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The Best Chromebook

By Kimber Streams
Updated
Four Chromebooks sitting, opened and displaying orange screensavers, in a staggered positioning pattern.
Photo: Michael Hession

A good Chromebook can do almost anything that a regular laptop can do, and the best models can feel better to use than their similarly priced Windows counterparts.

After testing most of the Chromebooks released over the past nine years and testing 20 models so far in 2023, we recommend the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus. It’s an excellent laptop, with the best combination of features and price of all the Chromebooks we’ve tested, including fast performance, a spacious touchscreen, and long-enough battery life for a full day of work or classes.

Everything we recommend

Our pick

Reliable performance, a spacious touch display, and long-enough battery life for a full workday make this model the best Chromebook for the price. But it is a bit heavy.

Buying Options

Budget pick

This Asus model is a less expensive option that doesn’t sacrifice performance, but its non-touch display isn’t as tall, vibrant, or convenient as that of our top pick.

Also great

This inexpensive model offers fast performance, a roomy 16-inch screen with a high refresh rate, and an RGB keyboard with a built-in number pad. But it’s huge and heavy.

Buying Options

Upgrade pick

This Acer model is lighter and has longer battery life and more storage than our top pick, plus a crisper 1440p webcam. But it’s more expensive.

Buying Options

Why a Chromebook?


  • Ideal for students

    Many kids already use Chromebooks at school, and these inexpensive, secure, and accessible laptops are great for pulling out of a bag and getting right to work.

  • Web browsing

    Chromebooks can do almost anything that regular laptops can do, using browser-based software and services instead of Windows or macOS apps.

  • Affordable

    A great $500 Chromebook can feel faster to use—and can be lighter and more compact—than a similarly priced Windows laptop.

  • Makes a great backup

    If you already have a desktop or laptop, a Chromebook is an excellent and affordable secondary device.

Our pick

Reliable performance, a spacious touch display, and long-enough battery life for a full workday make this model the best Chromebook for the price. But it is a bit heavy.

Buying Options

Recommended configuration

Processor:Intel Core i3-1315UScreen:14-inch 1920×1200 touch
Memory:8 GBWeight:3.6 pounds
Storage:128 GB eMMCTested battery life:8.5 hours

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus has a reliable keyboard and trackpad, a tall touchscreen, and surprisingly good speakers. All of those features combined with the IdeaPad Flex 5i’s reasonable price make it the best Chromebook for most people’s needs. But we wish that it were lighter—at 3.6 pounds, it’s heavy for a 14-inch laptop—and we wish that it had a couple more hours of battery life. It’ll last a full day of work or classes on a charge, but not much longer.

Budget pick

This Asus model is a less expensive option that doesn’t sacrifice performance, but its non-touch display isn’t as tall, vibrant, or convenient as that of our top pick.

Recommended configuration

Processor:Intel Core i3-1215UScreen:14-inch 1920×1080 non-touch
Memory:8 GBWeight:3.26 pounds
Storage:128 GB or 256 GB UFSTested battery life:8.5 hours

The best cheap Chromebook—and the next-best option if our top pick is unavailable—is the Asus Chromebook Plus CX34. It’s just as fast as our top pick and can handle everyday workloads with ease, unlike many cheap Chromebooks, which feel slow with just a handful of tabs open. The CX34 also has a comfortable, backlit keyboard, battery life similar to that of our top pick, and a light, compact body. This model’s display is fine, but it lacks touch input, it’s not as tall, and its colors aren’t as vibrant as what you can get on our top pick.

Also great

This inexpensive model offers fast performance, a roomy 16-inch screen with a high refresh rate, and an RGB keyboard with a built-in number pad. But it’s huge and heavy.

Buying Options

Recommended configuration

Processor:Intel Core i3-1215U or Core i5-1235UScreen:16-inch 2560×1600 non-touch, 120 Hz
Memory:8 GBWeight:4.01 pounds
Storage:128 GB eMMC or 256 GB SSDTested battery life:9.5 hours*
*We tested the Core i5 model; we expect the Core i3 version to have slightly better battery life.

The best option if you want a big screen is the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook 16″. Photos and videos look great on its gigantic 16-inch display with a high refresh rate, and the RGB keyboard is a fun extra feature. But this 4-pound laptop is inconvenient to take to work, class, or even a coffee shop—it’s best used around the house. If you need a more portable Chromebook to commute or travel with, consider our other picks instead.

