Why You Can Trust CNET Best Black Friday Chromebook Deals: The 8 Best Chromebook Deals Right Now
Black Friday is here and it's the best time to find amazing deals on Chromebooks from entry-level to premium models.
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It's easy to find Black Friday Chromebook deals, but finding one worth buying is trickier. To help you find the best Black Friday Chromebook deal for you, CNET's editors have selected all the top discounted Chromebooks available right now. That includes pricier models that you can pick up on sale, as well as more affordable models that are a great value thanks to their low list price.
One word of shopping advice: Although Chromebooks can run well on modest components, Black Friday doorbuster models might still be too underpowered. A big discount might not be worth the frustration. Also, if the Chromebook is really cheap, be sure to check the auto-update expiration date for the model. The AUE is when ChromeOS stops receiving system updates and is typically eight years, but the date is not the same for every model.
Chromebooks are laptops running Google's ChromeOS instead of Windows or MacOS and are designed to be user-friendly for everyone. Even better, the best Chromebooks tend to be more affordable than competing Windows laptops or Apple MacBooks. And the prices only get better this time of year with Black Friday deals on Chromebooks. Plus, since they're safe and less complicated to use, a Chromebook can make an excellent gift for kids (they might already be using one for school) and adults in need of just a simple computer, or anyone who wants an inexpensive laptop for a home office and entertainment.
Looking for more laptop deals? We have a full list of Black Friday laptop deals selected by CNET editors.
Read more: Best Chromebook for 2022
We'll continue to monitor Chromebook deals and regularly update this list with the best Black Friday has to offer.
Black Friday Chromebook deals
The highlight of this Lenovo two-in-one Chromebook is its 11th-gen Intel Core i3 CPU, which is common to many budget Windows laptops and has more than enough oomph to power the lightweight Chrome OS. The Flex 5i features a 13.3-inch touchscreen with a 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution. It offers USI pen support, but you need to buy a stylus separately. It's $160 off at Amazon right now. Read our Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i review.
If you're looking for a good Chromebook for family use, the Acer Chromebook 317 fills that role. It's a 17-inch Chromebook, so it's a little big for frequent travel. But its larger screen means you don't need to be connected to a larger display to get work done more easily or enjoy streaming video. Plus, it's still light enough to carry from room to room. The 317 is regularly $499, but it's currently $200 off. Read our Acer Chromebook 317 review.
This Asus model is on sale for close to $200 right now and features a 14-inch display powered by an Intel Celeron processor and 4GB of RAM. Those are average components for a budget Chromebook, but it adds a bit more storage than usual with 64GB. It has a 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution display for a sharper picture and more workspace than you'd get with the 1,366x768-pixel resolution found on other low-end Chromebooks.
This HP Chromebook two-in-one features a large touchscreen powered by an 11th-gen Core i3 chip and a generous 8GB of RAM, a powerful combo for a Chromebook. It also has a 128GB solid-state drive, which is bigger than you get with most Chromebooks. The 14-inch full-HD display is a widescreen, which means more scrolling through web pages and documents than a 16:10 display, but better for watching movies and viewing two windows side by side. It's discounted by $210 on HP right now.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 is an excellent middle ground between too-small-but-ultraportable 11.6-inch models and large-but-not-as-portable 15.6-inch Chromebooks. The larger 14-inch 1080p display gives you extra room to work when you're away from your desk but still compact enough for a daily commute or carrying around campus. Plus, it has a good port assortment making it a good pick for anyone who is doing a mix of remote work and being in an office with hoteling or hot-desking.
This Samsung two-in-one Chromebook features an all-metal chassis, which is a step up in both looks and durability from the usual plastic Chromebook fare. It boasts a 13.3-inch, QLED touchscreen powered by a 10th-gen Core i3 CPU and 8GB of RAM. It also supplies 128GB of solid-state storage. It's $150 off at Best Buy right now. Read our Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 review.
Did you know that you can get an OLED display on a Chromebook? Lenovo's two-in-one Chromebook Duet 5 is proof that such a thing is possible. It features a detachable, 13.5-inch OLED display with a full-HD resolution powered by an eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon and 8GB of RAM. It also supplies a spacious-for-a-Chromebook 128GB SSD. It's $130 off at Best Buy right now.
This Samsung Chromebook has a smaller display at 12.2 inches than the other models here, but the touchscreen can rotate 360 degrees into tablet mode so you can play Android games -- once homework is done, of course. The display boasts a sharp 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution and pen support for the included stylus. Inside, the system features an Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. You can pick it up for almost half price right now at Amazon. Read our Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 review.
What should you look for in a Chromebook deal?
One of the biggest things to consider is which configuration is on sale. Often, with the best Chromebook deals, only a specific version of the Chromebook is on sale and making any changes to it could affect the price. This means that sometimes you find the 256GB model is actually cheaper than the 128GB option, or a similar situation.
When are the best Chromebook deals available?
Generally, you'll find the best Chromebook deals during back-to-school shopping time in late summer or early fall, and a bit later in the year during annual Black Friday sales events. There are Chromebook deals available throughout the year, but if you're looking for the best deal and can afford to wait a little, these are the best times of the year to buy one.
Which retailers usually offer the best Chromebook deals?
You can usually find deals across a variety of retailers when it comes to Chromebook sales. Amazon and Best Buy are constantly running discounts, and deals can also be found at Newegg and Walmart. Amazon's prices fluctuate and Best Buy's sales come and go, so it's worth checking back weekly to see if a discounted price returns.