If you don't already have a Chromebook, it's time to change that. Cyber Monday brings a bunch of great discounts to products that you've probably had your eye on during the year. There are a bunch of Chromebook options available, so you're going to want to know what you're looking for from a Chromebook so you can help yourself buy the right one. Whether you need a new laptop for work or want to try out a Chromebook before you get one for your kids, here are the best Cyber Monday Chromebook deals you can grab right now!
Best Cyber Monday Chromebook deals
- Lenovo Chromebook C330 ($179 at Best Buy)
- HP Chromebook x360 14b-ca0036nr ($250 at Target)
- Acer Chromebook 715 ($330 at Walmart)
- ASUS Chromebook Flip C433 ($370 at Best Buy)
- HP Chromebook 14-db0025nr ($150 at Target)
- ASUS Chromebook C425 ($320 at Amazon)
Lenovo Chromebook C330
This deal sold out earlier in the week, but it looks like Best Buy got some more stock in, which is excellent news for you fine folks because if you want a Chromebook that you'll want to use and enjoy using for less than $200, the C330 is your winner. The C330 was our Best Chromebook for several months this year — and was only just succeeded by its successor, the C340-11 — which is also on sale at Costco.
This 11.6-inch touchscreen Chromebook is the run-and-gun workhorse machine I used as my daily driver for most of this year because it is light enough to slip in my backpack whenever I head to the theme parks. The battery can last me 10 hours easily while I juggle 8-12 tabs and occasionally slip into my Android apps for some light reading or Pyramids in the Microsoft Solitaire Collection. And thanks to an extended support life, the C330 will should Chrome OS updates until June 2025.
Lenovo Chromebook C330
Last year's Lenovo is still a great pick on sale.
This zippy little touchscreen Chromebook can last 10 hours and won't weigh down your backpack during an all-day excursion. This is the 32GB version, so I recommend using a bit of your savings on an SD card to expand that, but otherwise, this is the perfect buy for kids and adults looking for a fun little browsing-on-the-go laptop.
HP Chromebook x360 14b-ca0036nr
There's been a few different variants of the the x360 on sale, but this deal from Target takes the cake, coming in a whole $100 cheaper than the now-expired deal from Best Buy and $50 cheaper than Amazon's current deal. This is the 4GB/32GB version, which should be able to handle long multi-tasking sessions with grace, and the x360 14b is slated to receive updates until June 2026.
HP Chromebook x360 14b-ca0036nr
With a long support life and a nice shiny touchscreen, this Chromebook is ready to work and play all day with 12 hours of battery life on a single charge.
Acer Chromebook 715
This touchscreen Chromebook has a ton of internal storage, a full keyboard with a number pad for when you need to input PINs, calculate stats or input an entire month's grades during your lunch hour, and a rock-bottom price this Cyber Monday. The 15.6-inch touchscreen is 1080p, and the battery can last a full school day and then some. At 4 pounds, this isn't a Chromebook. You'll want to carry it all-day every day unless you've got a light backpack with thick foam straps, but for around the house or enshrined at the office, this is a nice big Chromebook without a nice big price tag.
Acer Chromebook 715
This is one of the few Chromebook models with a number pad on its keyboard, and with an i3 processor, 128GB of storage, and a 15.6-inch touchscreen, this machine is ready for grading term papers or super-sized solitaire.
ASUS Chromebook Flip C433
This is a very, very similar beast to the ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 that I used and adored all summer, and while the C434 is still not seeing many sales, you can grab the C433 for almost $200 less than the C434 and still get an m3 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The hinge pushes the keyboard up while the screen is rotated past 90 degrees, which will irk some users and please others who prefer an angled typing experience.
ASUS Chromebook Flip C433
This cousin of my favorite split-screening Chromebook is down to a great price for a shiny 14-inch touchscreen that will serve you well for playing, working, or both.
HP Chromebook 14-db0025nr
This price is so low, Target can't show it to you until you stick it in your cart, and while you can grab a non-touchscreen version of this Chromebook for $120 at Best Buy, I really do recommend spendng that extra $30 for the touchscreen model, as touchscreen provides an easier experience when using Android apps or interacting with games.
HP Chromebook 14-db0025nr
A 14 inch touchscreen, ample port configuration, and support until June 2026 make this an absolute steal of a Chromebook, with plenty of saving left over for a nice sleeve or microSD card.
ASUS Chromebook C425
Chrome eats RAM like yummy holiday fudge, and more RAM is always better. However, finding 8GB RAM models of Chromebooks for less than $500 has been even more difficult than a needle in a haystack. This is the one to grab if you want a powerful laptop that doesn't try to masquerade as a tablet. The 14-inch screen is great for multitasking, but I wish it were a touchscreen like the C434. Also be aware that when the lid swings out for use, the hinge forces the back of the keyboard up, so rather than lying flat on your desk, it'll be balancing on the bottom edge of the screen and the bottom pads on the base.
ASUS Chromebook C425
With the same great screen, polished build, and powerful internals as the ASUS Chromebook Flip C434, you can save hundreds by opting for this sturdy clamshell over the 2-in-1 form factor.
What is a Chromebook?
Chromebooks are laptops that run Chrome OS, an operating system designed and managed by Google. It's the more polished and stable version of the open-source Chromium Project, which Google also develops and maintains. There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding Chrome OS because it began as a web-centric client that couldn't do much when outside of a Wi-Fi network, but this doesn't hold true anymore. These days, Chrome OS can run both Android apps and Linux apps, allowing it to do most if not all of the tasks you'd need to do on a laptop day-to-day.
