Chromebooks are web-based laptop alternatives that don’t offer the full Windows experience. They may not boast the best processors, but they’re simple, reliable, and last long on a single charge, making them ideal as a secondary computer. We’ve rounded up these cheap Chromebook deals from Best Buy that lets you in on as much as $150 worth of savings. Get the Lenovo 2-in-1 Chromebook, HP Chromebook 14, and Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 2-in-1 for as low as $180 today.
Lenovo 2-in-1 Chromebook
— $180, was $279
The Lenovo 2-in-1 Chromebook is a laptop/tablet hybrid that packs a decent performance, an impressive 12-hour battery life, a comfortable keyboard, and a wide selection of ports. Best of all, it comes at a very affordable price. Right now, you can get it at Best Buy for a huge $99 off. Instead of $279, get it for just $180.
This Chromebook is super tiny and borders on cute, very reminiscent of the obsolete netbooks. However, its bezels are large and are paired with an all-plastic body that flexes even with the slightest of pressure. To compensate, it comes with a healthy number of ports, including a single USB-C 3.0 port, a USB-A 3.0 port, a full-size HDMI connection and a DisplayPort port for connecting external displays, a full-size SD card reader, and a combo audio jack. You wouldn’t have any trouble connecting both older and more modern peripherals to this Chromebook. In fact, the only thing missing is a Thunderbolt 3 port.
This Chromebook’s 11.6-inch IPS display is a little dim for our taste. We had difficulty seeing it outside especially when the sun was at its peak. It’s best to just use it indoors. And even though the screen is already quite small, it looks conspicuously pixelated. Clearly, the display is not a high point.
The same thing cannot be said though about the keyboard, which offers an outstanding typing experience. Normally, Chromebook keyboards are shallow with short travel time, but not with this Chromebook. The mechanism is wonderfully snappy, and typing is precise and comfortable. The larger-than-usual touchpad is also very good, capable of responding to multitouch gestures with ease. Another highlight is the battery life. Given that the Chrome OS is already a lightweight operating system, the Lenovo Chromebook C330’s 12-hour battery life is still pretty impressive.
Employing a MediaTek MTK 8173C processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB eMMC, the Lenovo Chromebook C330 is more than capable of handling basic productivity tasks and internet browsing. You can have multiple tabs open in Chrome and run a few Android apps at the same time with no discernible problem.
The Lenovo 2-in-1 Chromebook offers excellent value for your money. For just $180, it strikes a nice balance between admirable performance and good build, with a few hardware compromises that can be overlooked.
HP Chromebook 14
— $199, was $249
The HP Chromebook 14 is a good all-rounder that boasts a sharp 14-inch display, comfortable keyboard, and reasonably attractive chassis. Most importantly, it’s quite inexpensive, currently worth $199 instead of the usual $249 at Best Buy. What’s keeping it from being the budget Chromebook to beat its below-average performance, but it’s hard to fault considering the price.
This Chromebook flaunts a sleek and clean design that stands out in the crowd. Its lid has a textured finish with the glossy HP logo sitting proudly in the center. Although it’s made almost entirely of plastic, we’re pretty confident with its build quality and it’ll surely survive a drop or two.
Its 1080p display honestly deserves applause as it can be considered a luxury for the price point. While it’s certainly not the brightest nor the most vibrant display out there, it’s better than those outdated 1,366 x 768 panels. Watching movies and TV shows on this would be an utter delight. We also have no major complaints about its keyboard, despite the lack of backlighting. The chiclet-style keys are snappy and offer a comfortable typing experience. Its touchpad is also quite impressive, capable of responding accurately to multi-finger gestures.
While other similarly priced Chromebooks offer better performance, the Chromebook 14 is good if all you’re going to use it for is the most basic of tasks. Its AMD A4-9120C accelerated processor and 4GB of RAM has enough power for simple day-to-day work, but we definitely dissuade you from running any demanding apps on this budget machine. Finally, this Chromebook has the stamina to last an entire workday, as it managed a very good nine hours during our continuous web surfing test.
If you need a budget-friendly laptop for doing simple tasks like browsing the internet, sending emails or watching YouTube videos, then the HP Chromebook 14 is a solid option. Get it for just $199 at Best Buy today.
Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 2-in-1
— $399, was $549
The most powerful machine on this list is the Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 2-in-1. This hybrid convertible laptop boasts a built-in stylus and pretty solid specs for a Chromebook. And just like the HP Chromebook 14, this, too, has a 14-inch 1080p display, which makes it terrific for watching videos. You can get the Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 2-in-1 at Best Buy for $399 instead of $549 — a massive $150 off.
This 2-in-1 Chromebook is housed in a pretty sturdy aluminum chassis. As far as appearance goes, there’s nothing remarkable about Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 2-in-1. It isn’t particularly thin or light, weighing in at almost four pounds, which is baffling since this meant to be used as a tablet. You’re definitely going to feel it inside your bag and it can be quite heavy when used one-handed.
The included stylus pen can be pulled out from the right front edge of the device. While accurate and precise, it’s actually quite tiny since it’s built-in, but we’re OK with that. Ports included are a couple of USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port that can be used for charging, one USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A port, a 3.5mm combo audio jack, and a micro-SD card slot.
As mentioned, this Chromebook’s 1080p display is great, although the bezels surrounding it are quite large (at least they’re useful for preventing accidental touches). It supports multitouch gestures with active pen input, and there’s a large number of Android apps for note-taking and drawing that it’s compatible with. Its standard chiclet-style, backlit keyboard is pretty solid as well, bouncy and precise with just the right amount of sensitivity. The glass trackpad is also quite lovely. It’s not as large as we’ve hoped it would be, but it is precise, accurate, and comfortable.
This Chromebook’s performance is fantastic, thanks to its Intel Core i3-8130U chip, which is lightning-fast on Chrome OS. Working alongside 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, this Chromebook is capable of running multiple applications and browser tabs open smoothly and glitch-free.
With its stellar performance, stunning display, and snappy keyboard, the Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 2-in-1 is here to prove that Chromebooks are no longer just secondary computers. Get one for just $399 on Best Buy today.
