Chrome OS laptops aren’t exactly new — the first ones landed on the market about a decade ago — but it was only recently that Chromebooks finally started to get the attention they deserve. These sleek Chrome-powered notebooks are lightweight, generally affordable, and purpose-made for online work thanks to their cloud-based software. Today’s Chromebooks run the gamut from budget laptops to high-end ultrabooks sporting features like 4K displays. A global microchip shortage has retailers starting Black Friday deals early this year, so grab the Chromebook you’ve been drooling over before it goes out of stock. Then, read on to see all the best Chromebook deals and Black Friday Chromebook deals available this week.
Today’s Best Chromebook Deals
Lenovo Chromebook S330
Lenovo is putting out some of the best Chromebooks on the market today, but its high-end offerings naturally don’t come cheap. For a super-affordable alternative to laptops like the Yoga, consider Lenovo’s Chromebook S330. This 14-inch computer runs on a quad-core CPU and 4GB of RAM – snappy enough for work tasks like web browsing and word processing. It also comes with 32GB of flash storage for files and apps. Since Chrome OS is largely cloud-based, you don’t need too much space to handle your basic needs.
It may not replace your full-featured Windows, Mac, or Chrome OS laptops, but for such little money, it’s hard to find this much laptop.
Acer Chromebook 15
Compact laptops are handy for travel, but for hours of regular use and work, a full-sized computer like Acer’s excellent Chromebook 15 might be a better option. This Chrome OS laptop features a quad-core Intel Pentium N4200 CPU, 4GB of DDR4 RAM, and 32GB of storage for handling basic tasks. But the highlight of this model is its 15.6-inch HD touch display, which gives you a lot more screen real estate to work with.
It’s still fairly sleek and lightweight, though, and its internal battery provides up to 12 hours of juice, giving you more than enough for a day’s worth of work and entertainment.
Samsung Chromebook 4+
The Samsung Chromebook 4+ is another 15-inch Chromebook, but it’s one of our favorites. It sports a sleek look, featuring a silver chassis and thin bezels, despite being just 3.75 pounds. Like many Chromebooks, it comes with just 4GB of RAM and an Intel Celeron processor, but if your computing tasks are relatively simple, you’ll find plenty of performance here under the hood. The Samsung Chromebook 4+ also comes with two USB-C ports, a full-size keyboard, and up to 10.5 hours of battery life.
Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook
If you’re looking for a solid 2-in-1 Chromebook, look no further than the Lenovo Flex 5. For an affordable price, the Flex 5 Chromebook includes great with its 10th-gen Core i3 processor, a crisp 1080p touchscreen, and excellent battery life. And, unlike some of the cheaper Chromebooks, the Flex 5 features fantastic build quality and refreshingly simple design. The sleek design, 13-inch size, and 2-in-1 versatility rival laptops that cost twice as much. It even utilizes a proper SSD, which is pretty rare to see on a Chromebook.
Deals are scarce right now for this solid mid-range 2-in-1 Chromebook, so if you see one on our list, jump on it before it’s gone.
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet
The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet currently ranks as the best 2-in-1 Chromebook you can buy (by our measuring, anyway). The cheaper model, which runs for around $250 when on sale, comes with a MediaTek processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. That might not sound like a lot, but for a 10-inch Chromebook, it’s plenty of muscle to get you by.
Like the Surface Book 2, the IdeaPad Duet is actually 10.1-inch tablet that can completely separate from the keyboard case. It functions as well as a tablet as it does a clamshell notebook. This design makes it a great option for college students or workers on the go. It’s a little bit more on the small side for a laptop, but with such a great design, you definitely get your money’s worth.
Google Pixelbook Go
Given that Google pioneered the Chrome operating system, it’s only fitting that the company’s own Chromebooks are among the best that money can buy, so we’ve saved this one for last. The Google Pixelbook Go has the look and feel of a high-end Chrome OS laptop with a super-slim and attractive design, great build quality, a beautiful high-resolution display, and fast performance under daily workloads. In a word: It’s the Chromebook laptop that most people should buy.
It lacks some amenities like a 2-in-1 design with a fold-flat touchscreen, but if you’re willing to forego those amenities for a solid, no-frills Chromebook, then the Pixelbook Go is arguably a better choice than most Chromebooks thanks to its PC-level hardware which includes newer Intel Core CPUs and full 8GB-16GB of RAM. All of these features would normally run you around $650 for the entry-level model, but you’ll find it at discount from time to time that makes the Pixelbook Go an even better value.
Should You Buy a Chromebook Now or Wait Until Black Friday?
It’s a known fact that Black Friday deals bring some steep discounts on laptops, including Chromebooks. With a little more than a month to go until the annual shopping bonanza, we’d recommend holding out for the mass of Black Friday Chromebook deals we’re going to see.
