Best Chromebooks
Update: We’ve added the new-and-improved Toshiba Chromebook 2 to our rankings. Read on to see where it ended up on the list.
Original article follows…
Chromebooks are budget laptops that are both odd and brilliant, low-impact and potent.
Running Google’s Chrome OS rather than, say, Windows 10, they focus on what computing has been all about since the late ’90s, the web browser.
Mostly with low-impact processors and barely HD screens starting at 1,366 x 768 resolution, most of these machines are also designed to last. Almost every Chromebook claims between 7 and 9 hours of battery life and comes within a few hours of that range, based on our testing. If you’re unclear what specs you should be on the lookout for when purchasing a Chromebook, we’ve developed a nifty cheat sheet for you.
Prices will start to climb above the budget range, as is the case with the MacBook-rivaling, $999 Chromebook Pixel 2 (£670, AU$1,320), especially in the classroom, where Chromebooks are gaining significant presence. Despite the expanding Chromebook scene, there should always be something within your budget.
At that point, it all comes down to size and price, with Chromebooks available as small as 11.6 inches and as large as 14 inches. (There are even Chromebook 2-in-1 laptops now.) Always updated, here are our top-ranking Chromebook reviews.
1. Google Chromebook Pixel 2015
The end all, be all of Chromebooks.
CPU: 2.2GHz Intel Core i5-5200U (dual-core, 3MB cache, up to 2.7GHz with turbo boost) | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5500 | RAM: 8GB DDR3 | Screen: 12.85-inch 2,560 x 1,700 IPS touchscreen display | Storage: 32GB SSD | Optical drive: none | Connectivity: Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260; Bluetooth 4.0 LE | Camera: 720p HD wide angle camera with blue glass | Weight: 3.3 pounds Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches (W x D x H)
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Inter Core i5 or i7 processorLong, long battery lifeVery expensive3:2 screen hurts multitasking
Outfitted with a Core i5 processor, USB 3.1 (and USB-C) ports, a high-resolution screen, and more RAM than it will ever need, the Chromebook pixel sets a high bar for Chrome OS machines for years to come.
Power and performance aside, the Pixel is one of the few Chromebooks that feels like it has itself completely figured out. The build quality of this machine is exquisite and the design has been engineered down to a science. What’s more, its vivid screen – plus the impeccable keyboard and trackpad – all help to round out the Pixel as one excellent, premium package.
It’s impossible not to get hung up on the Pixel’s high price. For the same amount of money, you could buy two or even three Chromebooks or a decent Windows laptop. So before you we suggest you consider all the much more affordable options out there before investing so much money into this machine.
2. Acer Chromebook 15 C910
The colossus of Chromebooks
CPU: 2.2GHz Intel Core i5-5200 dual-core processor | Graphics: Intel HD 5500 Graphics with shared memory | RAM: 4 GB, DDR3L SDRAM | Screen: 15.6-inch full HD (1,920 x 1,080) | Storage: 32GB SSD | Optical drive: none | Connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi | Camera: 720p HD webcam |Weight: 4.85 pounds Dimensions: 1.0 x 15.1 x 10.1 inches (H x W x D)
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Fast processing speedLong battery lifeVery heavyAwkward keyboard
If you’re considering the Acer Chromebook 15 C910 ($499.99, £249, AU$620) for your next laptop, then you’d better have big ideas. Compared to most other Chromebooks, the C910 has a bigger screen, bigger processing power and it comes with a bigger price tag.
It takes this series of laptops to two new places, as the first with a 15.6-inch screen and the first packing a fifth-generation Broadwell processor.
Specifically geared toward students and teachers – thanks to its rugged design and gorgeous visuals – the C910 is perfectly suitable for any consumer who doesn’t mind lugging around a few extra pounds and inches.