It’s available in two versions. Most people should get the Core i3 model with 128 GB of eMMC storage, which is fast enough and is often cheaper. But if the Core i3 model is out of stock—or if you luck out on a great sale—the Core i5 model is also a great option.

Upgrade pick

This Acer model is lighter and has longer battery life and more storage than our top pick, plus a crisper 1440p webcam. But it’s more expensive.

Buying Options

Recommended configuration

Processor:Intel Core i5-1335UScreen:14-inch 1920×1200 touch
Memory:8 GBWeight:3.02 pounds
Storage:256 GB SSDTested battery life:13 hours

If you want a more portable Chromebook that weighs less and offers longer battery life, as well as more storage and a crisper-looking 1440p webcam, get the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (CP714-2W-56B2). It’s an excellent Chromebook with a reliable keyboard and trackpad and a vivid 14-inch display, but it costs several hundred dollars more than our top pick.

A Chromebook is a laptop that runs ChromeOS, an operating system that uses the Chrome web browser as its primary interface. Chromebooks are ideal for students and kids, but they’re also worth considering if you spend most of your computer time in a web browser, if you’re on a tight budget, or if you already have a decent desktop PC. A good Chromebook can do almost anything a regular laptop can do—as long as that task is possible in a web browser or in Android apps. And $500 Chromebooks tend to be faster, lighter, and sleeker than $500 Windows laptops. Chromebooks are also secure and easy to maintain.

But Chromebooks can’t run Mac or Windows programs, including Windows-specific games. They work best with a full-time internet connection, though you can find offline options for Gmail, Google Drive, and other apps, and Chromebook Plus models can automatically sync Google Drive files for offline use. If you use web-based email, if you can get by with Microsoft 365, Google’s office web apps, and Android app alternatives, and if you stream your music and movies, a Chromebook should do just about everything you need it to.

Most newly released Chromebooks have 128 GB of onboard storage; Google also provides 100 GB of free online Google One storage for one year. (Once your year is up, you have to pay to keep that cloud storage. Right now, 100 GB of storage costs $2 per month or $20 per year.) Most Chromebooks also include USB ports and a microSD card slot that you can use to expand the storage.

Senior staff writer Kimber Streams has tested most of the Chromebooks released since 2014, when they began covering Chromebooks for Wirecutter. They’ve tested and reviewed hundreds of laptops, including Chromebooks, cheap Windows laptops, powerful gaming laptops, and ultrabooks.

A Chromebook doesn’t need to be exceptionally powerful or look fancy. But if slow performance, poor battery life, a horrendous screen, or a bad keyboard or trackpad gets in your way, the Chromebook has failed at its only job. Here’s what we look for:

Performance: We’ve found that fast and reliable performance for a Chromebook requires 8 GB of memory combined with an 11th-generation or newer Intel processor or a 5000- or 7000-series AMD Ryzen processor. When we used Chromebooks with lower-end processors or less memory, we encountered long, frequent delays loading tabs, typing in documents and spreadsheets, and speaking on Zoom calls. One way to guarantee that you’re getting fast-enough performance is to look for Google’s new Chromebook Plus label introduced in October 2023, though some models released before then lack the label but meet the spec requirements.

Avoid Chromebooks that run on Intel’s N-series Celeron or Pentium processors, on ARM-based processors from companies such as MediaTek or Qualcomm, or on AMD’s Athlon A4 and A6 processors; in our testing over the years, we’ve come away frustrated by their laggy, inconsistent performance. Also avoid any Chromebooks with less than 4 GB of memory, regardless of their processor.

Price: As of 2023, Chromebooks that meet our performance requirements typically cost $400 to $550. Options with better performance and more features tend to cost at least $700.

Keyboard and trackpad: Both input devices should be good enough not to get in the way of your work. A backlit keyboard is a nice luxury.

Battery life: A Chromebook should last at least a full eight-hour day of classes or work so you don’t have to hunt for an outlet or be stuck with a dead laptop.

Size and weight: The lighter and more compact a laptop is, the easier it is to carry on a plane, to a coffee shop, or to class. And for Chromebooks with 360-degree convertible hinges, being lighter makes them easier to hold in tablet mode—less than 3 pounds is ideal.

