We are living in the age of pandemics (Covid-19). Most colleges and universities were close to students in 2021.
From 2021 to the time of writing, the situation is relatively under control (Thanks for Covid Vaccine).
Colleges are open, but some institutes still prefer students take online classes.
At this age, students need to have a laptop to strive in their studies. Without one they would not able to attend online video classes and if your college is not yet open, you may drop the semester.
If you are a college student looking for laptop suggestions for online as well as physical classes you are in the right place.
We have been receiving emails from many students regarding the suggestion of the best laptops for online classes for college and school students.
We checked many forums, and browse through university official websites regarding their say for laptops for college students.
This guide is going to be for a general student who is on the lookout for a laptop in the budget price range, as low as 500 dollars.
Students with a good budget in their hands will have wider options for laptops compared to us.
Fret not, we have done great research, the post is going to help you pick the right Laptop Model.
Best Laptops For College Students Under 500 (2022)
- Acer Aspire 5
- Asus VivoBook 15
- HP Chromebook X360
- Lenovo IdeaPad 3
- ASUS Chromebook Flip C434
- Microsoft Surface Go
- HP 15
- Acer Aspire E 15
- Dell Inspiron 15
- Acer Aspire E5
What are the Best Features Of a laptop for college students?
What are the best specifications for a budget laptop for a college student?
Before we move on to the reviews of our best laptops, we wanted you to have a glance at the best features that make a laptop stand out for a student.
Keep in mind; that we are into buying a laptop under $500. Do not set your expectations too high. To get a great laptop to fit your online studies, there will be some cutting corners.
But do not worry, those cut-offs would not halt your studies.
Core i3- core i5 processor is good
It is important to have the latest generation powerful processor. It is the single most important attribute that hugely impacts students’ needs.
For a general student with casual studying needs with running some apps and programs, it is enough to have a core i3 or core i5 processor with the 8th or 9th generation.
But if you are enrolled in a college degree that demands a laptop for handling visually intensive tasks, core i3 might not be an ideal pick.
In that case, go with core i5 or core i7 with the latest generation available for the price.
You can easily grab a good student laptop with core i5 for 500 dollars, and in our list, there will be many with core i5 to core i7 processors.
8GB memory is enough for casual studying needs
For a student with casual studying needs, 8GB of memory is enough. The size of memory is good to go for casual computing including some heavy app handling.
Again, for a student with high graphic handling tasks, maybe 16GB is good to go. You can easily get a good laptop for a college student with 8GB memory for 500 dollars price.
One more thing, get your hands on a laptop that offers an extra slot.
I mean, laptops nowadays come with a second slot for another memory in case you wanted to increase the memory to handle next-level tasks.
Students require lots of storage (SSDs)
There is a general concept that students require lots of storage. In my case when I was a student, I use to store lots of movies, web series and comedy shows to spend my leisure time.
Maybe students of this generation love to get live streams rather than stuffing their laptops.
Whatever the case is if you go with general students’ needs maybe 500GB is good to go. It is a personal preference by the way; most of the students (hardworking ones) do not store lots of movies, music, or shows but lectures, assignments, and PDF books.
Keep in mind Buy a laptop with SSD storage, not HDD storage.
Mechanical storages are way slower and less efficient than SSDs. So students should only buy a laptop with SSD storage and never settle with HDD even if they are on a budget.
Also Read: Best Laptops For Storages
Portability is the most important attribute:
Laptop weight and its chassis is the most important attribute to pay special intention to for a good laptop for the student.
For a student with a budget, maybe they have to opt for a bulky laptop, but try not to pick those with more than 5-pounds.
If you could arrange some more budgets you can get an ultraportable ultrabook for under $1000 easily.
For students, an ultrabook laptop is important because they swift-through from one classroom to the other, and so on.
With a cumbersome carry-around laptop, it will be hard to roam around. And bulky laptops spend more battery than portable ones.
Touchscreen or without a touchscreen?
Touchscreen laptops are in trend these days. They offer more productivity, and you can take notes in direct writing onto the screen.
Do not worry you can buy a touchscreen laptop for college studies for under $500.
If you do not like touchscreens and like to use a notebook laptop, it is your choice, I would like to recommend 2 in 1 laptop by the way because sooner or later people will adopt 2 in 1 laptop due to their impressive productivity.
