(Credit: PCMag / Amazon, Best Buy)
If you're on a tight budget, it might be time to think outside the box when shopping for a new laptop and consider a Chromebook for your on-the-go PC needs. When testing laptops in the PC Labs, we've noticed that over the last few years, Google has continually updated its ChromeOS to make it a serious competitor to Windows. It's fast, efficient, resistant to malware and viruses, killer at cloud applications, and offers long battery life thanks to low CPU power requirements. These laptops are great for work and play at ridiculously low prices.
ASUS Chromebook CM14 Laptop, 14"
Acer Chromebook Spin 312 2-in-1 Laptop
HP 14" Chromebook Laptop
Acer Chromebook Plus 514
Even with high-end build quality and bright, sharp screens, you'll be hard-pressed to spend more than a couple hundred dollars on a powerful and flexible Chromebook. But like any good discount, less is more. So we've hunted down the best-reviewed models from top brands like Asus, HP and more and found retailer-exclusive discounts. Here are the best Chromebooks you can buy this March.
Asus Chromebook CM14
$279.99 Save $114.51
Here's another capable budget portable with a ridiculous price drop of over $120. The Asus CM14 is an affordable laptop designed for students and casual use, but it impresses with hardware features including an absurdly capacious battery that can keep it running for as long as 15 continuous hours in between charges. The slim 4GB of RAM isn't great for multitasking, but for cloud-based document work, Web browsing and the like it's competent. The addition of a microSD port lets you easily boost the onboard storage. See how it stacks up on our list of the best Chromebooks.
Acer Chromebook Spin 312
$449.00 Save $150.00
It's uncommon to see Chromebooks ship with Intel Core processors, even low-powered ones like the i3. One of the biggest draws of Chrome OS is its ability to run on seriously underpowered CPUs, and this Acer really wrings a ton of performance out of one. With a 360-degree hinge that lets you use the 12.2-inch WUXGA screen as a tent display, a tablet or a traditional laptop. Best Buy has a solid $150 price cut on this model. We reviewed its predecessor, the Spin 311, praising its versatility and responsive keyboard.
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook Plus
$549.99 Save $190.00
Lenovo is well-known in the laptop space for their high-quality construction and responsive keyboards, and their Chromebooks are no exception. This sleek and solid-feeling chassis is a pleasure to hold, and the 16:9 FHD IPS touchscreen has good viewing angles and 300 nits of brightness, making it usable in lots of different lighting situations. Under the hood, the Intel Core i3 is more than enough to give Chrome OS the power it needs to thrive, and this model is optimized to take advantage of Google's growing Gemini library of AI tools and services.
HP 14" Chromebook
$299.00 Save $160.00
HP mostly focuses on budget-priced portables for their Chromebook line, but they're all fairly decent in terms of performance and construction as well. Built around a serviceable 14" anti-glare display with a super-small bezel, it's bright enough for all-day use with a battery life to match. It charges quick, boots up quick and handles the majority of cloud-based applications. This offer comes with three free months of Google One AI Premium Plan. We reviewed an earlier model which you can check out for comparison.
Asus Expertbook CX54 Chromebook Plus
$699.99 Save $107.00
On the more impressive side, the Asus Expertbook CX54 is a solid performer that pushes the limits in construction and components. Running off of an Intel Core Ultra 5 CPU, it's an absolute beast, and the bright 500-nit screen is color-accurate, but sacrifices touch functionality in the bargain. You can easily multitask tabs and apps all day without any slowdown, and it has tons of ports, including two USB 3.2s, two USB-C Thunderbolts, HDMI, MicroSD and more. You can see how it ranks alongside other power-boosted machines in our rundown of the best Chromebooks for gaming.
Recommended by Our Editors
Acer Chromebook Plus 514
$399.99 Save $100.00
We ranked this unit as the best budget Chromebook on the market, and in our review we praised the exceptional battery life, solid construction and responsive touchscreen. It's built to work with Google's new AI-powered Gemini features in Chrome OS, with a surprisingly potent Ryzen 3 processor and a generous 8GB of RAM. It also has more ports than your average Chromebook. This offer comes with a 12 month free trial of the Google One AI Premium Plan, which gives you 2TB of cloud storage and access to all the Gemini tools in your Google apps.
If you ever wondered how we test laptops, wonder no more! We wrote a deep dive into our extensive process.
More Chromebook Deals To Explore
- HP Chromebook Plus x360 Intel i3 128GB SSD 14" Touch Laptop for $519.99 (List Price $789.99)
- Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 Intel i3 128GB 13.3" Touch Laptop for $165.99 (List Price $699.00)
- HP Chromebook 15 Celeron N45000 64GB eMMC 15,6" Laptop for $229.99 (List Price $329.99)
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
What Is the Cheapest But Best Chromebook?
Chromebooks in general come in lower on the price scale than Windows or Mac laptops, but the tradeoff is that they're often lower-powered in terms of processor speed, RAM, and internal storage. Buying a good one is all about finding the best value for money. In our roundup of the best Chromebooks, we chose the Lenovo Flex 3 for budget shoppers, noting its nice screen, good construction, and port selection.
How Much Should I Pay for a Chromebook?
With low pricing still one of the most popular reasons to pick up a Chromebook, you should be able to get a capable model for $300 at the absolute maximum. The more advanced Chromebook Plus models can go up to four figures, but for most users, those aren't necessary, and you'd be better suited with a traditional Windows laptop. You can get a solid HP, Acer, or Lenovo Chromebook for $200.
Why Are Google Chromebooks so Cheap?
If you're a little suspicious, thanks to the low prices on most Chromebooks, you might be wondering why they are so affordable. We go deep into the differences in our "Laptop Vs. Chromebook" feature, but in short, Chromebooks run the much more limited Google Chrome OS, which prioritizes the Chrome web browser, Google Drive cloud storage, and extensions from the Chrome Web Store and Google Play Store. They're significantly less flexible and customizable than your basic Windows laptop.
What to Look for in a Chromebook Deal?
Our Chromebook buying guide has some key metrics to consider when you're buying one of these inexpensive laptops. Chromebooks typically have less hardware variability than Windows laptops, but we recommend an Intel Celeron processor and 4GB of memory for light use and no multitasking, boosting to an Intel Core or an AMD Ryzen if you want to push it a little harder. Chrome OS is optimized for touchscreen use, so it's worth getting a model that supports that.
Best Chromebook Deals Under $250?
$250 is the sweet spot for Chromebook pricing, and in our rundown of the best budget laptops, we spotlight the extremely competent Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3, which is a detachable touchscreen model that's fast enough and has a bright, colorful screen. This usually retails for a little over $250, but it goes on sale fairly often.
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