Dell’s Chromebook for education clearly isn’t just for students since anyone can purchase one directly from Dell. The company’s site is taking orders for two models costing $279 and $299, with units in stock and ready to go: Order one today and Dell will ship it tomorrow. A pair of recent reviews consider Dell’s Chromebook entry the best currently available.
The only difference between the two models is the amount of internal memory. The base $279 unit comes with 2 GB of RAM and an extra $20 doubles the memory to 4 GB. After using Chromebooks with both memory options for the past two years, I’d highly recommend the 4 GB version. It’s a small investment that will allow the Chromebook to open a larger number of browser tabs and apps smoothly.
Aside from that, everything else is the same between the two. They run on the now-common fourth-generation Intel 2955U Celeron processor, use an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 display and include 16 GB of flash storage. Wireless connections come from the 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 radios. Also included are an integrated webcam, a pair of USB ports — one USB 2.0, the other the newer USB 3.0 — an HDMI interface and a memory card reader.
Dell suggests the battery life for these is between 8 and 10 hours. The Verge tested it at 10 hours, 18 minutes in a battery-rundown test in itsreview. Actual usage topped 8 hours through regular use. The Verge also liked the keyboard and overall quality of the Chromebook, although at 2.9 pounds it’s a little heavy. The full review is worth the read, as is one from The Wirecutter that named the Dell Chromebook its best Chrome OS laptop currently available.

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