Walmart's newest $500 Gateway laptop is a step in the right direction for affordable models

Walmart recently made available its 14-inch Gateway GWTN141 subnotebook for just $500 USD. While users shouldn't expect too much from a $500 laptop, there are actually some worthwhile features that most other laptops in this price range lack.

The first surprise about the Gateway is its Core i5-1135G7 CPU. Not only is this Intel's latest generation Tiger Lake-U processor, but it far surpasses the usual Atom or Celeron processor that are all too common on laptops in this price range. There is enough power here to satisfy home and multimedia users on tighter budgets with the occasional game of DOTA 2 or Fortnite.

The second surprise relates to the RAM and storage of the Gateway. Budget laptops typically have 8 GB or even 4 GB of RAM with 256 GB or 128 GB of storage space to be barely enough for most users. Meanwhile, the Walmart GWTN141 ships with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage which are standard numbers on most mid-range to high-end Ultrabooks retailing for significantly higher prices.

Unfortunately, a few drawbacks hold back the Gateway. Our test unit would exhibit power delivery and video-out issues on its USB-C port while certain keys on the keyboard would sometimes not register an input when pressed. If you're in the market for a fast but ultra-cheap laptop, it would be hard to find one that can beat the Gateway GWTN141. However, you might want to double-check all the ports and keyboard keys after purchasing and keep that warranty in reach if needed.