The best Prime Day Chromebook deal isn’t on Amazon — it’s at Best Buy

The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 3 is essentially a reskinned Lenovo C330, so we know it’s reliable and long-lasting.

I’m not going to sugar-coat it; this Prime Day has been a bust for Chromebooks. The deals we expected to go live never appeared, and today, the only Chromebook “deal” to be found on Amazon is $200 off a $1400 4K Pixelbook Go, which is just embarrassing for a company that’s known for offering great laptop deals around the holidays. Of course, it’s not all Amazon’s fault; we’re in the middle of a massive Chromebook shortage, and if Amazon can’t keep Chromebooks in stock at regular prices, it has zero reason to put them on sale.

Fortunately, hope is not lost if you were counting on a discounted Chromebook for you or your kids to use between now and Black Friday: Best Buy’s early Black Friday prices have given us a Chromebook deal to rival Prime Day’s past, and while the name of this Chromebook might sound new, it’s actually the return of an old favorite.

A C330 by any other name

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook | $100 off at Best Buy

Old reliable Chromebook, shiny new shell

While this Chromebook might not have been released until 2020, underneath that Platinum Grey shell sits the heart and soul of a fan-favorite Chromebook, the Lenovo Chromebook C330, and it’s now sporting the same sale price the C330 did last year!

$180 at Best Buy

The C330 was my run-and-gun Chromebook for most of 2019, and whether I was writing from my couch, standing desk, or while waiting for fireworks at the Magic Kingdom, it never let me down. Battery life will last the school day and then some. The ability to adjust it to any angle you want for easier app interaction or video watching makes it a great little laptop for students and those who want a lightweight computer they can just throw in their backpack and go.

How do I know this is the same Chromebook in a new shell? The ports line up exactly on both sides of the laptop — and the full-size SD card slot, which newer platforms have exchanged for microSD — give away the game, as well as the fact that we’re dealing with the same MediaTek processor and 4GB of RAM. While that does mean this Chromebook is a tiny bit older, it still runs Chrome OS excellently and will be a great option for budget-minded shoppers as well as parents looking for a laptop their kid can use and abuse.

Most Chromebooks for Students are sold out or price-gouged to Mars and back, but the Flex 3’s $180 sale price will fit in almost any family’s budget easily. The Platinum Grey shell also won’t show dirt, dust, and scratches, as well as the C330’s Blizzard White did, which is a bonus.

Looking for a deal on a Chromebook with more get up and go? The HP Chromebook x360 14c is down to $500, which may seem like a lot until you see it has an 10th Gen Intel Core i3 processor and 8GB of RAM — which is important for multi-tasking during video calls. We reviewed the x360 14c at the start of the month, and it’s wonderful to see it $130 off so soon.

Funny name, serious laptop

HP Chromebook x360 14c | $130 off at Best Buy

$629 at Best Buy

The perfect laptop for work or fun

HP knocked it out of the park with the Chromebook x360 c14. From the premium finishes to the hardware and software focus on privacy, to the performance and specs, this thing was made to work. However, the beautiful screen and Bang & Olufsen speakers mean it’s perfect for play as well.