A Graphics card is not essential if you are not a Gamer
Graphics card improves your overall performance. It is helpful to help you go through visually intensive workloads. It is hard to get a good laptop under $500 with a dedicated price range.
Even if we grab one with a dedicated graphics card, the brand will necessarily cut the corner that will halt the basic requirements for a college student laptop for the price of 500 dollars.
So, if you are not a gamer, and occasionally play light games, it is unimportant to house a dedicated graphics card.
Best Laptops for College Students under $500 Reviews (2022)
The best student laptop is the right balance of performance, power, affordability, and ultra-portability.
For students on a budget, they may miss the ‘aesthetic’ feature which is also considered one important feature of college student laptops.
1. Acer Aspire 5
Specification:
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Quad-core processor
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Graphics: AMD Radeon Vega 8
Review:
Acer Aspire 5 is the right balance of portability, power, and aesthetics. It is no doubt one of the best performer laptops for students.
The model got the right specification, clear picture quality, upgradability, and above all, it looks awesome in your hands.
It is lightweight and possesses a longer battery runtime to make you go through your student’s things all day long.
Making this laptop topple the list of best laptops under the $500 list for students is its processor.
It has AMD Ryzen 5 3500U mobile series processors which are considered the finest processor to take on entry to professional-level tasks.
It is a quad-core processor that is clubbed with AMD Radeon Vega 8 graphics that offers power and speed to please not only students but gamers.
Yes, you can hands-on the latest titles at low to average settings.
For students related to graphically intensive workloads, the model is great to go with. Its price is amazing; it is hard for students to grab this level of machine for 500 dollars.
Acer Aspire 5 model fits a student’s multitasking requirements without any issue. It comes with an 8GB memory that is enough to tackle average to complex multitasking.
You can work on word processing, excels runs heavy applications such as Adobe Photoshop, adobe premiere, and other applications.
For storage, the model has a 256GB SSD to fits students’ needs.
As I mentioned in the above section, do not settle with a laptop that has mechanical storage. SSDs are a lot better, and if you have to pay extra in housing an SSD, it will be worth that extra spending.
With 15.6 inches FHD IPS display creativity touches new heights. It is no doubt a sharp, crisp, and bright display that helps you view the screen from any angle without distortion.
Its resolution falls at 1920 x 1080. Furthermore, the display inherits a blue light shield that helps you work for a long session without hurting your eyesight.
Despite being a budget laptop for students, the model does not cut corners. It comes with a superior backlit supported keyboard that lets you work comfortably in any environment.
Lights coming down from the keys offer a superior illuminated environment to suit your typing needs.
The keyboard layout is though little different from the previous iteration. If you have been using the previous model and upgrading with the latest one you might have to spend some time adjusting to the new layout of the keyboard.
The Keyboard supports a dedicated number pad that is helpful for accounting majors, and MBA students‘ data handling needs.
To soothe your music listening experience, Acer Aspire comes with the Acer True Harmony feature that brings a deeper base and more volume compared to the previous model.
The audio is enough loud to make you enjoy music without any additional accessories.
All in all this laptop is a great grab for students running short of budget. It comes with every feature that students would require to strive in their online and offline studies.
It is portable enough to be carried around without any big issues and crisp enough to watch online lectures or videos without getting bored.
[i2pc show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”false” pros_title=”Pros” cons_title=”Cons” ][i2pros]Enough powerful processor
Maximized visuals
Enough storage and more than required memory
Long battery backup
Looks elegant
[/i2pros][i2cons]Not for hardcore processing
Keyboard is different[/i2cons][/i2pc]
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Also Read: Best ultrabooks to buy for $1000
2. Asus VivoBook 15
Specification:
- Processor: 10th Gen Intel Core i3-1005G1
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 128GB SSD
- Graphics: Intel UHD
Review:
It is an old ASUS model but here we are not for buying an updated or newest laptop model but for buying a good budget laptop without spending much.
Look at its specification; it is amazing to see powerful specs have been lined up under such a minor price range.
It has a 10th gen processor, 8GB memory, frameless four-sided Nano edge display and above all it is ultraportable.
You can easily take this beast around without any issue for studies as it keeps you going longer due to its great battery backup.
It is one of the best i3 laptops for college students under $500. It has a 10th Gen Intel Core i3-1005G1 processor which is known for its seamless multitasking power without consuming too much battery.
To help the processor performs well for college-goers there is the assistance of 8GB DDR4 memory.
Though the storage section is not that compelling it can be elevated using the extra slot it comes integrated with.