What makes Chromebooks especially enticing is that Chrome OS is optimized to run well even on lower-spec'd machines. While most Windows laptops under $400 will feel and perform like pudding after six months, even $250 Chromebooks like the Lenovo C330 still run just as well as they did fresh out of the box. This also means that when you put Chrome OS on a more powerful Chromebook like the Intel M3-powered Asus C434 or the i5-powered Pixelbook, you get a lightning-fast computer that can handle all the Chrome tabs and Android apps you could throw at it.
Chromebooks are becoming more and more popular in schools and businesses because of how well Chrome OS runs on value machines, as well as how stable, and secure Chrome OS is. Google hosts a bounty program that pays developers when they discover and submit vulnerabilities to be patched, including a $150,000 standing bounty for a vulnerability that can compromise a Chromebook while in Guest Mode. Chromebooks also get updated every few weeks directly from Google, meaning that no matter which brand Chromebook you buy, they'll all look, act, and get updates the same way.
Who should buy a Chromebook?
For people who mainly use a laptop to read emails, check social media, pay your bills, write the occasional screenplay in Google Docs, and blow time watching videos, a Chromebook is perfect. Chromebooks are great for work or play so long as your services either have a website or an Android app, which in 2019 is pretty standard. I've been working full-time on a Chromebook for two years, and the only thing I ever miss is full Photoshop for batch photo editing my review photos.
What I honestly love best about my Chromebook is that it's an "it just works" computer with absolutely zero maintenance. Updates are downloaded and installed automatically in the background while you work, and Google Play handles app updates. The Files app ties directly into Google Drive, you can keep everything synced and work out of the cloud, but you can still keep your files offline in Downloads for when you need to finish that book report on the bus to school.
Chromebooks are especially great for younger users for several reasons, including but not limited to:
- Because of the way Chrome OS is designed, it's much harder to corrupt or break the system compared to Windows.
- Most Chromebooks are designed to pass Google's Chromebooks in Education durability standards, meaning that most can withstand drops, have reinforced ports, and either a spill-resistant or pick-resistant keyboard.
- The lower case letters on Chromebook keyboards are easier to use for kids who are just learning to read and write.
- Touchscreen Chromebooks allow kids to interact with educational sites through touch while still giving them an attached keyboard to type out notes and homework quickly.
- Most Chromebooks last over 8 hours on a single charge, long enough to get through the school day.
What about Android apps on a Chromebook?
Chromebooks can't install traditional programs to the core system — like you would on a Mac or Windows PC — but they can install Android apps via the Google Play Store. While not every single app on Google Play is compatible with Chromebooks, there are millions of apps you can install, from productivity apps like Microsoft Office and Google Keep to entertainment apps like Netflix and Disney+ to millions of gaming apps.
Chromebooks are the easiest laptops to download videos for offline playback for services like Disney+ and Google Play Movies that don't have desktop apps for Mac or Windows but do have Android apps. The Android apps allow you to download videos just like you would on your phone, but enjoy them on a larger screen without killing your phone's battery on that cross-country flight.
Can you play games on a Chromebook?
Most games available on Android are available on Chromebook, so you'll be able to enjoy most casual gaming on your Chromebook with ease. In fact, if you're coming from a Windows computer, you'll even be able to keep your favorite game: Microsoft Solitaire Collection works great on Chromebooks and helps me get a quick fix when my Pyramids addiction flares up.
What about Fortnite? Steam games? PC games? Chromebooks can't install Windows or MacOS programs, and the ability to install Linux apps like Steam isn't available for every Chromebook — nor are Linux apps on Chromebooks as user-friendly as Android apps. Gaming options on a Chromebook are getting better, but it's not what you're going to want to get a hardcore gamer.
Chromebook Buyer's Checklist
There are five things you need to consider any time you're looking to buy a Chromebook, and there are two features you especially need to pay attention to during Cyber Monday when Chromebooks of every size, shape, and age are on sale.
- Get a touchscreen — Chrome OS's touch optimization is getting better every month, and since most of the Android apps Chromebooks can install via Google Play are optimized for touch, make sure you get a touchscreen model. Touchscreen models are not much more expensive in 2019, and they are 110% worth it.
- Pick your size — In general, the bigger the size of your Chromebook, the more you can potentially fit on the screen, but it will also be less portable and shorter in battery life. Smaller, more portable models can suffer from lower resolution screens, though Chrome OS's display zoom and font adjustments somewhat offset it.
- What features matter to you? — Chrome OS has the same features, UI, and functions on basically all models, which means that you'll need to focus on specific hardware features to help you narrow down your search. Do you prefer a 2-in-1 or a classic clamshell? Do you want a big, bright screen for movies, or do you need a battery that will go all day? Families with younger kids — or travelers that are prone to slips, spills, and accidents — might want to look to the growing number of Chromebooks with military-grade MIL-STD 810G durability or spill-resistant keyboards.
- Memory and storage — While "more memory is always better" holds as true for Chromebooks as it does for any laptop, 4GB of RAM is fine for a Chromebook in 2019. 8 GB is better, but 4GB is fine. As far as storage goes, 32 GB of storage is workable, but I'd recommend going with a model with at least 64 GB of storage.
- Always check the expiration date! — Google updates Chrome OS for all Chromebooks. Still, Google doesn't want to be stuck supporting every random budget chipset and driver set forever, so each Chromebook has a shelf life and an expiration date, just like the milk in your fridge! This is the Auto Update Expiration date, and it can be found for every single model on this handy dandy support page, which you should check for every Chromebook you look at.
Cyber Monday!
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