Microsoft calls out Chromebooks (literally) with $200 laptops

Lenovo 100e,windows,laptops,microsoft

Laptop manufacturers have hopped on the Chromebook bandwagon in a big way, offering a variety of Google-powered laptops. And the cheaper devices have quickly found a niche in the education sector, being an affordable option for students.

Now, Microsoft has announced that it will be showing off education-focused Windows laptops, starting at US$189. And the company has clearly painted a target on Chromebooks in its announcement.

“This week at Bett, we’ll show new Windows 10 and Windows 10 S devices from Lenovo and JP, starting at just US$189, providing more options for schools who don’t want to compromise on Chromebooks,” read an excerpt of the release.

Read more: A ton of Chromebooks now support Android apps [List]

The cheapest device, the US$189 (US$219 outside USA) Lenovo 100e, will pack an Apollo Lake Celeron chip, an 11.6-inch 768p display, 2GB/4GB RAM, 32GB/64GB storage, USB 3.0 and HDMI.

Looking for a cheap convertible? Then Lenovo’s 300e is for you, coming in at US$279. This device will pack a touchscreen (obviously), Pentium chip, 4GB/8GB RAM and up to 128GB of storage.

Microsoft also announced two more cheaper devices from manufacturer JP, in the form of the US$199 Classmate Leap T303 laptop and the Trigono V401 2-in-1.

Taken together with Windows 10 S and it’s clear that Microsoft is attempting to thwart the march of Chromebooks. But Google hasn’t been idling either, bringing the Play Store and Android apps to Google-powered laptops.

More

News

Sign up to our newsletter to get the latest in digital insights. sign up

Welcome to Memeburn

Sign up to our newsletter to get the latest in digital insights.