Best Chromebooks in 2024: sleek, quick, and cheap

The best Chromebooks that are at the top of the line are no longer just devices for running Google apps. They are now flexible enough to handle a wide range of computing needs. In fact, a good Chrome OS laptop or two-in-one convertible can often be better than a bad Windows or macOS laptop. Chromebooks are popular because they are easy to use, easy to carry around, and cheap, which makes them a good choice for a wide range of users. Their operating system, ChromeOS, which is made by Google to be simple and easy to use, makes them easy to use.

Traditional laptops like Windows laptops and Apple MacBooks are more expensive than the best Chromebooks. Chromebooks are safe and easy to use, making them a great gift for kids and less tech-savvy adults who need a simple computer. You can get great deals on Chromebooks during sales. They are also good for anyone who wants a cheap laptop to use for work and play.

There are so many similarities between the offerings from Asus, Lenovo, Google, HP, Dell, and Samsung that an ill-intentioned person might suspect that all components come from the same factory. This is good news for you if you are making comparisons. Most of the devices on this list are good buys if you can find them at a reasonable price. They can keep up with some of the best laptops, best budget laptops, and best student laptops on the market. These laptops run Google’s Chrome OS operating system and are known for their mobility, long battery life, and affordability. Below we have mentioned the best Chromebooks.

What is a Chromebook?

A Chromebook is a type of laptop computer that runs Google’s Chrome OS. It is designed to use web-based apps and services most of the time and relies heavily on an internet connection to work. Chromebooks are known for being easy to use, quick to start up, and cheap. They are often used to do things like surf the web, check email, edit documents, and watch videos. The Chrome browser is at the center of the operating system, and many of the apps and data are stored in the cloud. This makes it easy for users to access their files and settings from any device. Chromebooks are especially popular in schools and with people who value how easy they are to use and how fast they can get to online tools over traditional software applications.

Benefits of using a Chromebook

Chromebooks have a lot of advantages that make them a good choice for some users and situations. Here are a few of the most important reasons to use a Chromebook:

???? Affordability: Chromebooks are usually less expensive than traditional Windows or Mac laptops, making them a great choice for students, budget-conscious individuals, or cost-conscious companies.

???? Speed and Performance: Chromebooks are optimized for web-based tasks, starting up faster and smoothly handling activities like web browsing, email, and document editing due to their efficient hardware requirements.

???? Security: Chromebooks operate on Chrome OS, a Linux-based OS by Google, emphasizing security through “sandboxing,” preventing processes and applications from interacting, reducing the risk of malware and viruses. They also receive automatic updates for hassle-free security.

???? User-Friendly Interface: Chromebooks are renowned for their simplicity, featuring an interface resembling the Chrome browser, making it user-friendly, especially for those familiar with Google’s services, ideal for web-based app and service users.

???? Long Battery Life: Chromebooks are designed for efficiency, often boasting longer battery life compared to many other laptops, a boon for people on the move or those requiring extended usage periods.

Best Chromebooks Comparison Table

The table below compares the best Chromebooks, showing their most important features, performance metrics, screen quality, battery life, and storage options. This detailed look at Chromebooks will help you find the best one for your needs, whether it’s for work, play, or portability.

Lenovo Chromebook Duet

If you’re looking for an affordable device for work on the go, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet offers great value for money. It is an ultraportable 10.1-inch 2-in-1 device with a detachable keyboard and kickstand cover. The Duet is equipped with a MediaTek Helio P60T processor, 4GB of RAM, and up to 128GB of storage, offering good performance if you’re just browsing and don’t plan on putting a heavy load on the device. It also uses a version of Chrome OS made for its convertible form factor, including the first version of Chrome optimized for tablet use. Overall, this is one of the Best Chromebooks that you can buy right now.

When detached from the keyboard, the Duet supports an Android-like gesture navigation system that makes switching between apps a breeze. The most impressive feature, Of course, there are drawbacks. The touchpad and keyboard are quite small, there is no headphone jack (and only one USB-C port), and the 16:10 display is a bit dark. But these are reasonable compromises to make for such a low price. It’s a great secondary device for schoolwork or surfing on the go.

Google Pixelbook Go

Google’s original Pixelbook took the top spot on our list, but the company’s latest version, the Google Pixelbook Go, is even better. This Chromebook proves that the best Chromebooks can keep up with mainstream laptops running Windows and macOS, while still looking stylish and priced much lower. The Pixelbook Go is simply one of the best Chromebooks you can buy. Weighing only 2 pounds, Google’s notebook is super thin and light, with an easy-to-use design.