3. Dell Chromebook 11 (2015)
Dell’s updated Chromebook is a star in almost every regard
CPU: 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Celeron Bay Trail-M N2840 | Graphics: Intel HD for Intel Celeron processors | RAM: 4GB RAM (DDR3L, 1,600Mhz) | Screen: 11.6-inch HD, 1366 x 768 touchscreen |Storage: 16GB SSD | Optical drive: none | Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0; 802.11ac (B/G/N), dual-band Wi-Fi | Camera: 720p webcam | Weight: 2.91 pounds Dimensions: 12.6 x 8.4 x 0.76 inches
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Rugged design180-degree barrel hingeTouchscreen not standardSmall keyboard
Don’t let the understated aesthetics of the Dell Chromebook 11 (starting at $249, £170, AU$320) fool you. Dell packed in features that are typically reserved for more expensive business notebooks into its Chromebook 11 in an effort to create a durable product for the education market. In the Chromebook 11, you’ll find a 180-degree reinforced hinge, rugged design, sealed keyboard and trackpad, and a great typing experience inside a portable package. In addition to using the Chromebook for school, students will appreciate the loud stereo speakers for multimedia and entertainment. There’s a new version of this Chromebook available. We’ve given our first impressions, here.
Fully metal construction Excessive battery life Occasional crashes Large screen bezels
The Asus Chromebook Flip isn’t perfect, but it’s an excellent little piece of kit. And for $249 (about £160, AU$337), it’s so temptingly affordable that you might want to pick one up just to have a Chrome OS device on hand – even if you already own a MacBook or Windows laptop.
Aside from the alluring price tag, the Flip is one of the best built Chromebooks to pave the way forward for more convertibles. Touchscreen functionality feels a bit more thought out, with a screen that actually rotates for once.
All the while, the Flip meets all the core tenants of an excellent Chrome OS machine, including stellar battery life. If you’ve been ho hum on Chromebooks before, this is definitely one to … flip out about. (Sorry.)
5. Toshiba Chromebook 2
Full HD on a Chromebook just got better
CPU: 2.1GHz Intel Core i3-5015U | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5500 | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 13.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 | Storage: 16GB eMMC | Connectivity: Intel Dual-Band Wireless-AC 7260; Bluetooth 4.0 | Camera: HD webcam | Weight: 2.97 pounds | Dimensions: 12.6 x 8.4 x 0.76 inches (W x D x H)
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Gorgeous 1080p screen Intel Core i3 power Screen glare A bit pricey
For a steeper $429 (about £299, AU$612), the latest Toshiba Chromebook 2 is a gorgeous laptop that – clearly, judging by the price – has very few flaws. It comes with more RAM and a 1080p screen, lining it up with competing, (pseudo-) premium models in this class, like the Dell Chromebook 13 and Chromebook Pixel.
However, note: the Toshiba Chromebook 2 is now officially in budget Windows 10 laptop territory. Unless you’re buying this laptop specifically for the Google ecosystem, you might be overpaying. That said, the Intel Core i3 chip behind that 1080p screen is a huge bonus.
6. Lenovo N20p Chromebook
A versatile Chromebook experience for a reasonable price
CPU: 1.83 GHZ Intel Celeron Processor N2930 | Graphics: Integrated Intel HD Graphics | RAM: 2GB PC3-10600 DDR3L 1333 MHz | Screen: 11.6″ HD (1366 x 768) dsplay with 10-point multitouch | Storage: 16GB eMMC storage | Optical drive: none | Connectivity: Bluetooth® 4.0, 802.11 a/c WiFi | Camera: 720p webcam | Weight: 2.86 lbs Dimensions: 11.6″ x 8.34″ x 0.70″
Gorgeous designSuper fastPoor viewing anglesBad speakers
This is one of the “sexier” Chromebooks available, showcasing Lenovo’s eye for style. However, the best feature is the N20p’s 300-degree hinge, which lets you flip the N20p’s display backward all the way into stand mode (or ‘tent’ mode, whatever you prefer), which lends itself nicely to viewing movies or showing presentations.
The touchscreen controls also work in a pinch for recreational activities such as watching shows on HBOGo viewing or Pinteresting. Still there’s some difficulty when using it as a tablet, as Chrome isn’t entirely tailored to touch as a largely browser-based operating system.
