Chromebooks may have started out as inexpensive cheaply made laptops, but as they got more popular, manufacturers started making them more powerful with better designs to match. Naturally, this sent the prices up, and that why I made this list of the best Chromebooks under 500 dollars.
So after doing my research, I’ve come up with these Top 10 best $500 Chromebooks under 500, which will give you the experience that you’d get from using a premium, high-end device. These Chromebooks represent a tremendous value for an everyday laptop.
Our Top 3
#1 – Samsung Chromebook Pro |
#2 – Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook |
#3 – HP Chromebook x360 |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
High-end, Light & Sturdy![]() |
Simple & Convertible with amazing display![]() |
All-in-one Chromebook with amazing build quality![]() |
12.3″ HD | 13.3″ HD | 14″ |
Pentium or better with 4 GB of RAM | Intel i3 with 4 GB of RAM | Celeron N4000 with 4 GB of RAM |
32 GB eMMC | 64 GB eMMc | 32 GB eMMc |
Up to 9 hours | Up to 8 hours | Expect 13 hours |
Buy on |
Buy on |
Buy on |
Jump to our Review | Jump to our Review | Jump to our Review |
Table of Contents
What to except from the best Chromebook under 500?
It’s an incredible time to purchase a Chromebook. These lightweight, versatile laptops are fascinating an increasing number of fans for their simplicity of use, their speed, and mostly their low prices. There’s no necessity to install extra software or any security packages, you won’t see any bloating or slowing down, and you can now operate Android apps on Chrome OS as well.
But the problem that comes up while buying a new Chromebook is that we don’t really know what to expect and what specs are good enough for a Chromebook. So to prevent you from making any kind of mistakes, I’ve listed these few specs & qualities that you should look for and expect from a Chromebook under $500 and should not settle for anything less than this.
Display Quality
The usual standard display resolution on a Chromebook under 500 dollars will be 1920 x 1080 pixels, otherwise known as 1080p.
But a few Chromebooks under $500 have a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, otherwise known as 720p. For most midsize Chromebooks with display size from 13″ to 15″, 720p or 1080p are just fine.
CPU and Processor
For a Chromebook under 500, you should expect a CPU like a Celeron or Pentium. They will serve you just fine if all you do is browse with a tab or two open. A few Chromebook models, however, feature AMD CPUs too. They will have processors like Celeron, MediaTek, Pentium, or Intel i3 which will deliver ample performance to perform well.
RAM
A Chromebook under 500 will have around 4 to 8 GB of RAM and it should offer a fine user experience for all your everyday basic tasks.
Internal Storage
While using a Chromebook you should know that majority of your files will be stored in the cloud.
As a result, Chromebooks come with only a minor serving of based storage, usually ranging from 16 to 64 GB, on which you can save your local creations. You can also look for an SD card slot if you wish to save more files on the device.
Display Size and Design
In the best Chromebooks under $500, you get various screen size options to choose from. Usually, they are available from 11-inch to 14-inch.
Some of the models even have convertible designs that let you fold the Chromebook into different forms and use it in different modes, like a normal laptop or a tablet, or in tent mode, display mode, or even for presentation use, along the lines of 360-degree-rotating models.
Recommended for you:
Specs for the Top 10 Best Chromebooks under $500
Graphics 11 to 14-inch Processor Celeron N4000, Intel i3, MediaTek M8173C, MTK 8173C, Pentium N3060 to N4200 RAM 4 to 8 GB Storage 16 to 64 GB Battery life 5 to 13hours OS ChromeOS Thickness / Weight 0.5 to 0.86″ / 2.2 to 3.48 lbs Price Range $, $$
Top 10 Best Chromebooks under $500
1 – Samsung Chromebook Pro – 12″ HD Convertible
“High-end, Light & Sturdy”
The Samsung Chromebook Pro is surprisingly striking considering its price of under 500. Its distinctive metallic jet-black finish is unlike most other Chromebooks and I’m a fan. When you pop the laptop open, you’re met with more black.
