Best Cyber Monday Chromebook Deals 2020: Google, HP, Samsung | Digital Trends

This Cyber Monday, you’re not going to just find deals on PCs and laptops. Many retailers also are discounting Chromebooks, which are powered by Google’s Chrome OS and are popular (and cheaper) alternatives to MacBook and Windows laptops. So, if you missed out on any big Chromebook deals as part of last week’s Black Friday offerings, then the latest round of  Cyber Monday deals have them aplenty.

To help you find the Chromebook that is best for you, we’ve already done the legwork to round up all the best Cyber Monday Chromebook deals right here. If you’re not already settled on one of these Chrome OS workhorses, however, then be sure to also check out the rest of the Cyber Monday laptop deals available right now on MacBooks, portable gaming PCs, and more.

Best Cyber Monday Chromebook deals

How to choose a Chromebook on Cyber Monday

The pickings were slim when Chromebooks first came onto the scene about a decade ago, but today, pretty much every major PC maker offers its own Chrome OS laptops, and they cover the entire spectrum of sizes, hardware configurations, designs, and prices. If you want a super-cheap 11-inch Chromebook with mobile hardware, they’re out there. If you want a high-end 2-in-1 Chromebook with a 4K display and the latest hardware, you’ve got options. In 2020, narrowing down this field to find the best Chromebook for your needs and budget is now much the same as shopping for any Windows laptop — although there are some distinctions to keep in mind. And if that distinction has you wondering, check out our guide to Chromebooks versus laptops for more information.

As Chromebooks run on Google’s cloud-based Chrome OS operating system, they’re not quite as resource-heavy as Windows laptops. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Chromebooks can perform the same tasks as Windows laptops for less — for instance, Chrome OS is not really designed for demanding jobs like gaming or video rendering, where you’ll be better served by a Windows PC with a dedicated GPU. The cloud-based convenience of Chrome OS lends itself especially well to things like web browsing, document writing, taking online classes, and similar projects for work and study. That means they’re a great choice for those heading off to college or attending school virtually, and you can have a look at the best Chromebooks for students.

Super-cheap Chromebooks in the sub-$300 bracket tend to sport pared-down mobile CPUs (such as Intel Celeron, Intel Pentium, Intel N-series, AMD A-series, and MediaTek processors), a minimal amount of RAM (usually 4GB), and 32GB to 64GB of eMMC flash storage. These are simple laptops built for basic tasks, and they’re perfectly suitable as a first laptop for a kid, a backup computer, or a machine that’s solely dedicated to school or work (i.e. it won’t be your PC for a heavy user). You get what you pay for, but if your needs are modest and your expectations are realistic, you won’t be disappointed. The best brands to look for here include Lenovo with products like the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5, or Dell, HP, Acer, Asus, and Samsung. You can even find some cheap 2-in-1s among these budget Chromebook offerings.

If you need something that’s more like a traditional laptop in terms of hardware in performance, you can usually expect to pay something closer to traditional laptop prices. However, there are a lot of good Chromebooks out there, like the Google Pixelbook and Samsung Chromebook Pro. Many of these higher-end Chromebooks come loaded with the latest Intel Core CPUs, boosted RAM, and proper solid-state storage drives, along with nicer displays (up to and including 4K panels on some of the newer models). And a high-end Chromebook can be a great investment. The top brands to look for in this bracket are Lenovo, Samsung, and Google, with laptops like the Google Pixelbook Go, Lenovo IdeaPad Duet, HP Chromebook 15, Asus Chromebook Flip C436, and Samsung Galaxy Chromebook being two of our own favorites.

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