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Four chromebooks pictured from above Credit: Reviewed.com / Jackson Ruckar

The best chromebooks of 2024

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Four chromebooks pictured from above Credit: Reviewed.com / Jackson Ruckar

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Editor's Choice Product image of Acer Chromebook 516 GE (2022)
Best Overall

Acer Chromebook 516 GE (2022)

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The Acer Chromebook 516 GE is a gaming-focused device that has more to offer than a standard Chromebook, like a high refresh rate display. Read More

Pros

  • Fantastic performance
  • 120Hz display makes everything smoother
  • Plenty connectivity options

Cons

  • No Thunderbolt 4 connectivity
  • Speakers don’t sound great
2
Product image of Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet 3
Best Value

Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet 3

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The Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet 3 has the aesthetics, but it doesn’t have the performance. Read More

Pros

  • Gorgeous 500 nit display
  • Comfortable keyboard folio
  • Long battery life

Cons

  • Slow performance
  • Grainy webcam
  • Tinny audio
3
Product image of Framework Chromebook

Framework Chromebook

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Pros

  • Fully repairable
  • Great 100% sRGB screen
  • Fast processor

Cons

  • Middling battery life
  • High initial cost
4
Product image of Acer Chromebook Vero 514 (2022)

Acer Chromebook Vero 514 (2022)

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Acer's Chromebook Vero 514 features a unique, durable design made with recycled materials. Its processor delivers strong performance for everyday tasks. Read More

Pros

  • Eco-friendly, durable, practical design
  • Good processor performance
  • Responsive touchpad and keyboard

Cons

  • CPU runs fairly hot
  • Average display quality
  • Average battery life
5
Editor's Choice Product image of Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Gaming Chromebook (2022)

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Gaming Chromebook (2022)

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The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook is ideal for most productivity and web-based tasks, and cloud gaming. However, it’s still a standard Chromebook. Read More

Pros

  • Excellent 120Hz display
  • Snappy processor
  • Lots of useful ports

Cons

  • Middling graphics performance
  • Limited native game compatibility
  • Best Overall Acer Chromebook 516 GE (2022)
  • Best Value Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet 3
  • Other Laptops We Tested
  • How We Test Chromebooks
  • What’s the Difference Between a Chromebook and a Laptop?
  • How to Choose the Best Chromebook for You

The best Chromebooks are simpler alternatives to traditional laptops for people who don’t need high-powered computing. They’re meant for light usage and feature long battery life.

Our top pick is the Acer Chromebook 516 GE (available at Best Buy for $469.00) . Not only is it powerful and well-built, but it was designed specifically for cloud gaming. If that’s not your jam, there are plenty of other options from traditional clamshell bodies to versatile 2-in-1s.

An open and powered on laptop showing a scene from a video game
Credit: Reviewed / Kris Wouk
Best Overall
Acer Chromebook 516 GE (2022)
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-1240P
  • Graphics: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
  • Memory: 8GB LPDDR4X
  • Storage: 256GB SSD
  • Display: 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 120Hz LED
  • Battery life: 7+ hours

The Acer Chromebook 516 GE isn’t the most powerful laptop ever built, but it’s solidly constructed, reasonably priced, and pretty buff for a Chromebook. You don’t have to love gaming to appreciate what this machine offers.

Of course, if gaming is your priority, you do get anti-ghosting and an RGB backlit keyboard, as well as a 120Hz refresh rate that’s almost unheard of for a Chromebook. Honestly, if you don’t mind the web-only limitations, this is a great way to get more features than some of Acer’s best Windows productivity laptops for similar or less money.

Naturally, any device can deliver cloud gaming. Having a stable Internet connection is more important than a specific machine. The good news is that in addition to being one of the fastest Chromebooks we’ve ever tested, it boasts WiFi 6E and an Ethernet port for when you need rock-solid Internet connectivity.

Read our full Acer Chromebook 516 GE review.

