Amazon has the HP OmniBook 3 with 16GB of memory for $499.00, $200.99 below the $699.99 the listing shows as its typical price. It is the only laptop in this list of six with 16GB, and at this budget that number matters more than the size of any discount.
Every pick is a Windows laptop or Chromebook from a major brand, sold and shipped by Amazon, in stock and under $500 as of November 14. Laptop memory has reportedly become about six times more expensive in a year, so the real question under $500 is how much of it a maker could afford to include.
Six laptops under $500 at Amazon compared by memory and price
| Laptop | System | Amazon price | Compared with | What sets it apart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP OmniBook 3 14, Snapdragon X, 16GB, 256GB | Windows 11 (Arm) | $499.00 | $699.99 typical | 16GB memory, 14-inch OLED |
| HP OmniBook 3 14, Snapdragon X, 8GB, 256GB | Windows 11 (Arm) | $399.00 | $599.99 list | Same OLED screen, half the memory |
| ASUS Vivobook 17, Core 3 100U, 8GB, 512GB | Windows 11 (Intel) | $449.99 | $599.99 list | 17.3-inch screen, numeric keypad |
| ASUS Vivobook 16, Snapdragon X, 8GB, 512GB | Windows 11 (Arm) | $424.99 | $499.99 typical | Two USB4 ports, 512GB SSD |
| Lenovo Chromebook 2-in-1, N150, 4GB, 128GB | ChromeOS | $329.99 | $509.99 list | Updates until June 2035 |
| Acer Gateway Chromebook 314, N4500, 4GB, 64GB | ChromeOS | $188.99 | $269.99 list | Cheapest here, updates until June 2031 |
Two of the savings, on the 16GB OmniBook and the Vivobook 16, are measured against the typical price Amazon reports for its own listing. The rest are measured against list prices, which say less about what the laptop recently sold for, so judge those rows on the price and the hardware.
Several cheaper Windows laptops were left out. Amazon sells ASUS and HP Windows 11 machines with 4GB of memory for under $300, while Microsoft has aimed its recent Windows 11 responsiveness work at 8GB PCs. That makes 8GB the floor here. A Dell 15 with a Core 3 100U is also sold by Amazon, but its price could not be confirmed on November 14.
Is the 16GB HP OmniBook 3 the best laptop under $500?
For most people buying one laptop for school or home, yes. The OmniBook 3 14-hz0588nr pairs Qualcomm's Snapdragon X X1-26-100 with 16GB of LPDDR5x memory and a 256GB SSD. According to the listing, the 14-inch 1920 x 1200 OLED screen reaches up to 300 nits and the battery is rated for up to 41 hours and 45 minutes.
The 8GB version at $399.00 has the same chip, screen and storage. That makes the choice simple: $100 doubles the memory, and LPDDR5x memory cannot be added later. On a laptop meant to last several years, that is the upgrade worth paying for.
Both are Arm laptops. Most Windows apps run, and older ones built for Intel and AMD chips run through Microsoft's Prism emulation, which does not support drivers. Check that your printer, VPN client or exam software has an Arm version before buying.
Best Windows laptops under $500 with a bigger screen
The ASUS Vivobook 17 at $449.99 is the pick for anyone who wants to avoid Arm altogether. It pairs an Intel Core 3 100U with 8GB of memory, a 512GB SSD and a 17.3-inch Full HD screen with a numeric keypad, which suits spreadsheets and household paperwork better than travel.
The ASUS Vivobook 16 at $424.99 is $75 under its typical Amazon price and uses the same Snapdragon chip as the HP. It trades the OLED panel for a 16-inch 1920 x 1200 anti-glare screen, doubles the storage to 512GB and adds two USB4 ports, HDMI 2.1 and Wi-Fi 6E, according to ASUS's listing.
Which cheap Chromebook gets updates the longest?
Every Chromebook here has 4GB of memory, the amount that ruled out the Windows laptops above, because ChromeOS is built around the Chrome browser rather than desktop apps. What a Chromebook does carry is an expiry date. Google publishes an Auto Update Expiration date for every model, after which the laptop stops receiving ChromeOS updates.
The Lenovo Chromebook 2-in-1 at $329.99 is listed until June 2035, the longest on this list. Lenovo's spec sheet gives it an Intel N150, 4GB of soldered memory, 128GB of storage and a 14-inch 1920 x 1200 Gorilla Glass touchscreen on a 360-degree hinge. Video playback is rated at up to 13.06 hours, and it weighs 3.31 pounds.
The Acer Gateway Chromebook 314 at $188.99 is the cheapest laptop here, with a Celeron N4500, 4GB of memory, 64GB of storage and a 14-inch Full HD screen. Its updates run until June 2031. The ASUS Chromebook CX1 at $209.99 shares the chip, the storage and the June 2031 date, so the Gateway is the better buy of the two.
Google has also said some Chromebooks will be able to move to Googlebook OS, but it has not named which ones. Buy on the update date Google has already published, not on that promise.
What to check before buying a cheap laptop before Black Friday
Amazon's Black Friday week runs from November 19 to November 30, so some of these prices may move again. All prices here are as of November 14 and can change at any time.
At this budget, decide on memory and updates first and the discount second. Reach for the $499.00 OmniBook if Windows is the plan, treat 8GB as the floor, and pick the Chromebook with the latest update date if your day already lives in a browser.
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