The Best Chromebooks for Every Budget

[Karlston]

The Best Chromebooks for Every Budget

If you're all in on Google services, these are our favorite ChromeOS laptops and 2-in-1 tablets for school, work, or home.

 

 

If you spend all day in a web browser, use Google apps, and don't need all the rest of the stuff that comes with Apple's MacOS or Microsoft Windows, Google's ChromeOS offers a sleek, all-you-need, nothing-you-don't computing experience. Throw in the ability to run both Android and Linux apps and you just might be able to replace your old laptop with a Chromebook.

 

Chromebooks have a reputation as cheap, low-end devices. And, while they can be that—offering an exceptional bargain in many cases—that's not the end of the story. Just because you strip away the software fluff doesn't mean you have to strip away the hardware power as well. There are high-end Chromebooks that are very powerful, capable machines. In many ways, they're the best of all worlds, with good hardware, lightweight software, and everything you need for web-based work.

 

Members of WIRED's Gear team have tested Chromebooks for almost a decade now. For this guide, I pulled in and tested more than a dozen of the laptops over the past six or so months. If you're looking for a Chromebook, these are our picks.

 

Be sure to also read through our guides to the best cheap laptops, best laptops, and best Mac laptops.

 

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  Photograph: Asus

  Best All-Around

  Asus Chromebook Flip C434

   

  Out of all the Chromebooks I've tested, the Asus Chromebook Flip C434 strikes the best balance between price, power, and features. Its 2-in-1 design easily moves between laptop mode for work, stand mode (great for watching YouTube), and tablet mode for browsing the web on the couch. The 14-inch, 1080p display is plenty bright and sharp, giving you somewhat of a rarity in Chromebooks—a nice screen and impressive all-day battery life (nearly 11 hours in my testing).

   

  The m3 chip in the base model isn't the most powerful, but I didn't notice any stuttering or slow-downs until I deliberately started pushing it with 25 or more tabs open. That said, upgrading to the i3 chip ($800) will buy you some power, as well as double the RAM and hard drive space, both of which are nice to have.

   

  Specs: 14-inch HD screen, Intel Core m3 processor, 4+ GB RAM, 64 GB storage

   

  $569 at Amazon

  $569 at B&H Photo

   

   

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  Photograph: Samsung 

  Best Luxury Chromebook

  Samsung Galaxy Chromebook

   

  Samsung's Galaxy Chromebook (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is one of the nicest laptops on the market. The solid, lightweight aluminum body has a build quality that surpasses most of the Windows laptops I've tested. It has the nicest display of any Chromebook you can buy, and the fanless chip design is totally silent and won't burn your lap.

   

  The Galaxy also offers a well-designed, elegant user experience with attention to detail that you won't find in other Chromebooks. My favorite example of this is when you pull out the included stylus: Google Keep automatically opens, ready for you to take notes. The only real drawback to this machine is the price: If you want the best, you'll have to pay for it.

   

  Specs: 13-inch AMOLED 4K (Ultra HD) screen, Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB storage

   

  $999 at Amazon

  $999 at Samsung

   

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  Photograph: Lenovo

  Best Chromebook Tablet

  Lenovo Duet Chromebook

   

  The Lenovo Duet is my favorite Chromebook. It's lightweight, affordable, and fun. It may not be the best choice as your only device though—the keyboard is nice, but it is small. Overall, the Duet is slightly smaller than the entry-level iPad, with a 10-inch screen and a detachable keyboard and back cover.

   

  It's comfortable to hold and a good size for reading in bed, but Chrome OS is still rough around the edges on a tablet. For instance, there's no easy way to turn off automatic screen rotation. The other main issue is the lack of a headphone jack. You can get a USB-C–to–headphone adapter (not included), but then you can't use headphones and charge it at the same time. Still—as a second device, or one for school-age children—the Duet is a lot of fun for not a lot of money.

   

  Specs: 10-inch HD IPS screen, MediaTek Helio P60T processor, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage

   

  $279 at Lenovo

  $299 at Best Buy

 

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  Photograph: Google

  Best Google-Made Chromebook

  Google Pixelbook Go

   

  It’s natural to want hardware made by the company that created and manages ChromeOS. If so, get the Pixelbook Go. It’s lightweight at 2 pounds, has a wonderful matte texture, and is incredibly thin. The Go is a standard clamshell laptop, but you get a 13-inch touchscreen for some added versatility. There are two USB-C ports and a headphone jack, a roomy trackpad, and a wonderfully tactile keyboard, plus the battery easily lasts me a full workday.

