$100 discount on the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 makes it a better value

(Update: This deal is back on. The original model is back up to its full price.)

I admit I was a little put off by the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 when it launched in January. It’s less a successor to the original model and more of a cut-down, sort of budget-friendly version. Now, a current $100 discount on the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 makes it a better value.

That discount is good on either configuration of Samsung’s 2021 convertible Chromebook. So you can buy the Intel Celeron model for $450 or the 10th-generation Intel Core i3 configuration for $599.

Personally, either is still priced a little high for my tastes as my usage requires more horsepower. If I’m going to spend $599, for example, I’d take the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 for $629, or even less when it’s on sale.

Still, I know many folks can appreciate what Samsung does bring to the table here.

There’s the 13.3-inch 1080p QLED display that supports 100% DCI-P3 color, for example, which is great for watching supported online content. Samsung has also addressed the heat and battery issues from the original Samsung Galaxy Chromebook with this model: A fan plus a solid run time help mitigate those shortcomings from the Galaxy Chromebook 2’s predecessor.

And of course, there’s that great build quality with a colored aluminum chassis in your choice of bold Fiesta Red or a muted Mercury Gray.

Keep in mind if you go for the lower-priced model, you’re not just dropping down to an Intel Celeron processor. You’ll also get half the local storage and memory with capacities of 64 GB and 4 GB respectively. If you want 128 GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM, you’ll have to choose the higher-priced, Intel Core i3 configuration.

Here’s a rundown of the specs to help you decide if this discounted deal is worth it for you:

Update: This post was originally published on April 6, 2021 and has been updated to reflect that the expired deal is back on the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2.

About the author

Kevin C. Tofel has covered technology since 2004. He's used ChromeOS since Google debuted the CR-48 in 2010, reviewing dozens of Chromebooks since then. He worked for Google's Chrome Enterprise team from 2016 to 2017, supporting the launch of Android app support. In his free time, he uses Chromebooks to learn software engineering at Launch School. In 2019, Kevin joined the CS Curriculum Committee at his local community college.