It’s not very tuned for business use, but the Lenovo N20p offers great versatility for a leisure device. Plus with two USB ports (one 3.0), and HDMI port and an SD card reader, this Chromebook delivers a great bang for its buck.
7. Acer Chromebook 13
With incredible battery life, the Chromebook 13 is a winner
CPU: 2.1GHz Nvidia Tegra K1 CD570M-A1 (quad-core) | Graphics: Nvidia Keplar | RAM: 2GB DDR3 (1,333MHz) | Screen: 13.3-inch, 1.920 x 1.080 | Storage: 16GB SSD | Optical drive: None | Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 | Camera: 720p HD webcam | Weight: 3.31 pounds Dimensions: 12.9 x 9 x 0.71 inches (W x D x H)
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Battery lifeGreat speakersStrange port locationsLackluster visuals
Powered by Nvidia’s ARM Cortex A15-based Tegra K1, this Chromebook packs a lot of punch in a tiny frame. Users will love its 13.3-inch 1080p resolution screen, as well as its portability. At 3.31 pounds, the Acer Chromebook 13 is a relatively light laptop.
This Chromebook does have some minor issues: it doesn’t multitask very well and the laptop itself only comes in one color. But for the price ($279 about £165, AU$300), you’re likely to enjoy the simplicity and productivity, as you learn to overcome the design limitations.
8. HP Chromebook 11
A Chromebook that’s as cheap as it is excellent
CPU: 1.7GHz Samsung Exynos 5250 | Graphics: value | RAM: 2GB 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM |Screen: 11.6-inch diagonal HD LED-backlit IPS display (1366 x 768) | Storage: 16GB eMMC | Optical drive: none | Connectivity: 2×2 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth | Camera: 720p webcam |Weight: 2.3 pounds Dimensions: 0.69 in (H) x 11.69 in (W) x 7.56 in
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Wonderful buildExcellent screenMediocre battery lifePoor trackpad
The HP Chromebook 11 (starting at $279, £179, AU$399) is smooth and usable. While Chrome OS is limited by definition, between us growing more comfortable in web apps and those apps growing in power – and Chrome OS maturing – we’re bumping into those limitations far less often.
This laptop is punchy enough to make the experience slick, cheap enough for anyone on a budget (or an impulse buy for the well-off), but something that still feels solid. It is a delight to own and use.
Apple and the other premium manufacturers should look at this little gem of a computer and applaud what has been achieved. The Chromebook 11 shows that it’s possible to create a product with a little bit of the magic and joy you get from an Apple laptop without charging four figures for it.
9. Acer C720 Chromebook
A good budget option at a cheap price
CPU: 1.7 GHz Intel Core i3-4005U Dual-core | Graphics: Intel HD 4400 DDR3 SDRAM Shared | RAM:4 GB DDR3L SDRAM | Screen: 11.6″ 1,366 X 768 | Storage: 32GB | Optical drive: none |Connectivity: IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n Bluetooth 4.0 + HS | Camera: 720p webcam | Weight: 2.76 pounds Dimensions: 0.8 x 11.3. 8.0 inches (HxWxD)
Fast processorMushy keyboardTinny speakers
In terms of power and endurance, you can’t argue with the Acer C720 Chromebook (starting at $199, £199, AU$399). When you just want to get on the web quickly to answer emails or look something up, the C720 is ideal. For parents, it’s also a perfect “homework machine,” as long as you can get a printer hooked up.
This is a true web appliance, a fine system for families. The Google account log-in gives each user a personalized interface, and just a few keystrokes completely wipe the system. That limits the risk substantially in sharing the system with others.
One key criterion we use in evaluating a device is whether we’d actually want to use it every day. Even taking this laptop’s flaws into account, it’s something we definitely would want to use, for the price. If you’re an educator and buying in bulk, try the Acer C740.
