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Best laptops under $500
Gone are the days when buying a decent laptop has to blow your budget. With the power of modern hardware, they can even provide a decent computing experience without completely draining your wallet.
If you’re looking for a reasonably priced laptop that’s suitable for everyday tasks, look no further.
We have compiled a list of what we consider the best budget laptops of 2018, ranked from decent to best.
5. HP Pavilion J9148A
The only touchscreen-equipped budget laptop in this list, the HP Pavilion J9148A ($450) is a good frugal choice, if you want to take advantage of Windows 10’s touch features, that is.
Its specs are standard budget-laptop fare — a 15.1 inch 720p screen, an older 7th-gen dual-core Intel i3 processor, 8 GB of RAM and a 1 TB hard drive.
Connection options are a bit outdated by current standards and are limited to:
- one USB 3.0 port,
- one USB 2.0 port, HDMI,
- Bluetooth 4.0 and
- 801.2N Wi-FI
However, this model still rocks a DVD burner, great for watching movies and archiving files.
Other features include a built-in webcam, an SD card reader and integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 that’s capable of outputting 4K. Battery life is rated at around six hours, certainly not the best in this class.
Unfortunately, it weighs in at a hefty 6 lbs, quite heavy for a 15-inch laptop, partly due to its DVD drive.
If touchscreen support and a DVD burner are must-haves, then the HP Pavilion J9148A is a good buy at under $450.
Otherwise, the other laptops on this list have much better features for roughly the same or an even cheaper price.
Good for: Dorm room, students, bedroom, streaming movies, DVD playback, web browsing
Pros: Touch display, 4K output via HDMI, priced under $450
Cons: 720p screen, older 7th-gen Intel processor, battery life is rated for around six hours only, no USB 3.1 support, only supports older 801.2N Wi-Fi, weighs 6 lbs.
Check out the HP Pavilion J9148A on Amazon.
4. Dell Inspiron i3567
This budget laptop from Dell may have older specs but for $399, it’s a decent choice for people on a tight budget.
Like the HP Pavilion J9148A, this Dell Inspiron i3567 is also powered by a 7th-gen dual-core Intel i3 processor, good enough for everyday tasks.
This particular configuration also sports a 15.6-inch 1366 x 768 (720p) display, 8 GB RAM and a 1 TB hard drive storage. Battery life is rated for eight hours and it weighs 4.85 lbs.
Connection options include:
- two USB 3.1 ports
- one USB 2.0 port
- an SD card reader
- HDMI
- Ethernet
- a headphone/mic port
- Bluetooth 4.0
- next-gen 802.11AC Wi-Fi support
Similar to the HP Pavilion J9148A, the Dell Inspiron i3567 also has integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 (with 4K output support), a DVD burner and a built-in webcam.
Looking for a solid laptop under $400 can be challenging but this Dell Inspiron i3567 is definitely no pushover. However, please keep reading for an even better deal.
Good for: Students, dorm room, bedroom, web browsing, streaming video, DVD playback/burning
Pros: Fast AC Wi-Fi support, Ethernet jack, USB 3.1, 4K output via HDMI
Cons: 720p screen, older 7th-gen Intel processor
Check out the Dell Inspiron i3567 on Amazon.
Acer Aspire E 15
Our third best budget laptop choice is the Acer Aspire E 15. For around $380, you just can’t go wrong with its price and specs. First, it has full HD 1080p screen, which is rare at this price range.
This laptop may not be a powerhouse, but as usual, what you lose in performance, you gain in battery life. With its newer and more efficient 8th-gen Intel Core i3 processor, the Acer Aspire E 15 can last up to 13.5 hours on battery!
Another perk is its sharp full HD 1080p screen, which is also still quite rare at this price range.
Other noteworthy features:
- next-gen 802.11AC Wi-Fi support
- one USB 3.1 Type C port
- 2 USB 3.0 ports
- HDMI
- an SD card reader
- Bluetooth 4.1
It also has a built-in 720p webcam, 1 TB hard drive, integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 (with 4K output support) and even a DVD burner (unfortunately, this adds to its weight.)
This $380 version may only have 6GB RAM (user upgradeable) but for all the future-proofed features you get for its sweet price, it is very hard to beat.
Good for: Office, school, streaming video, everyday computing tasks, DVD playback/burning
Pros: Price is hard to beat, AC Wi-Fi, USB 3.1 Type C port, Full HD 1080p display, 8th-gen i3 processor, 13.5-hour battery life
Cons: 6 GB RAM (but it’s user-upgradeable), weight (5.27 lbs.)