Asus VivoBook 15 comes with 128GB SSD storage which is enough for the average student’s study needs. There is an extra slot as well that helps you expand the storage up to 1TB SSD.
Asus budget laptop for students comes with 15.6 inches FHD IPS Nano edge four-sided frameless display. Due to Nano bezels around you get more viewing area with fewer dimensions down to medium.
The display is crisp and clear and helps you behold images and videos produced on the screen at the highest resolution.
It is a low-priced laptop but despite its budget price range, the laptop has a backlit keyboard. The model offers a Backlit keyboard that is sturdy and comfortable and makes you type for hours without any interruption.
Keys travel distance falls at 1.44 ms to provide you with a comfortable fluid typing experience.
In short, this is one of the finest ASUS-designed laptops for students. It comes at a looting price and fits students’ study needs without them spending a big budget.
[i2pc show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”false” pros_title=”Pros” cons_title=”Cons” ][i2pros]10th Gen processor
FHD IPS display with four-sided Nano bezels
Long 8-hour battery runtime
Small foot-prints
USB Type-C support
Backlit keyboard[/i2pros][i2cons]Not for hardcore tasks
Display viewing angles are poor
[/i2cons][/i2pc]
Check On Amazon
3. HP Chromebook X360
- Processor: 10th Gen Intel Core i3-10110U
- RAM: 8GB DD4
- Storage: 64GB Flash
- Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics
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The simplest one-sentence review of HP Chromebook will be ‘Quick, Portable, and high-quality.
This laptop is made for students, you can rely on it for online classes without any issue, it is also helpful for professionals to attend online meetings.
It is quick to set up, right of the box. Within five minutes of the box, you will be able to consume it for your studies.
Keep in mind it is a Chromebook, it is not designed for gaming and other hard-core tasks. Chromebooks are mainly designed for the go light-users, that’s why Chromebooks are cheap.
It is a sturdy build machine, fees nice and premium. Powering this device up there is a 10th Gen Core Intel Core i3-10110U mobile processor that helps you go through students’ average computing needs.
The clock speed of the processor goes up to 4.1 GHz in turbo-boost, in other words, hard to go through tasks that can easily be accomplished.
To make this laptop great for college students, the mode shares 8GB DDR4 memory. On this size of memory, you can carry out video editing work, leaving aside normal students computing needs.
HP Chromebook comes fitted with a 14-inches 1080p display that offers a clear and smooth display experience.
Even if you have been using a 15-inches display, you would not feel much difference. Nano bezels around the display make you have more viewing areas in fewer dimensions.
It is a touchscreen laptop, you can flip the screen all the way around and turn it into a tablet. It is an amazing 2 1 laptop for 500 dollars, isn’t it?
The only downside of the HP X360 Chromebook is its storage. The model shares 64GB of flash memory which does not compensate college students.
But HP provides this Chromebook with an SD card reader to help students expand the storage.
Still, the storage could have been better than this for college students.
On the left side, you get a USB Type-C port that supports charging and connecting other USB devices. There is a power button after that, a volume button, and a camera shutter button that shuts the camera down to offer the utmost privacy.
On the right side, there is an SD card reader, a headphone jack, another USB Type-C port, and a regular USB Type-A port to offer you improved connectivity. It is amazing to see two USB Type-C ports in a Chromebook because these are known or have fewer connectivity ports.
Also Read: Best Laptops For multiple Monitors 2021
It got a full-size keyboard; the keys are soft and great for typing. The keyboard layout is a little wired, there is a search button in the place of the caps button. It will take some time to get used to.
In total, this cheap Chromebook is good for students on a budget. It is a Chromebook that comes with Google Chrome apps and an app store.
You can download and install your desired apps from the store and get things going without any big issues.
[i2pc show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”false” pros_title=”Pros” cons_title=”Cons” ][i2pros]14-Inches 1080P Touchscreen convertible laptop
2 USB Type-C ports
10th Gen processor
8GB memory is enough
Ultra-portable and sleek [/i2pros][i2cons]64GB Storage is not enough
The keyboard is a little wired[/i2cons][/i2pc]
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Also Read: Best 2 in 1 Laptops under $600
4. Lenovo IdeaPad 3
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3500U
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Display: 14-inches FHD IPS two-sided narrow bezel
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It is hard to buy good windows laptops under the budget range. Especially if you are a student and need something good-looking and portable as well.
