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Budget-friendly Chromebook that’s ideal for students crashes to lowest price ever on Amazon

Serious bang for you buck
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Budget-friendly Chromebook that’s ideal for students crashes to lowest price ever on Amazon
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While you may be tempted to go for a laptop, they’re not always right for everyone. In fact, students who just need something basic to lug around campus, take notes, do assignments, and watch content on, don’t necessarily need to shell out the big bucks for a more powerful machine.

This ASUS CM14 Chromebook is a good shout if this sounds like you. It’s currently go a hefty discount of 42% that’s plummeted its price down to its lowest ever on Amazon. Originally listed at $279.99, you can now bag this for $161.90, and it more than does the job for most student’s needs.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the specs and features of this Chromebook, and what it’s going to be best used for.

Prices and savings subject to change. Click through to get the current deal prices.
Save 42% now!

ASUS Chromebook CM14 Laptop

14″ HD Anti-Glare Display (1366×768), MediaTek Kompanio 520, 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC, ChromeOS, Gray, CM1402CM2A-DS44, Gravity Grey

So this is powered by the MediaTek Kompanio 520(8186), which has 8 cores, a 1M cache, and up to 2.05 GHz boost clock. Now, this isn’t going to be the absolute best processor if you’re slamming it loads of heavy duty tasks, but it should be able to hand having a few applications running at the same time. Chromebooks aren’t exactly designed for super heavy loads, and they can be a load more affordable because they’re not packed with the latest higher-tier mobile CPUs.

When it comes to RAM, which is important for overall system responsiveness and being able to jump in between applications or tabs, this has a decent 4GB. It’s not the most, but it’s enough granted you’re not hammering it with too much at once. It also has 64GB of eMMC storage, which again is not too bad for the price, but you may want to consider an external SSD (or more expensive laptop) if you plan on storing a lot of files on this.

When it comes to the screen, you’ve got a small, 14-inch HD display with anti-glare coating. At this size 1366×768 pixels should look pretty decent. For what you’ll likely be using it for, it’ll provide a crisp image in addition to reducing any distracting glare and reflections too.

Where this Chromebook goes above and beyond are some of its more lifestyle features. For instance, you’ve got a spill-resistant keyboard to protect against unwanted (and perhaps inevitable) accidents. You’ve also got an Antimicrobial guard which can inhibit bacterial growth by up to 99% over a 24-hour period. Considering that keyboards and mice can get fairly unhygienic at times, this is a real win.

You’re also getting more than a few ports here, most notably a Micro SD card reader and USB-C. The USB-C port is going to be good for charging this device easily, but also connecting it to compatible displays if you have a monitor you’d prefer to work on.

Reasons to Buy
  • Great for students
  • Excellent value for money at this price-point
  • Ultra portable, lightweight, and slim
  • Loads of useful ports, like USB-C and an SD card reader
  • Spill resistant keyboard
  • Good for light, everyday usage
Reasons to Avoid
  • CPU is okay, but you’ll need more power for heavy duty tasks
  • For creative students, a larger screen would be more beneficial
  • Not much internal storage, as is the case with most Chromebooks
  • Not a whole lot of RAM

Is it for you?

If you’re a student who’s going to be using this primarily for everyday internet usage, note-taking, and assignments and don’t want to shell out over $200 for a laptop – yes.

However, if your demands are greater, and you know you’ll be using your laptop for heavy duty tasks such as rendering, graphic design, or working with large amounts of data, I would recommend upping your budget and looking at more mid-range laptops instead. These will have mobile CPUs and GPUs that are capable of handling heavier loads, plus, you’ll find more RAM (likely DDR5), internal SSDs for speedy storage, and overall better quality displays too.

But really, this all comes down to budget, and you can’t deny that this ASUS laptop offers a lot considering it’s only $161.90. If you’re interested, I’d say this is the best time to buy, especially as its at its lowest price ever.

Amazon pricing history of this laptop – via camelcamelcamel

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About the Author

Ramzi Musa is a Growth Manager and Editor for BGFG. He has experience and expertise in tech, gaming, and hardware.