'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources ...

(Reading this at night? Then I’m probably dreaming about all those cool products.) I’ve covered the consumer tech world as an editor, reporter, and analyst since 2015.

Looking for a solid laptop under $500? Yeah, it’s a bit of a minefield. One search and you’re hit with a flood of options, most of them not great. The trick is knowing what to look for.