Google's new $3 USB drive aims to bring old laptops back to life

Google has collaborated with online marketplace Back Market to give old and dated laptops a breath of fresh air. The two have introduced a $3 USB drive that aims to make it easier to install ChromeOS Flex on compatible Windows and Intel-based Mac PCs.

Compared to the Mac and Windows, ChromeOS Flex is a much lighter operating system, and it can make dated hardware usable again. Google and Back Market add that the USB installer is meant to simplify switching operating systems, especially for those who are not comfortable creating their own bootable drives.

As for the operating system itself, ChromeOS Flex is designed as a cloud-focused OS. Most of its functionality runs on web apps and cloud services, so the hardware it runs on at the user end doesn't need to do any heavy lifting. So, on dated hardware, the experience tends to be much better than Windows and MacOS.

Of course, it's worth noting that ChromeOS on Chromebooks is not an identical operating system to the Flex version (Acer Chromebook Plus 515 curr. $379.99 on Amazon). There are a couple of core differences, one of them being the lack of Android app support on the latter.

Another thing that's worth mentioning is that this initiative by Google and Back Market comes at the right time. Windows 10 has stopped receiving security updates in late 2025, and there are many functional laptops and PCs that don't meet the minimum requirement of Windows 11. These are at risk of being discarded prematurely, and the two argue that installing ChromeOS Flex is a cheaper alternative than replacing these systems with new ones.

Initially, around 3,000 units of the ChromeOS Flex USB drive will be available, and they will be part of the pilot program that's set to launch on March 30, 2026. Back Market and Google will gauge the demand through this limited-scale project and then share further details about future availability.