The Black Friday offers on Chromebooks have begun, and we’re on the hunt on Amazon, Best Buy, and different websites to search out one of the best costs on Chromebooks so that you can purchase.
Our picks for one of the best Chromebook offers are beneath, adopted by an evidence of why we picked them. If you’re in search of extra context, scroll right down to the FAQ: We’ll inform you what costs to search for on Chromebooks this Black Friday, the specs we favor, and extra. We’ve separated them out into price range picks (the place worth issues most), midrange decisions (what we’d select, ourselves) and premium choices (simply one of the best).
If you’re in search of different nice tech offers, take a look at PCWorld’s complete Black Friday/Cyber Monday coverage.
Best Black Friday price range Chromebook offers
- Lenovo Slim 3 (MediaTek Kompanio 520/4GB RAM/64GB SSD, 14-inch 1080p show), $149.00 (53% off at Best Buy)
- Acer Chromebook 315 (Celeron N4500/4GB RAM/64GB SSD, 15.5-inch 1080p show), $179.00 (21% off at Walmart)
- Acer 2022 Chromebook 315 (Celeron N4020/4GB RAM/64GB SSD, 15.6-inch 1080p show), $228.99 (62% off at Amazon)
- Lenovo 2023 Slim 3 (MediaTek Kompanio 520/4GB RAM/64GB SSD, 14-inch 1080p show), $197.48 (34% off at Amazon)
- Acer Chromebook Spin 513 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c/4GB RAM/64GB SSD, 13.3-inch 1080p show), $219.63 (23% off at Amazon)
- Samsung Chromebook 4 (Celeron N4020/4GB RAM/64GB SSD, 11.6-inch 768p show), $129.00 (18% off at Walmart)
- Samsung Chromebook 4 (Celeron N4020/4GB RAM/32GB SSD, 11.6-inch 768p show), $79.99 (68% off at Target)
I’m very happy with the highest picks, that are ranked so as of desire: The Lenovo Slim 3 and Chromebook 315 are most well-liked, although the highest 4 are all tremendous decisions. All have roomy 1080p screens and loads of storage. I wish to see all of those price range Black Friday Chromebook offers at about $150 or so, however we’ll see how issues play out.
The Celeron N4500 is the sooner chip, serving to the Acer Chromebook 315 rise close to the highest of our advisable offers. (The Snapdragon 7c, particularly, is a stable CPU, and the Kompanio is correct behind it.)
Note that we’re seeing practically equivalent Chromebooks at varied distributors (the Acer 315s and the 2 Lenovos), besides in worth. There’s a 3rd Acer Chromebook 315, at Best Buy, for an awesome $139 price. But it has a 15.6-inch display screen and a decrease 768p decision, so I’m formally passing it by — it appears too grainy. Target can be carrying the killer Lenovo Slim 3 deal, for $1 more at $149.99.
Just keep in mind that price range Chromebooks make sacrifices: 4GB of RAM, sometimes, which might considerably restrict efficiency and the variety of obtainable browser tabs. Because some patrons need low, low costs, I’ve added the 2 Samsung Chromebook 4s. That Target deal is absolutely iffy, due to absolutely the rock-bottom specs, however the worth is improbable.
Best Black Friday midrange Chromebook offers
- Lenovo Flex 3 (Pentium Silver N6000/8GB RAM/15.6-inch 1080p show), $249.00 (48% off at Best Buy)
- Acer Chromebook 315 (Celeron N5100/8GB RAM/64GB SSD, 15.6-inch 1080p show), $269.99 (29% off at Amazon)
- Acer Chromebook 514 (Kompanio 828/8GB RAM/14-inch 1080p show), $329.99 (28% off at Amazon)
- HP 15.6-inch Chromebook (Intel Core i3-N305/8GB RAM/128GB SSD, 15.6-inch 1080p show) $349.99 (30% off at Best Buy)
- Asus Chromebook Flip C433 (Core m3-8100Y/8GB RAM/64GB SSD, 14-inch 1080p show), $319.99 (20% off at Amazon)
If I used to be shopping for a Chromebook for a member of the family, I’d select certainly one of these, particularly one from the highest 4. I’ve added and bumped up the Lenovo Flex 3 to the highest spot on our checklist due to the stable worth and specs; clients find it irresistible, as did our review of the related Lenovo Flex 5. Note that Amazon does not checklist the Acer 315 as a reduction, nevertheless it’s 29 p.c off of the Acer list price. I don’t have something actually optimistic or destructive to say in regards to the Asus Flip C433; it’s an excellent Chromebook, however the low cost isn’t a lot.
Of the highest 4, the HP’s Core i3 is the quickest processor, adopted by the Kompanio 828, a a lot sooner variant of the Kompanio 520 within the price range Chromebook offers. Processor velocity isn’t as necessary as it’s in a Windows machine.
I’ve added the HP 14-inch Chromebook as a premium mannequin.