It seems like Lenovo knew the real problem, that’s why the brand offers Ideapad 3 which comes at an affordable price of $450 and makes you go through personal to a professional scale of processing.
There is no shortcoming or drawback I could see on the laptop for the price. It got an AMD Ryzen 5 3500U mobile series processor that is quite powerful when clubbed with AMD Radeon graphics. The combo enables students even to get hands-on video editing tasks.
It is hard to get a good laptop for the purpose for under $500 price, a good video editing laptop costs around $1000. But this laptop is quick and offers reliable performance for students.
You enjoy seamless multitasking as Lenovo Ideapad 3 comes with 8GB of memory. The memory size is not upgradable but there are two slots, you may increase the memory up to 12GB by having a technician onboard.
The laptop boots up quickly within a few seconds due to SSD storage. It comes with 256GB SSD storage which is quite amazing because the price is hard to get SSD storage onboard.
The storage is also not upgradable, but enough for an average college student.
Its keyboard is full-sized; nice membrane keys give tactile feedback.
Keys are widely spaced and big enough to enjoy a solid typing experience. It is not backlight supported though, it is hard to get a backlit keyboard laptop for 500 dollars.
The model standout in the crowd due to a decent line of ports and connectivity. It has 3 USB Ports-1, 1 USB 2.0, and 2 USB 3.0 that make you connect lots of devices and never run short of connectivity options.
It has a 14-inches FHD IPS display that offers you a bright display without any clutter. Two sides bezels offer more viewing area and let you view more in less. It is not a dim display at all, with 220 nits of brightness it is great bright even for the outdoors.
The display in the indoor light conditions is more than impressive, and one must not call it dim.
Lenovo Ideapad 3 laptop for college students comes with a 3-cell battery. The battery goes up to 6 hours in casual computing; battery backup is directly concerned with your usage. For casual computing at the dim display, it may last around 8 hours.
Yes, it is a plastic construction laptop; one must not expect a metal construction laptop for the price. Despite being plastic-made, it is sturdy enough to last a decade and feels premium as well.
In short, the laptop is a great pick for college students with average computing needs. It is an average price, great performing laptop with top-of-the-line specifications.
[i2pc show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”false” pros_title=”Pros” cons_title=”Cons” ][i2pros]Powerful processor
Integrated Vega 8 graphics
256GB SSD is hard to grab for the price
8GB Standard memory
Vibrant display with 220 nits of brightness[/i2pros][i2cons]Plastic made
Slightly glaring in outdoor[/i2cons][/i2pc]
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5. ASUS Chromebook Flip C434
- Processor: M3 processor
- Storage: 64GB eMMC
- RAM: 4GB DD4
- Display: 14-inches FHD Touchscreen
You know students love convertible laptops. But it is hard to get a good convertible laptop for under $500, convertibles are expensive.
Here the manufacturer has to spend on many other things along with vital specifications. ASUS offers a great 2 1 laptop under $500 for note-taking.
It offers a 14-inches FHD display laptop that transforms into a tablet and offers dual functionality. If you like convertibles, do not let this model go.
It has a 14-inches FHD Touchscreen with a nano edge around the display. The screen is brighter and those little bezels around make the viewing area expand. The screen is brighter than HP x360 along with color accuracy.
It’s a convertible laptop transformed into a table, you can move the screen around to use it as a full-fledged tablet.
Students love to use the laptop as a tablet. They can write directly on the screen using a digital pen to take notes or do sketching. That’s why it is great for a college student to grab a 2 1 laptop compared to a notebook.
Inside the metal chassis, there is an Intel Core m3 processor. The processor is not for hardcore tasks, nor is the Chromebook. It is great for light browsing, streaming, document editing, Drawing, and other on-the-go tasks.
It has 4GB RAM and storage fall at 64GB eMMC. Keep in mind, that it is a Chromebook, and the mentioned storage is great to go with a Chromebook.
Actually, Chromebooks are designed for light computing, accessing the internet instantly, and other quick tasks.
Here people stores on clouds rather than stuffing their storage. Still, it comes with an SD card reader that makes you expand the storage as per your needs.
It has strong battery life. Believe me, you would not grab this much great battery backup. The laptop stands out in the crowd due to its long-lasting battery backup. Its display and the battery backup are the two top-selling points
The only downside of this laptop is its white backlighting. The white letters on the keys are difficult to spot in daylight and make it hard to type on.
