The coronavirus outbreak is causing more people to work from home than at any other point in history, and not everyone has all the equipment they need. Chromebooks are incredibly popular for their ease-of-use and (mostly) competitive pricing, so if you can accomplish everything using just a web browser, they’re certainly worth looking into.
Here we’ve compiled some of the best cheap Chromebooks for working from home, all with large 15-inch screens and enough horsepower to handle at least a few Chrome tabs and applications running at once. We have a dedicated guide for the best Chromebooks overall, but this list is solely focused on budget options.
Samsung Chromebook 4+: $270
This is the latest model in Samsung’s ultra-popular budget Chromebook series. It offers a dual-core Intel Celeron N4000 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB of internal storage, and a large 15.6-inch screen. That low-power processor won’t blaze through Chrome tabs and video conferences as fast as the Core i3/i5 chips in more expensive laptops, but it’s enough for most productivity work.
Unlike most Chromebooks in this price range, the screen has a full-HD resolution of 1920×1080, so text and images will look sharp. The Chromebook 4+ will also receive updates until June 2026. Pricing varies by retailer, but as of the time of writing, most stores are selling it for around $270.
Acer Spin 15 Chromebook: $329
This is the most expensive Chromebook on this list, but it’s the only one that can be flipped around and used as a tablet. Once you’re finished typing up reports or talking in meetings, you can kick back on the couch and watch some movies or TV shows on the large 15-inch display.
The specifications on this laptop are very similar to the Samsung Chromebook 4+. You get an Intel Pentium N4200 processor, 4GB RAM, 32GB of storage, and a 15.6-inch 1920×1080 display. Again, that isn’t an incredibly powerful CPU, but it’s enough for most workloads.
The Spin 15 will get Chrome OS updates until June 2024. Best Buy is currently selling the laptop for $70 below the original MSRP, so that’s the best place to buy it.
Acer Chromebook 15 CB3-532: $200
If you need something even cheaper, another variant of Acer’s Chromebook 15 (CB3-532) can be found for around $200. We’ll be honest, the specifications are not great here, but the laptop can still handle juggling a few Chrome tabs.
The Chromebook 15 has a 1.04GHz Intel Atom x5-E8000 quad-core CPU, 4GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and a 15.6-inch display with a lower resolution of 1366×768. The laptop will get Chrome OS updates until June 2022.
