For Amazon’s October Prime Day (aka Amazon Prime Early Access) we’ve found not one but two Chromebook deals that fall into the “impulse buy” category, costing about $100. And yes, they’re something that you or your kids can actually use.
We’ve been checking major retailers on a near-daily basis for the best Chromebook Prime Day deals—and, quite frankly, some of the best deals have been in the run-up to October Prime Day itself. You can stick with our recommendations here, or consult our aforementioned Chromebook deals roundup for alternate recommendations, especially if you want to pay a little more for a more powerful Chromebook.
We are particularly enthused about both the Acer Chromebook 512 for $79.99 (60% off) and the Lenovo 14e Chromebook for $105.00 (65% off), and here’s why: The processor, screen, and memory matter in a Chromebook. While both of these devices eschew top-of-the-line components, they meet what we consider the minimum requirements and then some.
The Acer Chromebook 512 includes a Celeron N4020—not the top of the heap, but as good or better than most. It’s a dual-core, 3-year-old processor, but the N4xxx series is a common sight in today’s Chromebooks. Likewise, 4GB of LPDDR4 memory is typical for a bargain Chromebook. It won’t support a multitude of browser tabs open—maybe six to eight?—but it should be enough to play Netflix and Prime Video, as well as work on classwork.
The Chromebook’s weak point is the display—a 968p resolution (1366×912). That’s not bad. Bargain-basement Chromebooks usually ship with 768p screens, and while a 912p isn’t quite on par with the 1080p screens commonly found on laptops, it should be more than acceptable. Don’t worry about the onboard storage and Wi-Fi; they’re fine too. Battery life is a rated 12 hours—while you’re unlikely to actually get that, it should last most, if not all, of the day.
Lenovo’s 14e Chromebook requires a little more thought, in that AMD’s older A-series processors don’t have a terrific reputation. You can see comments saying that the processor is a bit slow. Lenovo has a reputation for good keyboards, however, and the other internals—4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage—aren’t causes for concern. Neither is battery life, rated at 10 hours.
The advantage the Lenovo 14e offers is the screen: at 14 inches, it’s larger than most, and a full 1080p resolution to boot. Visually, this is akin to a traditional laptop. If this is a priority, we recommend this laptop over the other.
Finally, rest easy concerning Google’s support lifecycle. The Lenovo 14e is supported through June 2026 with updates and patches, and Acer’s Chromebook is supported until June 2027.
Again, if you want something a little more high-performance, consult out Prime Day Chromebook deals page—we have a wider range of options. But for a pure Prime Day discount on a decent Chromebook, these are clearly the best.
Author: Mark Hachman, Senior Editor
As PCWorld's senior editor, Mark focuses on Microsoft news and chip technology, among other beats. He has formerly written for PCMag, BYTE, Slashdot, eWEEK, and ReadWrite.