I've tested over 50 Chromebooks, and these are the devices you should buy

Chromebooks are simple, versatile laptops that can be excellent tools for students and professionals alike -- and increasingly they're AI-powered productivity beasts. They offer reliable performance and battery life in a lightweight package that's easy to throw into a backpack or a briefcase.

The tricky thing is that Chromebooks are a massive category. These devices can range from super-durable bricks with barely any features to highly efficient laptops with convertible designs and vibrant touchscreen displays. And thanks to a new update released in early October 2024, every Chromebook on the market received some extra updates, with AI leading the charge: "Chat with Gemini" will be pinned "to the shelf of every Chromebook" so you won't have to visit its web-based app, and live translate and "help me read" features are coming as well.

So which Chromebook is right for you? I've tested countless Chromebooks over the years, and I can tell you which pick is right for you and why. So whether you're a tech-savvy user or you're shopping for a youngster's first laptop, if you're interested in Chromebooks, you're in the right place.

Andrew Myrick

In between figuring out ways to put retro emulators on everything, Andrew thoroughly enjoys exploring what's possible with Android tablets. He's constantly looking for new and different ways to use tablets and Chromebooks in particular, such as replacing his laptop or turning tablets into smart home dashboards.

At a glance

Best overall

The best Chromebook you can buy isn't necessarily the most powerful or the most expensive. Instead, it combines many features into a compact body that will appeal to almost all Chromebook users; from novices to experts, students to professionals. With the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714, you're now able to enjoy one of the most performant Chromebooks without paying HP's or ASUS' exorbitant prices.

This is also one of the best Chromebooks for those who want to enjoy everything that the Chromebook Plus update has to offer. The currently available configuration is powered by the Intel Core i5-1335U with Iris XE graphics, but Acer plans to add a Core i7 configuration in the near future, giving you even more power, if you need it.

As opposed to the Spin 714 (2023), the 2023 model is missing one big feature and that's the stowable USI stylus. Acer opted to forgo this altogether, but you'll still be able to use any of the best USI pens with the Spin 714. It's just disappointing to see that Acer opted against including a stylus with its best Chromebook.

Best for students

When Google announced the Chromebook Plus initiative, we were wondering whether Lenovo would jump on the train. Thankfully, the company delivered with a couple of different options, but the Slim 3i Chromebook Plus might be the best of the bunch.

It doesn't offer the same level of portability compared to something like the Flex 3i Chromebook. But, it makes up for that with improved performance and other beneficial features such as a 1080p webcam.

The display is no slouch either, thanks to the 1920 x 1080, 14-inch IPS screen, which makes for an enjoyable experience. Unlike some of the other Chromebook Plus models, this one is not a convertible, but that's a sacrifice worth making in order to enjoy the other benefits at an affordable price.

You can comfortably type on its backlit keyboard for hours at a time and you'll enjoy serviceable speakers placed just above the keyboard. Battery life is also impressive, as the Slim 3i Chromebook Plus is rated to last for up to 11 hours. Plus, Lenovo includes its Rapid Charge technology, giving your Chromebook 80% battery life in just an hour.

This version comes with Intel's Core i3-N305 processor with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of eMMC storage. As for port selection, the Slim 3i Chromebook Plus offers a single USB-C port, two USB-A ports, HDMI 1.4, a 3.5mm audio-combo jack, and a Kensington lock.

Best premium pick

Originally, this spot was held by the HP Dragonfly Pro, as it was practically as close as we were going to get to a new Pixelbook. However, it seems that HP might be bowing out of the premium Chromebook space, as the Dragonfly Pro has been discontinued.

Rather surprisingly, the Elite Dragonfly Chromebook is still available for purchase, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. Getting the bad thing out of the way first, the Elite Dragonfly is going to set you back a pretty penny. At the time of this writing, the base configuration costs an eye-watering $2,053, and won't ship until mid-October.

That being said, it doesn't get too much better than this, even if many other Chromebooks now garner the "Chromebook Plus" moniker. Powering the Elite Dragonfly is Intel's 12th Gen series of chips, starting with the Intel Core i3-1215U, and maxing out with the Core i7-1265U.

Another allure of the Elite Dragonfly is its convertible design, paired with the 13.5-inch display and its 3:2 aspect ratio. Toss in the included magnetic USI pen, and it checks almost all of the right boxes.

Unfortunately, one area where the Elite Dragonfly can't replace the Dragonfly Pro is in battery life. It's not awful with this beast of a Chromebook, but you might be able to squeeze out eight hours of juice before reaching for a charger. It's rather unfortunate, and we hope to see HP (or another OEM) pick up the mantle for premium Chromebooks.