   

  If you’re not planning to use this laptop a ton, the model powered by the Intel Core m3 chip might be sufficient, but I recommend snagging the Core i5 with 8 gigabytes of RAM. It’s on the pricier end, but this is a Chromebook that oozes style with plenty of power to keep more than 30 Chrome tabs running smoothly. —Julian Chokkattu

   

  Specs: 13-inch HD screen, Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB storage

   

  $849 at Amazon

  $849 at Google Store

   

   

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  Photograph: HP

  Best Budget 2-in-1

  HP Chromebook X360 12-inch

   

  If you want a 2-in-1 style Chromebook but don't want to spring for our top pick, this HP option offers most of the same features at half the price. You won't get as nice of a screen, and battery life is about 8 hours—enough for a day's work—but overall you still get a great Chromebook experience. Laptop, stand, and tablet modes all work together to give you more versatility than a traditional design.

   

  Make sure you pay careful attention to which X360 version you buy. We like this 12-inch model with the 3:2 screen ratio, which gives you some extra vertical real estate for working on documents and browsing the web.

   

  Specs: 12-inch HD screen (3:2 ratio), Intel Celeron processor, 4 GB RAM, 32 GB storage

   

  $359 at HP

  $360 at Adorama

   

   

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  Photograph: Acer

  Best for School

  Acer Chromebook 714

   

  With 8 gigabytes of RAM and an Intel Core i3 chip, Acer's Chromebook 714 offers plenty of power, and it's still portable. ChromeOS is snappy on it, and I managed to get 12 hours of battery life in our video drain test. There's a MicroSD slot for expanding storage, which is handy for caching documents locally when Wi-Fi is spotty. The aluminum design looks nice, and the keyboard is comfortable.

   

  The Chromebook 714 cuts corners on its display. It's a 1080p touchscreen, but it's not very bright and colors are sometimes washed out. It's fine for most school-related tasks, but you wouldn't want to edit photos on it.

   

  Specs: 12-inch HD IPS screen, Intel Core i3 processor, 8 GB RAM, 64 GB Storage

   

  $600 at Amazon

  $614 at B&H

   

   

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  Photograph: Dell

  Best Cheap Chromebook

  Dell Chromebook 11

   

  Dell seems to be phasing out this 11-inch bare-bones Chromebook, but it's a great buy if you're on a budget, and ChromeOS will continue to get updates until 2025. The build quality isn't the best (it's plastic), but the keyboard is surprisingly nice, and the 11-ish hours of battery life is good.

   

  The splashproof and impact-resistant build makes this Dell a good option for school-age kids who might be a little rough on devices. It can be slightly under-powered for some tasks, though. I had trouble with some Android apps, for example. Unfortunately, that's par for the course at a price this low.

   

  Specs: 11-inch HD IPS screen, Intel Celeron processor, 4 GB RAM, 32 GB storage

   

  $399 at Amazon

  $534 $379 at Dell

 

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  Photograph: Samsung

  How to Pick the Best Chromebook

  Chromebook Specs

   

  Chromebooks come in a bewildering array of options. Sometimes even trying to decide which options to get on a single model can be overwhelming. I have to use a spreadsheet to keep it all straight, but you shouldn't have to, so here's some broad specs to keep in mind when choosing a Chromebook.

   

  Processor: Chromebooks use half a dozen different processors, most of which you've probably never heard of. There's a reason for that: They're slow. After trying out plenty of Intel Celeron-based machines (usually labeled N4000), my recommendation is to go with something more powerful if you can afford it. The next step up from the Celeron is the Core m3, which is the best choice for most people. If you want a more powerful, futureproof machine, get an i3 or i5 chip.

   

  RAM: Get 8 gigabytes if you can afford it, especially if you plan to run any Android applications. When I've experienced severe slow-downs and glitches it's almost always been using Android apps on Chromebooks with only 4 gigabytes of RAM.

   

  Screen: Get an IPS LCD display. There are still a few low-end models out there with crappier TN LCD displays that you should avoid. Your pixel resolution depends on size. I have used (and recommend) some 11-inch Chromebooks that have 720p displays. Because those screens are squeezed into a small form factor, I find them acceptably sharp, but of course a 1080p screen will be much nicer.

   

  Ports: Most things you do on a Chromebook are cloud-based, so you don't really need to worry too much about ports. You might want something that charges through a USB-C port if you'd like to be able to run your Chromebook off a portable battery/charger, but unfortunately USB-C is really only available in higher-priced models. It also helps to have a MicroSD slot for expanded storage, but that's also not widely available.

 

The Best Chromebooks for Every Budget