Gone are the old days when you had to spend more than $1000 to get a decent Chromebook.
More to the point, the rapid advancement in technology and the emergence of new PC manufacturers help you find full-featured Chromebooks with hybrid systems for as little as $200 or even lower. These are suitable for gaming and online schooling and are also the best options for everyday tasks.
So what is the Best Chromebook Under 200 dollars? And are they worth buying? Can they retain the essential qualities necessary for the smooth operation? Let’s find out!
Table of Contents
What are the Best Inexpensive Chromebooks?
Samsung Chromebook 3 11.6″ LCD
If you love getting more for less, Samsung Chromebook 3 is what you need; suitable as a gaming laptop and an online schooling laptop.
At its budget-friendly price, you can still expect a 4GB RAM. The Chromebook uses Chrome OS, and you’ll thus enjoy sufficient free space on the 32GB eMMc flash memory. Unlike other systems that rely on Windows 10 and have similar storage capacity, this Chromebook guarantees you more than 20GB free space.
NOTE: While free space translates to ample room for storing your files, you can still consider investing in a microSD for better storage.
You won’t fail to notice the five-star 11.4-inch screen display that gives it a competitive advantage. This bright screen, together with the viewing angles, allow you to see the screen colors from 45° on each side.
You’ll appreciate the speedy performance and a reliable battery. This battery lasts a full school day on a single charge. According to the Laptop Mag Battery Test, the Chromebook clocked 9 hours and 44 minutes on continuous internet surfing with Wi-Fi.
As if this isn’t enough for the price range, Samsung Chromebook 3 still features a fun webcam, a feature that you’ll not find among models of a similar kind. The webcam features live filters like Big Eyes, Vintage, and Multi-Shot mode. It also has an accurate 720p selfie camera.
What about the build quality?
The sub-$200 machine has a surprisingly excellent build quality. It features a “metallic black” finish, which is suitable for any setting. Its chassis is silky-smooth, and this increases its aesthetic appeal. Additionally, the subtle texture on the machine’s display effectively minimizes any reflections from the bezel.
On the left is the battery indicator, a USB port, a micoSD card slot, and an HDMI port. On the opposite side are the microphone jack, the audio jack, and a USB 3.0 port.
If you want to give Chrome OS a try, it won’t disappoint; it is a solid choice for anyone who primarily loves surfing the web and, more especially, for someone who’s looking for an online schooling laptop.
- Excellent performance
- Lightweight
- Incredible battery life
- Excellent screen quality
- Features the Chrome OS which has multiple apps
- For a small machine, it has a very clear and loud audio quality
- Best budget Chromebook
- Mainly suitable for online usage
ASUS Chromebook C223 Laptop
Work faster, travel lighter!
The simplest way to boost productivity in your work is by relying on ASUS Chromebook C223. It gives you fun working and even more fun as you move thanks to the compact and light design. It is said to have a smaller footprint than an A4 paper sheet and a weight less than 1kg.
The Chromebook features an 11.6-inch display, which is the thinnest profile that any Chromebook can have. The screen is anti-glare and comes with a LED-backlit that features stunning colors. The extra-slim bezels add a tick on all these as they seamlessly minimize any visual distractions.
The best Chromebook under 200 dollars is powered by the dual-core Intel® processor, with a 1.10GHz base clock and two cores with no hyperthreading. Even though its performance may be limited, the 4GB RAM storage will help you a lot. C223 has a quick boot and works perfectly for lightweight workloads. Running heavy workloads on the machine at once may crush the Chromebook.
The battery life is up to 10 hours and can be used to work all day long, just on a single charge. This best budget chromebook also features two functional USB-C™ ports for easy charging and connection to external displays and devices.
The USB-C ports give fast and reliable data-transfer speed. For even maximum convenience, ASUS Chromebook C223 comes with a microSD and a standard USB 3.1 port for additional storage.
Here’s another reason to celebrate; it comes preloaded with lots of Google Play Store Apps for play and work. It also has an HD front camera that gives precise and natural-looking video calls.
