BestBuy selling refub Samsung Chromebook for $169.99

Assault · Jul 9, 2013

Saw the cheapskate deal of the Day on CNET and decided to buy this little faux laptop, for those times when I want more than a tablet.

User reviews are extremely positive which kinda shocked me TBH, but for $170, I couldn't turn it down considering the reviews praised the track pad and keyboard, almost on level with a Mac book they said. We shall see if that is true.

Anyway, for those interested, here is the link. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung---11.6%26%2334%3B-Geek-Squad-Certified-Refurbished-Chromebook---2GB-Memory---16GB-Flash-%28eMMc%29-Memory---Silver/8347071.p?skuId=8347071&productCategoryId=pcmcat244900050010&id=1218873334332&AID=10597222&PID=552179&SID=VWR4U1hnb0JDak1BQUhPWnBwVUFBQURS&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2FSamsung---11.6%2526%252334%253B-Geek-Squad-Certified-Refurbished-Chromebook---2GB-Memory---16GB-Flash-%2528eMMc%2529-Memory---Silver%2F8347071.p%3FskuId%3D8347071%26productCategoryId%3Dpcmcat244900050010%26id%3D1218873334332&ref=39&loc=01&CJPID=552179

Jessica Lares · Jul 9, 2013

I don't think half of those reviewers have ever touched a MacBook in their life.

But nice deal for those that want it. I'm way past the "wanting" of one myself. Mostly because it's just another ecosystem to get mixed into.

I like Chrome on my phone though.

Explicitic · Jul 9, 2013

Jessica Lares said:
I don't think half of those reviewers have ever touched a MacBook in their life. But nice deal for those that want it. I'm way past the "wanting" of one myself. Mostly because it's just another ecosystem to get mixed into.

I like Chrome on my phone though.

It's simply ahead of its time. Cloud is the future, whether you like it or not.
A Chromebook works really nice for what it does, and that's web browsing. If that's all you do, and you need to type the occasional document or create a presentation/PowerPoint here and there, it works great. It's definitely an option to consider for education at such a low price point.

Dontazemebro · Jul 9, 2013

Explicitic said:
It's simply ahead of its time. Cloud is the future, whether you like it or not.
A Chromebook works really nice for what it does, and that's web browsing. If that's all you do, and you need to type the occasional document or create a presentation/PowerPoint here and there, it works great. It's definitely an option to consider for education at such a low price point.

That plus am excellent gift idea. I'm way past a chrome book as well but I'll be picking one up for my daughter.

tbayrgs · Jul 9, 2013

The extent of my kids computer use right now are web based programs so this could be perfect, especially at this price. Hopefully should limit the fighting over the single Macbook.

mattopotamus · Jul 10, 2013

Assault said:
Saw the cheapskate deal of the Day on CNET and decided to buy this little faux laptop, for those times when I want more than a tablet.

User reviews are extremely positive which kinda shocked me TBH, but for $170, I couldn't turn it down considering the reviews praised the track pad and keyboard, almost on level with a Mac book they said. We shall see if that is true.

Anyway, for those interested, here is the link. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung---11.6%26%2334%3B-Geek-Squad-Certified-Refurbished-Chromebook---2GB-Memory---16GB-Flash-%28eMMc%29-Memory---Silver/8347071.p?skuId=8347071&productCategoryId=pcmcat244900050010&id=1218873334332&AID=10597222&PID=552179&SID=VWR4U1hnb0JDak1BQUhPWnBwVUFBQURS&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2FSamsung---11.6%2526%252334%253B-Geek-Squad-Certified-Refurbished-Chromebook---2GB-Memory---16GB-Flash-%2528eMMc%2529-Memory---Silver%2F8347071.p%3FskuId%3D8347071%26productCategoryId%3Dpcmcat244900050010%26id%3D1218873334332&ref=39&loc=01&CJPID=552179

Jessica Lares said:
I don't think half of those reviewers have ever touched a MacBook in their life. But nice deal for those that want it. I'm way past the "wanting" of one myself. Mostly because it's just another ecosystem to get mixed into.

I like Chrome on my phone though.

I agree with what Jessica said. As someone who has owned both, I can say it is not near a mac keyboard. It is similar in the sense that it is chiclet keys, but the build quality should not even be used in the same sentence. The trackpad is good and better than most windows laptops, but again, nowhere near mac level. Also, the screen is atrocious. It has horrid viewing angles and is very washed out. For $249 it is priced just right and at $170 it is a great buy. I just found it had no spot in my life as someone with a mac and ipad. If you do not need a "real" computer and want a physical keyboard it is a perfect buy though. Just don't expect more than $250 worth of product.

