Best Black Friday Chromebook Deals 2021: What to Buy Today | Digital Trends

The best Black Friday deals have arrived early this year and are already bringing in a steady flow of Black Friday Chromebook deals with them. Retailers are rolling out their sales ahead of schedule for 2021 thanks to inventory shortages and lingering supply chain issues, so if you’re after a new laptop, now’s the time to get shopping. The best Black Friday Chromebook deals aren’t likely to stay in stock for very long.

These Black Friday laptop deals include plenty of deals on Chromebooks — affordable PCs that run on Google’s cloud-based Chrome OS operating system — and if you’re looking to get your mitts on a sleek Chrome-powered laptop but you’ve been waiting for the perfect deals before making your move, then now’s the time to strike. Read on to see all the best Black Friday Chromebook deals you can find right now.

Retailers with Black Friday Chromebook deals

• Amazon Black Friday deals: Amazon is rolling out new Lightning Deals every week leading up to Black Friday, although this online retail giant is generally not as good of place to find Chromebook deals (and laptop deals in general) as other retailers like Best Buy and Walmart. Nonetheless, it has been dropping some good early Black Friday Chromebook deals on Samsung and Lenovo models, so keep your eyes peeled — shop now.
• Best Buy Black Friday deals: Best Buy offers discounted laptops year-round, and you can be sure to find plenty of Black Friday Chromebook deals here. In fact, there are some worthy savings to be had on top models from Acer, Asus, Lenovo, and Samsung right now, as well as some good Dell laptop deals on tap. Chromebooks of varying designs, including 2-in-1 and touchscreen models, are all on sale — shop now.
• Walmart Black Friday deals: Walmart’s laptop deals often fly under the radar, and it’s big mistake to overlook this retailer (which many shoppers regard mostly as a brick-and-mortar store). It’s a particularly good place to find HP laptop deals as well as Black Friday Chromebook deals on models from Lenovo, Acer, Samsung, and Asus, which are all on sale here — shop now.

Best Black Friday Chromebook deals 2021

• Lenovo Chromebook 3 — $119, was $219
• Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 2-in-1 Chromebook — $259, was $299
• Acer Chromebook Spin 514 2-in-1 — $299, was $499
• Lenovo Flex 5 2-in-1 Chromebook — $329, was $419
• Google Pixelbook Go Touchscreen Chromebook — $599, was $649

Lenovo Chromebook 3 — $119, was $219

Why buy:

• Compact, carry-friendly size
• Nice aesthetics
• Super affordable
• Built-in HD webcam

A great Black Friday Chromebook deal for those on a tight budget (or just looking for a cheap laptop for any reason) comes from Lenovo, which is a surprisingly big player in the Chrome OS laptop market. Chromebooks admittedly don’t feature as heavily among the best Lenovo laptops considering this brand’s primary focus is on its Windows PCs, most notably the iconic ThinkPads we all know and love, but it nonetheless has some excellent Chrome OS-powered machines up its sleeve.

If you’re looking for what could be the cheapest name-brand Chrome OS machine out there right now, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 could be it. It’s got an AMD A6 dual-core mobile CPU paired with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of flash storage, which are basic but sufficient specs for basic work tasks and general everyday use. And with an 11.6-inch HD display, the Chromebook 3 is small enough that you can take it just about anywhere. It’s as light in your hands as it is on your wallet, too, with its Black Friday sale price of just $119 (that’s $100 off!).

Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 2-in-1 Chromebook — $259, was $299

Why buy:

• Versatile 2-in-1 design
• Sturdy yet lightweight
• Generous battery life
• Boosted 128GB storage

If you like the smaller Chromebooks but you’re after something a bit sleeker, more modern, and, well, more tablet-like (and if you especially want a cheaper option than the many pricier 2-in-1s that populate the laptop market), the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet is the one. It could almost be compared to an iPad, but one that runs Chrome OS. That means the Duet makes for pretty solid iPad alternative for Android smartphone users thanks to the cross-compatibility of the Chrome ecosystem with many of the same Android apps you use on your phone.

With 128GB of storage, you’ve got more space for your favorite software and project files than you do with most Chrome OS machines. It’s great size at 10.1 inches, which puts it in the same category as the standard 10.2-inch iPad. This display boasts a 16:10 aspect ratio with a 1200p resolution as well, giving you more space to work with while in portrait mode. That portability and versatility is perfect for online studies and treks across campus, making the IdeaPad Duet one of the best Chromebooks for students on a tight budget.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet comes with a fold-out keyboard cover (complete with touchpad) that lets it pull light duty as a basic convertible. It won’t replace a full-sized laptop, but it’ll let you get some typing done when you need to. This gives you just about everything you need right out of the box — and for just $249 after a $40 Black Friday discount.