The processor allows excellent performance for these apps. Together with a full-power G Suite, the Chromebook works seamlessly through your day-to-day activities.
The keyboard and touchpad here are very decent. The Chromebook boasts in its soft key presses that will give you a smooth time replying to emails and writing articles. The keyboard layout is somehow cramped, but this is a small factor limitation that will not bother you.
Even though it is lighter than models of similar kind and budget, this one makes no compromise on the sound quality. It comes with high-quality stereo-speakers that have large resonant chambers.
These generate a high-fidelity audio sound quality of up to 82dB and can thus offer surround-sound effects. With this, it performs at a level similar to expensive laptops. If you love video and music streaming, this one will give you a powerful sound.
With its excellent and speedy performance, convenient features, and robust security, the Chromebook is ideal for students.
Dell Chromebook 11 -Intel Celeron 2955U
Chromebook 11 is aimed to be an online schooling laptop, but its combination of reliable battery life and elegant design gives it an appeal beyond the boundaries of a classroom.
Even when still closed, this Chromebook has a stylish package. You’ll love the Dell logo and the Chrome badge that gives it a lovely color splash. While the chassis is plastic, the device doesn’t have any hint of ‘chrome.’ Open it up, and you’ll notice that the thoughtful design still continues.
Its keyboard is specifically for the internet. On the other hand, the touchpad is consistent and responsive. A compromise seems to have been made on the 11.6-inch screen display as it has a dull and native resolution of 135ppi. This Chromebook comes with a sizable bezel of around 2cm and has limited viewing angles.
Another plus side is that the audio quality is perfect since the speakers produce loud and clear output. You may, however, struggle with this because the sound quality is too loud.
While considering the education market, the Chromebook has a good build quality. It is a sturdily built device featuring robust hardware. Powered by Intel’s 1.4GHz dual-core Celeron 2955U processor and an integrated Intel HD graphics, you don’t have any reason not to go for this budget-friendly companion. The processor can keep everything working nicely.
Your files are safe. This one has an SD card slot, a 16GB internal storage, an audio jack, two USB 3.0 ports, and an HDMI connector. However, it doesn’t come with a wired Ethernet port. You’ll rely on Bluetooth and the dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0. for any wireless connectivity.
There’s no doubt that the device is built for constant connectivity. If you switch your WiFi off, you’ll only deal limitedly with the device. It boots very quickly and wakes up in seconds. If this is reassuring to you, go for this giant!
As with the battery life, expect the device to last for seven hours in a full working day.
ASUS Chromebook Laptop
From working on presentations to taking notes, Chromebook allows you to work, communicate, play, and share files effortlessly.
The all-new ASUS Chromebook features a 180° hinge and a 14-inch display. The hinge allows you to lay the screen flat as you share content with your colleagues and friends. Additionally, the unique and durable design of the hinge is subjected to grueling tests for long-term reliability.
It has an aluminum-finished lid, which is 0.6-inch thin. The Chromebook also has an overall weight of around 2.6 pounds and an elegant feel and look. That said, it is not only lightweight but also carries a classic aesthetic appeal.
This is your best take-anywhere friend designed for ease in mobility. On a single charge, this power-efficient Chromebook lasts for up to 10 hours. So, you can play and work with it throughout the day as you move around.
See and do more with this ASUS Chromebook!
The stunning 14-inch HD display is made with an ultra-narrow bezel that features an anti-glare coat, which reduces the reflections. With this, the machine features a beautiful screen-to-body ratio, which minimizes size, thus maximizing productivity.
Though it has a compact design, C423 has a great sound quality thanks to the extra-large resonant chambers and dual stereo speakers that bring out high-fidelity audio. It delivers quality, crisp, and powerful sound effects that are equal to that of larger laptops.
There’s more to celebrate; it features a powerful dual-core Intel processor that delivers excellent performance and outstanding battery life. Together, with the high-power G Suite, C423 lets you carry out your everyday tasks seamlessly.
