Avoid. Even though this will still receive OS updates for over another year and it has the minimum of 4 GB of RAM, the CPU is terrible.
Chromebook 11 (3120) is EoL on Sep 2021
ATOMIZER Thank you for the heads up this configuration. One Question are ANY of the other offered models worth considering, or do they all suffer the weakness?
Does this model have a touchscreen? Online information is inconsistent…
No touchscreen on this one. Sorry.
I would discourage everyone from buying any of the 6 Chromebooks in this sale, so much so that I posted what I disliked about each one in the relevant threads for each item. In short, they’re all either end-of-life (no more official software support from Google) or very low performance. They’re this cheap specifically because of those shortcomings (and the fact that they’re likely heavily-used off-lease devices.)
That being said, if you just want a throwaway device (e.g. for a clumsy little kid,) sure, the price is right. Or, maybe you want to spend as little as possible for your first Chromebook, because you’re not sure if it will do everything you want to do (tip: try doing everything in the Chrome browser on a system you already have; the experience will be similar, and most users’ daily tasks can be done in a browser window.)
Otherwise, for a daily driver, you should really spend a little more for better performance. The more you use a given device, be it a mouse, keyboard, monitor, headset, chair, laptop, etc., the more you should consider spending on it (for better quality) because these are the devices you’re interacting with the most. For a Chromebook, aim for a minimum of 4 GB of RAM, a quad-core or good dual-core CPU, and an appropriate resolution for the display size (i.e. WXGA or HD are fine at 11", less so for larger sizes.)
So while I can’t recommend anything else in this sale, there’s another Woot Chromebook listing (there are pretty much always Chromebooks on sale here!) that has some much better alternatives:
- This Dell is a better version of any of the small, EDU-style devices we’ve been discussing, and it’s even a convertible with a touchscreen: Dell 5190 11" 32GB 2-in-1 Chromebook
- This HP has a 15" display, which is the largest size currently offered on any Chromebook: HP 15-DE0010NR 64GB Chromebook
- This HP is a detachable, meaning it’s basically a tablet that comes with its own keyboard; I generally recommend against this form-factor unless you primarily intend to use the device for media consumption, without the keyboard attached, as often the tablet portion is heavier and makes the whole device unbalanced. Other than that, the hardware is very nice, including the 2400x1600 display that’s more or less the same one in the original Pixelbook: HP X2 12-F014DX Detachable Chromebook
- This is I believe the 2nd-gen Samsung Plus, which has been a popular convertible (360 hinge with touchscreen) and an alternative to the similarly-sized Asus Flip. The CPU is on the lower-end of what I’d recommend (it’s a Kaby Lake, but an ULV dual-core without Hyperthreading) and it has a typical FHD display instead of the 2400x1600 one of the first gen, but other than that it’s an acceptable option: Samsung 12.2" Touch Intel Chromebook Plus
- And finally, here’s the venerable HP 13, which has been around since 2016, was that year’s “Google Pixel” because there was no official one and Google helped design this one, and the Chromebook I’m actually using right now (and on a daily basis.) I have the m7 version with 16 GB of RAM (which is actually also for sale for $480,) but this one with the m5 and 8 GB is still an excellent option for $300: HP 13-G1 13.3" QHD+ Aluminum Chromebook