Meta Description: Looking for an affordable laptop for school or college in 2025? Here are 5 best laptops under $500 with great performance and battery life.
With more students relying on online learning, research, and content creation, having a dependable laptop is essential — but it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. In 2025, there are several powerful budget laptops under $500 that are perfect for schoolwork, streaming, browsing, and even light programming.
1. Acer Aspire 3 (2025 Edition)
- Price: ~$449
- Specs: AMD Ryzen 5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
Why It's Great: Solid performance, clean design, and decent battery life. A good all-rounder.
2. Lenovo IdeaPad 1 (Intel N200)
- Price: ~$299
- Specs: Intel N-Series, 4GB RAM, 128GB eMMC
Why It's Great: Super affordable and great for light tasks like note-taking, browsing, and YouTube.
3. HP 14" Laptop (2025)
- Price: ~$429
- Specs: Intel Core i3 12th Gen, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
Why It's Great: Strong multitasking performance, full keyboard, and reliable HP build quality.
4. ASUS VivoBook Go 14
- Price: ~$399
- Specs: AMD Ryzen 3, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD
Why It's Great: Lightweight, modern design, and great battery backup.
5. CHUWI HeroBook Pro
- Price: ~$249
- Specs: Intel Celeron, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
Why It's Great: Great for basic use, large screen, and very portable for students on the go.
Featured Deals:
Looking for more discounts? Check out our Top Lifetime Software Deals.
We also wrote about Affordable Tech Gadgets Under $50 that are worth checking.
Final Words:
For under $500, students can now get laptops that are fast enough for daily tasks, lightweight enough to carry around, and long-lasting enough to handle full school days. It’s never been easier to find affordable tech for learning.