You’ll enjoy ultimate flexibility with the two full-function USB Type-C ports. This makes it easy for you to charge the Chromebook and also connect it to external devices. The advantage of USB-C gives you superfast transfer speeds. To provide much better compatibility and convenience, ASUS Chromebook also has a MicroSD slot and an additional USB 3.1 port.
Typing on this compact device is very comfortable; get extreme typing comfort with its full-size ergonomic keyboard that has 1.4 mm key travel. Additionally, ASUS Chromebook gives you 100% access to Google Play store to access your favorite Apps. C423 also comes with built-in antivirus protection and automatic updates.
HP Chromebook 11 G4 EE Under 200 dollars
It’s hard to note the differences between Chromebooks, especially when they all have an easy-to-use OS.
In the HP Chromebook 11 G4 EE case, standing out in the crowd isn’t a struggle. The sturdy build quality of the device is what makes it distinguishable.
It falls in the 11-inch category and has an excellent battery life with a satisfying keyboard. The hp chromebook 11-v031nr has a modern and classic look. It appears minimalist since it features rounded edges and a two-toned color palette. The lid is sleek and matte black.
Its HP silver logo stands out even in the stark contrast, and the bottom case has a smooth textured finish that makes the device grippy. With this feature, you can comfortably carry it in one of your hands while it’s closed.
Open the lid and unleash a silver base with black Chiclet-style keys. This same matte plastic appears in a thick bezel from the lid. Typically, the overall machine feels sturdy, and if you’re planning to have it for your kid, you’re about to make the best decision ever!
Whether you’ll be moving with it around your house or you’re planning to carry it with you to the office, the machine will be the best to take with you because of its 2.1 pounds weight.
- Solid audio quality
- Comfortable keyboard
- Average battery life
- Dim and washed-out screen
Frequently Asked Questions
[sc_fs_multi_faq headline-0=”h2″ question-0=”What are the Best Inexpensive Chromebooks?” answer-0=”The super combination of affordable budget, reliable RAM capacity, free space on the flash memory, and five-star screen display will do you good. Though Samsung Chromebook 3 is the best laptop under $200, its reliable battery and speedy performance work just like that of expensive Chromebooks. ” image-0=”” headline-1=”h2″ question-1=”Is a Chromebook worth buying?” answer-1=”You don’t expect laptops at this budget to perform heavy tasks like video editing because they are simply not designed for these. They operate on a lightweight OS and get their power from entry-level CPUs. Instead, their storage and RAM are only suitable for everyday tasks like editing documents, surfing through the web, creating presentations, and handling simple excel sheets. They have the lightweight factor and thus very portable. With the less powerful hardware that they feature, Chromebooks of this price consume less power, and most have an excellent battery capacity. They are thus worth buying! ” image-1=”” headline-2=”h2″ question-2=”What is the Downside to a Chromebook?” answer-2=”Before rushing out to purchase your new Chromebook, the following are some of the significant downsides that you should know; If you’re a Skype or an iTunes user, you’re out of luck! Simply put, these platforms are not compatible with Chromebooks and so, don’t purchase it, thinking that they can. At the end of the day, when buying Chromebooks, be sure that you’ll need to sacrifice some programs or limit your operations to what the device offers online. GoToMeeting, WebEx, GoToWebinar still sucks in Chromebooks… Here’s the light at the end of the tunnel: Zoom will work! If planning to hold a training or a meeting with GoToWebinar on Chromebooks, you’ll only be successful up to some point; you won’t be able to record sessions and don’t expect a pleasurable experience sharing videos and other files. They’re worth buying!” image-2=”” headline-3=”h2″ question-3=”What is a Good Price for a Chromebook?” answer-3=”You don’t have to compromise quality with affordability! A reasonable price for Chromebooks is that which doesn’t affect quality adversely. To know the best Chromebook price, you’ll need to be keen on the storage solutions and processor quality. You may come across deals that account for both cost efficiency and power. Therefore, it’s beneficial to check out anything that has an SSD capable of managing and storing your updates, especially if you won’t be running ChromeOS and RAM that is more than the 2 GB baseline.” image-3=”” headline-4=”h2″ question-4=”What is the best Chromebook for 2020?” answer-4=”The 2020 Chromebooks deals have been quite unique. For starters, everyone who’s ever desired to have a Chromebook can now be accommodated, irrespective of the price range. 2020’s Chromebooks are priced from above $100. With this, there’s no financial excuse that can prevent anyone from having a Chromebook. Here’s the catch; the more expensive the device, the better specs that you should expect. Retailers place price tags on PCs based on their build quality, battery life, screen display quality, processor capacity, and storage options. The first factor that should determine what Chromebook you’re to choose is the price factor. A higher price means a better Chromebook. However, don’t be deceived that you need a million dollars to get the best Chromebook. Be sure to scour out the reputable online retailers and look at what they offer. If you’re working on a tight budget, wait for a price drop and save the extra dollars; well, this will only work for the patient ones.” image-4=”” count=”5″ html=”true” css_class=””]What are the Disadvantages of a Chromebook?
