Best Touchscreen Laptop Under $500 | Top Picks for 2021

The best touchscreen laptop under $500 is highly responsive and they are quite the game-changers. We always knew that the future greatly depends on computers but we never anticipated its use properly. Computers have seeped their way into our lives so deeply that we need a computer in various fields of life whether you talk about studies, business, research, technology, or whatever.

One of the best form-factors of computers is a laptop and the reason for its huge popularity is its portability. You can take it wherever you want and even use it without plugging it in, and the latest laptops come with great battery timings as well.

Another great invention was the touch screen which completely revolutionized the computer world and we see touch screen mobiles which are used by almost everyone now. Moreover, touch screen laptops are also trendy, and interacting with the computer via touch definitely feels like an intuitive way. 

We have been seeing a lot of touch screen laptops in the market for the past few years and some of the most powerful laptops are also available with touch screens. However, our focus in this article is mainly on those laptops which are available under $500 and provide a touch screen as well. We will be discussing some of the best touch screen laptop under $500 in this article, so stay tuned.

Best Touchscreen Laptop Under $500 | Top Picks for 2021

1) Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 – Our Top Pick

The first laptop that we have on our list is Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5. Lenovo is a well-known company that is not only manufacturing laptops but also a lot of other electronic products like mobiles, etc. Surely, the fame of the company is due to its laptops, and its products are highly regarded for their durability as well.  This laptop uses Chrome OS, which is much limited in functionality compared to Windows or Mac OS but it is highly popular among people who just want to watch videos and surf the internet.

CPU	Intel Core i3-10110U
GPU	Integrated Intel UHD Graphics
RAM	4GB DDR4
Screen	13 inches FHD (1920 x 1080) Touch IPS
Storage	64GB eMMC SSD
Battery Life	10 hours
Dimensions	12.20 x 8.43 x 0.67 inches
Weight	2.97 pounds

Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is one of the latest laptops and the design of the laptop is pretty awesome as well. It is quite slim in shape and to be honest, the insides look pretty similar to a MacBook Pro. The screen of the laptop has very small bezels and that is why it looks modern. The laptop offers 360-degree rotation as well, which is great if you want to read some slides.

The technical specifications of the laptop are not the best but under five hundred bucks, you might not be able to get a lot. The laptop comes with an Intel Core i3-10110U processor that is a dual-core processor, having four threads due to Intel Hyper-Threading technology. This processor was released in the third quarter of 2019 and it is still considered good enough for most daily-use applications. It has a TDP of 15 watts, which is why it does not eat much of your battery.

The laptop comes with 4 GB of DDR4 RAM, which is more than enough for those people who are buying the touch-screen laptop for reading slides or browsing the internet. However, if you want to do multitasking or run high-end applications, this much RAM capacity is not going to be enough and you would probably require a more expensive laptop.

The touch-screen of the laptop is 13 inches in size and it has a resolution of 1920 x 1080, which makes it quite sharp, as you would not see a lot of laptops with this high resolution at this price. 

The laptop comes with a low space of 64 GB by means of a solid-state disk, although you might be able to upgrade the space later. The laptop comes with Intel integrated graphics, as expected from a small-sized touch-screen laptop. In fact, almost all the laptops on the list are not good contenders for gaming and you should only buy these if you are interested in light workloads.

Conclusion

Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is a laptop that is providing a high-end touch screen and comes with the latest hardware components, although it lacks a bit in the storage department. If you can cope with the low amount of storage, this is going to be one of the best laptops under $500 for you.

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2) Lenovo IdeaPad 3 – Best Overall

Here we are with another product from Lenovo that is Lenovo IdeaPad 3. This laptop takes a different approach from the previous laptop and offers a larger screen although the resolution of the screen is lower. The technical specifications of the laptop are also different as well. This laptop supports Microsoft Windows and unlike the previous one, you will get full functionality.

