Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days should feature some of the best Chromebook deals you’ll see all year, and I’ve collected the best I’ve found right here.
Beginning today, October 8, Amazon launches Prime Big Deal Days, the fall version of its Prime Day event each summer. Our Prime Big Deal Days hub offers deals in all sorts of categories, including special, one-off deals as they roll in. On this page, I’ll collect the best Prime Big Deal Days sales on Chromebooks, with deals from budget to premium models. What makes for a good deal? I explain below, using our roundup of the best Chromebooks as a guide.
I’ve worked as a consumer tech editor for 30 years and I’ve been at PCWorld for the last decade. During that time, I’ve been responsible for compiling the best Chromebook deals for Prime Day, Black Friday, and more, and I’ve done deep reporting on the Chromebook ecosystem. I’m confident I can find the best Chromebook bargains for you.
To compile PCWorld’s list of Chromebook deals for Prime Big Deal Days, I looked at the specifications, price, pricing history, the manufacturer, and any reviews we’ve published on a specific Chromebook. These are the best Chromebook deals for Prime Big Deal Days, and I’ll update them if more arrive (or leave).
First published on Sept. 24, 2024. Last updated on Oct. 8, 2024.
If I were to buy one deal for Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, I’d buy the Acer Chromebook 314. It’s nearly half off and I don’t think that there are any compromises there. I think that’s the best deal of the sale right now.
In terms of budget offerings, I’ve put the Asus C424 on top, because of the larger, higher-resolution screen. The Gateway deal nudges down into budget-basement territory, which isn’t a bad thing. I’m just not a huge fan of that small, lower-resolution screen.
I like the Samsung Chromebook 4 deal, but there’s a bit of a question mark in my mind. The discount itself is pretty solid, and I do like the larger screen. But the Celeron N4000 was discontinued in 2017, even though the Chromebook itself will receive support until June 2029. If you buy this, just make sure the Chromebook is responsive enough for your tastes and that you can return it if it isn’t. I want you to be happy with your purchase!
Amazon’s Spin deals are close to or exceed the lowest price of the year, but man, there is a huge difference in the prices Acer is charging for the various processor tiers. I really think you’ll be happy with the cheaper Spin 514, though you can opt for the higher-priced one if you want. Ryzens don’t have the best reputation for battery life, but that might be a low priority for you.
The Duet 3 is a tablet, not a clamshell notebook. Keep that in mind!
I’ve lefe the Acer Spin 714’s ranking where it is, but the discount has increased from 25 percent off to 36 percent off over the weekend, so you’re getting a better deal right now.
The two bottom entries are Chromebook Plus options, which provide you with upgraded hardware. Of those, I’d lean toward the cheaper Flex 5i as the option that offers the best value for the money. It’s just an overall better combination of parts. If you’d like a larger screen, however, the Asus offers a 15.6-inch display. I’m not sure how successful cloud-gaming Chromebooks have been, which is why we might be seeing some discounted devices. (You can do everything else a Chromebook can do on these machines.)
We’ve collected the best Prime Big Deal Days at Amazon, above, but we’ve collected the best Chromebook deals at Amazon’s competitors as well.
I had to add the Asus deal from Walmart, but there’s an interesting caveat: The screen is monstrous, the size of a desktop display at 17 inches. But the weight — if correctly listed — is a relative brick at 5 pounds. You’ll want to leave this on a desk.
The Chromebook Plus CX3402 from Asus, with a Google AI subscription, is also a good deal. I would like a good midrange/premium Chromebook to be under $300, but $314 is pretty close.
Expect to pay between $170 to $250 or so, depending on the configuration. You’ll see bargain-basement options below $100 and more premium versions will cost $300 and above. We’ve used that advice for the past few years, and even with inflation that still seems to hold true.
While some of the early Chromebook deals were pretty solid, the best deals are usually reserved for the Prime
I always start first with the screen, preferring a large 1080p display if the deal offers it. I also look for at least 8GB of RAM to maximize the available open tabs in a web browser and run necessary apps. I worry less about the microprocessor, as Chrome OS is lightweight and can run on an Intel Pentium and Celeron chip, an AMD chip, or Arm chips from Qualcomm and Mediatek. Anything powered by an Intel Core chip or AMD Ryzen (not an A-series) chip should deliver solid performance.
It’s a little trickier now since Chromebooks are now supported for ten years and some manufacturers see that as a green light to dump ancient hardware. That’s the sort of thing I keep a wary eye upon. These produce what I call “trap” bargains. Here’s one: a Samsung 12.2-inch Chromebook, which at press time was 25% off for $300. The trap: the processor was discontinued seven years ago. Nope.
Generally, Chromebooks tend to fall into three categories: ultracheap models at about $100 to $200, which can offer solid discounts but can hide gotchas like a subpar screen; the typical midrange price of between $250 and $400; and premium Chromebooks at $500 or more. The latter are essentially PC laptops with Google’s Chrome OS on top, and might be too expensive for your tastes.
Our story recommending Chromebooks over Windows laptops may help you decide, as might our recommendations for the best Chromebooks. We have a more detailed comparison of laptops versus Chromebooks, too.
Chromebooks used to cut corners, especially where deals are concerned. Some still do. This $209 Asus Chromebook at Target uses an eight-year-old processor from 2016. I don’t want you to buy ancient hardware that won’t run well, so I pay attention to this. I also tend to avoid “renewed” hardware in favor of new, out-of-the-box devices.
I like to focus on the screen first, choosing deals that offer large, eye-pleasing 1080p displays. (A 768p screen can work, but it can be grainy). I like Chromebooks with at least 8GB of memory, but I’m less particular about the type of processor. You don’t need an Intel Core or AMD Ryzen chip, though you will see those in more premium Chromebooks. Arm chips from Qualcomm, Samsung, or Mediatek are more typical and offer longer battery life and decent performance. For a Chromebook, that’s enough.
Google Chrome OS-powered notebooks have a support window. Once closed, they will not receive any additional features, patches, security, or OS updates. However, Google recently extended this support window to a full 10 years, which really opens up the possibilities.
Amazon would like to think so. But if we relied solely on Amazon’s deals, you’d miss out! Many retails offers competitive deals during Prime Days (or Prime Big Deal Days) and the week that event takes place. If we find a Chromebook deal from another retailer, we’ll include it.
No. You may have a particular preference, but all Chromebooks that we cover are made by hardware makers with trusted reputations like HP, Samsung, Asus, and so on. If you trust a laptop brand, its Chromebooks should be equally trustworthy.
