Welp MagazineThe best 2-in-1 laptop under $500 is a great option for anyone looking for a versatile and portable device. Flippable, standable, drawable and touchable, these marvels of 2-in-1 gadgetry can be used both as a traditional laptop and as a tablet, making them perfect for a variety of tasks and situations. Unfortunately this means the cost of the best 2-in-1 laptops can get extremely high.
Achieving your ideal computing setup can be a costly thing to do, especially in a world where a new Chromebook, MacBook, GalaxyBook or any other kind of shiny new Book seems to roll off the production line every year. If you’re on the go, and on a budget, the best laptop for you is a reliable high-quality 2-in-1 machine that comes in under $500. A range of laptops are available in this more accessible price bracket, and we’ve reviewed as many as we can to figure out this list of the very best. So, let’s flip into presenting our five categories of the best 2-in-1 laptop under $500!
Product Comparison Table: Best 2-in-1 laptop under $500
| Title | Price | Rating (Amazon) | Best in class | Buy | |
 | ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 2-In-1 Chromebook | $$$ | 4.2 stars | Best Chromebook | Amazon |
 | Acer Spin 513 Convertible Chromebook | $$$ | 4.5 stars | Best for Students | Amazon |
 | Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Touchscreen 2 in 1 Laptop | $$ | 5 stars | Best for Zoom | Amazon |
 | Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook | $$$$ | 4.5 stars | Best Look | Amazon |
 | Microsoft Surface Go 2 10.5″ 2-in-1 Tablet | $$$ | 4.5 stars | Best for Streaming | Amazon |
ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 2-In-1 Chromebook
When is our best 2-in-1 laptop under $500 not our best 2-in-1 laptop under $500? When it’s our best 2-in-1 Chromebook under $500! Not (technically) a laptop, a Chromebook is a great 2-in-1 alternative to a 2-in-1 laptop, particularly if you spend most of your time on the internet, rather than doing something crazy like running three simultaneous Adobe Suite programs as you download a memory-intensive game. Chromebooks run ChromeOS, a cloud-storage operating system that has Google built in, alongside multiple layers of security. The ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 2-In-1 Laptop more than deserves the title of the best non-gamer laptop in this category.
Booting up in seconds, the ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 2-In-1 Laptop facilitates almost anything that you can do on a normal laptop (and more), thanks to the Intel Core m3-8100Y Processor and millions of Android and Google Play apps it offers access to. The only limitation is how much you can get done on your FHD touchscreen in the impressive 13.5 hour battery life from each charge!
Pros
- Our favourite ChromeBook
- 13.5 hour battery life
- Affordable high-end feel
Cons
- Not (technically) a laptop
- Price rising soon
Verdict
One reason why we chose to include the ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 2-In-1 Laptop in our best non-gamer laptop list is that Chromebooks are always reasonably priced. Even the best Chromebooks (like this one) rarely exceed $500, meaning that unlike a budget laptop, you’re not buying a budget version of a potentially high-end product when you don’t want to pay thousands for a brilliant machine – you’re buying the best Chromebook you can get.
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Acer Spin 513 Convertible Chromebook
There’s many groups of people looking for the best 2-in-1 laptop under $500, but students are always guaranteed to be among them! Students (or their parents) strapped for cash, whether they’re thinking about university, college or school will be more than happy with the Acer Spin 513 Convertible Chromebook.
Lightweight, sleek and ultraportable, the Acer Spin 513 Convertible Chromebook is powered by Intel’s Celeron N4020 processor and boasts up to 13.5 hours of battery life for a long day of classes. Almost anything is possible that you can do on a normal laptop (and more) – from note-taking and word-processing to streaming – thanks to apps available on the Android and Google Play Store. Most importantly, the 14-inch HD Gorilla Glass display with anti-glare is drop-tested over two meters to withstand stress. They do the same tests on military equipment, and even the clumsiest student’s probably not stronger than a tank.
Pros
- Affordable
- Micro-edge Gorilla Glass screen
- Long battery life
Cons
- Not (technically) a laptop
Verdict
We found the Acer Spin 513 Convertible Chromebook to be the best 2-in-1 laptop under $500 for students not just because it’s easy to carry around; the bright display, backlit keyboard and pre-installed Cloud OS software are perfect for day-to-day college computing and night-after-night Netflix streaming. Don’t worry if you (or the kids) are clumsy either, because the Spin’s Gorilla Glass is drop-proof.
