laptop for my girlfriend

scotsum wrote: ↑ if all she wants it for is surf, youtube & watch movies, get her a chromebook. much better yet, get her a hybrid 2in1 chromebook. not only can she surf, she can surf stress free with absolute safety that there'll be no virus, spyware &or malware.

for you, it'll be just as stress free as there's no maintenance on your part nothing coz there's nothing she can screw up. if that slim possibility does occur, then a quick 1 click powerwash will restore the system to almost where she left off (minus any unsaved files ofcos).

on top of all that, there's a game changer called google play store. if you get the right chromebook (or better yet, a hybrid 2in1 chromebook), then chances are almost guaranteed that access to google's android playstore will be available (either stable or beta). mine gets it on beta & I'm running a myriad of playstore apps including kodi, media players, & a myriad of games (mostly without issue). imo android apps compatibility will only improve with time.

if thats not enough, then how about all day battery life. mine gets approx 8 - 10hrs of general usage (mixture of surfing, youtube, kodi & movies offa mSD card...basically almost exactly as what your gf will do). mine weighs approx 2.5lbs with a 12.5" gorgeous HD touchscreen so portability isnt a factor & honestly, I enjoy playing android games/apps on it more than the nexus 9.

I picked up my Asus C302 flip2 chromebook for $507 at newegg (openbox) so its possible you can get it round your budget (there are cheaper alternatives so the world's your oyster for choices). I have 2 win lappies (1's a 14" hybrid), a nexus 9 tablet & this chromebook & guess which device gets the most usage. infact I hardly touch anything else unless I need a specific win app. sadly my nexus 9 is sitting in a drawer gathering dust.

there's also other pluses for me but the above is just a sampling of todays chromebook goodness.