Best Budget Laptops Under £500 in 2026

The budget laptop market has shifted since last year, and if you're still looking at the models from 2024, you're probably looking at discontinued stock. Most of the laptops recommended here six months ago are either gone or overpriced on marketplace sellers.

So this list starts fresh. Five laptops that are actually in stock at UK retailers right now, all under £500, with every price re-checked on 9 November 2026. Some are Windows, some are Chrome OS. I'll explain why that split matters more than it used to.

Here's how they stack up before I get into the detail.

How do they compare side by side?

Laptop	Price	Processor	RAM	Storage	Screen	OS
HP Chromebook 14	£289	Intel N100	8GB	128GB	14" Full HD	Chrome OS
ASUS Chromebook Plus CX1505	£349.99	Intel Core 3 N355	8GB	256GB	15.6" Full HD	Chrome OS
ASUS Vivobook 14 X1404MA	£399	Intel Core 5 320	8GB	256GB SSD	14" Full HD	Windows
ASUS VivoBook Go 15	£423.56	AMD Ryzen 5	8GB	512GB SSD	15.6" Full HD	Windows
ASUS Vivobook 15 (16GB)	£499	AMD Ryzen 5 (model not stated)	16GB	512GB SSD	15.6" Full HD	Windows

Prices checked 9 November 2026. The market has kept moving the wrong way. Three of last month's picks (the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, the HP Pavilion SE 14 and the ASUS CX34 Chromebook Plus) have either sold out at mainstream retailers or gone over £500. One more thing to know before you buy: all three Windows laptops here ship without a charger, so budget for a USB-C charger if you don't already own one. Everything above is in stock new at the price shown.

How do I choose a budget laptop under £500?

Not every spec matters equally at this price. Here's what I'd focus on:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 or Intel Core i5 or better. The Intel i3-N305 has 8 cores and punches well above its weight in Chrome OS machines. For Windows, stick to Ryzen 5 or Core i5 minimum.
• RAM: 8GB is the floor for Windows. 16GB is noticeably better and available under £500, though only just. Chrome OS manages memory differently, so 8GB goes further there.
• Storage: SSD only. 256GB is the minimum I'd accept for Windows. For Chrome OS, 128GB is fine if you use Google Drive.
• Display: Full HD (1920x1080) minimum. If you see 1366x768 in 2026, walk past it. WUXGA (1920x1200) gives you extra vertical space and is worth seeking out.
• Battery: 8+ hours for real portability. I knock 20-30% off manufacturer claims. Chromebooks consistently beat Windows machines here.
• Weight: Under 1.7kg if you're carrying it. Over 2kg and you'll leave it at home.

Windows or Chrome OS in 2026?

This deserves its own section because the answer has changed. Two years ago I'd have said Windows by default. Now it depends.

If your work lives in a browser (Google Docs, email, web apps, Slack, Zoom) then Chrome OS gives you a faster, lighter, longer-lasting machine for less money. The ASUS CX1505 Chromebook Plus gets you a 15.6-inch Full HD screen and 256GB of storage for £349.99, around £50 less than the cheapest Windows laptop on this list.

If you need Photoshop, Excel with macros, specialist professional software, or offline apps that only run on Windows, then you need Windows. Simple as that. No workaround.

Two of my five picks run Chrome OS. That's not bias. It's where the value is right now.

The 5 best budget laptops for 2026

1. ASUS VivoBook Go 15 — best Windows laptop under £450 (£423.56)

The VivoBook Go 15 is the most straightforward recommendation on this list. Ryzen 5, 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD for £423.56 at Amazon. That's still a lot of laptop for the money, even though it has crept up from £399 last month.

Buy the E1504FA version at Amazon, sold by Amazon itself. Currys charges £529 and up for its Vivobook Go 15 configurations, so the Amazon listing is the one to go for.

It's built for normal work: a browser with a dozen tabs, Spotify, Word and a video call are well within what a Ryzen 5 with 8GB can handle. ASUS says fast charging takes a flat battery to 60% in as little as 49 minutes. Don't expect Chromebook-level battery life, but it's solid for Windows.

