Conundrum: you want something that resembles a laptop, capable of browsing the internet, but you don't want to break the bank. Enter the Samsung Chromebook 3, the latest in fun-size laptops. With an 11.6" screen and battery life for days, you'll be cruising the interwebs in no time. All for under $200? Really though, do you need to lug your brick laptop on the plane, if you just need a way to check email at the hotel? The answer is no. Don't kid yourself, you're not doing any work on your computer anyways. At least you're not on the Chromebook, seeing as you literally can't install software on it. But fret not weekend warrior, with the forever-growing cloud storage offerings (think OneDrive, Google Docs, etc.) you really don't even need a laptop with a ton of storage. For the price, it's kind of a steal. Heck, it might even burst into flames*, you just never know with Samsung.
*We consider spontaneous flame combustion a feature, not a defect.
PRICE
$189.00
NOTEWORTHY FEATURES
Keep in mind, the Chromebook is not designed to be a powerhouse computer. Basic web-browsing functionality is the idea behind it. That's why the Chromebook 3 is packed with an Intel Celeron N3060 processor w/ 4GB memory, and 16GB flash memory SSD. The screen is an 11.6" HD anti-reflective display. Two USB ports come standard, and you'll find a single HDMI port as an added bonus, but don't expect a backlit keyboard, or anything else you'd find on a regular laptop. Fun fact for you: the keyboard is supposedly spill-resistant; feel free to try that out and let us know what you find. Oh, and did we mention it has 11 hours of battery life on a single charge?
BUY FROM
WHAT DOES IT COME WITH?
The Samsung Chromebook 3 comes with the laptop and a charging cord. You'll want to buy a case for it.
WAIT I HAVE MORE THAN $180, WHAT SHOULD I BUY?
Ultimately, these tiny little Chromebooks won't be for everyone. If you're willing to splurge a little bit, we recommend something more along the lines of an ultrabook, for similarly outrageous battery life and compact size. However if you're looking for something running Windows 10, or want to install Microsoft Word.. well then a Chromebook just isn't for you. One might call this a laptop-shaped tablet, hence the limitations. Thus, if you're feeling "pockets swoll" as the kids say, and have several hundred dollars more for your purchase (and want a laptop replacement), dig deep and go with the following:
Dell XPS 13.3" - $899 on Amazon
WHY SHOULD YOU BUY ONE?
Ultimately, what you're getting with any type of Chromebook is a quick and easy way to surf the web. A solid state drive (SSD) means it'll be ready when you are. There's no waiting around for it to power up, it'll be ready when you are. It's the true version of minimalism. Don't believe us? The Chromebook 3 doesn't even have a caps lock button. WHICH IS FINE BY US.