Acer Chromebook Spin 514 2-in-1 — $299, was $499

Why buy:

• Excellent value for a 2-in-1
• Full HD 1080p touch display
• Snappy Ryzen processor
• Sturdy metal chassis

Acer is the value king, so it’s no surprise that some of the best Black Friday Chromebook deals come from this brand. And while the compact 11-inch Chromebooks are great, they aren’t for everybody; on the other hand, many up-sized Chromebooks pack PC-like hardware that puts them squarely in the same price bracket as Windows laptops and even MacBooks. Enter the Acer Chromebook Spin 514: This high-value Chrome OS gem is a great option if you’re after a cheap 2-in-1 Chrome OS laptop but want something bigger than the 11-inch models that dominate this price range.

It’s not big and heavy, though, despite its larger size, durable metal chassis, and MIL-STD 810H military grade construction. The Chromebook Spin 514 is actually pretty slim and light, measuring less than 0.7 inch thick when closed. “Military grade” probably isn’t the phrase that springs to mind when you think of Chromebooks, but it applies here. That ruggedized housing protects it against bumps and falls, making it tough enough for kids, frequent travelers, and those who take their machines out into the field.

Its AMD Ryzen 3 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of flash storage tick all the “cheap but capable Chromebook” boxes, while the 14-inch 1080p display is the perfect size for working on comfortably and won’t leave you feeling boxed in. Did we mention that this display is also a fold-flat touchscreen? At $299 — a whopping $200 Black Friday discount — it doesn’t get much better than the Chromebook Spin 514 if you want a more standard-sized machine for work, study, and entertainment (and one that’s a modern 2-in-1 convertible, no less).

Lenovo Flex 5 2-in-1 Chromebook — $329, was $419

Why buy:

• Comfortable, responsive keyboard
• Ideal 13-inch size
• Lightweight aluminum chassis
• Solid value for a name-brand laptop

You’ll always find at least a few Chromebooks among the best Lenovo laptop deals available at any given moment (even if, as we mentioned, this brand is more well-known for its Windows PCs). The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is one of the best Chromebooks money can buy for less than $500, and it’s a downright steal at this price. It’s light but comfortable to work on with its 13.3-inch 1080p — that’s right, Full HD — touch display, and that it’s also a 2-in-1 convertible is just icing on the cake.

An Intel Pentium processor, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB eMMC storage make it fine for everyday use, and the keyboard is comfortable for extended typing sessions. It also sports two USB-C ports, which is a must-have on any modern computer, along with a standard USB-A port. It’s nothing fancy, but with a nice design and a solid-feeling aluminum chassis, the Flex 5 is pretty much all we want in a basic workhorse 2-in-1. Ongoing Black Friday Chromebook deals let you score one of our favorite Chrome OS laptops for just $329.

Google Pixelbook Go Touchscreen Chromebook — $599, was $649

Why buy:

• Great design and build quality
• Bright 1080p touch display
• Quality speakers
• All-day battery life

Google’s Pixel brand extends beyond smartphones now and graces two of our all-time favorite Chromebooks: the Pixelbook Go and Pixelbook. The 13-inch Pixelbook Go is the more budget-friendly model of the duo (with the standard Pixelbook’s price being on par with that of MacBooks!) and proves why Chromebooks are still the top choice in classrooms. If you’re having trouble choosing between Chromebooks and laptops, the Pixelbook Go can make that decision a little easier with its PC-like specs that include an Intel Core m3 CPU and 8GB of RAM that combine solid performance with the cloud-based convenience of Chrome OS.

Its 13.3-inch touchscreen is a bright and vibrant 1080p panel as well, which is a notable improvement over most Chromebook displays (many of which are only 720p), and it delivers surprisingly good audio from its built-in stereo speakers. It’s built well and offers great battery life, too, and at $599 after a $50 discount, this is one of the best Black Friday Chromebook deals available right now on one of Google’s finest offerings. If you’re willing to pay for some hardware upgrades, a higher-quality display, and a refined design, then the Pixelbook Go is well worth the extra cash.

Should you shop Black Friday Chromebook deals now?

The short answer is yes, because ongoing supply chain backlogs and inventory shortages are threatening to make the 2021 holiday shopping season a bit more precarious than usual. The best Black Friday Chromebook deals don’t last long under normal circumstances, and things might be even tighter this year. We also anticipate shipping delays, so even if an item you’re looking at isn’t in danger of going out of stock before you buy it, it might be worth it to get your Christmas gift shopping done early.

Understandably, you might be worried that if you buy now, you’ll miss out on the best Black Friday Chromebook deals that come along later. Retailers are one step ahead of you: In anticipation of the potentially difficult shopping season, many outlets including Best Buy and Newegg are offering Black Friday price-match guarantees. In the event that an early Black Friday deal you purchased becomes cheaper later, you can get refunded the difference. This ensures that you get the best price — if this is a concern, just remember to make sure the item you’re buying is covered by the retailer’s Black Friday price guarantee.

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