The build has a MIL-STD-810H durability rating, which is unusual at this price. There's a physical webcam shield, Wi-Fi 6E, HDMI, and a 180-degree lay-flat hinge, which is handy when you want to show someone your screen across a table.

The catch that's new this month: Amazon's listing says the charger is not included. ASUS says any 65W USB-C charger will do, so if you already have one from a phone or tablet, check its wattage. If not, add the cost of one to the price.

The display on the standard model is average. If you see the OLED variant at a similar price, get that instead. The standard panel does the job for documents and streaming but it won't make you stop and look. At 1.63kg it's comfortable in a backpack. Speakers are forgettable.

Pros: Ryzen 5 and 512GB SSD under £450, MIL-STD-810H build, fast charging, 180-degree hinge
Cons: No charger in the box, standard display is nothing special, 8GB RAM is the minimum
Best for: Anyone who needs Windows on a budget without compromise on the basics
Where to buy: Amazon (£423.56)*

2. ASUS Vivobook 15 (16GB) — best 16GB Windows laptop (£499)

This is the only laptop on the list with 16GB of RAM under £500, and right now it's the only one we could find at a mainstream retailer. Last month's 16GB pick, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, is now only available from a marketplace seller at £649. Elsewhere, 16GB laptops start at around £549 at Argos and John Lewis.

Very has this ASUS Vivobook 15 at £499, down from £849. That's a Black Friday price, so it may not last beyond the end of the sale. It's also £1 under our cap, so if the price moves up it will come out of this guide.

The spec is an AMD Ryzen 5 processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 15.6-inch Full HD (1920x1080) screen. Very doesn't state the exact Ryzen 5 model, so don't buy it expecting a particular chip. The 16GB is the point. If you spend your day in Excel, Teams and a browser with twenty tabs, 8GB is where budget Windows machines start to stutter and 16GB is where they stop. The 512GB SSD gives you room to install what you need without running a mental inventory of what to delete.

You get the same 180-degree lay-flat hinge and physical webcam shield as the Vivobook Go 15 above, plus ASUS's antimicrobial coating on the surfaces you touch most. It's a regular x86 Windows laptop, so unlike last month's Snapdragon pick, there are no software compatibility questions to check first.

Like the other Windows laptops here, it ships without a charger. Very's listing says it charges over USB-C at 33W to 48W, so a mid-range USB-C charger will do. There's only one review on Very so far, so you can't read much into its rating.

Pros: 16GB RAM under £500, 512GB SSD, Full HD 15.6-inch screen, no ARM compatibility worries
Cons: Black Friday price that may not last, no charger in the box, exact processor not stated, very little review history
Best for: Home workers who live in Office and a browser and want proper multitasking headroom
Where to buy: Very (£499)*

3. ASUS Vivobook 14 X1404MA — best compact Windows laptop (£399)

This slot used to belong to the HP Pavilion SE 14, but Currys has delisted the £428.97 version and the only Pavilion SE 14 left costs £498.97 with the same 256GB of storage. The Vivobook 14 X1404MA is the replacement. It's here because it's the cheapest way to get a current Intel Core processor in a 14-inch Windows laptop from a mainstream retailer right now.

The spec is an Intel Core 5 320 (6 cores, up to 4.6GHz), 8GB of DDR5 RAM, a 256GB SSD and a 14-inch Full HD IPS screen for £399 at Currys. Currys lists a previous price of £699 between July and September, so it's had a big cut. The Core 5 320 is Intel's newer naming, not the older "Core i5", so judge it on the price rather than the badge.

A 14-inch screen is easier to carry around than the 15- and 16-inch machines that dominate this price bracket, and at 1.4kg it's one of the lightest laptops here. The webcam has a privacy shutter, there's a fingerprint sensor built into the touchpad, and you get HDMI, two USB-C and three USB-A ports. Currys quotes up to 20 hours of battery, which I'd treat as a best case.