Also, video playback can be really bad depending on the website. I think they have fixed it since I owned it, but netflix did not work. I had an issue where the trackpad was unusable when charging the chromebook. It skipped around and I had to wait for it to finish charging. Battery life is around 4 hours and the boot time is ~10 seconds.

Shanghaichica · Jul 10, 2013

I've got one of these and I don't regret it one bit. I live with my partner and we have a laptop and various tablets. I use the chromebook for doing all my college work (I'm in nursing school) and for that its perfect. It's incredibly light and easy to stick in my bag. The keyboard and mouse pad are excellent. I also looked at the acer model but decided against it because I didn't like the keyboard/trackpad. As a second device I really recommend it.

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mattopotamus said:
I agree with what Jessica said. As someone who has owned both, I can say it is not near a mac keyboard. It is similar in the sense that it is chiclet keys, but the build quality should not even be used in the same sentence. The trackpad is good and better than most windows laptops, but again, nowhere near mac level. Also, the screen is atrocious. It has horrid viewing angles and is very washed out. For $249 it is priced just right and at $170 it is a great buy. I just found it had no spot in my life as someone with a mac and ipad. If you do not need a "real" computer and want a physical keyboard it is a perfect buy though. Just don't expect more than $250 worth of product.

Also, video playback can be really bad depending on the website. I think they have fixed it since I owned it, but netflix did not work. I had an issue where the trackpad was unusable when charging the chromebook. It skipped around and I had to wait for it to finish charging. Battery life is around 4 hours and the boot time is ~10 seconds.

Netflix works now. When I first got it, it didn't work but its been working for a few months now. I agree about the screen it isn't that great. I do get good battery life though, as long as it has at least a 70% charge I can leave the house without the charger and it will last me all day. My keypad works whilst charging. Never had any problems with video playback.

mattopotamus · Jul 10, 2013

Shanghaichica said:
I've got one of these and I don't regret it one bit. I live with my partner and we have a laptop and various tablets. I use the chromebook for doing all my college work (I'm in nursing school) and for that its perfect. It's incredibly light and easy to stick in my bag. The keyboard and mouse pad are excellent. I also looked at the acer model but decided against it because I didn't like the keyboard/trackpad. As a second device I really recommend it.

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Netflix works now. When I first got it, it didn't work but its been working for a few months now. I agree about the screen it isn't that great. I do get good battery life though, as long as it has at least a 70% charge I can leave the house without the charger and it will last me all day. My keypad works whilst charging. Never had any problems with video playback.

I think my issue with the trackpad when charging was a rare issue. Good call on not going with the acer one...that flash storage in the samsung one is what makes it such a good deal.

btbrossard · Jul 10, 2013

My teenage daughters have a Samsung Chromebook for their lightweight computing needs and they really like it.

The local school district heavily uses Google Drive and Google Docs for computer software needs at school and the Chromebook allows them to work on their homework pretty easily. Surfing the internet and using Google Docs is all they need a computer for 90% of the time.

ADDED: I was concerned about the Samsung Chromebook only having 16 gb of storage when I bought it but it's never been a problem. The way the Chromebook uses the cloud really eliminates the need for much onboard storage.

dathomso · Jul 11, 2013

Curious, but...

Would grab one for my wife to replace her 1st gen iPad but would need to resolve how to print; we have an HP printer on home wi-fi - can the Chromebook print directly to that yet?

Assault · Jul 18, 2013

Well, got my Chromebook in yesterday and loaded up Ubuntu and all the Chrome OS stuff, so now I can switch back and forth between a full Linux OS and Chrome by tapping a couple of keys together. Basically, I now have a full working Macbook Pro clone for $169. Having access to Linux OS just made this into a full working laptop now, instead of just a Chrome web browser interface.

The trackpad is surprisingly good, as is the keyboard. I'm actually kind of shocked. I did not expect this kind of cheap laptop to be better than many of the other Window PC's I have tried from various companies. Is it MacBook Pro caliber? No. But it is pretty darn close. Even uses some of the same 1 and 2 finger swipe and tap inputs, which makes the switch from MBP to Chromebook even easier.

I also like the fact that the Chromebook comes with 100GB of free space on Google Drive for 2 years! That is an awesome addition to this and makes the buy even more worthwhile. I also like the USB 2.0, USB 3.0 and HDMI out on the back edge. Cords and excess crap kept to a minimum and out of your line of sight when sitting on a desk.

Battery life is pretty good as well, giving me roughly 6.5 hours at 80% brightness setting. Not the best, but not nearly the worst. I consider it average battery life and considering I close the lid and put it to sleep a lot, it easily lasts a full day.

Bad stuff: No backlit keyboard. SD Card slot is not fully recessed, so when you put an SD card in, it is still sticking out about 5mm or so. Screen is not as clear or bright as any current Mac. Looks to be about the same resolution as the iPad Mini. Brightness is good for me, but does not get really bright like some people want.