The Samsung Chromebook Pro, fortunately, managed to feel both, lightweight and sturdy. The Chromebook Pro’s internals are pretty standard. You get an Intel Core m3 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of storage, typical for a Chromebook under 500.
The display however is a standout, the 12-inch touchscreen features a 2400×1600 resolution, which means text and images look wonderfully sharp. Color & brightness are excellent as well. To be honest, the screen of the Samsung Chromebook Pro is one of the best screens you’ll find in a Chromebook.
And the feature that would be a deal-maker for some of you is the Samsung’s S Pen Stylus. The pen has a few custom features that you won’t find on any other Chromebooks. But I’m not happy with the latency when using the pen, it feels laggy sometimes.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Buy on online
Graphics | 12.3″ HD touchscreen (2400 x 1600) |
Performance | Pentium or better with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 32 GB eMMC |
Battery life | Up to 9 hours |
OS | ChromeOS |
Thickness / Weight | 0.5″ / 2.4 lbs |
2 – Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook – 13″ HD Convertible
“Simple & Convertible with amazing display”
As with so many Lenovo products, the Flex 5 is an unassuming and understated laptop. Closed-up, it looks just like a basic gray slab, not too thin at 2/3rd of an inch or too light at just under 3 pounds. It’s your basic 13-inch 2-in-1 laptop and that vibe is the same when you open it up.
The 13-inch touchscreen has decently small bezels on 3 or 4 sides, with a thick strip at the bottom and a webcam. The screen itself is pretty excellent for a device under 500. It also has a 360-degree hinge, so you can flip the screen all the way around to use the device as a rather heavy tablet.
But I think Lenovo could have done better with its viewing angles and brightness, as the reflections & brightness on the Flex 5 are pretty harsh. Overall, the color and contrast make everything pop and the 1080p resolution is solid on a display this size.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Buy on online
Graphics | 13.3″ HD touchscreen (1920 x 1080) |
Performance | Intel i3 with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 64 GB eMMc |
Battery life | Up to 8 hours |
OS | ChromeOS |
Thickness / Weight | 0.67″ / 2.97 lbs |
3 – HP Chromebook x360 – 14″ Convertible
“All-in-one Chromebook with amazing build quality”
The HP Chromebook x360 shows up at a time where there are a lot of excellent choices in the market right now but if I was gonna buy a Chromebook, this would be the one I would get. With the HP Chromebook x360, HP has taken all the good stuff and has put it together in this total package.
HP has done a really good job with its build. It’s not solid aluminum like some of the other Chromebooks but it’s three-quarters aluminum. So you get the anodized lid and an interesting white finish at the top. The inside is Gorilla Glass and aluminum on the keyboard deck. When we open the lid, we get a pretty standard 1366×768 resolution touchscreen, wide viewing angles, great color, and 300 nits of brightness display that just performs really well.
The only negatives that I can think of are if you really really need a Stylus, it does not come with one of those and some of you might also find the gray color on the bottom weird with its white color.
Overall, it checks almost all the boxes and you should definitely consider buying one.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Buy on NewEgg
Graphics | 14″ touchscreen (1366 x 768) |
Performance | Celeron N4000 with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 32 GB eMMc |
Battery life | Expect 13 hours |
OS | ChromeOS |
Thickness / Weight | 0.68″ / 3.48 lbs |
Recommended for you:
4 – Acer Chromebook 714 – 14″ HD
“Premium look with good viewing angle”
The Acer Chromebook 714 is a standard clamshell Chromebook and it feels great.
So let’s start off with it’s built quality. The Acer Chromebook 714 is put together in a way that it feels more cohesive and more premium. It is all aluminum, nice & tight, the bezels are small, it doesn’t pick fingerprints and everything feels good about it.
It’s an Chromebook under $500 but looks like an expensive, premium, high-end Chromebook. It has a full HD 1080p anti-glare touchscreen, good viewing angles and you also get the benefit of super-thin bezels. It is not convertible and doesn’t try to be one. It does fold flat but I don’t find any situation when I want to keep it flat.
