Weighing 2.65 pounds with a 14-inch screen, Acer's Swift 3 is a super portable laptop that also doesn't feel too compact.
- Processor: Intel Core i7-1165G7
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe (integrated)
- Memory: 8GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 14-inch, 1920 x 1080
- Battery life: About 9.5 hours
The Asus Swift 3 might not compare with the higher-end and more expensive options on this list, but if you're looking for a laptop around $500, it's hard to beat. A quick note up front, though, technically the laptop isn't less than $500, though it sometimes hits the sub-$500 price point during sales. At the time of this writing, it was $514, but we think it's easily worth stretching the budget for this over the other sub-$500 options.
Why? Well, it's much more powerful than most comparably priced laptops, has a solid amount of RAM, and comes with a 512GB SSD, which isn't necessarily all that common in this price range. It also has a decently large display, and while its performance isn't necessarily as impressive as more recent releases, it still easily beats other options at the price.
The main downside is the fact that the laptop is a few years old now, so it may at times be tricky to find online. If you can find one for around this price point, it's the budget laptop to go for.
Read our full Acer Swift 3 review.
Pros
Outstanding portability
Great productivity performance
Runs very quietly
Cons
Limited connectivity options
A ridiculous amount of bloatware
Performance outside of productivity is lackluster