UHD 620 graphics, the ASUS VivoBook F510UA delivers excellent performance on-the-go. It is able to run even the most demanding applications with ease.

Casual gaming is possible as well, especially on lower graphics settings. For example, the laptop can reach nearly 60 FPS in Sims 4, and there are many videos online of gamers enjoying Fortnite Battle Royale at Full HD and 30 FPS. All of this makes the ASUS VivoBook F510UA one of the most likable budget laptops on the market today.

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4. HP Flagship 15.6 Inch Touchscreen Laptop

This 15.6-inch touch-enabled laptop from HP attracts with its affordable price and well-rounded specifications. It has a 7^th generation Intel Core i3-7100U processor, which offers satisfactory performance and very modest power consumption.

We like the fact that the 15.6-inch WLED-backlit display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels has support for 10-finger touch input, but we wish the resolution were higher. We also wish the laptop had 802.11ac Wi-Fi, but we understand that HP had to compromise somewhere to make the laptop so incredibly affordable.

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5. Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6 Inch HD Laptop

Laptops from Lenovo are renowned for their durability and reliability. If you’re looking for an affordable laptop you can depend on, this 15.6-inch Lenovo IdeaPad is an excellent choice. The laptop comes with the AMD A12-9720P quad-core processor, which offers performance similar to the Intel Core i5-7200U.

It also comes with the AMD Radeon R7 graphics card, which features faster GDDR5 graphics memory and offers similar performance to Nvidia GeForce 940M. You shouldn’t have any serious issues playing virtually any modern game, and achieving 60 FPS on lower graphics settings is entirely possible.

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