Best Chromebook deals for Prime Day 2024: Start saving for school

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.

Unfortunately, pre-Prime Day deals can be aggressive, but only on discounts on premium Chromebooks. We’re hoping to see the more aggressive “doorbuster” deals on Prime Day itself. For now, prices seem to be trending on the high side.

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.

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, midrange $200 to $350, the typical price point, 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 and the week of Prime Day. 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.