ZDNet Honors Apple M2 MacBook Air as 'Product of the Year': A Comprehensive Review
Discover the Most Incredible Chromebook Bargains of February 2023: A Comprehensive List for Savvy Shoppers
Chromebooks may not be the most powerful laptops on the market, but they’re excellent options for students, casual home users, and mobile professionals. With Chrome OS, you can run Android apps, as well as access GSuite programs like Docs, Sheets, and Google Drive to save your projects automatically to the cloud.
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And even though Chromebooks are some of the most affordable laptops available, we’ve still scoured the internet for discounts, bundles, and trade-in deals to help you save even more.
We picked models from top brands like Samsung, HP, and Acer to help you find a Chromebook that fits both your budget and needs.
Latest Chromebook deals
- Acer Chromebook 314, refurbished for $305 (save $50) at Walmart
- Acer 512 Chromebook, refurbished for $100 (save $65) at Walmart
- Lenovo Flex 3 Chromebook 11.6-inch for $114 (save $75) at Best Buy
- Lenovo IdeaPad 3 11 Chromebook for $120 (save $110) at Amazon
- HP 14” Chromebook for $249 (save $50) at Best Buy
Best Chromebook deals
There are many different kinds of Chromebook out there that could be the perfect machine for you. Our top picks and the best deals are available are below.
Acer Chromebook 516 GE Cloud Gaming Chromebook Save $200
Michael Gariffo/ZDNET
Though Chromebooks aren’t made for handling the games that the best gaming laptops can, this Acer Chromebook 516 GE gets quite close. A 12th Gen Intel i5 processor powers this unit so gamers can utilize the 16” 2560 x 1600 display with a refresh rate of 120Hz. In addition to those powerful specs, this Chromebook also features 8GB of RAM and support for NVIDIA GeForce NOW top tier gameplay.
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Save $130
Amazon
- Current price: $300
- Original price: $430
At its original price, this laptop is priced at $430. But since Amazon put this Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook on sale, the price has fluctuated to its current price of $230 – that’s $130 off.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i doubles as a tablet and a laptop with its 13-inch FHD touchscreen. With 8GB of RAM memory and an Intel Core i3 processor, speed won’t be an issue while you polish up school work and stream your favorite shows.
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 Save $100
Samsung
- Current price: $449
- Original price: $549
The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook is considered one of thebest Chromebooks on the market. With a 13.3-inch FHD QLED display, an Intel Celeron processor, 64GB of storage, and either 4GB or 8GB RAM, solidifies its case near the top of the charts.
The 13-hour battery also lets you stream, web browse, and work all day without needing to recharge. While it probably won’t replace your work machine, it’s still got plenty of power and space for everyday tasks.
Asus Chromebook C203XA Save $125
Image: Asus
- Current Price: $125
- Original Price: $250
The Asus Chromebook C203XA has a 50% discount on Amazon, so you can get it for just $129. The 11.6-inch HD display with anti-glare is more than enough for you to have multiple tabs open at once. Additionally, the laptop’s rugged design is perfect for student slinging it around in a backpack everyday.
Acer Chromebook Spin 311 Convertible Save $115
Acer
- Current price: $175
- Original price: $290
The Acer Chromebook Spin 311 is an excellent choice for students and professionals working from home, especially if you’re looking for a convertible machine.
While you can’t upgrade the 64GB storage drive yourself, you can expand your internal storage with microSD cards for working on larger files like photos and videos. The Chromebook also has 2 USB-C ports for faster data transfers than USB 3.0 and for charging the laptop, an Intel Celeron N4020 processor, and 4GB RAM.
But with the 10-hour battery life, you won’t be worrying about topping up your laptop throughout the day. It even has Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity for setting up wireless peripherals like headsets, mice, and speakers.
More Chromebook holiday deals
Other Chromebook options include:
Samsung 11.6-inch Chromebook 4 for $130 (save $100) $130 at Amazon
Acer Chromebook 317 for $379 (save $120) $379 at Best Buy
ASUS 15.6” Touchscreen Cloud Gaming Chromebook for $499 (save $200) $559.99 at Best Buy
What is the difference between a Chromebook and a regular laptop?
The main difference between the two is what kind of operating system it runs. A Chromebook uses the ChromeOS, developed by Google, while most other laptops run either Windows or MacOS, though there are some models that are capable of running Linux.
Chromebooks are also capable of running Windows if you’re willing to do a little work yourself, but they’re really at their best when left running ChromeOS.
You should keep in mind that the ChromeOS app ecosystem, by design, is limited. Therefore, if you need to run specific software on your new Chromebook, you should check that it is compatible first.
Can you use a Chromebook for gaming?
Yes, but they can only really handle more advanced gaming titles via cloud-based services like GeForce Now or Xbox Cloud Gaming. Locally installed PC games aren’t compatible with ChromeOS and the hardware included in the vast majority of Chromebooks wouldn’t be able to handle them even if they were. You can, however, play many Android-based games on Chromebook models that support Google Play.
If you’re looking for an affordable gaming laptop, you can check out our list of the best cheap gaming laptops available.
Are there any drawbacks when using a Chromebook?
The biggest disadvantage of Chromebooks compared to other kinds of laptops is their low RAM and storage capacities. Most cap out at maybe 16GB of RAM (which is soldered in place so you can’t upgrade it yourself) and at 128GB of storage. Though many Chromebooks have permanently installed 32 or 64GB eMMC storage cards, it is possible to find models equipped with a 128GB SSD; but since their processors aren’t very powerful either, 128GB is about all they can support for storage, so you can’t really upgrade the hard drive yourself either.
However, if you’re looking for a laptop your kids can use for schoolwork or just something to be able to watch Netflix and browse the web on, they’re a perfectly suitable option.
What are the best deals this March 2023?
ZDNET experts split out the latest and greatest deals for you below.
March 2023 deals by retailer
- The best Amazon deals
- The best Walmart deals
- Top deals at Best Buy
- The best AT&T deals
- The best Verizon deals
March 2023 deals by brand
March 2023 deals by category
- The best gaming laptop deals
- The best AirPods deals
- The best headphone deals
- The best laptop deals
- The best monitor deals
- The best robot vacuum deals
- The best phone deals
- The best iPhone deals
- The best tablet deals
- The best iPad deals
- The best iPad Pro deals
- The best TV deals
- The best security camera deals
- The best Amazon security camera deals: Ring and Bling
- The best power station deals
- The best Apple Watch deals
- The best Chromebook deals
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- Title: ZDNet Honors Apple M2 MacBook Air as 'Product of the Year': A Comprehensive Review
- Author: Joseph
- Created at : 2024-11-02 22:03:32
- Updated at : 2024-11-05 18:37:21
- Link: https://hardware-help.techidaily.com/zdnet-honors-apple-m2-macbook-air-as-product-of-the-year-a-comprehensive-review/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.