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With coronavirus keeping many of us homebound, there’s a dramatic increase in the demand for laptops, especially affordable ones for students and those of us working from home. This has caused massive stock shortages for popular models of various Chromebooks, but we think there are still a few solid picks available that you can get in the $200-300 range that offer a good mix of features, future update support, and general not-absolute-terribleness.
All of the models we’ve selected come enough horsepower to handle at least a few Chrome tabs and applications running at once, and most of them have large 14/15-inch screens. We have a dedicated guide for the best Chromebooks overall, but this list is solely focused on budget options with large screens that are actually in stock right now.
Samsung Chromebook 4+: $300
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 $300.
HP Chromebook X360 14: $300
It’s rare to find a convertible Chromebook with a large screen for under $300, but Amazon has the HP Chromebook X360 on sale for $299.99 right now — a savings of $80 from the usual price. It has a lower-resolution screen than the Samsung Chromebook 4, but it does have touch support, and you can flip the screen around to use it like a giant tablet.
The Samsung Chromebook 4 is still probably the best choice for most people, but if touch support and a convertible design are important to you, this is still a decent value. It will receive Chrome OS updates until June 2026.
Acer Chromebook CB315-3H: $280
If you can’t purchase the other Chromebooks on this list for whatever reason, the next-best choice is probably this variation of Acer’s Chromebook 315. While it does have a decent Intel Celeron N4000 processor, the display resolution is only 1366×768.
The rest of the hardware specifications include 32GB of internal storage, 4GB of RAM, 15.6-inch screen size, and a weight of 4.19 lbs. The laptop will receive Chrome OS updates until June 2026.
