Finding a great laptop for under $500 isn’t impossible. It just takes knowing what to pay attention to and what to ignore.
For most people, I’d recommend opting for a laptop with a 1080p display and at least 8GB of RAM. If you spot a model with 16GB of RAM in this price range, scoop that up. It’s worth it for the long-term usability.
While you shouldn’t expect premium features at this price point, there are plenty of laptops that offer excellent day-to-day performance. Here are the best ones we’ve found so far.
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If you can stretch your budget just a tiny bit, the MacBook Neo (2026) is easily the best cheap laptop you can buy right now. We know it goes over our $500, but the jump in quality and performance… well, it’s just too good to ignore. It simply doesn’t feel like a budget laptop.
You’re getting the full MacBook experience. The all-aluminum build feels as premium as more expensive models, and the A18 Pro chip delivers fast, responsive performance for everyday tasks like writing and streaming. In our review, we noted that apps open quickly and multitasking feels smooth. Battery life is another big win, lasting well over a full workday in real-world use. The 13-inch Liquid Retina display is also sharp at 2408×1506 resolution and bright at 500 nits–a strong combination at this price point.
The MacBook Neo is pretty much the complete package as far as budget laptops go. You don’t get the premium extras like Thunderbolt connectivity or a high-end webcam, but that’s not wholly unsurprising for a laptop at this price point. What really matters is that it feels fast and is well-built. It’s reliable in a way most Windows laptops aren’t.
Read our full
Apple MacBook Neo review
If you need a laptop that won’t make your wallet cry, the CX15 does the basics really well. It handles web browsing, streaming, and email like it’s nothing, and the 15.6-inch 1080p screen plus the full-sized keyboard actually make it feel more solid than the price suggests.
The Intel Celeron N4500 with 4GB of RAM handles the basics fine–web browsing, streaming, email, all that. But try to do too much at once and it’ll start dragging. Battery life’s also fine, a little over 10 hours on a single charge, so you’ll probably get through a full day. Not record-breaking by any means, but it does the job.
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Asus Chromebook CX15 review
If you’re not running Photoshop or playing AAA games, the Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 absolutely gets the job done. The Intel Core i5 and 8GB of RAM keep everything zipping along, even with a dozen tabs open and a video call going.
It’s lightweight, looks clean with that white finish, and has a 1080p display that’s easy on the eyes. The webcam’s full HD too, which makes a real difference on Zoom or Google Meet. No weird lag or blurry faces here.
The CX34 keeps it simple and just works. It boots fast, stays responsive, and doesn’t run hot or loud. Chrome OS has come a long way, and if you mostly live in a browser, this setup is kind of ideal.
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Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 review