Chromebook Holiday Round-up!

Post date: Dec 02, 2015 3:27:48 PM

A Chromebook can make for a great gift this holiday season! The simplicity of Chromebooks makes them a great choice for users of all ages. But with so many models and manufacturers out there, it can be hard to choose the right one for your needs. For that reason, we would like to present the BHBL I.T. Department's Chromebook Holiday Round-up! We recommend the following Chromebooks, ordered by price:

ASUS C201 Chromebook - $149.00

    • 11.6-inch display

    • 2GB or 4GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage

    • Advertised 13 hours of battery life*

The ASUS C201 features a lightweight, plastic construction at a very ideal price point. With all the standard Chromebook features such as a multi-gesture touchpad and front facing camera, this is a great buy for the budget-conscious consumer.

ASUS Chromebook Flip C100 - $209.99

    • 10.1-inch convertible touch display

    • 2GB or 4GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage

    • Advertised 9 hours of battery life*

The ASUS Chromebook Flip is a very neat device! The screen on this Chromebook flips all the way around backwards so that it can be used like a tablet. When the screen is folded all the way back, the keys on the keyboard become disabled so that only touch inputs are detected and an on-screen touch keyboard will appear as needed. This Chromebook is very lightweight, yet does feature a sturdy aluminum construction. It does have a smaller keyboard which may not be suited to users with larger hands. This Chromebook may be more ideal for users who are on-the-go.

Note: If you purchase the ASUS Flip, make sure you follow the directions in the Getting Started Guide (found in the box) for charging your Chromebook before using it for the first time.

HP Chromebook 14 - $219.99

    • 14-inch display

    • 2GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage

    • Advertised as 9 hours of battery life*

The HP Chromebook 14 is a nicely-sized laptop for doing work. With a 14-inch display and hard plastic construction, it definitely feels more "grown-up" than most Chromebooks out there. The HP Chromebook 14 is well-suited to multi-tasking productivity, providing more screen real estate for managing multiple docs, sheets, or presentations. This Chromebook feels more like the full-sized laptops we are all used to using. Furthermore, the HP Chromebook 14 offers different color options while maintaining a reasonable price!

Toshiba Chromebook 2 - $379.99

    • 13.3 display, full 1080p HD resolution

    • Faster processor than most models

    • 4 GB of RAM, 16 GB of Storage

    • Backlit keyboard

    • Advertised as 9 hours of battery life*

With a full HD display, backlit keyboard, faster processor, and more RAM than most models, the Toshiba Chromebook 2 is one of the more future-proof and full-featured models on the market. The main draw of the Toshiba Chromebook 2 is its full HD display panel which will be great for viewing photos, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and other multimedia.

Final thoughts

All of these Chromebooks run Chrome OS, which is Google's super fast, cloud-based operating system. For this reason, almost any Chromebook on the market will boot quickly, load webpages quickly, and offer the same software features regardless of the particular specs. You can even hook all of these models up to a TV or projector with the correct cable. Our advice to you is to decide:

  • What size Chromebook you want (we've listed four different sizes here!)

  • Which physical features you want (such as a touch screen or an HD display)

  • What price point suits your needs.

We hope this post helps you decide which Chromebook will suit your holiday purchasing needs!

Note: Many of these Chromebooks are offered with 2 GB of RAM or 4 GB of RAM. While 2 GB is probably sufficient for most web browsing, going with 4 GB of RAM will make your Chromebook more future-proof.

*Advertised battery life changes with the type of use. Streaming video will use more battery life than working on a Google Doc. Lower display brightness will serve to save battery life as well.