Buying a new laptop can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. By choosing one of the best budget laptops, you can grab yourself a bargain by ditching the gaming laptop and focusing on investing in a budget laptop instead. Our top pick, the Acer Aspire 5, is just shy of $500 but is packed full of features and next-gen hardware, offering a future-proof solution for less.
Jump to a detailed look at the best budget laptops, or check the list below:
TL;DR - The Best Budget Laptops at a Glance
- Acer Aspire 5
- Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3
- HP Pavilion Plus 14
- Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2
- Dell Inspiron 15
- MSI Thin GF63
While most budget laptops offer an affordable alternative to those that don’t need the raw power you would see in a gaming PC, they can still offer some impressive features, as well as being fast and responsive. If you’re looking for something a little easier to use, but still within a reasonable budget, you could take a look at the best Chromebooks.
The Best Budget Laptops:
1. Acer Aspire 5
The Best Budget Laptop
Pros:
- Solid 13th gen Intel Core i5 processor
- Reliable keyboard
Cons:
- Thick bezels
The Acer Aspire 5 has been one of the best budget laptops for quite some time now, with various models at varying price ranges that mostly settle under $700—our pick comes in under $500. Every year Acer has improved the Aspire 5 with new design modifications and processors, and our favorite model comes out of the box with a solid 13th gen Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD for faster performance.
The Acer Aspire 5 isn't rocking the most stylish and a sleek chassis with its thick bezels and and basic build, but it's still ready to take on daily browsing and work tasks. The laptop is light, has a solid clean keyboard, and will hold up well into the future. You won’t be able to tinker comfortably with hardware-dependent software, but for all your basic laptop needs, the Acer Aspire 5 is hard to beat.
2. Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3
The best 2-in-1 budget laptop
Pros:
- Sharp IPS touchscreen display
- Long 10-hour battery life
Cons:
- Poor cameras
Among all the cheap 2-in-1 Chromebooks, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 is the best 2-in-1 laptop on the market. The Duet 3 offers a sharp 11” touchscreen display and solid performance thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 under the hood. It is an older processor but still plenty capable for this Chrome OS device.
For its price, the 10-hour battery life and detachable keyboard trump most budget laptops if – like me – you’re looking for a way to boot up the web and surf for hours with the flexibility of a. However, the Duet 3 doesn’t have a headphone jack, the audio is flat, and its cameras aren’t the best. If those downsides don’t deter you, the Duet 3 could be the best budget laptop for you.
3. HP Pavilion Plus 14
Best performance in a budget laptop
Pros:
- Great selection of ports
- Lightweight, sleek chassis
Cons:
- Battery life could be better
Similar to the Acer Aspire 5, the HP Pavilion line also constantly sees some shake-ups with new variations equipped with fast processors and exterior changes, and this Pavillion Plus 14 model is ready to handle just about anything you can throw. That’s thanks to the 13th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage, and you grab a model with more impressive specs should you need it.
Beyond the solid overall performance, the HP Pavilion Plus 14 delivers a deck of ports to connect plenty of peripherals, including a mouse and keyboard. However, the integrated keyboard and touchpad are plenty snappy and responsive. Its 14-inch WUXGA micro-edge screen makes for crisp, easy viewing, while the 5mp webcam puts older Pavilion models' 720p cameras to shame. And all of this rests inside a sleek, lightweight chassis that’s easy to take on the go.
4. Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2
The best budget Chromebook
Pros:
- Impressive QLED touchscreen
- Great price to performance
Cons:
- Small keyboard
Visually, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 could pass as a high-end laptop. It has that spicy fiesta red color splashed over its keyboard and touchpad, a slender body, and a sharp QLED touchscreen. The Intel Core i3 processor may be dated, keeping the price low, but still offers great performance, making it one of the best Chromebooks, and its 8-hour battery life improves the previous version’s lackluster longevity.
