Budget Chromebook Laptops Under $500: 3 Best Picks for Student

Are you looking for budget chromebook laptops and recommendations for a student? We have rounded up the best bits that can make your life easier and you’ll be more too. So hover quickly and you’ll see the laptops you need that fit your budget.

Our Chromebook recommendations

Do you need a laptop that can help you type faster or a unit that can make streaming videos and documentaries easier?  These can help you make the best out of your budgetary situation.  

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14

This is a contender when it comes to longer battery life, so if this is a priority for you, you might want to tick this baby on your list. 

Aside from the longer battery life, one of the best features of this laptop is the keyboard. It was very responsive and if you have more typing tasks to accomplish, this may be the best choice. Forget about the shallow keypads, this laptop will indulge you with typing ecstasy. It is a delightful experience to type on mechanical keyboards with each keypad having sufficient depth. You will be able to type faster with better accuracy.

Though the touchpad felt plasticky, it was still very smooth. It also has the least resistance as you swipe your fingers across the surface. It is also very responsive, every action translated as quickly on the touchpad as they did when using the touchscreen. 

This laptop offers a ton of ports and options for connectivity. So if you need to plug in devices, then this will not only be a comfortable choice but a more productive one. 

For the display and style, it is still decent. But do not expect anything that can make viewing surreal. It has enough oohs and aahs for videos and photo editing but not too much when it comes to anything that is graphics intensive. 

The webcam may be decent for chats and nine meetings but may not be impressive when it comes to streaming videos and binge-watching your favorite series. 

Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook

This budget chromebook may be easy to carry in your pocket, but it has modern conveniences that can make your life easier. This baby is AI-infused and has a touch display that can also make this unit a bad boy when watching and streaming your favorite movies. It’s like a little cool laptop that you can use to binge-watch. 

That’s why we see this as the best option if you often need to do reports on a move, watch tutorials, and stuff. The display is decent, though it has gusts of brightness that can put off some but can still be acceptable considering the price. The sound is not too shabby either for a laptop of this price. The touchscreen functionality is fairly responsive and has a larger display too. So you won’t feel cramped, especially if you need to watch a handful of videos. 

Let’s dabble a bit at how it performs when you’re working on Google documents. It does seem pretty responsive too. There is no lagging whatsoever. So you can work seamlessly and accomplish tasks and reports promptly.

The keyboard is chiclet-style and can be a delight to type on, almost nostalgic. 

It also has an FHD 1080p, maximum AI capacity. The webcam is satisfactory with clear images and tone accuracy. You can also use the AI function to fine-tune your videos to your fancy.  The integration of the Chrome OS makes this laptop a budget yet usable choice for content creators too. You will be able to view videos as seamlessly as if you’re using a premium laptop.

And here’s the not-so-good bits, with the modern conveniences at a fair price, this baby must surely have its shortcomings. And indeed it does. The battery life of most chrome notepads is notorious for being short-lived, and this unit is not an exception. 

ACER Chromebook 317

If you are looking for a budget laptop with a huge display, we highly vouch for this one. The display is massive. With all the room, you can be more productive and can multitask and open more windows at a time. In terms of brightness and graphics performance, this yields more average than impressive. But still, the bigger screen allows you to open more tabs at a time without feeling too cramped. So this is a viable choice if you are multitasking and need to be on top of everything all at once.

While the display is not festive, this is kinda reminiscent of a Macbook. But this can be quite a bit to move and pack on more weight, so you ought to want to move this sparingly, just as needed. 

The keyboards are spacious and chiclet style, so they can suffice your typing fancies if you are one of those who loves the sound of mechanical keypads. The design of the keypads also makes it easier to type more with greater accuracy. 

Connectivity-wise, this will delight you with tons of ports and options for connecting your external devices. 

Sound-wise, still decent but not impressive for streaming videos during your breaks, but can still suffice.

The webcam is mediocre and average. It will do for video conferencing and Zoom meetings.  So if you need more vivid and clear images, then you will want to switch to an external webcam. 

What We Considered More

These three laptop models share the same criteria.

Keyboard function

This is probably one of the most used features of a laptop, especially if you are a student. The graphics are important, specifically for content creators and gamers. But if you are working on basic tasks like typing and scrolling, you don’t really need a powerful CPU. Thus we paid more attention to the keyboard functions. 

You want it to be comfortable, easy to use, and of course, provide that satisfying tactile fee. 

And don’t forget the keypads. If you skip the keyboard and mouse and use the touchpad to get things done, this will be a very important bit for you. We have chosen laptops that have a responsive touchpad that can make it easier to hover over so you get things done promptly.  

Ports and connectivity

This is a very important bit if you need to seamlessly connect your external devices, gadgets, and peripherals to your laptop. We chose units that have a decent number of ports to units with more options for connecting your gadgets.

So you get the USB ports, Ethernet ports, and some laptops with HDMI/VGA/DVI ports. Though many might not contain these due to the availability of a WiFi connection, this can save you if you are caught up somewhere with a WiFi connection.

Form and weight

We chose units that are a far cry from the bulky, thick, and heavy machines. This makes it easier to bring the laptop with you wherever you go.

Graphics

A laptop with a bright and vivid display can improve one’s zest to study or have things done, so we made sure to consider this bit. So you will see options that are great for streaming videos and documentaries so you can zestfully finish that report.

Where We Stand

Graphics may be one of the more important bits generally. From powerful CPUs to deviated GPUs, this can make gaming, or streaming videos seamlessly more surreal. But we also paid close pattern to how responsive and fast the laptop is. So we also made sure to include units that paid more attention to this bit other than the graphics and the sounds. 

This bit is king if you are working on tight deadlines and need a more responsive laptop that does not lag. 

We Also Tried These

This might still be worth considering if your circumstances permit.

• Acer Aspire 3 (A315-24P)

This is a very basic and simple laptop at a rather fair price. So this can suffice if you just need the basic functionality such as typing and scrolling through the web.

The design is basic, lacking the fancies.  But it can still smoothly work through daily tasks and has a longer battery life.

• Lenovo ThinkPad E16 Gen 1

Also, a basic-looking laptop that lacks display and aesthetics, it doesn’t have an SD card slot. But this has a very sturdy build and can suffice if you need only to do mundane tasks on the laptop. 

Budget Student Laptops that Perform

Even if you are tight on moolah, you don’t have to settle on a laptop that is as slow as a turtle. You need laptops that perform at least decently so you can get to work on those tasks and assignments without fail. We have picked the three laptops that can help you excel, whether you are homeschooling or attending classes on campus.