Screen: We recommend a 1920×1080 resolution or thereabouts for a 13- to 15-inch screen—higher resolutions often aren’t worth the trade-off in battery life, and lower resolutions look bad. A touchscreen and a 360-degree hinge are nice perks since Chromebooks also run Android apps, and an included stylus is a bonus.

Ports: We appreciate a Chromebook that includes both USB-C ports and traditional USB-A ports, which allows you to connect older peripherals.

Support: Google now guarantees 10 years of software updates—including new features and security fixes—for every new Chromebook. We don’t recommend any Chromebooks with a support date that expires before 2028.

We lived with each Chromebook for at least a full day of work to get a feel for the keyboard, trackpad, screen, and speakers, as well as for each laptop’s real-world performance. We checked Gmail and Google Calendar, ran Slack, streamed music, worked in large Google Drive spreadsheets and text documents, chatted on Zoom, and streamed videos from Netflix, Twitch, and YouTube. We paid attention to any performance issues that surfaced.

To quantify how fast a Chromebook felt to use, we gathered results from the Speedometer 2.0 and JetStream 2 benchmarking tools to measure performance, combining those results with what we saw in our real-world testing.

To test the battery life of each Chromebook, we set each screen’s backlight to approximately 150 nits and ran a customized version of the Chromium web-browsing battery test. It emulates typical browsing behavior by cycling through web pages, email, streaming audio, Google Docs files, and video.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus sitting, opened and displaying an orange screensaver.
Photo: Michael Hession

Our pick

Reliable performance, a spacious touch display, and long-enough battery life for a full workday make this model the best Chromebook for the price. But it is a bit heavy.

Buying Options

Recommended configuration

Processor:Intel Core i3-1315UScreen:14-inch 1920×1200 touch
Memory:8 GBWeight:3.6 pounds
Storage:128 GB eMMCTested battery life:8.5 hours

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus is an excellent Chromebook, with the best combination of features and price of all the models we’ve tested. It offers fast performance, a reliable keyboard and trackpad, a tall and spacious touchscreen, and enough battery life to last a full day of work or classes. Though we wish it were lighter—at 3.6 pounds it’s weighty for a 14-inch laptop—it’s the best Chromebook for most people’s needs.

It’s fast enough for everyday tasks. The IdeaPad Flex 5i meets all of Wirecutter’s (and Google’s) spec requirements for smooth performance. It was plenty fast enough to handle all my tabs, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Slack, YouTube Music, a YouTube video, a large spreadsheet of Chromebook test results, a long Google Doc, and five to 10 other miscellaneous retailer and laptop-maker websites. I even threw a Zoom call on top, and everything kept working just fine. This model also supports Google’s new Chromebook Plus features for improving video calls, syncing files for offline access, and more.

The IdeaPad Flex 5i’s keys feel shallow, but its keyboard and touchpad are reliable. Its upward-facing speakers are surprisingly good. Photo: Michael Hession

The battery will last a full day of work or classes, but not much longer. In our testing, the IdeaPad Flex 5i lasted 8 hours 44 minutes on a charge; that’s long enough for a day of work, but not much more. We prefer to see a couple more hours, especially since battery life degrades over time. If you need longer battery life, consider our upgrade pick instead.

The IdeaPad Flex 5i folded in tent mode.
The IdeaPad Flex 5i has a 360-degree hinge, so you can flip the screen around to use the Chromebook as a tablet or in any mode in between. (Tent mode pictured here.) Photo: Michael Hession

It has a tall, spacious display and surprisingly good speakers. The IdeaPad Flex 5i’s 14-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen has a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is especially convenient for scrolling web pages and working in long documents. It isn’t bright enough to see outdoors on a sunny day—and the glossy touchscreen is reflective—but it isn’t so dim and desaturated as to be distracting. In addition, we found the upward-facing speakers to be unexpectedly competent; the Flex 5i is a better option for watching movies and music videos than our budget pick.

You can use it as a tablet, but it’s heavy. Our top pick has a 360-degree hinge, so you can flip the screen around and use it in tablet or tent mode. But the IdeaPad Flex 5i’s weight makes it difficult to hold in tablet mode. I was able to open the lid with a single hand, but the tight hinge made the action more difficult than it should have been.

