Best Buy is discounting a few Chromebooks for today’s U.S. holiday and two of them stand out as really good deals. Both have the same Intel Core i3-8130U processor inside and a 14-inch IPS touchscreen with 1920 x 1080 resolution. And both have an MSRP in the $549 to $550 range but are on sale for $200 less.
The two devices are extremely similar: One is the HP Chromebook X360-14 at $399 while the other is the Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 for $349. They’re quite capable 2-in-1 Chromebooks for typical browsing as well as Android and Linux use.
So which one should you consider buying if you’re in the market?
The key factor in my opinion is in two specific specifications. I’ll highlight them below, showing where these Chromebooks are the same — which is in most of the specs — and where they’re different:
| CPU | Intel Core i3-8130U |
| GPU | Intel UHD Graphics 620 |
| Display | 14-inch IPS touchscreen, 16:9 aspect ratio |
| Memory | Dell: 4 GB HP: 8 GB |
| Storage | Dell: 128 GB HP: 64 GB |
| Connectivity | 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Input | Backlit keyboard, multi touch trackpad Dell: Full HD webcam and integrated stylus HP: HD webcam |
| Ports | Two USB Type-C, combination microphone/headphone jack, memory card slot Dell: Two USB Type-A HP: One USB Type-A |
| Battery | Dell: 56 WHr HP: 60 WHr |
| Weight | Dell: 3.99 pounds HP: 3.7 pounds |
| Software | Chrome OS automatic update expiration date: June 2025 |
The main differences that caught my eyes are the combination of memory and storage, as well as the Dell having one more USB port and an integrated stylus.
If you can live without a stylus and that extra USB jack, I’d say the HP has the advantage even though it costs $50 more. That advantage is in the memory department since it has double the RAM over the 4 GB provided by the Dell.
But that’s just me.
You can happily use a Chromebook with 4 GB of memory as long as you realize the limitations that come with it: You won’t be able to have as many browser tabs open as on a Chromebook with more RAM, for example. And with the Dell you get the added USB port, the stylus and double the local storage.
It’s a tough decision but either one of these will suit the needs of most Chromebook users and at this price, both are a great deal.