10. Acer Chromebook R11
360-degree flips all day long
CPU: 1.6 GHz Intel Braswell Quad-Core Celeron N3150 Processor | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics | RAM: 4GB DDR3L | Screen: 11.6″ 16:9 HD (1366×768) | Storage: 32GB | Optical drive: none | Connectivity: Dual-band 802.11ac; Bluetooth 4.0 | Camera: HD Web Camera | Weight: 2.76 lbs | Dimensions: 11.57 x 8.03 x 0.76 inches (WxDxH)
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Convertible Good battery life HD-only display Terrible trackpad
Acer’s Chromebook R11 packs in all-day battery life, capable performance and a 360-degree hinge with touchscreen into a minimalist design.
Joe Osborne has also contributed to this article
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This article is already WAY out of date, the NEW Toshiba Chromebook 2 / 2015 @ $339 (with Celeron 3215U) runs 18,000 on google octane, has the #2 IPS display in a chromebook, outperforms an i3-4005U, plays 1080p at 30fps, and is BY FAR the best chromebook available for under $500. It belongs at spot #1.
More important than the screen res is the general color and quality of the display, and the screen on the 14" hp chromebook is absolute garbage, if you ever get the chance go look at it side by side the toshiba chromebook 2s screen. It's not the resolution that makes it look so much worse than the toshiba, it's the dimness of the display, the dull lifeless colors, the terrible viewing angles. The chromebook 11 hp designed with google has a lower res display but it looks FAR better.
Would this work? https://productforums.google.c…
Go to any Chinese amazon site (e.g.: gearbest.com, banggood.com, etc.) and you will see Android boxes for sale as desktops, as TV boxes, as arm laptops and convertibles. Game over. Android won. Google internally has 4 OS's which is too many (datacenter OS, goobuntu linux workstation, android, chromeos) and so they decided to collapse android and chromeos, after all, everyone is asking to run android apps on chromeos. I own 5 chromebooks (3x Acer c720, 1x Toshiba 2015 CB2, 1x Acer chromebox i3) and I wonder what happened to your HP's? Sorry, that does not sound like typical HP hardware, I thought their reputation was for rock solid reliable devices… Google doesn't make these devices, they just require the manufacturers to meet minimum quality standards for e.g. video (brightness, viewing angles) & sound & keyboard & ports.
The ASUS C300M negative of "bight colors"??? You know you can get it in black, right?
There are comments on this article from over 2 years ago but it says the best laptops of 2016!? And many of the links are broken and prices are WAY off.
A friend bought a Toshiba 2 with 4g RAM and HD screen early this year. I've used it briefly and it's a quality product that'll do most PC tasks well. Would make a superb second computer or travel notebook.
By your mixed up logic then the Pixel 2 is the best chromebook, since speed, display, keyboard, compactness, ports, and build quality are better, the Toshiba only has a single advantage in price ($330 vs $999). That's nuts.
Make sure to get the newer Toshiba Chromebook 2, its battery doesn't last 12 hours but for the 8-9 hours of battery life it is running 2.5x faster than the 2014 model and it's 15% faster than the average celeron 3205U chromebook.
I can understand your frustration with chromebooks, you are clearly very invested in MS-World. I'd like you to know, however, that ALL of google, all 45,000 of us, live ENTIRELY in google docs, sheets, and slides (and we use hangouts every day for meetings). If you could send me a list of greatest flaws I can file a feature request and try to get them addressed. Google really does want these apps to make a positive improvement in the world. On the upside I have spent 0 minutes installing and upgrading google apps since I began using them 2 years ago.
The Chromebook 2 you link to at that Amazon price is actually the 2G model with different screen. Anyone know if last year's model is a viable option or is the extra $75 getting you something quite a bit better?
It should also be noted that the previous model is fanless and the 2015 version is not.
Well, it maybe do bad on benchmark, but its a hell of an processor.
Im still inclined to Intel processor, arm CPUs do good on smartphones, but when talking about desktop multitasking it sucks.