One of my favorite things that I look for in any Chromebook but get let down almost every time, is that you can lift the hinge with one finger. But the good thing is that the Acer Chromebook 714 didn’t let me down and its hinges did lift up with one finger pretty easily, giving users a more premium experience.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Buy on NewEgg
Graphics | 14″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
Performance | Intel i3 with 8 GB of RAM |
Storage | 64 GB eMMc |
Battery life | Expect 12 hours |
OS | ChromeOS |
Thickness / Weight | 0.7″ / 3.31 lbs |
5 – Acer Chromebook Aspire R13 – 13″ HD Convertible
“Lightweight with good battery life”
The Acer Aspire R13 has a 13.3″ IPS touch display and it’s nice to see a full 1080p on this Chromebook. The casing is all metal and the hinges have a pretty good amount of friction to it but my only concern with it is the hinge in tablet mode because in tablet mode it looks like it flexes a bit, so you have to be careful with that.
With the Acer Aspire R13, you’ve got 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, and a quad-core processor, which performs better than many of the other under 500 Chromebooks.
It has an impressive 10-12 hours of battery life, weighs around 1.49 Kg, and has a fan-less & completely solid-state of course.
The audio quality is not that great but it is good enough for web conferencing or maybe some video watching. But for listening to music, I’d suggest using a pair of headphones. In any cas, this is definitely one of the best best 2-in-1 chromebook under 500.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Buy on online
Graphics | 13.3″ HD touchscreen (1920 x 1080) |
Performance | MediaTek M8173C with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 64 GB eMMC |
Battery life | Up to 12 hours |
OS | ChromeOS |
Thickness / Weight | 0.61″ / 3.28 lbs |
# 6 to 10 Best Chromebooks under $500
6 – Asus Chromebook C423NA – 14″
“Lightweight & Travel-friendly”
You can use the Asus Chromebook C423NA as your main business laptop too, as it is lightweight and easy to carry around.
The battery life is all day, the OS is crisp and quick, and the new version of the OS will allow you to download your favorite android apps from PlayStore. The OS will allow you to run Linux programs by opening the Linux terminal in its apps. The power cube is good too.
The USB-C cord and port are very convenient as it allows you to charge multiple devices simultaneously. Finally, the keyboard is solid and will not slow you down.
Coming from Windows, one thing that annoys me about this is the lack of a delete key and a snipping tool and also the audio quality could have been better. But it still deserves to be on this list of the top chromebooks under 500 dollars.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Buy on NewEgg
Graphics | 14.6″ screen (1366 x 768) |
Performance | Pentium N4200 with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 64 GB eMMC |
Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
OS | ChromeOS |
Thickness / Weight | 0.6″ / 2.6 lbs |
7 – Acer Chromebook R11 – 11″ Convertible
“Convertible with glossy touchscreen”
With the Acer Chromebook R11, you get a touchscreen as well as a 2-in-1 capability, so the screen can go back a lot further and you can use it in different forms as you like. You can turn it into a big tablet, use it in tent mode, display mode, or just use it as a regular laptop.
It weighs around 1.2 Kg and is powered by Pentium N3150 that is a quad-core processor. It has 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.
The display is an 11.6″ IPS display and has a glossy touchscreen. It is a plastic build but has an aluminum build on the top to protect the screen. There’s a little webcam at the top, nothing spectacular but good enough for doing Google Hangouts and that sort of stuff.
The keyboards are really very nice and Google actually sanctions the size of these keys, it has a really good travel time and distance.
But I’m a bit disappointed with its narrow viewing angles.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Buy on online
Graphics | 11.6″ touchscreen (1366 x 768) |
Performance | Pentium N3150 with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 32 GB eMMC |
Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
OS | ChromeOS |
Thickness / Weight | 0.76″ / 2.75 lbs |
8 – Asus Chromebook C300SA – 13″
“Clean & Simple look with good audio”
When it comes to productivity, the Asus Chromebook C300SA takes the cake. It also looks so clean and simple. I’m sure you’d love having everything on your Google Drive, and with this $500 Chromebook sharing things is super easy.
It has a display size of 13.3″, a resolution of 1366×768, Pentium N3060, 4GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage.