One of the key features is the fantastic battery life, which beats that of many competing traditional laptops, so you can get through a full day of work or school without being tethered to an outlet. Even better, you can close the lid, leave the Pixelbook Go on your desk for days, and return to find that there is still enough battery life to pick up where you left off. Few Windows laptops or MacBooks can boast this accomplishment.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2

The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 is certainly not the longest-lasting Chromebook we have ever tested. But after last year’s Samsung Galaxy Chromebook did not even last five hours on a charge, my expectations were at a minimum. Finally, several months after the Chromebook 2 was announced, we can breathe a sigh of relief. We repeat: the battery life is not a disaster, folks. Battery life is good.

The elimination of the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook’s 4K display was probably the best thing Samsung could have done to make this Chromebook a success. It is now much more affordable, but still has a great QLED display and longer battery life: 7:50 versus 5:55 on its predecessor. The sound is great and the Core i3 configuration offers excellent speed for Chrome OS. Still, it is one of the Best Chromebooks that you can consider.

ASUS Chromebook Detachable CM3

The ASUS Chromebook Detachable CM3 is an attempt to compete with Lenovo’s acclaimed Chromebook Duet. Like the Duet, the CM3 is a 10.5-inch Chrome OS tablet in a 16:10 aspect ratio with a fabric case, kickstand and foldable keyboard. It is a bit more expensive than the Duet, but also has a few more features. Easily one of the Best Chromebooks available on the market.

One unique advantage is that the stand can be folded in multiple ways: it can be folded in the long direction to set the tablet as a laptop, or in the short direction to set the tablet horizontally. We do not know how practical this feature actually is, but it is there if you have a use case in mind.

The CM3 also has a built-in USI stylus and spacious keys with a surprisingly long stroke. What impressed us most, however, was the battery life: we averaged nearly 13 hours of continuous use with the device. The CM3 may not be the best Chromebook for everyone: it has only two ports (a USB-C and an audio jack) and its MediaTek processor was a bit slow compared to more expensive offerings. But if you are looking for a convertible Chrome OS device and feel that the Duet does not meet your needs, you are probably the recipient of the CM3.

ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5

The price of the ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 may understandably put people off, but it really is that good. It’s sturdy enough to withstand all kinds of bumps and shocks in a backpack or briefcase, and has a unique velvety texture that’s very comfortable to hold. Add to that a wide selection of ports, a smooth and comfortable keyboard, and a vibrant display, and you’ve got a case that rivals many mid-range Windows notebooks. Thus, this product is one of the Best Chromebooks available right now.

The CX5’s performance is equally impressive. We didn’t hear the fan once during our testing, even with a workload that slows most devices down. Battery life is very satisfactory and easily lasted for a full day. And the CX5 delivered one of the loudest sounds we’ve ever heard from a Chromebook. While the CX5 is not a perfect device, it is a solid performer all around.

Lenovo Flex 5i 13 Chromebook 2-in-1 Laptop

The Lenovo Flex 5i 13 Chromebook is exceptional. Not only is it an all-around great laptop, but our recommended model offers faster performance than most Chromebooks under $500. Many cheap Chromebooks can’t handle a video call and an open document at the same time, or they feel slow with only a handful of tabs open.

But thanks to its Core i3 processor and 8 GB of RAM, our favorite can handle everyday workloads with flying colors. The Flex 5i’s predecessor, the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 (13″), is a good option if you can find it in stock and on sale with a Core i3 processor, but it only has 4 GB of RAM, and its guaranteed update support expires a year early. Currently, this is one of the Best Chromebooks that you can buy right now.

Acer Chromebook 714

The best Acer Chromebook for professionals currently available might be the Acer Chromebook 714, whose solid, premium chassis is the right choice for professionals. Unfortunately, it is not particularly stylish, but decent performance and battery life make up for its lack of fashion sense. And aren’t these the most important features for those who have to meet with clients, do paperwork, and make ends meet all day long?

The 720p webcam captures decent shots, with adequate lighting even on overcast days and good detail. Full-screen Google Duo images looked a little softer, but they showed nice colors and not too much grain or noise. Google Play Music balked at playing my MP3 music files, but Chrome Audio Player and the bottom-mounted speakers easily filled a room. The sound was a smidge hollow, but overlapping tracks came through clearly, without much bass but also without buzzy or tinny overtones. So, if you want one of the Best Chromebooks, we highly recommend this product.