CPU	Intel Core i3-1005G1
GPU	Dedicated Intel UHD Graphics
RAM	8GB DDR4
Screen	15.6 inches HD (1366 x 768)
Storage	256 GB PCI-e SSD
Battery Life	17 hours
Dimensions	14.26 x 9.98 x 0.78 inches
Weight	3.97 pounds

The overall design of the laptop is very similar to that of the Lenovo Flex 5 and it comes in an Almond color, which might not appeal to most people as much as the Graphite Gray color of the Flex 5. The bezels of the screen are slightly larger in this laptop but that was quite expected, as this laptop offers a larger screen.

The laptop comes with Intel Core i3-1005G1, which belongs to Intel’s latest processors based on the 10nm architecture. This processor has a relatively low base clock of 1.2 GHz and the Turbo Boost clock of the processor is relatively lower as well, at 3.4 GHz, compared to 4.1 GHz of the previous laptop’s processor. The reduction in lithography does enhance the efficiency and this processor is going to run cooler than the Intel Core i3-10110U, although the official TDP is the same.

The laptop offers 8 GB of RAM, which is an excellent thing for a touch-screen laptop under $500 and you could accomplish a lot with this much RAM capacity. The screen is although larger, at 15 inches, the screen resolution is quite lower than the previous laptop, where the previous ones offered 1920 x 1080 resolution and this laptop offers 1366 x 768 resolution.

A great thing about this laptop is that it comes with a much higher capacity than the previous one, as it uses a 256 GB PCI-E SSD, which is much faster in performance as well. The performance of this storage device is much better than SATA-based SSDs or eMMC-card-based storage solutions that you would see in most cheap laptops.

Conclusion

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is a laptop that offers a different approach from the Lenovo Flex 5, offering a larger yet lower-resolution screen, a more efficient and faster processor, and a much higher capacity storage solution. If you are someone who values high storage capacity and a large screen, this laptop is going to be great for you, not to mention the fact that this laptop comes with 8 GB of RAM where most other laptops on the list come with 4 GB of RAM.

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3) HP Pavilion X360 2-IN-1 – Best Value

HP is one of the most renowned companies in the laptop industry whether you talk about gaming laptops, professional laptops, business laptops, heavy-duty laptops, etc. HP Pavilion is a popular budget-friendly series of laptops by the company that offers a wide range of products, covering various kinds of needs of users.

CPU	Intel Pentium N5000 (4-Core)
GPU	Intel UHD Graphics 605
RAM	4GB DDR4
Screen	11.6 inches touch screen HD (1366 x 768) IPS WLED backlight Display.
Storage	128GB SSD
Battery Life	6 to 7 hours
Dimensions	11.2 x 8.72 x 0.76 inches
Weight	2.89 pounds

HP Pavilion X360 2-IN-1 is a beautiful laptop that comes with a classy design, offering a silver-color chassis that looks quite professional. The thickness of the laptop is pretty impressive as well and so is the weight of the laptop. It is a pretty small laptop, as it offers a small 11.6-inch screen, although the bezels of this display are much bigger than the previous two laptops.

The technical specifications of this laptop are not as good as the first two laptops and it comes with an Intel Pentium Silver N5000 processor, which is a quad-core processor, although it does not support Intel Hyper-Threading technology and the cores are much slower than previous processors as well. The TDP of the processor is much lower although, which is why this processor is much better at saving the battery of the laptop.

The RAM of the laptop is fixed at 4 GB and it has a 128 GB SSD for storage, which is pretty much the norm in these kinds of laptops. The laptop uses Intel UHD Graphics 605 integrated graphics. The small screen-size of this laptop might be a deal-breaker for many people but for those who want to get a super-portable laptop, this one is going to be just awesome. Moreover, since the laptop is 2-IN-1, you can use it as a tablet by rotating the lid towards the back. 

Conclusion

HP Pavilion X360 2-IN-1 laptop is a fine product for those who are looking to buy a small-sized laptop that offers a touch-screen and an efficient processor that would result in lower power consumption, so as to maximize the battery timing of the laptop.

