Best laptops under £500 – the top affordable computers you can buy in 2023

If you’re a student on a budget or just searching for a Windows laptop to send emails, look at websites and watch streaming shows you’ll find plenty to love in Acer’s Swift 1. It’s a top all-rounder of a Windows machine with an attractive aluminium design, solid performance and a 12-month free subscription to Microsoft 365 that gives you access to lots of useful software including Word and Excel. It’s powerful enough to have multiple tabs open at once, and with 256GB SSD storage, there’s loads of room for software and files without having to make sure you're also carrying an external hard drive in your bag.

The laptop comes with S-mode engaged, which makes it perform more like a Chromebook by only letting users install apps from Microsoft’s Store. You’ll enjoy some extra security and peace of mind if you’ll be letting a child on the machine, although a strange quirk with Windows means you can’t go back if you disable it. There’s no touchscreen and it doesn’t convert into a tablet for extra portability, but we love that there’s a built-in fingerprint reader for logging in without a password. All in, this is a versatile laptop for day-to-day use.

• Display: 14 inches
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
• Touchscreen: No
• Operating system: Windows 11 Home
• Battery life: Up to 15 hours
• Storage/Memory: 256GB SSD, 4GB
• Connectivity: USB-A x 2, USB-C x1, HDMI x1
• Processor: Intel Pentium Silver N6000
• Weight: 1.3kg

Keeping the budget to £500 is easy when shopping for a capable laptop, but what can you do if you only have half that? Well, one option is HP’s Stream 14. You get a Full HD display (often the first thing to go when the price gets low), a solid selection of ports and a no-fuss keyboard/trackpad setup that delivers when it comes to typing and scrolling – whether you’re browsing YouTube videos or doing light work from your home office.

We don’t deny that compromises have been made to keep the price down – battery life and brightness is particularly poor compared to the other laptops on our list – but we like that it still has an HDMI port for connecting it to a TV or external monitor. Like our top pick, this model has a free year’s subscription to Microsoft 365 (giving you access to work and school friendly apps) and Windows 10 S-mode is preinstalled. That restricts software downloads to Microsoft’s Store, but you can also upgrade to Windows 11 if you like.

• Display: 14 inches
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
• Touchscreen: No
• Operating system: ‎Windows 10 S-mode
• Battery life: Up to seven hours
• Storage/Memory: ‎64GB, 4GB
• Connectivity: USB-A x 2, USB-C x1, HDMI x1, 3.5mm jack
• Processor: Intel Celeron N4020
• Weight: 1.46kg

If you’re a streaming show addict (like us!) and can’t get enough Netflix and Disney+, you’ll appreciate watching movies and shows in the best possible quality. The Asus VivoBook 15 is among the more expensive models on our list, but we love that it comes with a large and vibrant OLED panel that enriches the colours and contrast of whatever is playing. It has more brightness than other laptops on this list (at 600 nits) so it’s one of the only models under £500 we consider to be viable for light editing or graphic design projects.

Powered by Windows 11 and an Intel i3 processor, you get a hefty 256GB of speedy SSD storage and lots of ports, including a microSD slot for transferring files from other devices. Battery life isn’t going to win any awards and the larger size means that it’s not as portable to carry in a backpack as some of our other top models, but this performs well whether you’re working from home or need a laptop for enjoying hours of entertainment.

• Display: 15.6 inches, OLED
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
• Touchscreen: ‎No
• Operating system: Windows 11 Home
• Battery life: Up to 10 hours
• Storage/Memory: 256GB SSD, 8GB
• Connectivity: USB-C x1, USB-A x3, HDMI x1, 3.5 mm x1
• Processor: Intel i3
• Weight: ‎1.8kg

What’s not to love about getting a full-blown Windows experience in a tiny form factor? That’s exactly what the Surface Go 3 provides – and it’s one of our favourite options if you’re always moving between the office and your local coffee shop. On test, we loved the sturdy metal casing and found the built-in kickstand to have a nice balance between super smooth movement and strong support. It’s the lightest option on our list – even with the snappy keyboard case attached – and it easily fits into your backpack or handbag.

