Chromebooks have come a long way from being somewhat sluggish, yet low-powered Windows 10 laptops in the past few years. These days, Chromebooks present a great alternative to conventional notebook computers, as they are very affordable, consume low amount of energy, and offer intuitive and easy-to-use interface which doesn’t require any special knowledge about computers.
Compared to standard Windows 10 laptops, Chromebooks run on Google’s Chrome operating system. Chrome OS is a minimalistic, Internet-based operating system which is very lightweight on processor and system memory, and offers plenty of day-to-day functionalities, such as web browsing, writing documents, and even playing causal video games. Chrome OS can run most Android apps natively, and it even comes with Google Play Store which allows you to install thousands of apps.
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Chromebooks are perfect budget laptops for students who spend most of their time online, as well as for kids, or elderly people who are in need of portable computer, but have little to no knowledge on how to use it. However, Chromebooks can be used even for gaming nowadays. Couple of years ago, most Chromebooks shared similar system specifications, but with the advent of Intel Evo and AMD Ryzen processing platforms, new Chromebooks are now able to deliver the same level of performance as standard Windows 10 laptops.
Choosing a Chromebook over a Windows laptop largely depends on your needs and preferences. If you are looking for a simple and straightforward portable computer which is easy to use, and it doesn’t cost too much, then Chromebook laptop is a perfect choice for you. In this roundup we’ll show you the best Chromebooks you can get in 2021.
Best Overall:
ASUS Chromebook Flip C302
Best High-End:
Google Pixelbook Go
Best 15.6″ Chromebook:
HP Chromebook 15
Best Budget:
Acer Chromebook Spin 311
Best for Kids:
Lenovo Chromebook C330
Best Battery Life:
Acer Chromebook 15
Best Overall: ASUS Chromebook Flip C302
CPU: Intel Core m7-6Y75 | GPU: Intel HD Graphics 515 | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 12.5″ TN FHD (1.920×1.080), Touchscreen | Storage: 64GB SSD | Battery: Up to 10 hours
- Powerful system specifications
- Touchscreen display
- Backlit keyboard
- Premium build quality
- Lacks USB Type-C port
- Mediocre sound quality
ASUS is widely known as a company that produces high-quality laptops. Its Chromebooks are no exception. Although it’s a little bit on the expensive side, the ASUS Chromebook Flip C302 is probably one of the best Chromebooks overall out there. Being able to balance high-end system specifications, as well as premium build quality and reasonable price, the Flip C302 is our top choice for a good reason.
Compared to its pricier brother, the Flip C434, the Flip C302 comes with a 12.5-inch Full HD touchscreen display that features a TN panel. Inside its chassis, the C302 hides a very powerful Intel Core m7 processor, as well as 8 gigabytes of system memory, and a spacious 64GB solid-state drive. The coolest thing about C302 is that it features a fully convertible design, which means you can rotate its touchscreen display in 360 degrees, and convert it to a tablet device if you want to. The Flip C302 also features a fully backlit keyboard, and can boast with up to 10 hours of battery life. Featuring snappy system performance, and stylish looks, the Flip C302 is a perfect Chromebook laptop for users who need a lightweight and reliable business computer. Last but not least, the Flip C302 comes with 1-year free Google 100GB Cloud storage, which is a nice addition.
Best High-End: Google Pixelbook Go
CPU: Intel Core i7-8500Y | GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 615 | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 13.3″ IPS FHD (1.920×1.080) | Storage: 256GB SSD | Battery: Up to 12 hours
- Extremely powerful hardware
- Plenty of storage space
- Very thin and light chassis
- Outstanding battery life
- Somewhat expensive
It’s not too surprising to find out that the most powerful Chromebook is made by Google themselves. The Pixelbook Go is a beast of a Chromebook. This ultra-compact notebook PC sports an Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of SSD storage. Despite its beefy specifications, the Pixelbook Go can also boast with an incredible battery life of up to 12 hours, as well as with beautiful 13.3″ IPS display screen which is available in variants that support resolutions of up to 4K.
Not only Pixelbook Go is probably the best Chromebook ever made, but it’s also incredibly designed. Featuring sleek and stylish black chassis, as well as smoothly curved edges, and extremely low weight, the Pixelbook Go is also a very professional and premium-looking notebook computer. It’s also worth pointing out that Pixelbook Go comes with a very comfortable and responsive keyboard, as well as with spacious and reliable touchpad. Overall, if you are able to grab one, the Pixelbook Go surely won’t disappoint you, as it was designed to deliver the ultimate Chromebook experience.
Best 15.6″ Chromebook: HP Chromebook 15
CPU: Intel Core i3-8130U | GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 620 | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 15.6″ IPS FHD (1.920×1.080), Touchscreen | Storage: 128GB eMMC | Battery: Up to 10 hours
- Large 15.6-inch touchscreen display
- Great system specifications
- Sleek design
- Comfortable keyboard
- Weak speakers
- Screen color reproduction could be better
If you are looking for an affordable Chromebook laptop with big screen and good performance, then look no further past HP Chromebook 15. Featuring sleek and professional design, this lightweight laptop not only looks good, but can also boast with snappy user experience thanks to its powerful system specifications. The HP Chromebook 15 features a powerful Intel Core i3-8130U processor which comes with a Turbo Boost clock of 3.4 GHz, and it also packs 4 gigabytes of ultra-fast SDRAM, and 128GB of eMMC storage.