A few more disadvantages…
Just like any other thing, Chromebooks also have their drawbacks. Before you press the “purchase” button, be sure that you know of the following disadvantages.
Limited Storage
Most Chromebooks have a local storage capacity of between 16-32 GB and an expandable 32 GB storage through the SD card. This storage space is limited, and if you’re a heavy user, you might need to store your data on Google’s Cloud Storage or an external storage device.
Cloud Storage
Chromebooks are made to perform all their storage and computing functions on the Cloud platform. With this in mind, you’ll make full use of the Chromebook if you get comfortable storing your pictures, books, music, and other files on Google drive.
Practically, cloud storage is unlimited and very affordable; you’ll have a free 10GB storage for two years on Google Drive, after which you’ll pay a small fee. The only challenge is that not every user is comfortable with this type of storage.
Chromebooks tend to be Somehow Slow
Chromebooks indeed have an ultra-fast boot-up time. However, it’s also true that they get slower when performing some tasks. Since its processing is on the cloud, the internet connection speed tends to be lazy, making the entire machine slow.
Cloud Printing
Chromebooks don’t have a local way of connecting to a printer. Instead, they rely on Google’s cloud print technology to transfer your work on a printer.
Forget about Microsoft office
Suppose you rely on Microsoft Office products for your operations, sorry to inform you that Chromebooks aren’t you. Instead, they come with free versions that let you work on presentations, documents, and spreadsheets.
This also applies to other professional software programs like Primavera, AutoCAD, or Timberline. Chromebooks don’t support all these software, and it might take a while before the apps are available to users.
How long will a Chromebook last?
Before you click the “purchase” button, check the year when the model was released. As it turns out, Chromebooks have an expiration date.
This means that on reaching its expiration date, Google will stop supporting the machine, and your model won’t receive any technical support from Google. You will also not be receiving the automatic updates, and your device won’t be receiving security patches or the latest OS features.
To be sure of your model’s release date, it is advisable to visit Google’s support page and carefully go through Google’s Auto Update policy.
When your machine reaches the Auto Update Expiration date, you’ll receive the following notification, “Your model will not receive security patches and the latest software updates. Kindly consider upgrading.”
It is worth noting that you’ll still be able to use your Chromebook even after its expiration date. However, you won’t be receiving updates.
Conclusion
Seemingly, Google went ahead of time and the market era to invent this great product; that’s why it is yet to be appreciated. However, if you love working online and only need less demanding programs for your daily tasks, Chromebooks will meet your needs.
It’s also the best choice for heavy graphic work and demanding gameplay. Soon enough, Chromebooks will radically take over the technological market. On the other hand, Chrome OS will be an exciting and powerful alternative to the traditional computing approach.
Therefore, go for this compact-sized machine and enjoy all the benefits attached! All the best in your purchase! ?