Windows 11 (S-mode) is pre-installed and we found it to be intuitive to use, with apps and software downloading and running without lag – even with multiple tabs open at once. We used it for notetaking and while the backlit keys are certainly more snug than your average keyboard/trackpad combo, it didn’t take long before words were zipping across the screen. There’s an optional stylus, too, but that brings the cost to more than our £500 budget.

• Display: 10.5 inches
• Resolution: 1920 x 1200 pixels
• Touchscreen: Yes
• Operating system: Windows 11 S-mode
• Battery life: Up to 11 hours
• Storage/Memory: 64GB, 4GB
• Connectivity: USB-C x1, 3.5 mm jack x1, microSD x1
• Processor: Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y
• Weight: 544g (keyboard is 245g)

Want a more affordable laptop-tablet hybrid? We’ll get right to it: there’s no better option than Lenovo’s IdeaPad Duet when it comes to value for money. It’s a Chromebook 2-in-1 that gives easy access to all of the popular Google apps, and we love that unlike the Go 3 you get the attachable keyboard included in the box. With it on, it performs like a laptop, but you can pop it off and use it as a slate for relaxing on your sofa in the evening.

The 10.1-inch display is slightly smaller than the Go 3, but both are highly portable options that fit into most bags. You sacrifice ports by choosing such a small device – there’s only one USB-C on this model so you may need to invest in wireless headphones for listening to music, for example – but it won’t matter too much as the software is mostly cloud-based and tied to a Google account. The battery will last for a full day of use, too. If you prize portability but don’t want a computer that's running Windows, this is a fantastic option.

• Display: 10.1 inches
• Resolution: 1920 x 1200 pixels
• Touchscreen: Yes
• Operating system: Chrome OS
• Battery life: Up to 10 hours
• Storage/Memory: 64GB, 4GB
• Connectivity: USB-C x1
• Processor: MediaTek Helio P60T
• Weight: 920g

Right at the top of the budget is the Acer Spin 513. It has a 360-degree hinge that lets you use it as both a laptop or tablet, although the keyboard isn’t detachable like on the Go 3 or IdeaPad Duet. You pay a bit more for the luxury, but it’s perfect for on-the-go working as it has built-in 4G LTE – simply pop in a SIM card to get constant internet connectivity. You get a Full HD touchscreen display, plenty of battery life and it's powered by Chrome OS – so it’s easy to navigate, quick to load and gives you smooth app performance.

Don’t need 128GB of storage and 4G LTE connectivity? You can get a model with the same processor, 14-hour battery life and a capable 64GB of built-in storage for £100 less. We like both options, but think if you have the budget and want a very portable 2-in-1 Chromebook computer for working-while-travelling, the internet connectivity could be very useful.

• Display: 13.3 inches
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
• Touchscreen: Yes
• Operating system: Chrome OS
• Battery life: Up to 14 hours
• Storage/Memory: 64 GB, 4GB
• Connectivity: USB-C x2, USB-A x1
• Processor: Qualcomm Kryo 468
• Weight: 1.29kg

If your searching for a convertible laptop for drawing, sketching and note taking but don’t want to fork out extra money for any expensive accessories, you’ll be glad to know that Lenovo’s IdeaPad Flex 5i comes with a stylus in the box – making it a top option for any laptop-based artistry. The 360-degree hinge and touchscreen display means you can use it comfortably on your lap for drawing or scrolling through websites while relaxing, but you can quickly switch it back to a full laptop for using the keyboard and trackpad.

The version with a reliable Intel i3 processor and 128GB of built-in storage is more than good enough for basic tasks and day-to-day use, but if you do need slightly more power and are able to up your budget, there’s another variant with double the storage capacity and an even better i5 processor for around £100 extra, although it’s RRP is just above the £500 mark. If you find it discounted to £429, as it is now, that’s definitely worth a look.

• Display: 13.3 inches
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
• Touchscreen: Yes
• Operating system: Chrome OS
• Battery life: Up to 10 hours
• Storage/Memory: 128GB SSD
• Connectivity: USB-C x2, USB-A x1, 3.5 mm jack x1, microSD x1
• Processor: Intel Core i3
• Weight: 1.35kg