Best chromebooks available in a budget

[Android Central Question]

Hello all, I am looking to get a chrome book and do not know that much about computers but there is so many different processors and things to choose from so if anyone can help me find the best chrome book within a budget of let’s say 300-400. I don’t need anything to fancy but don’t want to deal with extreme lag if I have a few tabs open and maybe playing music or something in the back.

 

[mustang7757]

I know someone who can help. @B. Diddy

I'll leave a Link to register so you can communicate here as a guest account you can only post questions but can't reply.
https://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=409154

 

[MoreDef]

A brand new Samsung Chromebook 4 plus is $299. Just got it a few weeks ago and I'm loving the huge screen. Keyboard is nice and it handle lots of open tabs well. It's also scheduled to get updates til 2026. No touchscreen and relatively small viewing angle may be deal-breakers for you though.

 

[deepre]

Ok I will check it out thank you. How bad is the viewing angle?...also in the homepage here they have a Lenovo one for sale for 180 and that seems low for what that has I’d like to know what you or others think of that one as well?

 

[MoreDef]

I mean, you pretty much have to look at it straight on, but then again, some optimistic people would call that a "privacy screen"

In terms of Chromebooks, price is only one aspect. Check to see how long it's supported for too.

https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366?hl=en

 

[deepre]

I wish I could go to a store and see the viewing angle myself but it’s not a good time for that. The Lenovo c330 that is on sale for 180 gets the updates until 2025. As far as price Im just using that as a point of reference if it’s a matter of like 50 dollars I’m not going to get a crappy one just to save 50 but for what I need it for I don’t think Id need to spend more than 400. There is just so many and I’m sure there is many great options but I figured I would ask here to help me narrow it down a bit.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! In general, I favor Chromebooks with an i3 or i5 processor. The ones with a Celeron or Mediatek CPU are ok for basic everyday usage, but if you do plan to do any moderately intensive productivity or gaming, those lower end CPUs might give you more lag. You need at least 4 GB of RAM, but that's not hard to find -- you mostly find 2 GB of RAM on really cheap or older Chromebooks. 8 GB of RAM is nice, but it's hard to find that in the $300-400 range.

The HP X360 Chromebook 14 is a great all-around machine that I use a lot at home. It has a Core i3, 8 GB of RAM, 64 GB SSD, nice backlit keyboard, decent touchscreen, nice speakers. It often goes on sale at Best Buy for $349, but is currently $499: www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-2-in-1-14-t...mc-flash-memory-white/6365772.p?skuId=6365772. If you plan to wait a bit, then keep checking Best Buy to see if the price drops that low again.

I didn't mention the newer Chromebooks with AMD CPUs because I don't know enough of how they compare with the usual Intel or Mediatek CPUs. I'm guessing the A4 CPUs are relatively slow, but the A6 might be pretty good.

 

[deepre]

Ok thank you very much. I would be my first time trying a chrome book so I hope I like it as opposed to a windows or even a mac.

 

[B. Diddy]

That generally depends on what you primarily use your computer for. If you spend almost all of your time using the browser, use cloud-based services like Google Docs, and aren't a heavy gamer, then you'll love Chromebooks. If you absolutely have to use heavy duty Windows or Mac programs that have to be installed on the machine (the most often cited being the full Photoshop suite), or if you're really into gaming, then you may be disappointed. (But keep in mind that there are pretty decent Android games you can play on Chromebooks.)

 

[deepre]

I won’t be using it for any gaming or photoshop applications at all. Just basically for web based apps including zoom, Skype etc. and also for basic word documents, spreadsheets. Another question somewhat unrelated and might sound dumb but I just don’t know, if someone sends me spreadsheets or documents from apples numbers or pages can I access it, save it and edit it on a chrome book?

 

[B. Diddy]

I think you'd have to use iWork: https://www.appledystopia.com/how-to/use-iwork-macos-windows-linux-chromeos-free/ I don't think there's a way for Google Drive to open and edit one of those files natively, or to convert them to a Google Docs or Google Sheets file (like it can with Microsoft Office files).

 

[deepre]

What do you think about this one https://zdcs.link/X5wjW?t=roundup-p...ag.com/picks/the-best-chromebooks&cd2=Roundup

 

[Kizzy Catwoman]

Pages and numbers can be edited using the iwork online tools you find by logging into your icloud account at icloud.com but I am not sure if it will only work with files already stored in your icloud account as opposed to ones sent to you.

 

[B. Diddy]

What do you think about this one https://zdcs.link/X5wjW?t=roundup-p...ag.com/picks/the-best-chromebooks&cd2=Roundup

Hey, good find! Yes, that looks quite good. Core i3, 4 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD, a fullsize keyboard with a numberpad (and I think it's backlit). Will get Chrome OS updates through June 2025. That's an excellent price -- I'd go for it!