Dell Chromebook 11 3120 11.6" 3120 P22T Black

The Dell Chromebook 11 3120 is a $69 refurbished laptop that's tiny, silent, and perfect for focused writing or basic web tasks. Its Celeron processor and 4GB of RAM are painfully slow, ranking near the bottom of all laptops we've tested. The 16GB of storage means you'll live in the cloud. Buy it as a secondary machine for distraction-free work, but don't expect it to handle multitasking or modern web apps without choking.

The Intel Celeron N2840 is a dual-core chip from 2014, and it feels every bit its age. In our benchmarks, it lands in the 3rd percentile overall, which is about as slow as it gets for a laptop you can still buy today. Opening Gmail takes a few seconds. Loading a media-heavy site like YouTube with a couple other tabs open will bring the system to a crawl. The integrated graphics are technically there, but with a gaming score of 2.7 out of 100, you can forget about anything beyond solitaire or maybe some very light 2D indie titles. This is a machine for one task at a time, and even then, patience is required.

The 4GB of RAM is the real bottleneck. ChromeOS is lightweight, but modern websites are not. A single Google Doc tab can eat up a gig of memory on its own. With a few tabs open, you'll hit the ceiling and the system will start aggressively swapping to the painfully slow 16GB eMMC storage. That storage itself is another choke point. It's not a real SSD, it's embedded flash memory that's slower than a hard drive in many cases. The 16GB capacity also means you're relying almost entirely on cloud storage. On the bright side, the port selection is surprisingly good for a machine this old, with USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, and even Ethernet. You won't need dongles, which is a nice touch.

Stacked against something like the Lenovo IdeaPad 82VG00TYUS, the Dell looks like a toy. The IdeaPad has a proper 15.6-inch 1080p screen, a much newer processor, and enough RAM to actually multitask. But it also costs several times more. The HP Pavilion 15.6" FHD Touchscreen is in a similar boat, offering a touchscreen and modern specs at a higher price. These are real laptops for daily use, while the Dell is a niche tool for a specific, lightweight job. If you're comparing it to the Apple MacBook Pro MD101LL/A, that's an even wider gap. The old MacBook has a gorgeous Retina display and a build quality that embarrasses this plastic Chromebook, but it's also heavier, older in terms of software support, and costs more on the used market.

The Acer Gateway 15.6" is probably the closest spiritual competitor in the budget space, offering a larger screen and similar cloud-focused ethos. But again, you're paying more for a machine that's less portable. The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is a completely different beast, a premium 2-in-1 with a sharp screen and active pen support. It's a better device in every way except price and port selection. The Dell's real competition isn't other laptops, it's the question of whether you can just use your phone with a Bluetooth keyboard instead. For many people, that's actually the better call.

At $69, the value conversation gets weird. You can't even buy a decent keyboard for that price, and here you're getting a whole functional laptop. If it turns on and connects to Wi-Fi, it's already earned its keep. The problem is that the experience is so compromised that the low price can feel like a trap. You're not saving money if the machine is too frustrating to actually use. For basic writing tasks in a focused environment, it's a steal. For anything else, you're better off saving up another hundred bucks.

Compared to other options in this ultra-budget range, you're mostly looking at other refurbished Chromebooks or old ThinkPads. A used Lenovo ThinkPad with an older i5 and 8GB of RAM can be found for around $100 to $120, and it will run circles around this Dell. The Chromebook's advantage is its simplicity and battery life, assuming the refurbished unit still holds a charge. But if you need to run any Linux apps or Android apps through the ChromeOS container, the weak processor will make that a slideshow. This is a $69 cloud typewriter, and as long as you accept that, the price is fair.

Let's be real: you're not buying a $69 laptop to edit 4K video or play Cyberpunk. The Dell Chromebook 11 3120 is a tiny, refurbished machine built for one thing, getting basic stuff done without emptying your wallet. It's a compact 11.6-inch Chromebook that weighs next to nothing and runs ChromeOS, which means it lives inside a web browser. If your daily routine is Gmail, Google Docs, Netflix, and maybe some light web browsing, this thing technically checks those boxes. Just keep your expectations grounded. We're talking about hardware that was entry-level when it launched nearly a decade ago.

Our database puts this Dell in a weird spot. It ranks in the 97th percentile for compactness, which makes sense. It's tiny, easy to toss in a bag, and perfect for a student who just needs a screen for typing notes. But then you look at the other numbers and reality sets in. The CPU and RAM both sit in the bottom 3% of all laptops we've tracked. The storage is even worse, landing in the 3rd percentile. This isn't a machine for multitasking or storing files locally. It's a terminal for the cloud, and it leans hard into that identity.

The target audience here is pretty narrow. This is a second machine for writing at a coffee shop, a first laptop for a young kid who only uses school web apps, or a cheap terminal for remote desktop work. It's also a popular choice for tinkerers who want to experiment with Linux or turn it into a dedicated retro emulation station. But for anyone who needs to install real software, store photos, or open more than a handful of browser tabs, this thing will frustrate you fast. The 4GB of RAM and that aging Celeron processor just can't keep up with modern web bloat.

Anyone who needs to run video calls, edit media, or keep more than a handful of tabs open should absolutely skip this. The processor will choke on Zoom or Google Meet, making you a blurry, stuttering mess to everyone else on the call. If you're a student who needs to run online proctoring software or multitask between research tabs and a paper, this machine will actively hurt your productivity. Spend the extra $50 to $100 on a used ThinkPad or a newer refurbished Chromebook with 8GB of RAM. The frustration you'll avoid is worth every penny.

Also skip this if you have any desire to use it offline. The tiny 16GB drive means you can't store much locally, and ChromeOS's offline capabilities are limited even in the best circumstances. If you're a frequent traveler who needs to work on planes or in areas with spotty Wi-Fi, this isn't the right tool. Look for something with at least 64GB of storage and a more capable processor. This Dell is a connected device first and foremost, and without internet, it's a paperweight.

If you need a dedicated writing machine for a distraction-free environment, this Dell is a cheap way to get there. Boot it up, open Google Docs, and don't touch anything else. It's perfect for students who tend to destroy expensive electronics, or for a kitchen computer that just displays recipes. The silent, fanless design is genuinely nice in a quiet room. Just don't expect it to be your only computer, or even your primary portable device. It's a companion, not a main driver.

For anyone who needs to run Zoom calls, edit spreadsheets with lots of data, or keep more than five tabs open, look elsewhere. The 4GB of RAM and that ancient Celeron will have you pulling your hair out. Spend a bit more on a used business laptop like a ThinkPad T480 or a newer Chromebook with 8GB of RAM. The difference in usability is night and day. This Dell is a niche tool that does one thing cheaply, and for the right person, that's enough. For everyone else, it's a recipe for frustration.