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4) HP Chromebook X360 14 Series – Thin & Powerful

HP Chromebook X360 is something that is a lot different from traditional laptops that you would see in the market. If you are someone who requires a laptop only for browsing or watching youtube videos or reading slides, this laptop is going to be amazing for you since it comes with Chrome OS, which is much more efficient at handling the resources of the system, although, as said earlier, the functionalities are very limited as well.

CPU	Intel(r) Celeron(r) N4000, Dual-Core
GPU	Integrated UHD Graphics
RAM	4 GB LPDDR4
Screen	14 inches HD Touchscreen (1366 x 768) SVA micro-edge WLED-backlit
Storage	32 GB eMMC
Battery Life	Up to 12 hours
Dimensions	12.76 x 8.90 x 0.74 inches
Weight	3.48 pounds

The design of the HP Chromebook X360 14 Series laptop is similar to the HP Pavilion X360, however, the screen of the laptop is larger, at 14 inches and it has relatively slimmer bezels as well. The laptop is available in Ceramic White or Mineral Silver color; both of which look marvelous. The laptop offers a sleek design and this laptop too, comes with 360-degree rotation. 

The technical specifications of this laptop are even lower than that of the previous laptop, as it comes with an Intel Celeron N4000 processor, which is a dual-core processor, having a base clock of 1.1 GHz and Turbo Boost clock of 2.6 GHz. Usually, most processors other than Intel Core series and Xeon series do not support Hyper-Threading technology, which is why the performance of this processor is much lower than the previous laptops. 

Thankfully, Chrome OS does not require much processing as browsing or watching videos is not so CPU-taxing tasks. The laptop comes with a 14-inch touch-screen that has a resolution of 1366 x 768. The laptop has 4 GB of RAM, which can be expanded by using the additional slot on the motherboard of this laptop. The storage solution of the laptop is quite weak and it comes with 32 GB eMMC storage, which means that you won’t be able to store large-sized movies or other videos on this laptop.

Conclusion

HP Chromebook X360 14 Series is a laptop that is definitely not for everyone but it attracts a lot of people who want a lightweight cheap laptop that can be carried out easily and serves as a basic laptop for watching videos or surfing the internet.

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5) ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 2-IN-1 Laptop – Best for Performance

Here we are with another Chromebook, that is offered by ASUS by the name of ASUS Chromebook Flip C434. By the name of this laptop, you can surely guess that it uses Chrome OS, which is, again, great at reducing the workload of the laptop but offers pretty much no control over the laptop.

CPU	Intel Core M3-8100Y
GPU	Intel HD Graphics 615
RAM	4GB LPDDR3
Screen	14 inches Touchscreen FHD (1920 x 1080)
Storage	32GB eMMC
Battery Life	Up to 10 hours
Dimensions	12.6 x 8 x 0.6 inches
Weight	3.2 pounds

The design of this laptop feels very professional and it offers a sturdy chassis that deserves praise right after seeing it. The laptop is available in silver color, which looks great and probably most people will prefer silver color instead of gray or golden. The all-aluminum body definitely enhances the durability of the laptop while giving a premium touch as well. The screen size of the laptop is 14 inches and it offers a 4-way NanoEdge Display, which means that the bezels are really slim on all four sides of the laptop.

The raw performance of this laptop is much better than the last laptop, yet its processor is very efficient. The laptop uses an Intel Core m3-8100Y processor, that is clocked very passively, having a low base clock of 1.1 GHz and Turbo Boost clock of 3.4 GHz. The processor offers two cores and four threads, which is a better configuration than the previous laptop in terms of performance.

The display quality of this laptop is pretty impressive and the screen resolution is high as well, at 1920 x 1080. The RAM capacity of the laptop is 4 GB, although it is available in 8 GB memory capacity as well, which would raise its price above five hundred bucks. Similarly, the laptop comes with 32 GB eMMC storage or 64 GB eMMC storage, depending on the model you pick.

