Clearance deal: HP 15.6-inch Chromebook (Plus) is $149 off and on the way out

It wasn’t too long ago that a bunch of Chromebooks like the HP 15.6-inch went on clearance. There’s a good reason for it, too. With the new, Chromebook Plus-branded versions hitting the shelves, it was time for these non-branded ones to get their final markdowns and make way for the new guys. That wasn’t surprising in the least.

But then a very peculiar thing happened: all the Chromebook Plus models – the new, branded ones – all went on sale. And at that same time, most of these clearance prices vanished, making for a very strange situation for these devices that were supposed to be on the way out the door. We even wrote an entire post about it with the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14c, hopefully helping potential buyers not make the mistake of buying the older version for more money.

But now those deals on the new Chromebook Plus models are temporarily gone, and the non-branded versions are once again the way to go if you want a Chromebook Plus with the new hardware and software features at a discount.

With the HP 15.6-inch Chromebook Plus, the hardware in the branded and non-branded versions are identical, and that means you get the same Intel Core i3-N305, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and FHD 15.6-inch anti-glare screen. With a solid keyframe, numeric keypad and decent trackpad, this Chromebook won’t wow you with premium features, but it will comfortably get the job done.

With this model and the Plus-branded version both regularly at $499, I think there are better Chromebooks to point you to on most days. But at $350, it’s a totally different story and the HP 15.6-inch Chromebook gives you a lot to like at this sort of budget. If you need a larger screen, numeric keypad, and solid performance, this could be the one for you. But as we’ve seen with these outgoing, clearance devices: it won’t last long. So don’t miss it!