BuyRefurbishedUS via eBay has
Lenovo Ideapad Chromebook (Certified Refurbished, 82V80009UX) on sale for
$200.19 (discount applies in cart).
Shipping is free.
Thanks to Community Member
Dr.Wajahat for sharing this deal.
- Note: Includes a 2-year warranty serviced by Allstate.
Specs:
- 16" 2560x1600 2.5K 120Hz IPS Display, 300 nits, 100% sRGB
- Intel i3-1215U 6-Core (2P+4E) / 8-Thread Processor
- 8GB LPDDR4x 4266MHz Memory (Soldered)
- 128GB eMMC 5.1 Storage
- 4-Zone RGB Backlit Keyboard, FHD 1080p Webcam
- Wi-Fi 6E, 11ax 2x2 + BT5.3
- ChromeOS
- Ports:
- 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1
- 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (support data transfer, Power Delivery 3.0 and DisplayPort™ 1.4)
- 1x Headphone / microphone combo jack (3.5mm)
- 1x microSD card reader
- 71Whr Battery
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Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank telthus
https://slickdeals.net/f/17300587-acer-chromebook-plus-515-cert-refurb-15-6-fhd-ips-i3-1215u-8gb-lpddr5x-128gb-ufs-181-99
In my opinion:
Pros for Lenovo:
- Much better screen
- Better keyboard, if you want the numpad.
Cons for Lenovo:
- Inferior trackpad, based on various reviews
Pros for Acer:
- Better keyboard layout, no numpad, so everything is centered.
- Far better trackpad, based on reviews.
- A bit newer, so AUE is further out. Although I suspect hardware will die out before that.
Cons:
- Not as good a screen as the Lenovo or the Acer 516
- Thick bezels
- HDMI cannot output 4k@60Hz. I do not know if the USB-C ports can output displayport. Could not find this info anywhere
Given that neither is a touchscreen, when browsing, consuming content, the trackpad will be heavily utilized.
Not sure which one to go with.
Any opinions?
I mostly use it for web browsing, document editing(O365 Apps) and to remote/SSH manage my server and VMs when I'm in the living room or in bed. For this use case it is perfect.
The display on the Lenovo is better, but honestly the biggest selling point for me is the keyboard.
I didn't think I would care that the Acer didn't have a numpad, but after using it for just a couple of weeks I realized how much I hated that layout. The small centered keyboard with speakers on each side is just something I don't think I could ever get used to. On top of that the keyboard on the Lenovo is back-lit, the Acer's is not, and the F-J position notches are more pronounced on the Lenovo. This may not be important if you are always in a well lit room, but to me the awkward keyboard and lack of back-light on the Acer is not a good combo.
I didn't notice a difference in trackpad quality in normal use, although I use a mouse 40% of the time because of both Chromebook's lack of right click on the trackpad (you have to alt+click).
As far as the other specs go, they don't really affect the performance in any noticeable way for my use, that may differ if you game, but I doubt it. I don't know if emmc has a shorter lifespan or worse reliability than UFS but as far as performance goes I saw no noticeable difference transferring to/from my USB flash drives or installing/loading apps.
Same goes for the DDR4/DDR5 RAM, 8gb seems low but the OS isn't a resource hog like Windows and neither system felt any slower regardless of how many tabs I had open.
Battery life on both devices is great, the Acer has the advantage here just because of the lower res display and no back-light but not by much, both have lasted between 10-13 hours of use. Although I keep the brightness down to the 2nd lowest setting.
Somethings to note for those new to Chromebooks like I was:
-Yes you can install Windows/Linux if you really want to, but it will be more headache than it is worth, if that is what you are looking for maybe spend 50-100$ more and get a Windows laptop with an SSD.