Starting at $349, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 is a solid budget laptop for watching videos, web hopping, and working on the go. However, as with most Chromebooks, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 has a small keyboard and poor audio quality that you’ll want to consider.
5. Dell Inspiron 15
Best Budget Laptop for Productivity
Pros:
- Svelte, portable design
- Snappy performance
Cons:
- Lackluster display
The Dell Inspiron 15 lineup continues to deliver quality, capable devices. Their latest model is equipped with a 13th Gen Intel Core i5-1335U and 16GB of memory, ensuring a snappy performance in all your daily tasks—even if you’re doing a bit of multitasking. Add in the 512GB of NVMe storage, and you’re sure to enjoy quick program launches and saves, keeping you as productive as possible. You may even be able to play some modest games on this device at the end of your workday.
Even with those solid internals, the Inspiron 15 keeps with the tradition of the best Dell laptops, offering svelte dimensions, especially for a device with a 15.6-inch screen. Admittedly, that FHD display isn’t the best we’ve seen, but you get touch support and narrow bezels. Plus, there are sufficient ports, including an SD card slot, USB-C, and HDMI 1.4. Everything on offer, in addition to the low price, even makes the Inspiron 15 a viable laptop for college.
6. MSI Thin GF63
Best Cheap Gaming Laptop
Pros:
- Powerful CPU and GPU
- Lightweight
Cons:
- Duller screen for gaming
Priced under $1,000, the MSI Thin GF63 is a budget gaming laptop that has a lot to give despite it's price pin. It doesn't have the latest processor, keeping the cost lower, but you still have a very decent GPU, plenty of RAM (albeit a little slower), and NVMe storage. The laptop is also relatively lightweight, so you can use it for things outside of gaming like studies, work, and video editing.
For a gaming laptop, the screen is a little dull, and the storage isn’t as generous as you’ll probably require for installing a lot of PC games, but most of the laptop’s other features do lend themselves well to gaming on medium to high settings. Though depending on your preference, you might find the keyboard is a little too flat when it comes to typing, but if you plan to primarily use it for gaming, you likely won't notice.
What to Look for in a Budget Laptop
Aside from saving money, a budget laptop should fulfill your needs. Some buyers may prefer a laptop perfect for watching YouTube videos, while others desire the flexibility of a 2-in-1 during a work trip. Determining your primary need for a budget laptop will help you better decide which one to buy. Once you know, there are two things you must consider before purchasing.
Battery Life
Avoid buying any budget laptops with terrible battery life. You should shoot for a device hitting at least the 8-hour mark. Whether shopping online or getting deep into a Netflix show, a laptop with poor battery life will drain before you know it.
CPU
Budget laptops won’t have the fastest CPUs, but you want to make certain that whatever you buy has a solid chip inside. If you’re going to work on the laptop daily, having a decent processor will make flipping through tabs and programs snappy, unlike a less powerful one. See our guide to Intel vs. AMD CPUs for more info.
Budget Laptop FAQ
When Is the Best Time to Buy a Budget Laptop?
Even some of the cheapest laptops can be an expensive purchase, but there are a few times throughout the year where you can find some really good discounts on these devices. The most obvious times are Black Friday and Cyber Monday when major brands have the majority of their sales, but the summer is also a great time to find back-to-school sales on laptops. Check out our guide to the best times to buy a laptop for more information.
Are $500 Laptops Worth It?
For those on a tight budget, laptops under $500 are absolutely worth it; just set your expectations accordingly. It won’t necessarily have the sharpest display or the latest and greatest CPU, and forget about dedicated graphics. So, if you plan on using the machine for video editing or gaming, you’ll need to raise your budget.
But for everyday tasks like web browsing, running lighter programs, video streaming, and even cloud gaming, there are plenty of capable ultra-cheap laptops. Plus, most have plenty of RAM for multitasking. You won’t see any of the best MacBooks for that price. However, many Chrome OS and Windows devices are ready to deliver a solid performance for under $500.