Best for gaming

Chromebooks aren’t generally the first thing people look for when they’re picking out a new gaming system, but the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE seeks to change all of that. Thanks to the expansion of Steam for ChromeOS, gamers are now able to log into their Steam account and access their full library of games directly on their Chromebook, and the 516 GE ensures that they look and play better than ever before.

This laptop boasts a big and vibrant 16-inch display (a rarity among Chromebooks) with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. There’s also a sleek and spacious keyboard with eight backlight color options that can be customized at any time in the Settings menu. You also get all of the performance and battery life that we’ve come to expect from the Acer name, in this case, up to eight hours on a single charge. This Chromebook doesn’t skimp on ports either, as the Acer 516 GE boasts dual USB-C ports, a 2.5G Ethernet jack, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

There are a lot of similarities between the Chromebook Plus 516 GE and its predecessor, including a few downsides. A couple of key examples are the fact that you won't enjoy a touchscreen display here. Plus, while USB-4 speeds are fine for most, it's still disappointing to miss out on true Thunderbolt support.

Best premium tablet

Ever since the original Chromebook Duet debuted back in 2020, this has been one of the best choices for those who want Chrome OS on a tablet. Under the hood, you'll find Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 chipset, which does wonders to help make the battery last for days.

The Duet 5 is rated for up to 15 hours on a single charge, and this Chrome OS tablet doesn't disappoint. But Lenovo took things a step further when it comes to charging, giving the Duet 5 dual USB-C ports, along with support for up to 45W charging speeds. Needless to say, these are very welcome upgrades compared to the original Duet.

Continuing with the versatility mindset, Lenovo again includes both a kickstand and a detachable keyboard case with the Duet 5. The kickstand simply attaches to the back using magnets, but the company took a step back when it comes to the keyboard. In our Duet 5 review, we found that the ribbon cable used by Lenovo is a bit too flimsy for our liking, meaning that using this on your lap may result in a frustrating typing experience.

One area where Lenovo didn't really provide much of an upgrade is in the storage department. The only "upgrade" really is that you can get 128GB of storage with the base configuration, but there still isn't any option for using a microSD card. But at least with the second USB-C port, you can attach an external hard drive if you want to load up some movies or TV shows. It's not the perfect solution, but it's better than nothing.

Best value tablet

The original Lenovo Chromebook Duet helped to open the door to other ChromeOS tablets like the HP Chromebook x2 11 and the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5. However, the Duet was released in 2020, leaving us wondering whether Lenovo would end up releasing a successor of some sort. The Duet 5 is a bit too large with its 13.3-inch display to be considered the "next in line," but that's where the Chromebook Duet 3 comes in.

Just like its partner in crime, the Chromebook Duet 5, the Duet 3 is powered by the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 compute platform. This results in a battery that lasts for up to 12 hours on a single charge, along with being powerful enough to handle those times when you want to plug into an external display to get work done. Plus, Lenovo improved upon the detachable keyboard and kickstand case, with magnets that are much stronger than its predecessor, while also being quite a bit slimmer.

The only real problem with the Chromebook Duet 3 is a frustrating one. The Duet 3 is not compatible with the best USI stylus pens if they rely on USI 1.0, meaning that you'll need to get a new one that uses the USI 2.0 standard. This is thanks to the type of display that Lenovo integrated into the Duet 3, which looks great, but the options are fairly limited.

Best for innovation

Over the course of 2022, we saw quite a few Chromebooks released that reinvigorated our excitement for ChromeOS on the whole. But it's possible that Framework's last-minute entry into the market with the Laptop Chromebook Edtion ended up as a personal favorite.

From a performance perspective, the Framework doesn't offer anything that you can't find with another Chromebook on this list. However, that's not really the appeal, nor is it the reason why we can't stop using the Framework.

Instead, it's the fact that the entire laptop is user-upgradeable, as you can replace everything from the keyboard to the RAM and even the built-in speakers. Or you can go crazy, like I did, and create a "Frankenstein Framework Chromebox." Adding another layer of unmatched versatility.

This immediately sets the Framework apart from the rest of the market, as you are usually limited to being able to upgrade just the storage and maybe the RAM. If something ends up breaking on this Chromebook, you can just get a replacement part directly from Framework and use the easy-to-follow instructions to install it yourself.