-Yes you can replace the emmc drive with a 2242 - but again more headache for negligible gain
-Chromebooks have built in Linux support in the form of Crostini, you can run Linux apps on the Chromebook and do pretty much anything you would want to do on Linux
-These refurbs do come with 12 Months of Google One Basic(100gb cloud storage) but only if you haven't previously subscribed. If you try to redeem this on an account that has previously subbed even if it is not active, you will get told you aren't eligible and you won't be able to try to redeem with a different account.
TLDR: Chromebooks are not full Windows Desktop replacements, they are very capable devices for regular tasks, and are more affordable for comparable specs. If you care about the screen or keyboard go with the Lenovo, if you think you don't care then get the Acer if it's cheaper but test it thoroughly before the return period so you can get the Lenovo.
I mostly use it for web browsing, document editing(O365 Apps) and to remote/SSH manage my server and VMs when I'm in the living room or in bed. For this use case it is perfect.
The display on the Lenovo is better, but honestly the biggest selling point for me is the keyboard.
I didn't think I would care that the Acer didn't have a numpad, but after using it for just a couple of weeks I realized how much I hated that layout. The small centered keyboard with speakers on each side is just something I don't think I could ever get used to. On top of that the keyboard on the Lenovo is back-lit, the Acer's is not, and the F-J position notches are more pronounced on the Lenovo. This may not be important if you are always in a well lit room, but to me the awkward keyboard and lack of back-light on the Acer is not a good combo.
I didn't notice a difference in trackpad quality in normal use, although I use a mouse 40% of the time because of both Chromebook's lack of right click on the trackpad (you have to alt+click).
As far as the other specs go, they don't really affect the performance in any noticeable way for my use, that may differ if you game, but I doubt it. I don't know if emmc has a shorter lifespan or worse reliability than UFS but as far as performance goes I saw no noticeable difference transferring to/from my USB flash drives or installing/loading apps.
Same goes for the DDR4/DDR5 RAM, 8gb seems low but the OS isn't a resource hog like Windows and neither system felt any slower regardless of how many tabs I had open.
Battery life on both devices is great, the Acer has the advantage here just because of the lower res display and no back-light but not by much, both have lasted between 10-13 hours of use. Although I keep the brightness down to the 2nd lowest setting.
Somethings to note for those new to Chromebooks like I was:
-Yes you can install Windows/Linux if you really want to, but it will be more headache than it is worth, if that is what you are looking for maybe spend 50-100$ more and get a Windows laptop with an SSD.
-Yes you can replace the emmc drive with a 2242 - but again more headache for negligible gain
-Chromebooks have built in Linux support in the form of Crostini, you can run Linux apps on the Chromebook and do pretty much anything you would want to do on Linux
-These refurbs do come with 12 Months of Google One Basic(100gb cloud storage) but only if you haven't previously subscribed. If you try to redeem this on an account that has previously subbed even if it is not active, you will get told you aren't eligible and you won't be able to try to redeem with a different account.
TLDR: Chromebooks are not full Windows Desktop replacements, they are very capable devices for regular tasks, and are more affordable for comparable specs. If you care about the screen or keyboard go with the Lenovo, if you think you don't care then get the Acer if it's cheaper but test it thoroughly before the return period so you can get the Lenovo.
Battery health is at 99.78% and it has only been charged 8 times total. Being that the item arrived with full battery, one of those would be from the seller. Ran all diagnostic tests and everything returned well.
Fan kicked on to cool it well during the cpu test and even at max load, it was not too loud. The brief use I put in so far has seen no issues with the trackpad. I will test cloud streaming and everything a bit later today. So far though, two thumbs up for the seller.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank energyx
Edit: It actually has an extra M.2 2242 slot for storage besides the eMMC. The RAM is also soldered on though
These are the high level steps to convert:
1. Purchase a SuzyQ cable to disable CR50 write protect: https://mrchromebox.tec
https://www.ebay.com/itm/335130747039
2. Replace eMMC drive with a non-DRAM 2230 or 2242 NVME, there are reddit posts about which ones work, but most smaller form should be fine. The included drive is not detected by Windows or Linux installers.
