Best Work From Home Laptop Under 500 – Budget Friendly

If you have a tight budget but have a desire to get a premium laptop that packs quality features to handle day to day tasks. So, here is the good news that you can get the Best Work From Home Laptop Under 500 with a full-HD display, top-notch performance, and long lasting battery life, and the ports to connect other peripherals. You can even find a laptop in this price range that has a touch screen, though it will be a bit smaller in size. These laptops fall in the budget category, but we have another article for you that have some other Budget Laptops for Work From Home.

With the best work from home laptop under 500, you can accomplish your daily tasks with ease. Some of the laptops are powerful enough to carry out heavy tasks with ease. These reasonably priced devices are even packed with fancy features like high-end connectivity, touchscreen, top-notch multitasking memory.

The following points should be kept in mind before choosing the best budget laptop 2022 under 500 for working at home. These are not heavy duty made laptops. You can’t do high-end video editing, can’t play high resolution games and live streaming.

Here is the List of the Best Laptops Work From Home Under $500.

IMAGE	PRODUCT	Rating	PRICE
	Acer Aspire 5	9.5	Check on Amazon
	Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 13	9.5	Check on Amazon
	ASUS Vivo Book 15	9.5	Check on Amazon
	Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14, 2 in 1 Laptop	9.5	Check on Amazon
	ASUS Chromebook Detachable CM3	8.7	Check on Amazon
	HP Stream 11	8.7	Check on Amazon
	Apple 10.2 iPad 9th Gen	8.7	Check on Amazon
	Lenovo IdeaPad 1	8.7	Check on Amazon

Acer Aspire 5

Let’s have a look at the build quality of the Best Work From Home Laptop Under. The surface is made of RTPU, which makes it sturdy. It’s a bit heavier than usual, but not too heavy to carry with you. Slim enough to contribute to the portability of the machine. Single hinge mechanisms facilitate easy rotation, opening and closing.

I/O presents diversity. On either side you have USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, and a USB Type-C port but unfortunately it is not for power transmission. So, you can’t charge the device with it. 

 There is a decent amount of space for palm resting on the keyboard. Nomads qualify for full-sized keyboards. To reduce strain, keys are well apart, and there is a lot of rest space between them. The keyboard is clicky, smooth, and backlit, which places it somewhere between decent and perfect. It is also possible to use a touchpad, which is responsive as well.

RTPU flooring does not provide premium quality. Display with a resolution of 1080p and a width of 15.6 inches. In comparison to the other specs and overall build of the Best Work From Home Laptop Under, the display is quite low quality. Colors are low quality in 51% of sRBG. The display setup works well for daily tasks, but is not a suitable choice for creatives who work with images. The display can be used indoors or outdoors without deteriorating with a brightness of 300 nits.

This computer has top-notch performance, with an Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage. There is no trouble browsing, handling word files and other daily tasks. Even 1080p video editing can be done smoothly. The performance definitely slows down when we demand something extra like 4K video editing. 

With dual copper thermal pipes and dual fans supporting multiple cooling modes, experience engineered heat dissipation solutions. Stay cool when it matters with the air inlet keyboard, which enables you to expel up to 10% more heat.

At this price range, stereo speakers are a good addition. The sound quality is impeccable. Battery life is also a reliable one. Day to day tasks will provide you with 9.5 hrs battery life if brightness is set to half. During heavier tasks, it dropped to 5+ hours and if you need heavy duty support, you will get 3+ hours of backup. 

Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 13

Well built, the top and bottom are made with aluminum to ensure strength and sturdiness. The keypad is made of some sort of plastic, but it is also very durable. Lightweight and slim, it weighs 2.9 pounds and is 17mm slim, making it a perfect portable device. Your search for lightweight laptops under 500 may come to an end after reading the of this Chromebook from Lenovo.

For decent results, a 13.3-inch full HD CD display in 1080p is sufficient. Bezels are quite thin. Decent color scheme, but not as fancy as a premium display setup. 300 nits brightness is perfect for indoors and outdoors workouts. It is pretty much that one could ask for in a Chromebook display. 

A 720p camera is a part of almost every laptop these days. Nothing much to talk about. But still good for zoom meetings if you need it.

The keypad is exceptional and you’re gonna love it. It is ranked higher than its competition due to a decent amount of key travel and clickiness. It has perfect key spacing and is smooth enough to be operated with a gentle push. The touchpad is a functional one but not of premium quality because of no glass surfacing. Quality surface resistive oil is used to make it more responsive and clicky.