Acer Chromebook Spin 713

One of the best Chromebooks we’ve gotten our hands on, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 takes everything good about the versatile Spin form factor, such as the 3:2 display ratio, and combines it with very powerful hardware like the Intel Core i5-1135G7, which honestly outperforms almost every other Chromebook when it comes to performance. Weighing in at 1.5 kilograms, it offers a good balance between not feeling flimsy and being light enough to fit in your bag when you’re on the go.

The Chromebook Spin 713 carves out an important space among enthusiasts and professionals, as well as students and professionals on the go. Its powerful processor makes it ideal for running heavier Android or Linux applications. We wish it had pen functionality, but the Spin 713 is a superior system that has earned a place on our Best Chromebooks page.

Lenovo ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook

The Lenovo ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook made it straight into our list of the best Chromebooks for students when it was released, as it’s one of the most powerful Chromebooks you’ll find anywhere. That extra power does mean you’ll have to pay more than for a typical Chromebook, especially if you want some of the best features of the high-end models, but it’s worth it if you’re looking for something future-proof.

The ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook is also equipped with an AMD CPU instead of an Intel one. (Last fall, AMD introduced a line of five “C-series” Ryzen and Athlon processors designed specifically for use in Chromebooks). A $584 lowball system features a dual-core Athlon Gold 3150C chip, a meager 4 GB of RAM, and an inferior (even double the size would be paltry) 32 GB of eMMC flash storage.

Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook

This is a Chromebook or is it a tablet? Fortunately, you do not  have to select with the brilliant Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook. True to its name, this Chromebook offers two form factors in one while leveraging the versatility of Chrome OS and costing you much less than many of the top Windows tablets on the market, making it the best detachable Chromebook-tablet hybrid on the market. Easily one of the Best Chromebooks available on the market.

The Chromebook Duet’s screen measures 10.1 inches diagonally, and the edges, the thinnest of which is 9.13 mm, are large enough to allow you to use the tablet without accidental input. It is an IPS LCD screen with Full HD resolution. Above the display is the 2 MP front-facing camera, an LED indicator that shows when an app is using it, and the ambient light sensor is also here.

What to look for when buying a Chromebook?

There are a few important things to think about when buying a Chromebook to make sure it fits your needs. Look for the following:

????Attraction: The operating system and what it can do ???? Chromebooks use Google’s Chrome OS, which is designed for online use and relies heavily on web-based apps. Make sure this fits with what you want to do with it.

????Attraction: How it works ???? Check both the CPU and the RAM. An Intel Celeron processor and 4GB of RAM should be enough for simple tasks like browsing the web, editing documents, and streaming. Consider higher-end models with Intel Core processors and 8GB or more of RAM for tasks that require more power.

????Attraction: Put away ???? Chromebooks usually have between 16GB and 128GB of storage space on the inside. Think about how much space you need and if cloud storage like Google Drive will be enough.

????Attraction: Size and Quality of the Display ???? Chromebooks have screens with different sizes, usually between 11 and 15 inches. Choose a size that fits your needs and how you plan to use it. For better clarity, look for a screen with at least a Full HD (1920×1080) resolution.

????Attraction: How long a battery lasts ???? Chromebooks are known for having batteries that last a long time. Look for models with batteries that last at least 8 hours so you can use them all day.

????Attraction: Quality of the build and design ???? Think about the Chromebook’s materials, how long it will last, and how it looks overall. Some models are made to be more durable, which makes them good for students or people who need a more reliable device.

????Attraction: The keypad and keyboard ???? Check the quality of the keyboard and touchpad, especially if you plan to type a lot. A good user experience requires a keyboard that is easy to use and a touchpad that works well.

Factors to consider when choosing a Chromebook

When choosing a Chromebook, you should think about a number of things that fit your needs and preferences. Here are a few important things to think about:

???? Uses and Activities: Determine your primary use for the Chromebook. Most Chromebooks are suitable for simple web browsing, email, and document editing. If you plan to tackle tasks like video editing or gaming that demand more power, consider a higher-end model.

???? Performance: Chromebooks exhibit varying performance levels. Examine the CPU and available RAM. Opt for models with top-notch processors and ample RAM if you require seamless multitasking and intend to run resource-intensive programs.

???? Screen Size and Quality: Consider the ideal screen size for your needs. Larger screens enhance productivity but may sacrifice portability. Additionally, assess factors such as screen resolution, brightness, and color accuracy to ensure a superior viewing experience.

???? Design and Build Quality: Chromebooks come in diverse styles and quality tiers. For a laptop suitable for daily use and travel, seek durable materials and a robust build.

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