On the left side, the IdeaPad Flex 5i has a USB-C port, a USB-A port, an audio jack, and a microSD slot. Photo: Michael Hession

The IdeaPad Flex 5i has a mix of new and old USB ports, so it should accommodate the accessories and cables you already have. It has guaranteed update support through June 2032.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It’s heavy for its portable size. At 12.4 by 9.0 by 0.8 inches, our top pick is compact enough to fit into most bags to use on the go. But at 3.6 pounds, the IdeaPad Flex 5i is one of the heavier Chromebooks we’ve tested with this screen size. If you need a lighter Chromebook, take a look at our budget pick or our upgrade pick.

Its 1080p webcam is fine but could be better. The webcam produces a dim image even with Google’s new Improve Lighting feature enabled. (It does have a convenient privacy shutter to block it when you’re not using it.) Our budget pick and upgrade pick have better webcams, if you need one for frequent video calls.

The Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 sitting, opened and displaying an orange screensaver.
Photo: Michael Hession

Budget pick

This Asus model is a less expensive option that doesn’t sacrifice performance, but its non-touch display isn’t as tall, vibrant, or convenient as that of our top pick.

Recommended configuration

Processor:Intel Core i3-1215UScreen:14-inch 1920×1080 non-touch
Memory:8 GBWeight:3.26 pounds
Storage:128 GB or 256 GB UFSTested battery life:8.5 hours

The best inexpensive Chromebook, and the next-best option if our top pick is unavailable, is the Asus Chromebook Plus CX34. Unlike many cheap Chromebooks, which can struggle with basic tasks, the CX34 feels as fast as our top pick, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i. And it has a comfortable, backlit keyboard, a responsive trackpad, and a decent 14-inch 1080p display. But compared with the IdeaPad Flex 5i’s screen, the CX34’s display lacks touch input, it’s not as tall, and its colors aren’t as vibrant.

Our budget pick is just as fast as our top pick. Many cheap Chromebooks rely on slow processors or have limited memory; typically those models can’t handle a video call and an open document at the same time, or they bog down with just a handful of tabs open. But the CX34 doesn’t make any sacrifices in the performance department—our budget pick can handle everyday workloads with ease.

The CX34 has a comfortable, backlit keyboard and a responsive trackpad. Photo: Michael Hession

It’s light and compact. Our budget pick is easier to lug around because it’s about a third of a pound lighter and a bit more compact than our top pick. The CX34 lasted 8 hours 41 minutes in our battery-life test, about the same as the IdeaPad Flex 5i. Both models have enough battery life to make it through a full day of work or classes, but not much more.

The CX34 (left) resting next to the IdeaPad Flex 5i (right).
The CX34’s display (left) isn’t as large or nice to look at as the IdeaPad Flex 5i’s (right), and it lacks touch input. Photo: Michael Hession

Its smaller, non-touch display is a step down. The CX34’s 14-inch 1920×1080 screen is fine, but its 16:9 aspect ratio isn’t as nice as the IdeaPad Flex 5i’s taller display for working in documents or browsing the web. This model’s screen also lacks touch input, and colors look more drab and desaturated in comparison with those on our top pick’s display.

You can’t use it as a tablet. Unlike the IdeaPad Flex 5i, which has a 360-degree hinge, the CX34 can work only as a basic clamshell laptop. It’s easy to open with one hand, though.

On the right side, the CX34 has a headphone jack, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and a USB-C port. Photo Michael Hession

The CX34 has a 1080p webcam with a built-in privacy shutter. Like the IdeaPad Flex 5i, the CX34 has a variety of useful ports, and it has guaranteed update support through June 2023.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook 16" sitting, opened and displaying an orange screensaver.
Photo: Michael Hession

Also great

This inexpensive model offers fast performance, a roomy 16-inch screen with a high refresh rate, and an RGB keyboard with a built-in number pad. But it’s huge and heavy.

Buying Options

Recommended configuration

Processor:Intel Core i3-1215U or Core i5-1235UScreen:16-inch 2560×1600 non-touch, 120 Hz
Memory:8 GBWeight:4.01 pounds
Storage:128 GB eMMC or 256 GB SSDTested battery life:9.5 hours*
*We tested the Core i5 model; we expect the Core i3 model to have slightly better battery life.

If you want a big screen, the best option is the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook 16″. Its 16-inch display provides more room to get work done or to enjoy streaming shows or movies, and its number pad can be useful if you do a lot of data entry. That big screen makes the whole laptop heavier and bulkier, though. If you need a more portable Chromebook to take to classes, to commute or travel with, or to occasionally cart to a café, you may want to consider our other picks instead.

