With Labor Day sales underway already, and even more set to come, we’ve spent some time picking out the best Chromebook deals for anyone who wants the benefit of a laptop while keeping costs as low as possible. These tend to be different from regular laptop deals as Chromebooks are typically much cheaper and, crucially, they lack Windows. Instead, they run ChromeOS and heavily depend on you using cloud storage to store all your files. That makes them very useful for students who don’t have much spare cash, or simply anyone who doesn’t need high-end hardware. Below, we’ve picked out all the best Labor Day Chromebook deals as well as highlighted what you should consider when buying one.
Best Labor Day Chromebook deals to shop right now
Acer Chromebook 315 — $149, was $249
The Acer Chromebook 315 is a super cheap Chromebook. It has an Intel Celeron N4020 processor, 4GB of memory, and 64GB of eMMC storage which is very basic but just fine for using cloud-based services. It also has an attractive 15.6-inch HD screen with an anti-glare coating. Crucially, it offers a battery life of up to 12.5 hours so you’re all set for your working day without a hitch. If money is tight, the Acer Chromebook 315 will do the job well enough and still squeezes in plenty of USB ports and a fast boot time of just 8 seconds.
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook — $369, was $499
Embracing the advantages of a touchscreen, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook has a 13.3-inch full HD touchscreen so you can easily switch between tablet mode or laptop mode so there’s plenty of flexibility here. It has a Snapdragon 7cG2 processor along with 8GB of memory and 128GB eMMC storage so it has a little more going for it than the most basic Chromebooks. It’s super lightweight too while there’s still room for dual cameras with a 5MP fixed-focus front-facing camera and a 8MP autofocus rear-facing lens too. It’s a reasonable all-rounder for anyone who is fine using ChromeOS.
HP 2-in-1 14-inch Touchscreen Chromebook Plus — $499, was $699
The HP 2-in-1 14-inch Touchscreen Chromebook Plus is a little more powerful than many other Chromebooks thanks to it using a 12th-generation Intel Core i3 processor and pairing it up with 8GB of memory. It also has 256GB of SSD storage which is speedier and superior to eMMC storage. The touchscreen is wide with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 so it looks great while there are great viewing angles of up to 178 degrees. Despite the extra power, you can still expect up to 10 hours of battery life which is great for this price. There’s also HP Fast Charge support so you can get from 0% to 50% battery life in about 45 minutes.
Asus 15.6-inch Touchscreen Cloud Gaming Chromebook — $560, was $699
Designed to make it possible to game through the cloud, the Asus 15.6-inch Touchscreen Cloud Gaming Chromebook has a speedy screen in the form of a 15.6-inch full HD display with 144Hz refresh rate. The high refresh rate means it’s great for fast-moving action so you can enjoy gaming on the cloud. It also has an 11th-generation Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor along with 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage. It weighs a little more than other Chromebooks at 4.17 pounds but it’s still very portable. It’s a good option if you want to game a little during some downtime away from work.
Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 — $599, was $699
For a great 2-in-1 experience, check out the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714. It uses an Intel Core Ultra 5 115U processor along with 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage so it’s a good bet for some multitasking. Its 14-inch WUXGA touchscreen has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 while it uses Gorilla Glass to keep things robust and safe. It also has a 1440p QHD webcam with built-in AI-powered video call tools so it’s great for taking regular video calls while on the move. There’s also up to 10 hours of battery life so you’re all set for the day.
Why pick a Chromebook over a laptop?
We have a deep dive into the differences between a Chromebook and a laptop. Both have their place in the world, but you may find a Chromebook is a better option for you.
For the most part, Chromebooks are best suited for those on tight budgets. It’s possible to buy one for much less than a Windows-based laptop, although some can be more high-end. All Chromebooks exclusively run on Google’s operating system — ChromeOS — which is different from Windows 11 but simple to use. There’s also a focus on cloud storage with most Chromebooks lacking much storage space on the device itself. Instead, the idea is to store all your files on Google Drive or similar.
Most Chromebooks also have much better battery life than typical laptops too, as ChromeOS is a fairly efficient operating system and Chromebooks use processors that are fairly low on power needs. A Chromebook can be handy if you’re not near a power source for most of the day.
Chromebooks can’t run the same apps as a Windows laptop, with products like certain Adobe apps being particularly notable, so it’s worth bearing in mind what’s most important to you when picking one or the other.
When do Labor Day Chromebook sales start?
Labor Day is on September 2, so officially sales start around then to mark the holiday. However, as is often the way with many sales, Labor Day Chromebook sales tend to start earlier than that. Throughout August, there are early Labor Day Chromebook sales which tie into the back-to-school sales as well.
It’s likely that we’ll see many major retailers launching sales which either last for the weekend before Labor Day or even potentially for a week around the big day. It’s the last major sales event before Black Friday so it makes sense for retailers to throw themselves into what’s out there.
Potentially, some of the sales could end up covering the later parts of September, but there’s no guarantee here. As with all sales, if you see something at a good price, it makes sense to buy now rather than wait and see. Otherwise, you might miss out on a great saving for the sake of waiting to see if something hypothetical is better.
By buying now, you can also save yourself the effort of needing to look at sales on the holiday itself, meaning you can enjoy the day off more so than having to browse many different websites.
Should you shop Labor Day Chromebook deals or wait until Black Friday?
Black Friday is the biggest sales event of the year so it’s easy to automatically wonder if you’re better off waiting for Black Friday regardless of which sales event you’re looking at. Labor Day is only a couple of months earlier than the Black Friday sales but depending on your situation, those two months could feel like a very long time or no time at all.
Generally, Black Friday has the best discounts throughout the year. If you can, it’s a smart move to wait until then to buy something. However, life can be complicated. Do you need the item right away? Is it a gift or are you replacing something that broke? In that case, you probably don’t want to (or can’t) wait until Black Friday. Don’t worry. A lot of the time, the discounts vary by small amounts rather than anything significant. You might get the cheapest deal by holding out for Black Friday, but sometimes the difference can be very small.
As well as that, think about your finances. The holiday season is often the most expensive time of year for all of us, with gift buying and travelling cutting into our finances. Buy now during the Labor Day sales and you’re effectively spreading the cost out. It can be wise when you start working out how many paydays you have left between now and the holidays.