3 awesome Chromebooks for less than $250 right now

While most students are back in school at this point in the year, this is still the time many are on the lookout for great deals on solid Chromebooks. While big savings are obviously on the horizon late in the fall, don’t make the mistake of thinking there aren’t fantastic deals out there on some very good Chromebooks right now.

As of today, there are 3 specific devices under $250 that I’d recommend if you are looking for a great deal right now. Two of these are convertibles, one is a clamshell, and all three have good screens, solid performance, and sturdy build quality. Each is a different size, but you really won’t go wrong with any of these three at this sort of asking price.

Lenovo Flex 3i Chromebook

The Lenovo Flex 3i Chromebook is a device I predicted would upend the affordable Chromebook market, and it 100% has done so. While the MSRP for this one – $349 – is a fair amount for what you get in this convertible Chromebook, it’s always more fun when the price goes down.

Today, for just $249, you are getting a 300 nit 12.2-inch IPS screen, convertible form factor, solid internals (Intel N100, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage) and a 16:10 aspect ratio that helps make this ultra-portable device feel a bit bigger than you’d expect. For the price, it’s tough to beat for sure.

ASUS Chromebook Flip CM3

Finally, the ASUS Chromebook CM3 Flip is available right now for just $199.99. It’s an interesting device that flew well under the radar for a long time, was updated internally, and ended up becoming one of my favorite smaller Chromebooks.

Inside, this one comes with the Kompanio 828, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. The 3:2 IPS screen gives you way more screen real estate than you’d expect for a 12-inch Chromebook and the ultra-light chassis feels more tablet-like than most. With the Kompanio 828, it gets all-day battery life with ease and is still powerful enough to handle most tasks without breaking much of a sweat.

ASUS Chromebook CM14

The ASUS Chromebook CM14 is an odd device at full MSRP. It has a solid chassis, nice screen, and very long battery life. However, the Kompanio 520 inside isn’t the fastest processor on the market, and when $299 is the asking price, it has to compete with other Chromebooks that are flat-out faster at doing everything.

However, this device tends to drop in price from time to time not only by 25-30%, but by over 50%. And now is one of those times where the sale price is just $139 and, frankly, it’s absurd to think of getting any usable laptop for that sort of cash. With multi-day battery, a great screen, and a solid chassis, keyboard and trackpad, the CM14 is a great deal at this price and one you should really consider picking up.