If you do not look at the keyboard while typing, this would not be an issue for you. It is not a big issue, in dim environments, the backlighting offers impressive error-free typing.
[i2pc show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”false” pros_title=”Pros” cons_title=”Cons” ][i2pros]Stunning FHD display with IPS panels
Gret battery backup
Sturdy premium construction
Seamless transition into a convertible
Ultra-portable and easy to carry around[/i2pros][i2cons]White keys backlighting
[/i2cons][/i2pc]
6. Microsoft Surface Go
- Processor: Pentium Gold 4415Y
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 128GB SSD
- Graphics: HD 615
- Display: 10-inches pixel sense display with stylus pen
For students sometimes it is easier to get a convertible laptop. They sometimes require a laptop that is more than just a powerful laptop.
Sometimes they have to take notes on the laptop, writing directly onto the screen and taking notes becomes easier.
Streaming, movie watching, sketching, editing images, and videos all are easier to be carried out on a convertible. And if is about a portable and powerful convertible laptop under $500 get your hands on the Microsoft-designed laptop.
It is an exceedingly portable and top of line specification holding a laptop.
It comes integrated with Intel designed Pentium Gold 4415Y processor that offers enough power to tackle the load of casual students’ processing.
This is not for hardcore processing, not a class-leading chipset still enough to take care of your creative work. Actually, integrated HD 615 graphics help a lot here. It makes it easier to go through intensive graphics workloads and makes things go smoother than ever before.
The Microsoft surface go offers 128GB SSD storage and amazing 8GB memory for multitasking. The memory portion is more than expected for the price, it lets you go through multiple operations at one time.
Even you can get hands-on videos and image editing, enough memory to take care of all at one time.
With a 10-inches PixelSense display you are going to get an amazing time. The glossy display offers superior images and videos produced on the screen with the collaboration of pixel sense.
Its contrast ratio is great and multi-touch support makes the college students more than just happy.
The display is pressure sensitive and responds well to touches, multi-touch support makes the students use it for sketch making, image editing, and other tasks.
Moreover, you get a stylus pen shipped in the package, price included. The stylus pen actually enhances its usability and makes the users directly type on the screen for various purposes.
The surface Go laptop also comes with a type cover that lets you go through all kinds of typing work by just attaching the keyboard. Use it as a tablet, detach the keyboard, and there it is a full-fledged tablet.
Other add-ons include Bluetooth 4.1, killing Wi-Fi, USB Type-C support, and 8-10 hours of battery backup. It is a great laptop for college students for 500 dollars, look at the cutting-edge features and its specs, it stands out.
[i2pc show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”false” pros_title=”Pros” cons_title=”Cons” ][i2pros]10-Inches FHD PixelSense display
128GB SSD storage
Great memory size
Ultra-portable
USB Type-C support
[/i2pros][i2cons]Intel Core m3 processor is not that powerful[/i2cons][/i2pc]
Check On Amazon
7. HP 15 (I5 Laptop Under $500)
- Processor: 10th Generation Intel Core i5-1035G1
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Display: 15.6 inches diagonal display
It is rare to get hands-on with a great laptop at a budget price. HP designed HP 15 is one of the best laptops for students such as Grad school, biology majors, business majors, medical students, PA schools, and even online classes.
Nothing could have been better than this, everything is more than expected at this price.
It sets up right out of the box, within a few minutes you will be working, taking notes, making assignments, and attending online classes. The model is ultra-portable, compact, easy to carry around a laptop, and a great bang on your buck.
It is an all-rounder laptop, great for work and entertainment. You can run your desired heavy application that you do not usually run due to the freezing of the laptop.
You will enjoy superior processing and dealing with high-end applications.
HP 15-dy1036nr is powered by 10th Generation Intel Core i5-1035G1. It is a Quad-Core processor, that goes up to 3.6 GHz clock speed.
Enough reliable to make you handle your regular studying computing needs. Probably the only laptop for students under budget with a Core i5 processor.
It has 8GB of memory, great for students to handle regular computing chores. On top of that, there is 256GB of upgradable storage.
Due to the SSD storage, the laptop logged in within 8-seconds. Here you tap the power button, and right within a few seconds, you get access to the home screen of Windows.
The latest Windows laptops come fitted with 15.6 inches FHD IPS matte-coating display. Its display offers 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution with an 82-per cent screen-to-body ratio.
