The best laptop for under £500/$500: Cheap laptops offer amazing performance

best laptop for under £500
(Image credit: Acer)

You might think a laptop for under £500/$500 is only good for surfing the web or managing emails. But affordable doesn't necessarily equate to a sub-par device, as these Acer Swift 3 and Dell Inspiron laptop deals prove. 

A firm entry in our best laptops for photo editing round-up, the Acer Swift 3 is undoubtedly the best budget laptop in the world. A laptop for under £500, the Acer Swift 3 offers great specification for your money, boasting a quad-core Intel processor and 8GB of memory as standard. The 14-inch display uses IPS backlighting technology for wider viewing angles and brighter colours, and supports FHD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution. The keyboard is great to work on too. 

The Dell 15.6-inch Inspiron is another quality device, powered by an Intel Core i3 processor, which allows you to run multiple applications with ease. The system's 8GB of RAM can be upgraded if required, and the large 15.6-inch screen is perfect for viewing artwork in all its glory. 

As laptop deals go, in terms of performance and value for money, they really don't get much better than this. So if you're after a quality, powerful laptop for under £500/$500, look no further...

Acer Swift 3 laptop deals

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<a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=22479&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.currys.co.uk%2Fgbuk%2Fcomputing%2Flaptops%2Flaptops%2Facer-swift-3-14-laptop-amd-ryzen-3-256-gb-ssd-silver-10193940-pdt.html" data-link-merchant="currys.co.uk"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ACER Swift 3 14-inch laptop| £499 at Currys
The best laptop for under £500, the Acer Swift 3 is a great all-rounder. Featuring a powerful AMD processor and full HD 14-inch display, all your art and design work will look super-sharp. A brilliant laptop deal, grab it before it's gone!

Not in the UK or need different specs? Here are the best Acer Swift 3 laptop deals in your area:

Dell 15.6" Inspiron laptop deal

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<a href="https://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-8150602-12578053?sid=hawk-custom-tracking&url=https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-15-5000-laptop/spd/inspiron-15-5593-laptop/nn5593dsschmk?AID=8150602&cjevent=3d4788fd8a1711ea8230007a0a180511&gacd=9694607-23736398-5750457-266319267-127795103&dgc=af&VEN1=13502820-8150602-cbq-1055994566383766800&dclid=CO_DgYjVjekCFVri1Qod2UAEDg" data-link-merchant="dell.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Dell Inspiron 15 5000 laptop | $479 at Dell
Ideal for everyday use, this Dell Inspiron laptop deal is a steal. The combination of its 15.6" display with Full HD resolution and Intel Core i3 processor makes is a great budget option, capable of managing a variety of creative tasks.

The best laptop deals (if you have a little more than £500 to spend)

The two devices above are without a doubt the best laptops for under £500/$500, but if your budget can stretch a little further, these quality laptops offer higher specifications with excellent value for money. 

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<a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=3090&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.very.co.uk%2Fhuawei-matebook-13-2019-intel-core-i5-8gb-ram-512gb-ssd-13in-laptop-with-optional-microsoft-office-365-family-1-yearnbsp-nbspsilver%2F1600458575.prd" data-link-merchant="very.co.uk"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Huawei Matebook 13-inch laptop | £899 | £799
One of the best value laptops around, the Huawei Matebook 13 offers amazing value for money. Powered by an Intel Core processor and Nvidia graphics, the Matebook 13 can handle complex tasks for an impressively low price. 

Apple MacBook Air (2020) | £999

<a href="https://apple.sjv.io/c/221109/435298/7615?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fuk%2Fshop%2Fbuy-mac%2Fmacbook-air" data-link-merchant="apple.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Apple MacBook Air (2020) | £999
Cheap is not a word often associated with Apple products, but this year's MacBook Air is the cheapest but still extremely powerful device in Apple's laptop line-up. It's update this year makes it one of the best laptops in the world, which makes it's price tag feel extremely reasonable.

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Kerrie Hughes
Freelance writer

Kerrie Hughes is a frequent contributor to Creative Bloq, and was once its editor. One of the original CB crew, Kerrie joined the team back in 2013 after moving from her role as staff writer on 3D World. Since then she's written regularly for other creative publications such as ImagineFX, Computer Arts and Digital Camera World. After a stint working for the police, Kerrie is back reviewing creative tech for creative professionals.