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Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Touchscreen 2 in 1 Laptop
These days, video conferencing apps like Zoom and Teams are vital for business (and family) communication. If you’re Zooming a lot, you’ll inevitably take calls on the go. You might be often caught having to use Zoom’s (slightly unsatisfactory) mobile app. Luckily, you can now avoid the unprofessionalism of ‘sent from my iPhone’ with our super-portable best 2-in-1 laptop under $500 for Zoom: the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Touchscreen 2 in 1 Laptop!
Lightweight at 2lb and only 11.6” wide, the notebook-size Lenovo 2022 300e . Sound and vision are catered for with a bright 720p webcam and clear dual-array microphone. Moreover, the FHD 10-point multi-touch touchscreen display competes in terms of visuals with even top of the range tablets, but matches this with laptop-level performance while running Zoom or Teams, even when multitasking, thanks to the high-bandwidth RAM and neat AMD Athlon Silver 3050e 2-core processor.
Pros
- Highly portable
- Dual-array microphone and 720p webcam
- Stands well when flipped
Cons
- Microphone tends to pick up some background noise
- Screen could be too small for some
Verdict
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Touchscreen 2 in 1 Laptop is the model we count as our best 2-in-1 laptop under $500 for Zoom in the 2-in-1 category. Best of all for Zooming, the display can be sturdily flipped, rotated and stood up like all the best 2-in-1s – so you can show everybody what’s going on around you whenever you want, without any embarrassing gravity issues. Also, if you’re a Teams user, this laptop is purpose-built for Windows 10.
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Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook
You may question why we have a ‘best look’ category. Are we being shallow? Nope. Because this is the best look not only in terms of sleek brag-worthy design, but also in terms of graphics! The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook came out as our best 2-in-1 laptop under $500 in terms of display because of one little, beautiful word: OLED. This means bold color and blacker blacks; the Duet 5s 13.3″ full-HD screen at 400 nits bright delivers crystal-clear visuals with vibrant color (100% DCI-P3 color gamut). Images on the screen are crisp, colourful and bright to the extent that even desktop backgrounds look pretty.
The Duet 5’s not just a pretty face either – despite the fabric folio keyboard and ultra-light slim chassis. The 1Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 processor and massive 15-hour long battery life are more than convenient in this Chromebook, boosting your productivity in style.
Pros
- Bright and beautiful OLED display
- Good-looking slim design
- 15-hour battery life
Cons
- Not (technically) a laptop
Verdict
Welcome the IdeaPad Flex 3s good-looking cousin to the best 2-in-1 laptop under $500 family: the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook. Imagine this – a 2-in-1 MacBook under $500 would definitely make this list, right? Unfortunately, that might be wishful thinking, but we think the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook is the next best thing. It may not have a Retina display, Touch ID or bragging rights, but you probably wouldn’t use those anyway. The Duet 5 even looks a bit like a MacBook Air… if you squint.
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Microsoft Surface Go 2 10.5″ 2-in-1 Tablet
Most people these days use their monitors for streaming movies or TV, whether bingeing Netflix or just surfing Youtube on your lunch break. So, we figured we need to find the best 2-in-1 laptop under $500 that delivers for watching video content. For the habitual streamers, casual watchers and big-time bingers, we present the Microsoft Surface Go 2 10.5″ 2-in-1 Tablet, our best 2-in-1 laptop under $500 for streaming video.
The lightweight and portable Microsoft Surface Go 2 10.5″ 2-in-1 Tablet’s full-HD PixelSense touchscreen display will make most videos look sharp and clear, and the sound is Dolby Audio Enhanced to give your ears a treat. Best of all, this is by far one of the easiest to use 2-in-1 laptops on our best 2-in-1 laptop under $500 list! The Signature Type Cover kickstand flips in a satisfying way to form a kickstand; what’s more, if you get gripped by the creative urge after bingeing your favorite show, fan-art creators will enjoy the Surface’s capabilities as a pro artist’s easel and canvas.
Pros
- Lightweight and portable (2.1lbs)
- Built-in Dolby Audio Enhanced speakers
- Easy to use
Cons
- Not suitable for downloading content
- Price rising soon
Verdict
The Microsoft Surface Go 2 10.5″ 2-in-1 Tablet is our best 2-in-1 laptop under $500 for streaming videos, and not just for its ease of use and built-in speakers – it’s enjoyable to use too. You may be able to afford all those Netflix, Hulu and Crunchyroll subscriptions, but that doesn’t mean you have to scrimp on the best 2-in-1 laptop under $500; or maybe it does, which is why this is the best 2-in-1 laptop under $500!
