Support our independent tech coverage. Chrome Unboxed is written by real people, for real people—not search algorithms. Join Chrome Unboxed Plus for just $2 a month to get an ad-free experience, access to our private Discord, and more. Learn more about membership here.
START FREE TRIAL (MONTHLY)START FREE TRIAL (ANNUAL)
When I talk about my favorite deals, it doesn’t always mean I’m talking about my favorite devices. There may be a certain Chromebook that isn’t a fit for my needs, but the deal on it still makes it easy to recommend and gets a great user experience in someone’s hands for a small amount of money. Even if it isn’t on my favorite device, it can still be my favorite deal.
But today, the deal we’re talking about is at the same time a great value and also my current favorite Chromebook as well. Sometimes things just line up, right? If you’ve been around here for any amount of time, you likely know I’m talking about the excellent Acer Chromebook 516 GE and the deal available today gets this beast of a Chromebook all the way down to just $449 – an incredible value by any stretch of the imagination.
With the 516 GE, you aren’t just getting power; you are getting an overall experience that is rivaled by few other Chromebooks ever built. The internals are of course fast – giving you a 12th-gen Intel Core i5-1240P, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of NVMe storage. But the 516 GE excels in lots of other places, too.
The rigid chassis is massive but light, coming in at just 3.7 pounds. The 16-inch 16:10 QHD 120Hz screen is amazing to look at and bright enough for nearly any environment at 350+ nits. The RGB backlit keyboard has anti-ghosting tech and is amazing to type on while the Ocean Glass trackpad is massive, smooth and has a perfect click. The dual upward-firing speakers sound fantastic and the 1080p webcam makes you look good in video calls and assures this device will get all the Chromebook Plus upgrades on the way soon.
I’ve said this many times in the past, but unless you need a small device, a convertible device, or a device with a touchscreen, the Acer Chromebook 516 GE gets so much right that it is impossible to deny. At the normal $649 MSRP, I’m always happy to recommend it because it still presents a fantastic value proposition. At $200 off and just $449, this is an absolute steal. Get it while you can: before it disappears again.
SUBSCRIBE TO UPSTREAM
Get Chrome Unboxed delivered straight to your inbox
Upstream is our flagship, curated newsletter with the top stories, most click-worthy deals, giveaways, and trending articles from Chrome Unboxed sent directly to your inbox a few times a week. Join 31,000+ subscribers.