Not everything is "perfect" when it comes to the Framework, such as the lack of a touchscreen display and fingerprint scanner. It's also quite pricey. The Laptop Chromebook Edition starts at $999, and when you look at similarly-spec'ed Chromebooks, you'll probably find something with the same power for much less. However, we would argue that the ability to customize, upgrade, and repair the Framework yourself is well worth the price tag.

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How to choose

What are the best Chromebooks on the market today?

The beauty of the Chromebook market is that there are so many options to choose from. Our top pick is the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2023), as it offers an excellent combination of power and performance. In addition to using Intel's 13th gen chips, the Spin 714 offers plenty of ports, including HDMI, Thunderbolt 4, and even a headphone jack.

Until the Spin 714 was released, our top pick was the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook, which still hits all of the right markets for a laptop, including build quality, performance, battery life, and longevity — all for a very fair price. The only problems with the Flex 5 were surprisingly mediocre battery life, and that the screen is only a 250-nit, 1080p touchscreen.

There are the best Chromebooks, and then there are the best Chromebooks. Without a doubt, the HP Dragonfly Pro is the best of the best, but that also comes at a steep price. With the Dragonfly, you'll enjoy a Chromebook that is not only future-proof but one that will make you feel like you're living in the future. It's the first Chromebook to feature a haptic trackpad, while also offering an incredibly gorgeous design and even a 1,000-nit touchscreen.

How do I pick the best Chromebook?

Chromebooks might get pegged as only being for students and grandparents, but there truly is a Chromebook for everybody these days, whether you're just browsing email and social media, or getting down and dirty with Linux apps and coding IDEs.

While there are a lot of great Chromebook manufacturers out there, the Lenovo and ASUS models seem to go harder and last longer than the competition. That being said, Samsung, Dell, and HP can make some pretty premium Chromebooks as well.

Choosing your Chromebook is slightly different from picking a Windows or Mac laptop due to the standardized, cloud-centric nature of Chrome OS. Because Google controls the software look and update schedule for every Chromebook model, a Chromebook built by Lenovo should act the same as a Chromebook from Dell or Samsung. So what does that mean?

It means you can focus a little less on those core specs and more on what you want to do with the machine you choose. This process may seem slightly out of order, but trust me on this one:

Get one with a touchscreen — a 2-in-1 if you can

Touchscreens may be a luxury for other laptop systems, but on Chromebooks, I consider it a requirement. The touch optimization in Chrome OS is getting better every month, and since most of the Android apps Chromebooks can install via Google Play are optimized for touch, treat yourself to a touchscreen model.

Touchscreen models usually aren't that much more expensive for Chromebooks nowadays — many Chromebook models don't even bother with non-touchscreen versions these days — but if you see a Chromebook that says it's non-touch, walk away and don't look back. It's a beautiful thing to be able to tap on the screen when scrolling through Amazon, and after playing Solitaire on a touchscreen, you'll never go back to using a mouse. Especially when buying a student Chromebook, a touchscreen is imperative for helping younger users adapt from the touchscreen world of tablets to the mouse-and-keyboard banality of laptops.

That touchscreen comes in even handier on 2-in-1 systems; the best form factor I've seen for Chromebooks yet. Being able to prop up your Chromebook in Tent mode for a movie, or fold it flat into Tablet mode for some in-bed browsing while down with the flu is amazing. However, having a 360-degree hinge is excellent for everyday productivity too. You can bend your Chromebook back to more angles when working in awkwardly-lit offices with weird light glare, or propped in your lap at a ballgame because you didn't forget those quarterly expense reports that were due tomorrow, and refuse to skip the game for that.

Decide on the other features you want

Chrome OS is almost entirely the same on every device from a software perspective, which means that standout hardware features become paramount, and figuring out which of those features you want or need in a machine can help narrow the field and steer you to your perfect Chromebook.

As mentioned before, you want a touchscreen Chromebook — a 2-in-1 if you can swing it — but if you tend to do a lot of movie-watching, you may want a high-quality screen or loud, front-facing speakers.

If you're looking to be more productive with many open tabs and multi-window screens, you might want a 3:2 display that's more suited to split-screening, as well as a more powerful processor/memory configuration.

Productivity-minded users should also pay special mind to the port configurations on their prospective Chromebooks, as USB-C starts to replace most other ports on more premium Chromebooks like the Pixelbook while more grounded models keep USB-A ports around alongside new USB-C charging ports.

Families with younger kids — or travelers prone to slips, spills, and accidents — might want to look to the growing number of Chromebooks with military-grade MIL-STD 810G durability or spill-resistant keyboards.