However, HP Chromebook 15’s most notable selling point is its beautiful 15.6-inch display screen which features touchscreen capabilities, and support for Full HD (1.920×1.080) resolution. Despite coming with Bang & Olufsen’s speakers, HP 15’s speakers are a little too quite for our taste, and we found colors to appear a bit too warm on its screen. Nevertheless, the Chromebook 15 is still a fantastic lightweight laptop, as it can boast with 10 hours of battery life and extremely comfortable keyboard. Overall, if you are looking for a Chromebook that features a big and nice display screen, then HP 15 is a perfect match for you.
Best Budget: Acer Chromebook Spin 311
CPU: Intel Celeron N4020 | GPU: Integrated Graphics | RAM: 4GB LPDDR4 | Screen: 11.6″ IPS (1.366×768), Touchscreen | Storage: 32GB eMMC | Battery: Up to 10 hours
- Convertible design
- Snappy system performance
- Great battery life
- Supports Google Play store apps
- Mediocre webcam
Most Chromebooks share almost the same system specifications. However, the Acer Chromebook Spin 311 is able to stick out from the crowd thanks to its incredible versatility and extremely affordable price. The Spin 311 comes with a beautiful high-resolution 11.6-inch touchscreen display which features a 360° hinge that lets you to rotate it to any angle, and create a notebook, stand-up display, or tablet device on the go. On top of it you’ll also find a wide-angle view camera, which is perfect for creating Zoom or Microsoft Teams video calls.
Under the hood, the Spin 311 packs a low-powered Intel Celeron N4020 processor which is able to deliver smooth and responsive user experience, and you also have 32GB of eMMC memory at your disposal to store all of your data. The Spin 311 also comes equipped with Intel Wi-Fi module that supports both 2.4 and 5.0 GHz connections, and you’ll also find multiple USB 3.1 and 3.0 ports, as well as an extra microSD slot which allows you to easily and quickly transfer all of your data. The Spin 311 is also able to deliver splendid autonomy with up to 10 hours of battery life, and is perfect for kids and students since it features a variety of built-in software security layers which protect your data from malware attacks.
Best for Kids: Lenovo Chromebook C330
CPU: MediaTek MT8173C | GPU: Integrated Graphics | RAM: 4GB LPDDR3 | Screen: 11.6″ IPS HD (1.366×768), Touchscreen | Storage: 64GB eMMC | Battery: Up to 10 hours
- Stylish design and low weight
- 11.6-inch touchscreen display
- Convertible design
- Low price
- Low display resolution
- Small keyboard
Lenovo Chromebook C330 2-in-1 convertible laptop is a perfect device if you have kids who are in need of cheap and reliable notebook computer. The reason why Lenovo C330 is one of the best laptops for such purpose is the fact that it comes with a very affordable price tag, and offers plenty of features which are well-suited for young users. The C330 comes with a low-powered MediaTek CPU which is powerful enough to deliver smooth and easy-to-use user experience. This device also comes with built-in virus protection, and keeps going with long battery life.
Compared to other Chromebooks, the C330 offers sleek and stylish chassis which is only 1-inch thick, and weighs the same as a hardback book. Another great feature of C330 is its 11.6-inch touchscreen display which is perfect for kids and small children who like to use their personal computer to draw pictures and express their creativity. This laptop also comes equipped with plenty of connectivity options, ranging from Bluetooth 4.2 to USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 Type-C connectors. In short, the Lenovo Chromebook C330 is a compact laptop computer which is able to deliver high-end features for a low price.
Best Battery Life: Acer Chromebook 15
CPU: Intel Celeron N3350 | GPU: Integrated Graphics | RAM: 4GB LPDDR4 | Screen: 15.6″ IPS FHD (1.920×1.080), Touchscreen | Storage: 32GB eMMC | Battery: Up to 13 hours
- Stylish design
- Outstanding battery life
- 15.6-inch touchscreen display
- Affordable price
- Doesn’t feature convertible design
- Very low storage space
The Acer Chromebook 15 may not feature a 2-in-1 convertible design, but it does come with stylish design and outstanding battery life. Being able to offer battery life of up to 13 hours, this Chromebook laptop is perfect for users who travel a lot, and need a portable computer that just keeps running on. Another big plus for Acer Chromebook 15 is that it comes with a widescreen 15.6-inch touchscreen display, which is great if you prefer laptops with bigger screens.
Speaking of its specifications, the Acer Chromebook 15 can boast with low-powered Intel Celeron N3350 Dual-Core CPU, 4GB of ultra-fast LPDDR4 RAM, and 32GB of eMMC memory. Although its storage capacity is somewhat disappointing, you can always expand it by inserting a microSD card into its memory card reader. The Acer Chromebook 15 also comes with an integrated 802.11ac Wi-Fi module that supports both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, and you also get two USB Type-C and two USB 3.0 ports for connecting additional devices to it. Overall, the Acer Chromebook 15 is an affordable and reliable Chromebook laptop that is able to offer outstanding battery life, and big display screen.
Conclusion
And that’s it! If you still haven’t found the right laptop for yourself, then head on over to our Laptops section where we post reviews and buying guides about the best laptops currently available on the market. Be sure to also check out our gaming laptops database. We hope our buying guide helped you in search of the information you were looking for. If you still feel confused, and need advice about buying, feel free to post a comment below. We will try to help you.
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