Also, I was surprised by how much audio the speakers puts out, especially for a $500 Chromebook. Last but not the least, the battery lasts forever.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Buy on NewEgg
Graphics | 13.3″ screen (1366 x 768) |
Performance | Pentium N3060 with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 16 GB eMMC |
Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
OS | ChromeOS |
Thickness / Weight | 0.86″ / 2.97 lbs |
9 – Acer Chromebook Spin 311 – 11″ Convertible
“Convertible, Multipurpose everyday Chromebook”
The Acer Chromebook Spin 311 delivers a super-responsive everyday performance, whether it is for productivity or just for entertainment, this Chromebook gets the job done.
It comes with an 11.6″ display and 8 hours of battery life. It has a convertible 360-degree design which is really cool because you can use it in 4 different modes. It has an HD IPS display, comes with an option of touch & non-touchscreen, and has 4GB of RAM & an eMMC storage of up to 32GB.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 311 weighs just over 1Kg, so it is perfect if you’re using it on the go, taking it for a trip around school or work. It is very convenient, multipurpose, and when you just wanna wind down and watch a good Netflix show, it’s perfect for that as well.
You get to download a lot of applications on here and everything runs very smoothly. Another thing is that the set up of this Chromebook is relatively simple and pretty fun.
I’m sure that the Acer Chromebook Spin 311 will suit your everyday needs and you won’t regret your decision of purchasing this Chromebook.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Buy on NewEgg
Graphics | 11.6″ screen (1366 x 768) |
Performance | Celeron N4000 with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 32 GB eMMC |
Battery life | Up to 8 hours |
OS | ChromeOS |
Thickness / Weight | 0.74″ / 2.2 lbs |
10 – Lenovo Chromebook S330 – 14″
“Basic & Professional looking”
The Lenovo Chromebook S330 is one of the best entry-level Chromebook available in the market, let’s find out why!
So under $500, the Lenovo Chromebook S330 still manages to be a fantastic Chromebook for the vast majority of people out there because it offers you just enough of everything you’ll likely need on a daily basis. The build is almost plastic but the deep gray or black color is actually pretty sleek with a textured lid feeling pretty nice when gripped. Open up the Chromebook and you’re greeted with plenty of bezels on a 14″ display, but it has a non-HD display. The hinge can go all the way up to 180 degrees, so you can find the right comfort level for you.
But a couple of things that disappoint me is that even though the display isn’t in any way grainy but the colors could have been a little bit deeper and the audio quality of the Lenovo Chromebook S330 is also not really great. I would suggest you to use a headphone to get the best experience.
So in my opinion, anyone looking for a good Chromebook under $500 to help them do the basics like word processing, spreadsheets, browsing, or even video viewing, should consider buying the Lenovo Chromebook S330.
The Lenovo Chromebook S330 is one of the best entry-level Chromebook available in the market, let’s find out why!
So under $500, the Lenovo Chromebook S330 still manages to be a fantastic Chromebook for the vast majority of people out there because it offers you just enough of everything you’ll likely need on a daily basis. The build is almost plastic but the deep gray or black color is actually pretty sleek with a textured lid feeling pretty nice when gripped. Open up the Chromebook and you’re greeted with plenty of bezels on a 14″ display, but it has a non-HD display. The hinge can go all the way up to 180 degrees, so you can find the right comfort level for you.
But a couple of things that disappoint me is that even though the display isn’t in any way grainy but the colors could have been a little bit deeper and the audio quality of the Lenovo Chromebook S330 is also not really great. I would suggest you to use a headphone to get the best experience.
So in my opinion, anyone looking for a good Chromebook under $500 to help them do the basics like word processing, spreadsheets, browsing, or even video viewing, should consider buying the Lenovo Chromebook S330.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Buy on NewEgg
Graphics | 14″ screen (1366 x 768) |
Performance | MTK 8173C with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 32+ GB eMMc |
Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
OS | ChromeOS |
Thickness / Weight | 0.82″ / 3.3 lbs |
Erik is the owner and main editor of lptps.com. He has been working in computers and information technology for more than 20 years. He’s a business analyst, developer, and avid traveler.