At $149, Google unveils its cheapest Chromebooks yet: Haier and Hisense 11.6″ laptops, up for preorder today

Google today debuted two new Chromebook devices: the Haier Chromebook 11 for sale at Amazon and the Hisense Chromebook for sale at Walmart in the U.S. Both are priced at $149 and available for pre­order today. Availability will expand to additional countries “very soon,” Google told VentureBeat.

Here are the specs for the Haier Chromebook 11:

• Size and Weight: 11.4″ x 8.1″ x 0.71″ (290mm x 205mm x 17.9mm), 2.54lbs (1.15kg)
• Screen: 11.6″ display, 200 nit brightness
• Processor, Memory, and Storage: Rockchip 3288, 2GB RAM, 16GB eMMC
• Battery: Up to 10 hours of battery life
• Inputs: Chrome keyboard, trackpad
• Ports and Connectors: 2 USB 2.0 Standard A ports, uSD Card Reader, Headphone/mic combo, HDMI
• Camera: 720P HD
• Wireless: 802.11ac (supports a/b/g/n/ac), 2.4 and 5ghz, 2×2 spatial streams, Bluetooth 4.0 BR/EDR/LE, Smart Ready controller
• Audio: High power stereo speakers, built-in microphone, headphone/mic combo
• Graphics: ARM Mali 760 quad core GPU

There’s also a second version, the Haier Chromebook 11E (pictured at the very top of this article), which is slightly larger at 11.5″ x 8.2″ x 0.89″ (292 mm x 209 mm x 22.6 mm), and heavier at 2.76 lbs (1.25kg). The main difference is the removable battery, but otherwise the specifications are identical.

Here are the specs for the Hisense Chromebook:

• Size and Weight: 11.7″ x 8.8″ x 0.6″ (297.7mm x 224.55mm x 15.3mm), 3.3lbs (1.2kg)
• Screen: 11.6″ display, 200 nit brightness
• Processor, Memory and Storage: Rockchip 3288, 2GB RAM, 16GB eMMC
• Battery: Up to 8.5 hours of battery life
• Inputs: Chrome keyboard, trackpad
• Ports and Connectors: 2 USB 2.0 Standard A ports, uSD Card Reader, Headphone/mic combo, HDMI
• Camera: 720P HD
• Wireless: 802.11ac (supports a/b/g/n/ac), 2.4 and 5ghz, 2×2 spatial streams, Bluetooth 4.0 BR/EDR/LE, Smart Ready controller
• Audio: High power stereo speakers, built-in microphone, headphone/mic combo
• Graphics: ARM Mali 760 quad core GPU

If you have $149 to spend, you should probably go with the Haier Chromebook 11. It is slightly smaller, lighter, and allegedly has a better battery life.

The bigger Chrome OS picture

Google’s Chrome OS pitch is unchanged: Chromebooks minimize boot up time, have long battery life, and take care of automatic software updates. “You shouldn’t have to choose between a computer that performs well and one that you can afford,” Google said.

Until today, the price range for Chromebooks was $199 to $999. While the Chromebook Pixel is at the high end of that spectrum, the larger majority of Chrome OS devices don’t surpass the $499 mark. Now, the lower limit has shifted to $149.

That figure is set to shift even more. Google today also announced two new Chrome OS devices, built by Asus, coming later this year. One of them will be under $100.