Little bezels on the two sides of the display make the viewing area expand, you get more in fewer dimensions.
It also shares a nice keyboard. The keys are not backlit but offer great travel distance and a responsive typing experience.
There is a webcam integrated on the top of the display, to make you have an online video conference, video classes, and other regular chores.
HP designed a laptop that offers a great battery backup. It lasts around 10-11 hours in a single go and makes you enjoy an interruption-free experience. On top of that, the model charges quickly. As per the experience, it juiced up fully in less than two hours.
The only drawback of the model is that its fans get loud in changing. Without charging, fans are quiet and make you enjoy a quiet computing experience.
In total, if you want a good laptop under 500 dollars for heavy processing, this is a great model. Do not skip this model, it is the perfect laptop.
[i2pc show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”false” pros_title=”Pros” cons_title=”Cons” ][i2pros]10th Gen processor under $500
FHD IPS display with Nano bezels
256GB SSD storage is more than just perfect
Boot-up fast
HD webcam for online classes[/i2pros][i2cons]Fans get loud when charging
[/i2cons][/i2pc]
Check On Amazon
8. Acer Aspire E 15
- Processor: 8th Generation Intel Core i3 8130U
- RAM: 6GB DDR4
- Storage: 1TB HDD (upgradable)
- Display: 15.6 inches FHD Widescreen
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Acer Aspire E15 is my favorite core i3 laptop under $500 for college students. I recommend this laptop due to its top-of-the-line specification, sober look, long battery backup, and ultra-portability.
The laptop shares every feature that plays a role for students and makes a difference in their computing chores.
It has an 8th gen Intel Core i3 8130U processor that supports turbo boost 2.0 and goes up to 3.4 GHz clock speed. It is great to see such a decent processor under a budget price range.
The added CPU adds an extra burst to your regular processing needs and makes you handle streaming, heavy application running, and other tons of tasks.
It has 6GB memory, great to go with for the price. With 1TB HDD storage, the laptop offers magnificent storage but the lack of SSD storage is quite disturbing.
You can though upgrade the laptop with SSD storage there is another slot to serve the purpose.
Acer Aspire E15 laptop shares a 15.6 inches FHD IPS display with a widescreen. The display produces breathtakingly impressive visuals and makes you behold images at utmost clarity, without missing or skipping colors or details.
The model shares USB Type-C port support as well. It is amazing to see a student laptop at a budget offering USB Type-C support that actually makes the laptop blazing fast and helps pass through any tasks at great speed.
Aspire E15 is known for its long battery runtime. The model offers around 12 hours of runtime in a single charging and makes your day get covered.
In total, the laptop is perfect for a student; the only downside is its HDD storage which can be upgraded with an SSD. It is amazing to see this deal; it will be hard to get this range of specs and features under one chassis for $500.
[i2pc show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”false” pros_title=”Pros” cons_title=”Cons” ][i2pros]10th Gen processor
USB Type-C support
12-hours long battery backup
FHD IPS widescreen display
1TB giant storage
Upgradable[/i2pros][i2cons]No SSD
[/i2cons][/i2pc]
Check On Amazon
9. Dell Inspiron 15
- Processor: 10th Gen Dual Core i3-1005G1
- Storage: 128GB SSD
- RAM: 4GB DDR4
- Display: 15.6 inches HD display
Dell’s newest model offers an impressive range of specs under the $450 price range. The model is one of the finest grabs for students running short of budget.
This model shares the 10th Gen processor, SSD storage, 4GB memory, and a great display to help with regular computing needs.
The model makes our list of best laptops for college students under $500 because of its processor. It has a 10th Gen Dual Core i3-1005G1 processor with 4MB cache and up to 3.4 GHz clock speed.
Its integration with Intel UHD graphics makes the processing smoother and seamless for casual to professional users. Due to the integrated graphics, you can handle visually bulky tasks and even take hands-on light games.
Dell’s newest core i3 laptop for 500 dollars price range shares 4GB of memory.
Actually, the mentioned memory is good to go for an average student who breezes through reading, word processing, online surfing, streaming, and other casual tasks.
To get all these done you are not required to have a giant 32GB memory.
The best feature along with the 10th gen processor is its SSD storage. It has 128GB SSD storage, you know SSDs are expensive. You can have 1TB HDD storage at the price of 128GB SSD storage, do not settle with HDDs, or you will struggle.