Pick your size

Chromebooks come in a variety of sizes, but they tend to gravitate to four sizes in general:

• 11.6-inch models are portable and affordable. At their smaller size, their screens can look good, even if they're less than 1080p native resolution — though screen resolution is handled a bit differently on Chrome OS; we'll get to that a little later. Depending on the bezels on the screen, 11.6-inch Chromebooks can either have full-sized keys or slightly shrunken keys, though most manufacturers use full-size keys on 11.6-inch models.
• 12.3-13.5-inch models are becoming more and more popular, especially with 2-in-1 models like the Lenovo Flex 5 and the Acer Chromebook Spin 713. This screen size allows you to comfortably split-screen windows, enjoy a full-size keyboard, and you've got the room for more powerful components and more battery to power that bigger screen. These are portable but powerful, and I love them.
• 14-inch models sit at the high margin for the portable category. Still, with thin bezels and proper engineering, these can be almost as portable and manageable as 13-inch laptops with 7-9 hour battery lives. If you need to display your text in a larger font — and yes, Chrome OS has a separate font scale independent of the display zoom — a 14-inch model is your best bet for a productive Chromebook that won't strain your eyes, especially as most 14-inch models start at 1080p.
• 15.6-inch models are made for desks and dining room tables. I lovingly refer to these as LIMOs — Laptop in model only — because while you can shove them into larger laptop backpacks for a vacation, these Chromebooks aren't made for laps and tray tables. Instead, these are made for a standard office environment where they live stationary lives in peace. They are great for productivity because you can see more at once, but they tend to have shorter battery lives and higher weights, which dissuade them from being dragged around daily.

In general, the bigger the size of your Chromebook, the more you can potentially fit on the screen, but it will also be less portable and shorter in battery life. The smaller it is, the less heavy and (usually) less expensive it will be. Still, smaller models can also suffer from lower resolution screens, though Chrome OS's display zoom and font adjustments can somewhat offset it.

Memory and storage — what do you really need?

RAM — Random Access Memory — is a critical spec for computers of all sizes and shapes; from phones and tablets, to desktops and laptops. It's used by your computer's processor(s) to hold your current tabs, apps, and execute the commands, clicks, and operations that make your Chromebook work.

So how much RAM do I need? 4 GB of RAM in a Chromebook is OK, 8 GB is better, and high-end Chromebooks can come with 16 GB or more, but 4 GB of RAM is enough to run Chrome OS with a couple of apps and a dozen Chrome tabs.

If you're a long-time Windows user — or a long-time computer user of any kind — looking at the storage on most Chromebooks will seem confusing at first because it's not going to sound like enough. Chrome OS is based around cloud storage — Google Drive is integrated directly into the Files app — but local storage is still essential for things like Android apps from Google Play, offline documents, and downloaded music/movies for those horrible Wi-Fi-less flights.

You can also expand the storage on many Chromebooks with an SD or microSD card, but there's no beating proper local storage to start with. 32 GB of storage is workable, but I'd recommend a model with at least 64 GB of storage. Finding 128 GB or more is usually reserved for premium Chromebooks with heftier price tags. However, 64 GB Chromebooks are pretty widely available and offer more than enough storage for some Drive offline syncing and emergency entertainment.

Always check the expiration date!

Chrome OS is developed, managed, and updated by Google for all Chromebooks, but Google doesn't want to be stuck supporting every random budget chipset and driver set forever, so each Chromebook has a shelf life and an expiration date — just like the milk in your fridge. This is the Auto Update Expiration date, and it can be found for every single model on this handy-dandy support page, which you should often check while you're shopping for Chromebooks.

Now, a Chromebook doesn't turn into a pumpkin on its AUE date — assuming your Chromebook lasts three to six years until that date — but it does stop receiving those system updates every Chromebook gets every four to six weeks that contain bug fixes, security patches, and new features. If your Chromebook is still running decently at that time, you're a champ, and with a teeny bit of know-how, you can reformat it to run one of a dozen Linux distros instead.

That said, four-to-six years is a long time for any laptop, and chances are yours will be getting long in the tooth by then. Right now, when shopping, always check the AUE to see how long your Chromebook will get updates. Some Chromebooks have shorter lifetimes than others if they're built on the same platform as a previous Chromebook — AUE is based on the hardware platform, not individual model, which is also why many Chromebooks have the same AUE dates. That's why it's something you'll always want to check before buying, even if the model itself is brand-new.

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