Best Black Friday premium and Chromebook Plus offers
Google believes that you simply’ll need to purchase a Chromebook Plus laptop computer to realize the perfect Chromebook expertise, and HP’s 2-in-1 is basically Windows-class specs at a Chromebook worth. Note the higher-quality 1920×1200 shows, which might be even nicer than the standard 1080p.
Do you want a Chromebook Plus Chromebook? The expertise is undoubtedly smoother and extra highly effective, with out the caveats that may accompany cheaper {hardware}.
If you’ve determined {that a} Chromebook isn’t for you and also you’d favor a laptop computer as an alternative, take a look at our Black Friday laptop deals or our Black Friday deals shopping page.
FAQ
When is Black Friday?
Officially, Black Friday takes place on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. Cyber Monday is the next Monday, or Nov 27, 2023. Note that, no less than for Amazon, “Black Friday” gross sales have already begun.
When do Black Friday Chromebook offers start?
Early Black Friday gross sales have already begun at a number of retailers, although gross sales ought to ramp up as Black Friday nears. Again, at Amazon “Black Friday” has already begun! Retailers haven’t been shy about including early gross sales to unload stock, nevertheless it’s Black Week” the place gross sales often crescendo.
What do you have to pay for a Black Friday Chromebook deal?
Chromebook offers haven’t been as nice as we’d like, however the early Black Friday gross sales aren’t dangerous.
We’re anticipating the kind of Chromebooks we suggest (see beneath for extra element on that) to be priced at about $250 to $350 within the weeks main as much as Black Friday. Prices ought to drop a bit extra as Black Friday approaches. Budget Chromebooks may very well be about $150 or so, maybe much less — however that may imply compromising on a few of the options we expect you’ll like. We attempt to embody a few of these fashions, although, as a result of individuals nonetheless search for the bottom costs. (Refurbished fashions can value even much less, however we often keep away from these.)
Good mainstream Chromebooks now value about $250 to $350, as famous above — that’s the ground for a Chromebook we’d suggest. A Black Friday steal might push costs down even additional.
In common, we put our prime picks on the prime of our lists.
What options ought to I search for in a Black Friday Chromebook?
We nonetheless prioritize three issues when in search of a Chromebook deal: reminiscence, the scale and backbone of the display screen, and the CPU. There’s additionally one huge wrinkle for this Black Friday: the Chromebook assist window.
You will nonetheless discover retailers attempting to unload Chromebooks with 4GB of RAM, a 768p display screen, and an historic processor. We will nonetheless checklist merchandise with these specs, if justified, as price range Chromebooks. But we actually really feel that you simply deserve a Chromebook with 8GB of RAM, a 1080p display screen or higher (with display screen sizes above 13 inches, if potential), and a comparatively trendy CPU. (These are often out mainstream picks.) We don’t put a whole lot of weight on the CPU, if solely as a result of a Chromebook doesn’t want a whole lot of horsepower behind it.
Be conscious that “HD” doesn’t imply 1080p! It mainly means 768p, which goes to be a bit laborious in your eyes. “Full HD” or “FHD” equates to the 1080p show you’re used to.
Our advisable CPUs embody Intel Celerons, Intel Pentiums, Intel’s Core chips, AMD’s Ryzen processors, and Arm chips from Mediatek or Qualcomm. All of these have their professionals and cons, although the efficiency variations in all probability gained’t matter as a lot as extra reminiscence.
More reminiscence (that’s, 8GB relatively 4GB of RAM) will permit for extra browser tabs and a smoother browser expertise. A 1080p display screen will supply a snug laptop-like viewing expertise. Onboard storage actually doesn’t matter all that a lot, although an SSD of no less than 32GB is preferable for storing apps, screenshots, and the like.
If you’re accustomed to our prolonged laptops versus Chromebooks explainer, that one of many potential gotchas is shopping for a Chromebook whose support window expires quickly. Google now helps new Chromebooks for as much as 10 years, so that is much less of a priority. We assume this may push costs down, however for very outdated {hardware}. We’re attempting to look at this.
Beware of offers like this: a $41 Lenovo Chromebook on Walmart. Support for this Chromebook resulted in 2021, which signifies that it’s not protected whereas browsing the online. Too good to be true, certainly! Walmart does supply some low-cost, good Chromebooks, however they’re infamous in my e book for squeezing a whole lot of junk in, too. Target’s typically a house for affordable, refurbished Chromebooks — we favor new.
Which Chromebooks does PCWorld fee highest?
Our editors repeatedly evaluation Chromebooks, so be certain to verify our rankings of the best Chromebooks of 2023. We suggest a variety of worth factors, and the article gives an incredible primer on Chromebook purchasing. What’s extra, a few of our prime picks will possible go on sale earlier than or throughout Black Friday.
We’ve up to date our picks and proposals on Nov. 20, 2023 at 11:13 AM, carrying over from our early Black Friday laptop computer offers.