Conclusion

ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 is a great alternative to the previous laptop, as it offers much better performance and design while being priced a bit higher. If you are interested in Chrome OS, this laptop is going to be one of the best products for you and the company is well-known for providing support for its products, in case you require any kind of assistance.

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6) Lenovo Chromebook C330 – Editor’s Choice

Here we are with another Lenovo product, that is Lenovo Chromebook C330. This is a great Chromebook that offers a mobile SOC instead of an Intel motherboard and processor.

CPU	Mediatek MT8173c 84
GPU	Imagination PowerVR GX6250
RAM	4GB LPDDR3
Screen	11.6-Inches HD (1366 x 768) pixel IPS Display
Storage	64 GB eMMC
Battery Life	Up to 10 hours
Dimensions	11.50 x 0.77 x 8.48 inches
Weight	2.64 pounds

This Chromebook offers a minimalistic design and the Blizzard White color definitely looks mind-blowing. This laptop is not among the latest laptops but still, the functionality of this laptop is really good. The screen size of this laptop is 11.6 inches and the display quality of the laptop is quite good, as it uses an IPS panel.

The laptop uses MediaTek MT8173C SOC, which offers four cores in big.LITTLE configuration, having two fast cores at 2.4 GHz and two slow cores at 1.5 GHz. A great advantage of ARM SOCs is that they are highly efficient and require low power consumption, which leads to great battery timing.

The laptop comes with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of eMMC storage, although if you are short on money, you can buy the laptop in 32 GB eMMC storage configuration as well. The laptop uses PowerVR GX6250 graphics, having a maximum frequency of 700 MHz. The display resolution of the laptop is 1366 x 768 but since it is an IPS display, the quality feels great for watching videos.

Conclusion

Lenovo Chromebook C330 is an interesting Chromebook that you can buy readily and it offers great battery timing while not compromising a lot on the performance, especially in the storage and RAM capacity.

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7) Acer Chromebook 514 – Fit for Gamers

Acer is a brand that is considered as good as HP when it comes to laptops and some of the most powerful laptops are designed by Acer. Acer Chromebook 514 is a laptop that offers a high-quality touch screen while the performance of the laptop is not up to the mark.

CPU	Intel Celeron N3450
GPU	Integrated Intel HD Graphics 500
RAM	4GB LPDDR4
Screen	14 inches Full HD Touch IPS LED-backlit
Storage	64GB eMMC
Battery Life	12 hours
Dimensions	12.72 x 9.13 x 0.67 inches
Weight	3.09 pounds

Acer Chromebook 514 feels similar to the ASUS Chromebook that we have listed above due to a somewhat similar design and color theme. The bezels on this laptop are slightly larger at the top and bottom, although they are still slimmer than most laptops that you would see in the market.

The specifications of this laptop are not so good when it comes to processing capabilities. The laptop uses an Intel Celeron N3450 processor, which is although a quad-core processor, the low clock speeds make it much slower than the processors we are seeing these days. This does affect the battery timing of the laptop positively, which is great for those people who are willing to lose performance in order to get longer battery timing.

The laptop uses 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of eMMC storage, which is similar to what we have been seeing in other laptops on the list. The display of this laptop feels similar to the ASUS Chromebook listed above and this 14-inch display has a high resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels as well.

Conclusion

Acer Chromebook 514 is a laptop that is surely not among the cheapest Chromebooks but the display capabilities of this laptop make it great for those people who want a touch-screen laptop that offers a fantastic-quality screen for viewing videos, etc.

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8) HP Stream 11-Inch – Best for Low Budget

HP Stream 11-inch is getting popular day by day and it is a highly interesting laptop. It attracts a lot of customers these days due to its small size and unique operating system, which is Windows 10 in S mode. This operating system offers limited functionalities but still, you get more functionalities compared to the Chrome OS.