There are two trade-offs. Storage is 256GB, which is fine if you keep files in OneDrive or Google Drive but fills up faster than the 512GB drives elsewhere on this list. And Currys says the charger is sold separately. It also has only three Currys reviews so far (3.7 out of 5), so there's little buyer feedback to go on.

Pros: Under £400, compact 14-inch size at 1.4kg, privacy shutter and fingerprint sensor, plenty of ports
Cons: Only 256GB of storage, 8GB RAM, no charger in the box, very few reviews
Best for: Anyone who carries their laptop around and wants a light Windows machine
Where to buy: Currys (£399)*

4. HP Chromebook 14 — the cheapest Chromebook worth buying (£289)

8GB RAM and a Full HD IPS display for £289. It was £230 in September, but Amazon and John Lewis have both sold out, and Argos is now the place to buy it. It's still the cheapest laptop here by £60.

The Intel N100 isn't fast in absolute terms, but Chrome OS doesn't need it to be. Web browsing, Google Docs, YouTube and email are well within its reach, and 8GB of RAM means a dozen or more Chrome tabs shouldn't trouble it. The 14-inch screen is clear and sharp enough for reading and writing all day.

Battery life is quoted at 11 hours for browsing. Knock a bit off that for real use and it's still excellent at this price. It charges to 50% in 45 minutes via USB-C. There's no fan, so it runs completely silent. At 1.4kg it's one of the lightest on this list.

It's a Chromebook, so no Windows apps. The 128GB storage is tight if you download much locally. The display maxes out at 220 nits, so it's dim in bright rooms or near a window. The build is basic HP plastic. None of that matters much at £289 for a machine that does the basics this well.

If you need a laptop for a student, a second machine for the house, or something to browse and email on, spending more than this is hard to justify unless you need Windows.

Pros: Cheapest laptop here, 8GB RAM, silent operation, good battery, lightweight
Cons: Dim screen (220 nits), Chrome OS only, basic build, 128GB storage
Best for: Students, light home use, anyone whose work lives in a browser
Where to buy: Argos (£289)*

5. ASUS Chromebook Plus CX1505 — best Chromebook overall (£349.99)

Last month this slot went to the ASUS CX34 Chromebook Plus at £399. Currys has since delisted it, and the only Amazon offer is a marketplace seller asking £479. The ASUS CX1505 is the replacement. It's sold by Amazon itself, and it's £50 cheaper than the CX34 was.

For £349.99 at Amazon you get an Intel Core 3 N355, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and a 15.6-inch Full HD screen. That's twice the storage of the HP Chromebook above and a bigger screen, for £60 more. The Core 3 N355 isn't a laptop-class Core i5, but Chrome OS is light enough that it doesn't need to be.

The "Chromebook Plus" badge means Google's AI features come built in: writing assistance, image editing in Google Photos, that sort of thing. To earn the badge, a Chromebook also needs a Full HD screen, so you're not gambling on the display. ASUS lists up to 12 hours of battery, and there's Wi-Fi 6, HDMI, two USB-C ports and a USB-A port, so you won't need adapters for a monitor.

Amazon buyers rate it 4.4 out of 5. At 1.59kg it's heavier than the 14-inch machines here, which is the price of the bigger screen. If everything you do happens in a browser, it's the Chromebook to buy: Chrome OS stays quick as it ages in a way Windows often doesn't. If you need any Windows software at all, take the Vivobook Go 15 instead.

Pros: Full HD 15.6-inch screen guaranteed by the Chromebook Plus spec, 256GB storage, HDMI, Google AI features, sold by Amazon
Cons: Core 3 rather than Core i5, Chrome OS only, heavier than the 14-inch options
Best for: Browser-first users who want a bigger screen and a Chromebook that will last
Where to buy: Amazon (£349.99)*

When is the best time to buy a laptop in the UK?

If you can wait, timing your purchase can save £50-100 easily.

