Back to school deal: HP’s Chromebook falls to $199

Target is offering a limited-time deal on an HP Chromebook, now available for only $199.99 — just in time for students going back to school.

In recent years, Chromebooks have become a popular laptop option for students and workers alike. While Chromebooks originally left much to be desired (generally suffering poor battery life and a less-than-impressive user interface), manufacturers have now stepped up their game and made this type of device an excellent choice for many of us.

Chromebooks tend to be lightweight and extremely portable — perfect for a backpack or briefcase. However, they differ from many other laptops on the market as they operate on ChromeOS, an operating system developed by Google to be less resource-hungry than comparative operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows. 

What this means is that Chromebooks run apps from sources such as Google Play. The ecosystem is vast, but if you need a specific type of third-party software, you should check to see if the software is compatible with ChromeOS, first. 

For students, daily web browsing, and general tasks, however, Chromebooks can be a fantastic option. This extends to the HP Chromebook, currently on sale at Target.

Available in silver, this model sports a 14″ anti-glare display, Intel Celeron N4020 processor, Intel UHD 600 Graphics, 4GB RAM, and 64GB eMMC storage. 

As the laptop runs ChromeOS, Google Assistant is included. HP says you can expect roughly 13 hours of battery life on a single charge. 

Target is offering 38% off the Chromebook’s typical retail price of $319, a saving of $120 based on the new $199 price tag.