Most people should get the Core i3 model with 128 GB of eMMC storage; it’s fast enough, and it’s often cheaper. But if the Core i3 model is out of stock—or you spot a significant sale—the Core i5 model is also a great option.

Its gigantic screen is ideal for working or for watching videos. The 16-inch, 2560×1600 high-refresh display gives you more room to work on documents and spreadsheets or to watch shows and movies. Its colors are vibrant, the matte display doesn’t throw distracting reflections, and the 120 Hz high refresh rate makes scrolling and other actions look extra smooth.

A top-down view of the keyboard and track pad on the sixteen-inch Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook.
The IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook 16″ has an RGB backlit keyboard and a number pad. Photo: Michael Hession

The customizable RGB keyboard is responsive and fun. But the backlit keys feel mushy, and the keyboard deck flexes a lot, even under light typing. This model is the only one of our current picks with a number pad, so if that feature is a must-have for you, this is the Chromebook to get. The IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook’s extra-wide trackpad is accurate, and it works well for all taps, clicks, and gestures.

It offers long battery life, but it’s large and heavy. The IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook will last a full day of work or school away from an outlet—the Core i5 model ran for 9 hours 15 minutes in our battery test, and we expect the Core i3 model to last a bit longer. But at 4 pounds, it’s the heaviest of our picks. And compared with our top pick, the IdeaPad Flex 5i, it’s much bigger overall, measuring nearly 2 inches wider and an inch deeper. This Chromebook is more convenient to use at home, rather than on the go.

Unlike our top pick, this model can’t work as a tablet. The IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook lacks a 360-degree hinge, but it’s too bulky and heavy to use in a tent mode or tablet mode, anyway. I consistently needed both hands to open it. If you want a large-screen laptop that you can open using a single hand, I suggest the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (CB515-2H) or HP Chromebook 15a-nb0023dx.

This model has a USB-C port, a USB-A port, an audio jack, and a microSD slot on the left side. Photo: Michael Hession

Despite being a “gaming Chromebook,” it doesn’t have an Ethernet port. It comes with three months of Nvidia GeForce Now, but the lack of Ethernet made streaming games unreliable in our testing. It does have a variety of USB-C and USB-A ports for most other needs, though. The webcam is about as good as those of our other picks, and it has guaranteed update support through June 2032.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 sitting, opened and displaying an orange screensaver.
Photo: Michael Hession

Upgrade pick

This Acer model is lighter and has longer battery life and more storage than our top pick, plus a crisper 1440p webcam. But it’s more expensive.

Buying Options

Recommended configuration

Processor:Intel Core i5-1335UScreen:14-inch 1920×1200 touch
Memory:8 GBWeight:3.02 pounds
Storage:256 GB SSDTested battery life:13 hours

If you want a lighter Chromebook with longer battery life, more storage, and a more flattering 1440p webcam, we recommend the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (CP714-2W-56B2). The Spin 714 also has a reliable keyboard and trackpad, as well as a vivid 14-inch display, but it typically costs a couple hundred dollars more than our top pick.

The Spin 714’s keyboard feels comfortable to type on. Even though the trackpad is small, we didn’t have any issues with it. Photo: Michael Hession

The backlit keyboard feels comfortable and satisfying. I enjoyed typing on it more than on our top pick’s shallower keyboard. The trackpad is on the small side, but it was responsive and accurate, and we didn’t encounter any issues with its size.

The Spin 714 is light and portable, with long battery life. In our battery-life tests, this model lasted 13 hours—the longest of any Chromebook we tested this year. That’s plenty long enough for the machine to get through a full day of work or school without needing to be plugged in. At 3 pounds, it’s more than half a pound lighter than our top pick, too.

It has an excellent display. The 14-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen gets a bit brighter than that of the IdeaPad Flex 5i. And like our top pick, the Spin 714 has a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is particularly nice for browsing the web.

You can use it as a tablet or a laptop. The Spin 714’s lid is easy to open with a single hand, and similar to our top pick, it has a 360-degree hinge for tent and tablet modes. Even though the Spin 714 is significantly lighter than the IdeaPad Flex 5i, swapping between modes remains difficult because of this model’s weight and pointy hinge corners, and it’s uncomfortable to hold as a tablet.

Its 1440p webcam is a significant step up over those of our other picks. In our tests, this model’s webcam produced a brighter, more flattering image on Zoom calls. The webcam also has a physical privacy shutter to block it when you’re not using it.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 has guaranteed update support through June 2032.