3. Install mrchromeboxtech UEFI firmware: https://mrchromebox.tec
4. Choose Windows ($30 for audio and thunderbolt drivers from coolstar.org) or Linux
Download one of the listed Linux distros recommended here, Fedora KDE variants work best with GUI scaling: https://docs.chrultrabo
Arch Linux or EndeavourOS
Fedora or Ultramarine Linux
openSUSE Tumbleweed
Debian 12 (Bookworm)
Pop!_OS
5. Run post-install scripts for audio and USB-C. There's also a fan control utility that works really well. https://docs.chrultrabo
6. Customize keyboard layout by enabling number keys (ie NUMLOCK) and run script (cros-keyboard-map) to set function keys to their default or F-key function.
I've also been able to spin up small, Tiny11 Windows VMs using virtualbox. So far everything works, and if it werent't for this great screen I probably wouldn't have gone through all the effort. I tried using ChromeOS, but it's just too limited for my needs.
These are the high level steps to convert:
1. Purchase a SuzyQ cable to disable CR50 write protect: https://mrchromebox.tec
https://www.ebay.com/itm/335130747039
2. Replace eMMC drive with a non-DRAM 2230 or 2242 NVME, there are reddit posts about which ones work, but most smaller form should be fine. The included drive is not detected by Windows or Linux installers.
3. Install mrchromeboxtech UEFI firmware: https://mrchromebox.tec
4. Choose Windows ($30 for audio and thunderbolt drivers from coolstar.org) or Linux
Download one of the listed Linux distros recommended here, Fedora KDE variants work best with GUI scaling: https://docs.chrultrabook.com/doc...linux.html [chrultrabook.com]
Arch Linux or EndeavourOS
Fedora or Ultramarine Linux
openSUSE Tumbleweed
Debian 12 (Bookworm)
Pop!_OS
5. Run post-install scripts for audio and USB-C. There's also a fan control utility that works really well. https://docs.chrultrabook.com/doc...stall.html [chrultrabook.com]
6. Customize keyboard layout by enabling number keys (ie NUMLOCK) and run script (cros-keyboard-map) to set function keys to their default or F-key function.
I've also been able to spin up small, Tiny11 Windows VMs using virtualbox. So far everything works, and if it werent't for this great screen I probably wouldn't have gone through all the effort. I tried using ChromeOS, but it's just too limited for my needs.
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It now starts at $199, - 9% off so now $182 in cart!!!!
Super Slick!
I just got this one for $184 from the VIPoutlet deal (yes the same one) and it's awesome so far. Super snappy and mine was like new, only the sloppy applied twisty ties to the cords on the power brick gave it away as anything but brand new LOL.
These are the high level steps to convert:
1. Purchase a SuzyQ cable to disable CR50 write protect: https://mrchromebox.tec
https://www.ebay.com/itm/335130747039
2. Replace eMMC drive with a non-DRAM 2230 or 2242 NVME, there are reddit posts about which ones work, but most smaller form should be fine. The included drive is not detected by Windows or Linux installers.
3. Install mrchromeboxtech UEFI firmware: https://mrchromebox.tec
4. Choose Windows ($30 for audio and thunderbolt drivers from coolstar.org) or Linux
Download one of the listed Linux distros recommended here, Fedora KDE variants work best with GUI scaling: https://docs.chrultrabo
Arch Linux or EndeavourOS
Fedora or Ultramarine Linux
openSUSE Tumbleweed
Debian 12 (Bookworm)
Pop!_OS
5. Run post-install scripts for audio and USB-C. There's also a fan control utility that works really well. https://docs.chrultrabo
6. Customize keyboard layout by enabling number keys (ie NUMLOCK) and run script (cros-keyboard-map) to set function keys to their default or F-key function.
I've also been able to spin up small, Tiny11 Windows VMs using virtualbox. So far everything works, and if it werent't for this great screen I probably wouldn't have gone through all the effort. I tried using ChromeOS, but it's just too limited for my needs.