All in all, for $169 ($187 after tax and shipping) this is an awesome buy and def worth it, since Ubuntu can be loaded (which means you can do real work with Word, Powerpoint, Excel with the LibreOffice Suite that you can download free), you have instant access to dual UI, instant on, a well designed (although cheap plastic) laptop and you get 100GB of free Google Drive space for 2 years.

First image is a screenshot from Chrome OS (what it comes with and is essentially just a web browser with Chrome apps and little more) and second screenshot is Ubuntu and a full OS. Love this!

joshwithachance · Jul 18, 2013

A bit sad that I missed this deal! With taxes and shipping it would've been around $190, and I found one on eBay for $199 shipped so I'm not too upset. Mine should be arriving today. It'll be fun to try it out as a companion to my iMac and HTC One. I'll report back, y'all!

Southernboyj · Jul 19, 2013

joshwithachance said:
A bit sad that I missed this deal! With taxes and shipping it would've been around $190, and I found one on eBay for $199 shipped so I'm not too upset. Mine should be arriving today. It'll be fun to try it out as a companion to my iMac and HTC One. I'll report back, y'all!

I bought a Chromebook and returned it.

I had a 1080P movie on a flash drive, tried using my Chromebook to stream it to the TV (via HDMI port) the Chromebook was struggling to get like 10 fps.

Very underpowered.

joshwithachance · Jul 19, 2013

And as quickly as I bought it, I returned it. I knew coming into it that the Chromebook was basically just a web browser with some extensions. But what I didn't expect was all the lag and stuttering. This thing SUCKS. I now understand why it retails for only $249.

Technarchy · Jul 19, 2013

I got a chrome book for my wife and she loves it. It's been a solid product.

Michael Goff · Jul 19, 2013

joshwithachance said:
And as quickly as I bought it, I returned it. I knew coming into it that the Chromebook was basically just a web browser with some extensions. But what I didn't expect was all the lag and stuttering. This thing SUCKS. I now understand why it retails for only $249.

I don't know why it retails for 250$.

And by that, I mean it isn't even worth 250$.

maxosx · Jul 19, 2013

Technarchy said:
I got a chrome book for my wife and she loves it. It's been a solid product.

It's true, I bought one just to see what the experience is like. There's a reason Chromebook has been at the top of Amazon's sales charts for months. For the price and what it's designed for, it's a great solution.

I've always preferred the laptop form factor over a tablet, the Chromebook fits the bill perfectly. The people who complain just don't get it. Much like a Kindle is a purpose built e-reader, Chromebook is a purpose built Cloud Computer.

To compare it to any Mac is just absurd. It's not meant to be a laptop in the conventional definition of one. It's a new concept, one that continues to grow in popularity.

The Pixel? That's an experiment to see how it would be accepted by those who don't "get" what a Chromebook is all about and insist on comparing. So Google built a high quality Chromebook with an excellent higher quality keyboard and hardware. Don't like the price? Look who's talking, as we all pay big premiums to play in Apple's playground.

With very deep pockets and no fear, Google can and does whatever they want, to try new things. I give them a lot of credit for that. In AppleLand it's fashionable to hate Google, but I don't, they've done great things for everyone to enjoy.

Assault · Jul 19, 2013

Southernboyj said:
I bought a Chromebook and returned it.

I had a 1080P movie on a flash drive, tried using my Chromebook to stream it to the TV (via HDMI port) the Chromebook was struggling to get like 10 fps.

Very underpowered.

Not exactly sure what you were expecting? This is designed to be a web browser and portal to Google services, not a Macbook Pro or Air. Plus, you were trying to play a 1080p movie from themed card? You do realize the huge amount of latency right there! Not to mention, playing 1080p videos mom the Chromebook has been a known issue for a long time. It is not advised.

I am now using mine full time in Ubuntu. For $170, this has been a stellar deal running a full Linux OS. No complaints here. I love this thing. Perfect for what it is.

Southernboyj · Jul 19, 2013

Assault said:
Not exactly sure what you were expecting? This is designed to be a web browser and portal to Google services, not a Macbook Pro or Air. Plus, you were trying to play a 1080p movie from themed card? You do realize the huge amount of latency right there! Not to mention, playing 1080p videos mom the Chromebook has been a known issue for a long time. It is not advised.

I am now using mine full time in Ubuntu. For $170, this has been a stellar deal running a full Linux OS. No complaints here. I love this thing. Perfect for what it is.

I bought it on release so I didn't know of the complaints. I've been able to stream these same h264 files to my TV from my Nexus 7 and iPad just fine.. so I figured the Chromebook could handle it.

BestBuy selling refub Samsung Chromebook for $169.99

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