CPU	Intel Celeron N4000 Dual Core
GPU	Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 600
RAM	4 GB DDR3L
Screen	11.6 inches diagonal HD Antiglare WLED-backlit display (1366 x 768)
Storage	32 GB eMMC
Battery Life	Up to 14 hours
Dimensions	11.08 x 7.59 x 0.66 inches
Weight	2.37 pounds

The laptop comes with an Intel Celeron N4000 processor, which is a dual-core processor and it performs worse than the Intel Celeron N3450 processor due to lower core-configuration. The RAM capacity of the laptop is 4 GB, which is similar to other laptops. The 32 GB eMMC capacity seems low as well, which makes this laptop one of the slowest laptops on the list, although it is one of the cheapest touch-screen laptops on the list as well.By design, HP Stream 11-inch is a simple, sturdy, and light-weight laptop, which you easily carry around. The 11.6-inch screen is covered by large bezels that look a bit ugly at first but you would get accustomed to it soon. The Royal Blue color seems like a charming color for youngsters, although it is available in Diamond White as well. 

Conclusion

HP Stream 11-Inch is a unique laptop and it is among the cheapest laptops on the list, which is why it is lower in performance as well, compared to other laptops. Still, this is one of the best cheap touch screen laptops that you can use to watch videos or browse the internet.

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9) ASUS VivoBook Flip 14 – Highly Recommended

The last laptop that we have on the list is a traditional laptop and its name is ASUS VivoBook Flip 14. We are seeing some of the best-valued laptops in the laptop industry in the VivoBook series and surely, ASUS VivoBook Flip 14 is one of them. The laptop offers a high-end screen, coupled with a relatively slower processor, which makes it similar to Acer Chromebook 514. 

CPU	Intel Celeron N4000 Dual Core
GPU	Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 600
RAM	4GB DDR4 SDRAM
Screen	14 inches Glossy Screen with a Nano Edge FHD Touchscreen
Storage	64 GB EMMC
Battery Life	10 hours
Dimensions	12.90 x 8.90 x 0.60 inches
Weight	3.3 pounds

Speaking of processing capabilities, this laptop uses the same processor that is used in the HP Stream 11-inch, the Intel Celeron N4000, which is one of the slowest processors on the list. Like the HP Stream 11-inch, this laptop, too, uses Windows 10 in S Mode. The laptop comes with 4 GB of RAM capacity and offers 64 GB of storage. The laptop uses an integrated Intel UHD Graphics 600 graphics card.This ASUS laptop, too, uses an all-aluminum chassis and we really like this thing by ASUS. Unlike the previous ASUS laptop, this one uses a gray color theme. The screen bezels of this laptop are although thicker than the other ASUS laptop, they are still not as thick as other laptops on the list. 

The screen of the laptop feels nice and it has a high resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and the panel is IPS as well, which is why the viewing angles are very wide. There are no Type-A ports on the laptop, which might be a deal-breaker for some people, although it does have a USB 3.2 Type-C port.

Conclusion

ASUS VivoBook Flip 14 is a laptop that uses the same strategy as that of the Acer Chromebook 514 when it comes to hardware components, however, when it comes to the operating system, it uses Windows 10 in S Mode instead of Chrome OS. For people who are leaning towards Windows 10 in S Mode and yet don’t want the low screen-size of HP Stream 11-inch, ASUS VivoBook Flip 14 seems like a nice alternative.

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Final Thoughts

Shopping for a laptop is definitely not an easy task, especially when there are thousands of products in the market competing with each other with great pressure. We spent a lot of time choosing the best touchscreen laptop under $500 and came up with this list. We assure you that the products we have selected are really attractive for the price and depending on their unique characteristics, you can blindly submit to our choice and even if you don’t, we bet your choice is going to be the same or very close to what we have proposed. 

In the end, we hope that this article would have greatly eased your shopping adventure and you would be able to select the most suitable best touch screen laptops for you in the perfect manner.