The model has 15.6 inches HD display. The display integrates anti-glare panels, to make you use the laptop outdoors without any glare issues. The display is good bright and makes you view what is running without any issue even outdoors.
It has an HD webcam installed to make you attend online video classes.
Or take a video conference and have some chit-chat with your buddies, as in corona days it is not possible to physically meet and greet your buddies.
Its battery is better than the other model. It has a 4-cell battery that makes it lasts around 6 hours on casual computing. With a dim display, the battery may extend up to 8 hours, not that bad for a 500 dollars laptop.
[i2pc show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”false” pros_title=”Pros” cons_title=”Cons” ][i2pros]10th Gen processor
128GB SSD storage
Cheap 450 dollars price range
HD Webcam
USB Type-C support[/i2pros][i2cons]No FHD display
[/i2cons][/i2pc]
Check On Amazon
10. Acer Aspire E5
- Processor: Intel Core i5-7200U
- RAM: 6GB DDR4
- Storage: 256gb SSD
- Graphics: Intel HD 620
If you are looking for a power-performer laptop that helps you go through complex processing, I think Acer got your back again.
Acer Aspire E5 is a great budget laptop for students that is capable enough to help them run their desired heavy applications.
The model comes with a Core i5 processor, shares SSD storage, is made of solid plastic, and above all, it is easy to take around.
The model comes integrated with Intel Core i5-7200U mobile processor that offers up to 3.6 GHz clock speed. Keep in mind it is a dual-core processor, that supports turbo boost 2.0 in that way you will be able to achieve the desired scale processing power.
Integration of Intel HD 620 graphics makes the machine enough powerful to process visually intensive tasks. In other words, due to the presence of integrated graphics, you may have hands-on light games.
With 6GB DDR4 memory and 256GB SSD storage, you get what you have been looking for in a student laptop.
I mean, without SSD storage, a laptop can never be called a student laptop. Without SSDs, laptops go way slower and slugging than you imagine.
The memory option is impressive as well, I mean enough for a regular student to take care of casual computing.
The model comes at a cheap price no doubt, but it has one glaring downside. You get a 15.6 inches screen with an HD display. HD display is something students of the time might not find suitable.
I mean, no one would like to have an HD display to get their entertainment things going. It’s an ultra HD age, where images are smoother than butter.
In short, the laptop has one downside which is not that big to impact your processing. HD displays are good and when you are on a budget you have to sacrifice some features to make things going on.
[i2pc show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”false” pros_title=”Pros” cons_title=”Cons” ][i2pros]Core i5 processor
8-hours long battery runtime
256 GB SSD storage
Slim profile laptop[/i2pros][i2cons]No FHD[/i2cons][/i2pc]
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Are the Best Features for a Laptop Under $500?
Under 500 dollars you must not exceed your expectation level. At this price, you can get a good average laptop that can easily handle the regular processes of a student. We have narrated the features one can get hands-on for the price.
For the price you can easily get an 8GB memory, core i3 to core i5 processor, and at least 128GB SSD storage.
Is it important for a college student to get an FHD display Laptop?
College students besides their regular studying love to spend their time streaming NetFlix and other streaming websites.
Without an FHD display, their media consumption would not be on par. The color accuracy and display will be less appealing.
To get movies and web series to run at a smooth speed, it is advisable to have a laptop with an FHD display.
What processor should a college student expect from A Laptop?
For 500 dollars price range it is essential to have a core i3 processor. I am talking about notebooks, not convertibles or AMD laptops.
I mean, you can get a hands-on 10th gen core i3 or core i5 laptop. The mentioned processors are great not only for personal home computing but for professionals as well.
I SSD storage important for college students?
Not just for the college-goers but all students, having an SSD is much more important than you imagine. If you have not tasted SSD storage, you will witness an entire shift-out in your overall computing performance.
SSDs not only increase your productivity but boost your overall speed.
You get instant logging-in, improved loading time, instant boot-up time, and others.
So, never neglect that specification, do not settle for a laptop with mechanical storage. Or at least, check if there is an extra slot available so that you could upgrade the storage with an SSD at a later time.
Conclusion
You have read through our list of laptops for college students under 500. These are the top-rated and most purchased models on the top shopping portal. Despite being on the budget, these laptops would not halt your regular studying needs.
These models are a great pick for regular students. I have mentioned this in my post and would like to repeat it once more; for graphic designers, 3d modelers, and students with complex processing needs, these might not be the right option.