Ports are very helpful for connecting other peripherals. You will get two USB TYPE-C ports on both sides. Besides the MicroSD card slot for increasing storage capacity, USB Type-A is also an available port on Chromebooks. 

A processor with 10th Gen Core i3, 4 gigabytes of RAM and 64 gigabytes of internal storage provides better performance. Daily tasks like web browsing, watching video and other normal tasks will not create any issues. High-end video editing will be a bit more for the hardware. 

Quality WiFi connectivity with Bluetooth 5 is awesome. In this price range all these features are exceptional. The battery life is also perfect for all day working. It lasts for about 10 hours if your demands are normal.

ASUS Vivo Book 15 – One Of The Best Work From Home Laptop Under 500

Let’s talk about the performance of the device. For better performance, it has an Intel Core i3 dual core processor. The laptop is equipped with a UHD graphics card from Intel for video and image graphics design. 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD internal storage capacity. Overall, a stellar machine performance wise.

The 15.6 inches FHD TN Panel display is fine. A suitable display for normal daily usage like web browsing and other normal tasks. If you want to use it for creative work like video and photo processing, the results may not be the same as what you expect. 200 nits brightness shows that the machine is designed for indoor use.

Full-sized keyboard with perfectly spaced keys to work freely for hours. Clicky, smooth, agile and responsive. Backlight at this price range is just more than enough.

Touchpad is quite large in size. Classy finishing, responsive and clicky. There is a fingerprint reader to unlock the machine with a gentle touch.

Battery life performs well under normal conditions. The backup time in this scenario is 6 hours. When GPU and CPU are in full swing, battery life drastically reduces to almost 2 hours.

With all normal ports it has a super speed USB Type-C port. This is a high-end port for multi-functioning.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14, 2 in 1 Laptop

Sturdy materials are used to build the machine. Though there is a little flex on the display, it is manageable. 360 degree rotation is possible due to the powerful hinge system. 

Core i3 processor, Intel Iris XE graphics for better performance. 4GB of memory for multitasking, and 128 SSD internal storage capacity. So, at this price range you are going to have a beast. 

The CPU generates a small amount more heat when it is in full swing. The temperature reaches 94 degrees. Overall the average heat ratio is closer to 75 degrees. 

I/O is very critical for a laptop to connect with other machines. Full-sized card reader to use external memory if needed. Couple of USB 3.2 Gen ports. On the other side the laptop has the most significant port, USB Type-C port along with HDMI standard port as well.

Smart charging and quick charging are awesome. Smart charge allows you to charge your device in 15 minutes and use it for 2 hours. The quick charging facility allows you to charge 80% of the battery in an hour. 

Battery life is exceptional for normal use. It lasts for almost 9 hours. But remember that the brightness was 75%, and the volume was 50% using headphones. 

The keyboard is stylish, large, clicky, and responsive. Not a full-sized keyboard but has a decent amount of spacing among the keys. Backlit keys make it easier to see the keys. Touchpad is also large. Smooth and responsive too. 

ASUS Chromebook Detachable CM3

The aluminum body makes the device sturdy and strong. This strong build does not mean that it carries a lot of weight. It is rather thin and slim. So, portability is one of the admiring features of the laptop. On of the best best touch laptop under 500 that can be used for work from.

Fabric on both sides helps you in adjusting the device at a comfortable viewing angle whether it is in laptop or tab mode. The 4-way hinge allows you to use the tab mode both horizontally and vertically.

Pogo pin’s automatically attachable keyboard is ideal for official use. It clicks into tab mode very nicely. The keyboard is a bit wobbly but it is far better than other attachable Chromebook keyboards. It has an additional magnetic support. 

To reduce cramps, the keys are well apart. Key travel is smooth and responsive as well. Not a full-sized keyboard, so there won’t be a numeric keypad separately. Touchpad is a bit smaller but that is obvious. It is clicky and responsive. Cursor control is exceptional.

The 10.5 inches touch display screen has a brightness of 320 nits. You can use it indoors as well as outdoors. Thin bezels and vibrant colors make it a perfect screen. You can use a stylus for free-hand writing and sketching. 

Cameras are better than other laptops available on the market. The 1080p front camera is way better than a standard 720p camera that most laptops come equipped with. The rear camera is 2MP, which is also very effective.

Long battery life. 12 hours of battery life is exceptional, but only for normal tasks like web browsing and handling official tasks. 

HP Stream 11 – Low Budget Windows 11 Laptop

Mid range is sufficient for day-to-day tasks. With an Intel n4020 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of SSD storage, you will be able to perform decently. RAM will speed up processing even further, while storage allows you to store a reasonable amount of data for future use. The RAM capacity of 4GB is a bit low for a standard Windows setup. 