I've maded it run CS:GO with 25~30 FPS (on really lowest settings, of cource, but playable) and boot a VM of Windows 7 with some memory optimizations on my ChromeBook 2. Of course, i've hacked to install linux on it 😛
I really didn't have any performance issues, even running full blown KDE on that stuff (ok, memory and transfer rate (sdcard) was a problem, but outside that, it runs really smooth).
Oh, and 10 hours battery is really possible, even with a poor battery (small notebook), this processor has a TDP of 4.5W wich doesn't need cooling and make the battery runs fine.
Most of the specs/descriptions don't match the prices quoted or links to buy. I wonder how you'd rate some of these if you got your prices right??
The HP14 should be fixable with a USB thumb drive containing chromeOS, which is either downoadable or buildable from any working chromebook. I was given a samsung 550 chromebook with a corrupted TPM and THAT is not fixable.
It's now 7 months later (Jan 2016) and this article says it's a couple weeks old. So you theory is right on the money
If you can tell me how to Autosum filtered results in a spreadsheet (currently the SUM function adds up all results in a row), I shall be most grateful. That is most of what I do inside a spreadsheet and it is very frustrating that Google sheets can't carry out such a simple function. BTW two of my HP chromebooks are now dead, they lasted less than 2 years and google announced that they will be discontinuing Chrome OS and focus on Android instead (even the latest pixel runs on android). I don't think I will be buying another chromebook.
I still have my hp 14" Chromebook, and I love it. It still works great, and I have no plans to get another one as long as this one works.
I've owned three chromebooks and here are my observations. They're still not suitable as your primary computer, you've got to have a pc or mac as a backup for those cases when you simply can't do something really important, often work-related on your CB. Unless of course you're a total geek who knows how to hack your chromebook and install various other linux-based operating systems on it, in which case why would you bother with a chromebook in the first place? But, they do make fine, inexpensive secondary machines, provided you have a tablet or smartphone to complement them and you aren't too dependent on skype. As for Google docs replacing MS office, that is a total joke, Google docs is just incredibly dumb and pretty much useless. To give you a simple example, you can't autosum filtered results on a spreadsheet, which is pretty much 90 percent of what a spreadsheet is for. Word documents that are converted into docs and then back also look wonky and seriously unprofessional, so don't edit your CV on your chromebook and don't even try to do spreadsheets or you'll go mad with frustration.
Still, for general writing (forget annotations though), surfing the web and streaming video, they're fine, but you can't play games, can't install any programmes and you can only use web skype, which sucks and doesn't allow you to do voice calls and send and receive files. Also, Google promised that chromebooks would be just as feature-rich as PCs eventually, but that never happened. I've been waiting for three years and I still can't use proper skype, or work on a spreadsheet in any meaningful way.
misleading information – you are not going to buy a chromebook with an i5 processor for $150…
What's next? Top ten STDs
The HP11 had many issues with its micro-USB charging ports, which is why it was discontinued after a few months and replaced with a heavier model. I was very careful, but it stopped charging a week ago. My HP14 randomly rebooted one day and had a corrupted OS, that I was unable to reinstall, despite trying many times. Both are now write-offs. I will try to have them fixed, but they are not on sale here in Hungary, so it's difficult to find someone who knows how to fix them (I bought them in the UK). Ironically my original model 3 Samsung chromebook, that I gave to my mum works just fine, and that is the oldest one.
Unfortunately the Celeron N2840 is one of the slowest chromebooks available, it's a rebranded Atom processor that only does 7,000 on the Octane benchmarks, it is no faster than an ARM chromebook and it sometimes stutters on even 720p video playback.
This is over a year old by looking at the comments. AND these are last years models, but was "posted" 5 days ago? Whats with the repost? Did you just update the date and repost it Juan?
Yes, I obviously tried that in many different variations, but it didn't work.
Dell Chromebook 13 makes the BY FAR comment an untruth. Both the Toshiba and the Dell are great machines, build quality and battery life are better on the Dell, speed, price and display get the edge on the Toshiba, though if you look at the Amazon reviews it seems that a about 7% of the owners experience screen and build malfunctions. Dell wins on customer service, the Toshiba has been on the market longer.