Best Black Friday Chromebook Deals 2020: Google, HP, Samsung

Black Friday deals have arrived early this year, with retailers rolling out the red carpet with an array of early discounts to entice holiday shoppers to purchase new electronics items. These discounts include plenty of deals on Chromebooks — affordable laptops that run on Google’s cloud-based Chrome OS operating system and which have exploded in popularity over the past couple of years. These are already shaping up to be one of the hottest items for this holiday season, particularly as gifts for those doing schooling or working from home. If you’re looking to get your mitts on a sleek Chrome OS-powered laptop but you’ve been waiting for Black Friday Chromebook deals to land before making your move, then now’s the time to strike while the iron is hot.

We’re already seeing a flood of great Black Friday laptop sales this year, and we know from past experience that the holiday shopping season is when you’ll find them at the lowest prices. Read on to see all the best Black Friday Chromebook deals you can find right now, along with a quick buying guide to give you the leg-up over other bargain-hungry shoppers.

Best Black Friday Chromebook deals

How to choose a Chromebook during Black Friday

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.

When to shop Black Friday Chromebook deals

For a big purchase like a laptop, you might be wondering when is the best time to buy. The good news is that Black Friday Chromebook deals are already available ahead of the big day, so you can buy early and ensure that you’ll receive your item in time for the holidays, even with the shipping delays that are currently affecting many online retailers.

Something else that should put your mind at ease is the price guarantees available on many of these Black Friday Chromebook deals. A number of outlets are offering guarantees that if you buy now and the price of the item falls before Black Friday, the retailer will automatically refund you the difference. That means that there’s no reason not to snap up a great deal early — and if you act now, you can be confident your item will arrive before Christmas.

Should you buy a Chromebook during Black Friday?

Perhaps you’re wondering when the best time to buy a Chromebook is, and whether you should wait or buy one now. In that case, we’d advise you to move fast and snap up a Black Friday Chromebook deal now. We know from previous years that prices during the Black Friday sales are usually the lowest they’ll be all year, and you won’t find a better price before the end of the year. So buy now with confidence that you’re getting a great deal.

How much should you spend on a Chromebook on Black Friday?

Chromebooks made their name by being a much more affordable alternative to most laptops on the market, while still retaining quality features, thanks in part to the entirely cloud-based Chrome OS operating system. That means you really do not have to spend a lot on a Chromebook, especially with Black Friday sales now in full swing. As little as $200 or $300 can get you a great device for reading, writing, and browsing — and you don’t even have to spend that much if your usage is really light.

That said, you can spend a lot more if you want more features. Some Chromebooks offer high-end specs such as 4K displays or folding touchscreen panels, and these inevitably push prices up. Still, that’s a lot less than you can end up paying for an Apple MacBook or a Surface laptop, making Chromebooks great value for money.

Are any Black Friday Chromebook deals too good to be true?

Buying a new Chromebook in the Black Friday sales requires a degree of caution, as not every deal is as amazing as it may first seem. Some retailers use the sale season to offload old models that they are otherwise struggling to sell, meaning you could end up with an underwhelming Chromebook that does not meet your needs. Always carefully check specs and reviews for the device you have in mind in case it is not really what you are looking for, and do not immediately pull the trigger on a deal that looks good on the surface without doing your research first.

Even if a deal does seem right for you, it is still a good idea to take your time to double-check. Some websites use high-pressure tactics like countdown timers or warnings that other shoppers have the item in their baskets. Don’t feel rushed into making a purchase that is not right for you. Fortunately, we have plenty of advice and excellent deals here on this page, all tailored to help you make the right decision on a Black Friday Chromebook deal.

Where to find the best Chromebook sales

Amazon Black Friday: Amazon is running new Holiday Dash deals every day until November 19, although this online retail giant is generally not as good of a place to find Chromebook deals (and laptop deals in general) as other stores like Best Buy and Walmart. Nonetheless, it’s a good idea to keep that page bookmarked and check back daily — you might just find a hidden gem.
Best Buy Black Friday: Best Buy offers discounted laptops year-round and you can be sure it’ll have plenty of Black Friday Chromebook deals on tap. In fact, there are some worthy savings to be had on top models from HP, Google, and Samsung right now.
Target Black Friday: With models from HP, Acer, and Asus, you’ll find Chromebooks of varying specifications including 2-in-1 and convertible models, many of which are around $50 off on sale for Black Friday.
Walmart Black Friday: Walmart’s laptop deals often fly under the radar and it’s a huge mistake to overlook this retailer (which many shoppers regard mostly as a brick-and-mortar store). It’s a surprisingly great place to find Black Friday Chromebook deals on models from Lenovo, Acer, Samsung, and Asus, which go on sale a lot here.

We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and we choose what we cover carefully and independently. The prices, details, and availability of the products and deals in this post may be subject to change at anytime. Be sure to check that they are still in effect before making a purchase.

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