If our top picks are out of stock: The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook Plus is the next best option thanks to its solid performance and long battery life. It costs a bit more than our top picks, its keys feel stiff, and our top pick’s taller-aspect-ratio display is more convenient, but the IdeaPad Slim 3i is a perfectly serviceable Chromebook.

If the other options are unavailable: Get the Acer Chromebook Vero 514 (CBV514-1H-38VS). The Vero 514 is larger and heavier, and it has a dimmer, duller-looking screen that lacks touch input. But it’s fast enough for everyday tasks, and it offers long battery life.

If our big-screen pick is unavailable: We recommend the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (CB515-2H) or the HP Chromebook Plus (15a-nb0033dx) instead. Both models are fast-enough, reliable Chromebooks with long battery life; get the HP model if you want a number pad, otherwise get whichever one is cheaper. Compared with the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook 16″, both of these models have smaller, lower-resolution, dimmer displays with a standard 60 Hz refresh rate, and as a result, scrolling and other animations don’t look as smooth.

If you want a repairable Chromebook: The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition allows you to easily replace and upgrade its individual parts, just like its Windows counterpart—which received a repairability score of 10 out of 10 from iFixit and which we recommend. Framework includes a screwdriver in the package, and QR codes conveniently placed by each internal part direct you to step-by-step replacement guides. You can add more storage and memory, replace the battery, extend the ChromeOS support date by upgrading the mainboard with a new processor, or repair anything else if it breaks.

But if Framework goes under or stops supporting this model, then it ends up just like any other Chromebook—when it breaks or its support runs out in June 2032, you’ll have to replace the whole thing. At $1,000, it’s also very pricey for a Chromebook, and its battery life is decent but not superb.

If our upgrade pick is unavailable, or if you spot a sale: The HP Chromebook Plus x360 (14c-cd0053dx) is another excellent premium Chromebook. It has a satisfying keyboard and a spacious trackpad, but compared with the Acer Chromebook Spin 714, its battery life is shorter, it’s a bit heavier, its display doesn’t get as bright, and it’s harder to open with a single hand.

If you want a Chromebook for streaming games: The Acer Chromebook 516 GE (CBG516-1H-53TY) is the best of the so-called gaming Chromebooks because it’s the only model with an Ethernet port to provide a reliable internet connection for streaming games. It also has a vivid 16-inch, 2560×1600 display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a responsive, comfortable RGB keyboard. Every gaming Chromebook we’ve tested on Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now (Priority and Ultimate tiers) has encountered frustrating hiccups over Wi-Fi on a 500 Mbps internet plan, so we don’t recommend getting a Chromebook to stream games over Wi-Fi.

At CES 2024, Asus announced the CM30 Detachable, a ChromeOS tablet with an included keyboard case, and the ExpertBook CX54 Chromebook Plus (CX5403). So far the ExpertBook is only available to businesses, but we expect it to roll out for everyone else in the coming months. We plan to test both models when they’re available.

The thin-and-light Acer Chromebook Spin 513 (CP513-2H-K62Y) has a tall, vivid touchscreen and long battery life. But this model won’t be getting Chromebook Plus features, its price has gone up, and stock has been unreliable.

The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 (CB514-3HT-R8C2) offers fast performance but has a notably dim display with desaturated colors.

Though the Acer Chromebook Spin 514 (CP514-3H-R2D2) is fast and has long battery life, it’s bulky, and it suffers from a dim display and a finicky trackpad.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 (CP514-1H) is large and heavy, and its update support ends a year sooner than our top pick’s. The Acer Chromebook 514 (CB514-2H) is too slow for everyday tasks, and our review unit stopped turning on.

During our tests, the N6000 processor in the Acer Chromebook 314 (CB314-3HT-P6QW) and the Acer Chromebook Spin 314 (CP314-1HN-P138) struggled to support a Zoom call and document editing at the same time.

The ARM-based processor in the Acer Chromebook Spin 513 (CP513-1H-S338) faltered in simultaneously running a Zoom call and allowing work on a spreadsheet.

The Asus Chromebook Flip C433 and Asus Chromebook Flip C434 won’t get Chromebook Plus features and will stop receiving security updates years before our top picks.