• Amazon Prime Day (July): Typically 15-25% off. Chromebooks especially get deep cuts.
• Back to School (August-September): Currys and Argos run bundle deals. Laptops Direct often has the best raw prices during this period.
• Black Friday (27 November 2026): The deepest discounts of the year, and early offers are already live. The 16GB Vivobook 15 at Very is one of them.
• January Sales: Good for picking up stock that retailers want to clear. Discounts aren't as deep as Black Friday but the selection is wider.

Set up deal alerts on PoundSavingDeals so you catch price drops when they happen. The best deals at these prices sell out in hours.

What about refurbished laptops?

Worth a look, with caveats. A refurbished ThinkPad or EliteBook from two years ago can outperform a new budget laptop at the same price. Better build, better keyboard, more ports. Amazon Renewed and Back Market are the main sellers in the UK.

The risk is battery health. A two-year-old battery might only hold 70-80% of its original capacity. Check the listing for battery health info and budget £40-60 for a replacement if needed. If the maths still works, refurbished is a smart move.

I'd avoid anything older than three years. The processor gap gets too wide and you're buying something halfway through its useful life.

Frequently asked questions

Is 8GB RAM enough in 2026?

For Chrome OS, yes. For Windows, it works but you'll feel the limits. A typical workload on 8GB Windows (a browser with 15 tabs, Spotify, Word, Slack) is manageable, but 16GB handles the same load more smoothly, with headroom to spare. If you can stretch to 16GB on Windows, do it. Only one of the three Windows laptops on this list comes with 16GB, and it is the most expensive of them.

How long should a budget laptop last?

3-5 years from any laptop on this list. Battery is the first thing to go, usually dropping to about 80% capacity after 2-3 years of daily charging. Most people replace budget laptops because they run out of storage or the battery dies, not because anything actually breaks.

Can I game on a budget laptop?

Light stuff only. Minecraft runs fine. Fortnite is playable on low settings. Indie games, no problem. Anything graphically demanding from the last couple of years won't run well. If gaming is a priority, you need a dedicated GPU, and that means £600+ for a gaming laptop like the Acer Nitro V 15.

Is it worth paying extra for a touchscreen?

At this price, probably not. Touchscreens add £50-80, drain the battery faster, and the reflective coating makes the screen harder to see in bright rooms. The only exception is if you specifically want a 2-in-1 tablet mode.

What ports should I look for?

At minimum: one USB-C, one USB-A, and a headphone jack. HDMI is a bonus for connecting to a monitor or TV. The Vivobook Go 15, the Vivobook 14 and the ASUS CX1505 Chromebook all have HDMI. Check the ports on the other two before you buy if you need a monitor connection. If you need to present on a projector regularly, factor in a USB-C to HDMI adapter.

Should I buy a Chromebook or a Windows laptop?

Depends what software you need. If 90% of your work happens in a browser (Google Docs, email, web apps) a Chromebook gives you better hardware for the money. Longer battery, lighter weight, faster performance. If you need Photoshop, Excel with macros, or specialist Windows software, stick with Windows. No workaround there.

Our verdict

For most people, the ASUS Vivobook Go 15 at £423.56 is still the one to buy. It does everything competently and 512GB of storage means you won't run out of space in a hurry. Buy it at Amazon, not Currys, where the same family of laptops starts at £529, and remember it doesn't come with a charger.

If your work lives in a browser, the ASUS Chromebook Plus CX1505 at £349.99 gives you a Full HD 15.6-inch screen and 256GB of storage in a machine that stays fast. If you need something cheaper for a student or for light home use, the HP Chromebook 14 at £289 still does the basics well.

For a compact, light Windows laptop, take the ASUS Vivobook 14 X1404MA at £399. And if you need 16GB of RAM for heavier office work, the ASUS Vivobook 15 at £499 from Very is the only way we found to get it under £500. That's a Black Friday price, so don't sit on it.

Three recommendations dropped out in this update. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is now only sold by a marketplace seller at £649, and the HP Pavilion SE 14 and ASUS CX34 Chromebook Plus have been delisted at Currys. Laptop prices are drifting up as stock runs down, but Black Friday on 27 November should bring more offers. If you can wait until then, you may pay less for everything on this list.