One thing to keep in mind is that you can’t use the internal storage and RAM capacity of the device which is a drawback. The good news is that the device comes equipped with a MicroSD slot which means that you can increase the internal storage of the device but there is no solution for enhancing RAM capacity.

 Windows 11 S mode is a bit restricted. You can’t download any apps that are not found on the Windows app store. If you want to download it you have to switch the Windows 11 S mode first.

Lightweight and thin, making it super portable. The plastic construction looks very strong and sturdy. 

A small keyboard results in a reduced key size. Keys are well-spaced, smooth with a reasonable amount of key travel. No backlight and no full-sized keypad. The touchpad is good enough to perform tasks faster with complete control.

Battery life is exceptional. It stretches to 10 hours if you perform normal tasks like web browsing and writing articles or spreadsheets etc. The battery performance will definitely drop if you demand more power from the CPU and keep the brightness 100%.

With all other usual ports there is a Type-C USB port for connecting data devices. Unfortunately, charging is not possible via the Type-C port.

Apple 10.2 iPad 9th Gen

10.2 inches retina display that presents true colors. Bright enough to be used both indoors and outdoors. Thin bezels on both sides to increase the screen size further. The chin has a fingerprint scanner and the upper bezels have a webcam for using Skype or Zoom for meetings. 

It comes equipped with A13 Bionic chips to perform smoothly even if you throw some heavy tasks at it. The 4GB RAM capacity and 64GB internal storage is sufficient to perform day to day tasks. 

The front camera is exceptional in that it offers a 12-megapixel lens and the rear camera is 8 megapixels. The web cams of other competitors are no match for it. 

AppleCare for iPad allows you to receive repair coverage and technical support for two years from the date of purchase

You can use it as a laptop. For this you have to purchase a keypad. The keypad is quite nice. Keys are well spaced, smooth with a comfortable key travel. The size is small though. The touchpad works well. Responsive and exceptional control over the cursor. 

Battery life is exceptional. The device offers all day battery life. You can use it when traveling or away from home. For extended battery life you need to reduce CPU usage.

Lenovo IdeaPad 1

At this price range, the build is compact and sturdy. The most important thing is to make sure the plastic is durable enough to cover the whole body. The hinge mechanism is strong enough to hold both parts of the laptop intact. Lightweight and slim.

Lenovo always pays special attention to keypads and touchpads. They invest a lot on these areas of the laptop. It has one of the finest futuristic keyboards. Keys are well spaced, smooth and responsive. Decent key travel but tiny which means not a suitable choice for people with big hands and fingers. No backlit work in darker conditions. Touchpad is also a bit small but has a nice smooth surface, exceptional control over the cursor. 

With a large 14″ HD display panel and narrow bezels, you can watch videos or browse online. Display is bright enough to be used indoors and outdoors. 

You can expect average performance from this machine. Intel’s Celeron N4020 is an entry level processor which can manage day to day tasks. The 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage capacity is enough to get things done quickly and store files for future use.

The battery life of the laptop is not exceptional. It will provide you with an average battery life of 4 to 5 hours with normal usage. If you use the battery excessively, it will drain rather quickly.

New features of Windows 11 will be available to you. But it can slow down the processing speed of the device. 

Some useful ports that will enable you to connect other devices to the laptop. MicroSD card support to increase the internal storage capacity of the machine.

Conclusion

We have reviewed 8 Best Work From Home Laptop Under 500. Each laptop has advantages and disadvantages. Now, it is up to you to select the one that suits your nature of work. If you are a graphic artist, these machines are not for you. If you do normal tasks that do not push the CPU to work out of its skin then these are the best laptops for you. If you want me to choose some best laptops for working from home, then you can have a look at the following machines.

1. ASUS Vivo Book 15
2. ASUS Chromebook Detachable CM3
3. Lenovo IdeaPad 1

FAQs

Which laptop is best for working from home?

The best laptop for work from home totally depends on your requirements. If you want to handle some heavy tasks then Dell XPS 15 OLED, MacBook Pro 14 and higher versions will be good for you to invest on. If the nature of work is just day to day tasks then you can Lenovo IdeaPad 1, Apple 10.2 iPad 9th Gen may be enough to handle your tasks.

Best Work From Home Laptop Under 500?

Each product of the list is perfect for normal tasks. But if you want my opinion, I will suggest the ASUS Chromebook Detachable CM3, ASUS Vivo Book 15 because both of the laptops have more features as compared to the other on the list.