Looking For A Media Device? Here Are The Best Laptops To Watch Movies & TV Shows Under $500
Laptops have always had multiple use cases, and streaming media is something that many laptop owners do. Likewise, laptops are great for watching media because you can watch anything you like whenever you want and work, all on the same device. Hence, we have picked the best laptops to watch movies and TV shows for under $500.
The laptop market is heavily saturated right now, and it can often be confusing to pick a laptop that gets your everyday work done and lets you enjoy your favorite movies. Despite the recent increase in prices, you can get a solid laptop under $500 that you can carry everywhere. Say you want a budget laptop that fits your requirements and is good enough for adequate media streaming; what would you need?
What matters when buying a laptop to watch media
While getting a laptop for watching movies and TV shows, you would want something that checks all the relevant boxes. Here are a few things that you should keep in mind while buying a laptop for that purpose.
Display: In this case, an ideal laptop would be one with a decent display with a 16:10 aspect ratio to best enjoy your entertainment experience with more screen real estate.
Colors: A good laptop should have an IPS display with high color accuracy to be true to the visuals because they matter.
Audio: A decent-quality headphone jack is necessary to ensure you hear everything in high quality, and a sufficing pair of speakers if you prefer those.
Ports: What’s a laptop for media streaming that doesn’t have enough ports? With a Type C port with DisplayPort support, you can hook up an external monitor to enhance your experience.
All in all, it’s hard to get everything in one package, but our picks of the best laptops to watch movies and TV shows under $500 try to check all the boxes.
5 Best laptops under $500 to watch movies & TV shows
Note: The items in this list aren’t in any order of preference.
1. HP Pavilion x360 2-in-1
You would not expect a budget laptop for basic tasks like media streaming to have significant performance. However, the HP Pavilion 2-in-1 has not only the latest 12th-Gen Intel Core i5 CPU but also a touchscreen display. This 2-in-1 laptop can be converted into a tablet so you can work and then stream media effortlessly.
HP Pavilion is extremely capable of handling multiple tasks with its 12-Gen Intel CPU and is an ideal device for work and play. Moreover, it comes with a 14-inch IPS panel display that wouldn’t disappoint while watching movies and TV shows. Overall, it’s among the best laptops to watch movies and TV shows for under $500.
| Processor & Graphics | 12th-Gen Intel Core i5 1235U with Iris Xe graphics |
| RAM | 8 GB |
| SSD | 512 GB (upgradable) |
| HDD | N.A. |
| Display | 14-inch 1080p IPS touchscreen display |
| Battery | Up to 8 hours (advertised) |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Weight | 3.35 pounds (or 1.51 kg) |
2. Acer-Chromebook 317
Looking for a solid laptop to watch media with an incredibly cheap price tag? Look no further because the Acer Chromebook 317 is an excellent machine for watching movies and TV shows and is well under the $500 budget. Chromebooks are great for everyday tasks, and they can be wonderful companions when you want to watch movies and TV Shows.
In this Acer machine, you get a large 17.3-inch IPS panel display, suitable for media streaming and other tasks. While you shouldn’t expect it to handle tasks that require high performance, it’s more than adequate to watch media. In the same vein, the Acer Chromebook is a worthy media machine that costs less than $400.
| Processor & Graphics | Intel Pentium Silver N6000 with Intel UHD graphics |
| RAM | 8 GB LPDDRX |
| Storage | 64 GB eMMC |
| Display | 17.3-inch 1080 IPS touchscreen display |
| Battery | Up to 10 hours (advertised) |
| OS | Chrome OS |
| Weight | 4.85 pounds (or 2.1 kg) |
3. ASUS ZenBook 15
Next up, the ASUS ZenBook 15 is the perfect laptop for users that require performance and an enjoyable media experience. Likewise, the ZenBook 15 houses a Ryzen 7 5700U CPU paired with NVIDIA GeForce MX450 graphics. The added performance makes it a suitable machine for content creators and power users.
Apart from the power, it’s a touchscreen laptop that you can convert into a tablet. Hence, you can have a delightful media-watching experience. All in all, it’s among the best laptops to watch movies and TV shows for under $500.
| Processor & Graphics | AMD Ryzen 7 5700U with NVIDIA GeForce MX450 graphics |
| RAM | 8 GB LPPDRX |
| SSD | 512 GB (upgradable) |
| HDD | N.A. |
| Display | 15.6-inch IPS panel touchscreen display |
| Battery | Up to 10 hours (advertised) |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Weight | 4.19 pounds (or 1.9 kg) |
4. Lenovo Yoga 6
Further, the Lenovo Yoga 6 makes it to the list of the best laptops to watch movies and TV shows for under $500. The Yoga 6 is an ideal laptop that you can use for both work and play and not compromise anything. It can handle your everyday tasks relentlessly and let you enjoy your favorite movies and shows too.
Moreover, the Lenovo Yoga 6 offers a compact form factor housing a 13.3-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. The extra screen space makes for an extraordinary viewing experience. You can also convert the machine to a tablet to further use its features to the fullest.
| Processor & Graphics | AMD Ryzen 5500U with AMD Radeon graphics |
| RAM | 8 GB LPDDRX |
| SSD | 256 GB (upgradable) |
| HDD | N.A. |
| Display | 13.3-inch 1200p touchscreen display with a 16:10 aspect ratio |
| Battery | Up to 15 hours (advertised) |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Weight | 3.058 pounds (or 1.38 kg) |
5. Acer Aspire 5 A515-57
The final entree to the list of the best laptops to watch movies and TV shows is the Acer Aspire 5. OEM’s Aspire 5 is quite successful and has become better with every refresh. Coming to this Aspire 5 model, it offers reliable performance and checks the boxes of an ideal media laptop.
You can get your everyday tasks done with this laptop and relish watching movies too. It comes with Intel’s latest 12th-Gen Intel Core i5 CPU, which is excellent for high-demand apps and multitasking. Hence, it’s an ideal machine for power users who also need a laptop to watch media.
| Processor & Graphics | 12th-Gen Intel Core i5 1235U with Iris Xe graphics |
| RAM | 8 GB (upgradable) |
| SSD | 512 GB (upgradable) |
| HDD | N.A. |
| Display | 15.6-inch 1080 IPS panel display |
| Battery | Up to 7.5 hours (advertised) |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Weight | 3.88 pounds (or 1.75 kg) |
Our recommendation: Best laptops to watch movies & TV shows under $500
Watching movies and TV shows on your laptop is quite convenient because you can carry it anywhere for work and enjoy media on a large screen at the same time. While the current market is overwhelmed by tons of laptops from all major manufacturers, we have only picked the best ones that fit the category. If you are having trouble picking one, we recommend getting the Acer Aspire 5 or the HP Pavilion x360 for a great experience.
Like this list? Check out the best gaming laptops under $1500 here.