Check out the Acer Aspire E 15 on Amazon.
2. Lenovo Ideapad 330 17-inch
For a no-frills big screen laptop experience, this 17.3-inch Lenovo Ideapad is an excellent choice. Although not quite Full HD, its good-sized (non-touch) screen has a resolution of 1600 x 900, sharp enough for any task.
Its 8th-gen 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, and 1 TB hard drive storage configuration hovers around $500 with most retailers but you can regularly find it for under that price on Amazon.
It doesn’t skimp on its connection options either. It has:
- 2 USB 3.0 ports
- 1 USB 3 Type-C port (data only)
- HDMI,
- headphone/mic jack
- a built-in SD card reader
- Bluetooth 4.1
- an Ethernet port
- next-gen 802.11AC Wi-Fi
Plus, it has a built-in camera, a DVD drive, onboard Intel 620 Graphics (capable of outputting 4K via HDMI) and it comes with 64-bit Windows 10 Home.
Weighing in at 6.6 lbs. and an inch thick, it’s not exactly the lightest laptop out there but expected for a 17.3-inch laptop anyway. However, due to its screen size, it can only manage a paltry five-hour battery life.
With all its included ports, large display, and 4K capability, if you don’t mind its relatively short battery life, this 17.3-inch Ideapad 330 is one of the best deals in budget big-screen laptops you can get right now.
Good for: Work, School, Office, Streaming Video, Casual Gaming
Pros: Large 17.1-inch screen, 8th-gen Intel chip, AC Wi-Fi, Ethernet port
Cons: Five-hour battery life, screen resolution is just 1600 x 900, a bit on the hefty side (6.61 lbs.)
Check out the 17-inch Lenovo Ideapad 330 on Amazon.
1. ASUS VivoBook F510UA
This mid-tier laptop from Asus, the VivoBook F510UA, actually retails for $599 but it always goes on sale for much less. Shop around and if you can find it for around $450 – $500, it’s the best overall bang-for-your-buck laptop you can currently buy.
Why? Let’s start with its 15.6-inch 1080p Full HD display, the 1.6 GHz 8th-gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM and 1 TB hard drive.
Although not touch capable, its display sports ASUS’s NanoEdge design, which trims the bezels off to a very slim 0.3-inch thickness, resulting in an almost edge-to-edge experience. It’s also relatively lightweight at 3.7 lbs.
Connectivity options include:
- 1 USB 3.1 Gen1 Type C port
- 1 USB 3.0 port
- 1 USB 2.0 port
- HDMI
- an SD card reader
- next-gen 802.11AC Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 4.1.
- headphone/mic jack
Another great feature that sets the VivoBook from other laptops in this price range is its built-in fingerprint scanner, used mainly for password-less logins with Windows Hello.
Again, one drawback with laptops of this size and processing power is the battery life. This VivoBook’s battery life is only rated at five hours, which can be an issue if you plan on taking it on the go.
But with its sleek looks, performance, future-proofed connections and the fingerprint scanner, this one is hard to pass up on for under $500. The ASUS VivoBook F510UA takes the crown for the best budget laptop in my book.
Good for: Office, School, Streaming Video, Casual Gaming
Pros: Fingerprint scanner, Full HD 1080p display, NanoEdge design, USB 3.1 Type C port, 8th Gen processor, AC Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, weighs only 3.7 lbs.
Cons: Five-hour battery life
Check out the ASUS VivoBook F510UA on Amazon.
Another option: Get a Chromebook
If you are willing to try a non-Windows 10 laptop, check out the growing selection of Chromebook laptops.
Chromebooks run on Google’s lightweight Chrome OS and are designed to run cloud-based applications and programs. Although Chromebooks are not powerful (they don’t have to be), they are great for web browsing and other productivity tasks, particularly using Google’s family of services.
Should you buy a Chromebook? Here are tips on how to get started.
With big computer companies like Acer, ASUS, Dell, Lenovo and Samsung joining the Chromebook bandwagon, there are tons of options available.
Best of all, with prices ranging from $200 to $500, they are relatively cheaper than Windows laptops.
Sounds like a good idea? Check out this 14-inch Acer Chromebook on Amazon now!
COMPARISON CHART
For a quick comparison of all the budgets laptops I mentioned in this list, we made a chart with all the specs that matter:
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Tags: Amazon, battery, computer, deals, family, Google, Microsoft Windows 10, Wi-Fi
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