At a whopping 4.08 pounds, the Asus Chromebook Plus CM34 Flip is too heavy; this 14-inch model weighs even more than our pick with a 16-inch display. The CM34 Flip is an otherwise good Chromebook with long, 13-hour battery life, fast-enough specs, and Chromebook Plus features.

The Asus Chromebook Flip CX3 is heavy at 3.64 pounds and won’t be getting Chromebook Plus features.

Upgrade options

The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 has an older processor, lacks USB-A ports, and failed to last as long as the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 in our battery-life tests.

Though the Lenovo ThinkPad C14 Gen 1 Chromebook has a top-notch keyboard and trackpad, the Spin 714 is smaller, lighter, and cheaper, with longer battery life and a taller-aspect-ratio display.

The HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook has a thin and light body, a vibrant 13.5-inch 1080p touchscreen, a comfortable backlit keyboard, and a huge responsive trackpad, and in our tests it offered excellent performance and plenty of battery life. But it retails for more than $1,000.

The above model’s successor, the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook, also costs $1,000, plus it has mediocre battery life, lacks a headphone jack, and weighs more than our upgrade pick.

The Asus Chromebook Flip CX5 (CX5400FMA-DN388T-S) and the Lenovo ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook (13″) are more expensive than the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 and will stop receiving updates a year earlier.

Google’s Pixelbook Go will stop receiving updates three years earlier than our upgrade pick.

15- and 16-inch options

The Asus Chromebook Flip CM5 (CM5500FDA-DN344T) has worse performance, a smaller screen, and a higher price than our pick, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook 16″.

The Asus Chromebook Flip CX5 (CX5601) is heavier, dimmer, and more expensive than our big-screen pick.

The Acer Chromebook 315 (CB315-4HT), the Lenovo 3i Chromebook (15″), and the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i Chromebook (15″) all had too-slow processors that struggled with video calls and other simultaneous tasks in our tests.

Gaming Chromebooks

Google worked with manufacturers to design “gaming Chromebooks” that come with cloud-gaming subscriptions, high-refresh displays, and RGB keyboards. After testing these models, we don’t recommend Chromebooks as gaming devices—they’re limited to Android games (which you can play on any decent Chromebook) and game-streaming services, which are dependent on fickle internet connections. The Acer Chromebook 516 GE (CBG516-1H-53TY) is the only one with an Ethernet port, which makes it more reliable for game streaming, while the Asus Chromebook Vibe CX55 Flip and Asus Chromebook Vibe CX34 Flip cost more and lack Ethernet ports. We like the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook 16″ more for its large screen and low price than its gaming capabilities.

Budget options

The Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook (13″) won’t get Chromebook Plus features, and its battery won’t last over a full day of work or classes.

Equipped with only an N100 processor and 4 GB of memory, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i Chromebook (82XH0001US) had difficulty handling simultaneous tasks and video calls.

The MediaTek Kompanio 520 processor in the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook (14″) and the Asus Chromebook CM14 and Asus Chromebook CM14 Flip was abysmally slow in our tests.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 512 (R853TA) is decent for young kids thanks to its durable body and spill-resistant keyboard. But it’s slow—it can handle schoolwork or a video chat, but it can’t do both at the same time gracefully. It also suffers from a terrible, low-resolution display.

The base Dell Latitude 3445 Chromebook is comparatively expensive for a machine with a low-resolution display, 4 GB of memory, and only 32 GB of local storage.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet 3 (11″) is a detachable ChromeOS tablet that comes with a keyboard, but its processor is too slow.

Budget models—including the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go and the Acer Chromebook 317 (CB317-1H-C994)—that rely on the Intel Celeron N4500 processor are too slow for even light use. We also found the MediaTek processor in the Asus Chromebook Flip CM3 (CM3200FVA-DS42T) to be exceedingly slow.

Do not buy

A laptop should last at least five years, so we don’t recommend Chromebooks with a support date that expires before 2028—such as the Asus Chromebook Flip C302 (C302CA-DH54), which is still available at this writing even though it stopped receiving updates in June 2023. Even if you find one cheap, it’s a bad deal.

This article was edited by Caitlin McGarry and Signe Brewster.

Meet your guide

Kimber Streams

Kimber Streams is a senior staff writer and has been covering laptops, gaming gear, keyboards, storage, and more for Wirecutter since 2014. In that time they’ve tested hundreds of laptops and thousands of peripherals, and built way too many mechanical keyboards for their personal collection.

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