Pros

  • Fantastic performance

  • 120Hz display makes everything smoother

  • Plenty connectivity options

Cons

  • No Thunderbolt 4 connectivity

  • Speakers don’t sound great

$469.00 from Best Buy

Buy now at Amazon
The the Duet 3 shown laying near its keyboard.
Best Value
Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet 3
  • Processor: Snapdragon 7C Gen 2
  • Graphics: Integrated
  • Memory: 4GB
  • Storage: 128GB eMMC
  • Display: 10.9-inch, 2000 x 1200, LCD touchscreen with stylus support
  • Battery life: 10+ hours

The Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet 3 doesn’t have a lot of processing power, but we wouldn’t expect it to match our favorites with a price tag under $390. From that perspective, this device’s long battery life, small size, keyboard folio cover, and vibrant display are well-built, well-considered features.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a lighter Chromebook than this two-pound wonder—and that’s including the detachable keyboard. Videos and ebooks (when they finally load) appear vivid and bright on the 1200p display. Its ten hours of battery life outshines many of the best laptops.

You won’t be able to do much besides browse the internet—but given the build quality and lightness for the price asked, we think it’s the best value in the space. If you can find it on sale, that’s even better.

Read our full Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet 3 review.

Pros

  • Gorgeous 500 nit display

  • Comfortable keyboard folio

  • Long battery life

Cons

  • Slow performance

  • Grainy webcam

  • Tinny audio

$379.00 from Best Buy

$334.99 from Walmart

Other Laptops We Tested

Product image of Framework Chromebook
Framework Chromebook
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-1240P
  • Graphics: Integrated
  • Memory: 8GB DDR4 3200
  • Storage: 256GB SSD
  • Display: 13.5-inch, 2256 x 1504, IPS touchscreen
  • Battery life: ~5 hours

The Framework Chromebook turns the Chromebook scene on its head with a high-quality, DIY repairable laptop. Its vital hardware components are interchangeable and available for purchase on the Framework Marketplace, which means that repairs and upgrades are simple and without fuss.

While it is one of the best Chromebooks out there, it isn’t necessarily one of the best laptops for your money. It costs about the same as the regular Framework Laptop, and ChromeOS is not as versatile as Windows.

Despite the drawbacks, the Framework Chromebook is still a good laptop. Its vivid 2K display, sturdy aluminum chassis, fast performance, interchangeable ports, replaceable parts, and overall mastery are hard to deny.

Read our full Framework Chromebook review.

Pros

  • Fully repairable

  • Great 100% sRGB screen

  • Fast processor

Cons

  • Middling battery life

  • High initial cost

Buy now at Framework
Product image of Acer Chromebook Vero 514 (2022)
Acer Chromebook Vero 514 (2022)
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-1235U
  • Graphics: Intel Iris Xe (integrated)
  • Memory: 8GB LPDDR4X
  • Storage: 256GB SSD
  • Display: 14-inch, 1920 x 1080, IPS, LED-backlit, optional touchscreen
  • Battery life: About 10 hours

Acer Chromebook Vero 514 is part of Acer’s Vero line of sustainable devices, which are made from recycled materials and you can repair yourself. It’s the most eco-conscious choice on this list, and the spotted plastic chassis looks super cool in person. Acer even included subtle nods to its eco-friendly mission in the design: yellow E and R keys.

Its hardware configuration hits a sweet spot between price and performance, but if it’s power you’re after you’ll be better served by our overall best pick or the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Gaming Chromebook.

Read our full Acer Chromebook Vero 514 review.

Pros

  • Eco-friendly, durable, practical design

  • Good processor performance

  • Responsive touchpad and keyboard

Cons

  • CPU runs fairly hot

  • Average display quality

  • Average battery life

$779.99 from Walmart
Product image of Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Gaming Chromebook (2022)
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Gaming Chromebook (2022)
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-1235U
  • Graphics: Intel Iris Xe (Integrated)
  • Memory: 8GB DDR4
  • Storage: 256GB SSD
  • Display: 16-inch 2560 x 1600p 120Hz IPS
  • Battery life: 12+ hours

Like our top pick, Lenovo’s IdeaPad 5 Gaming Chromebook is uniquely souped up for a Chromebook. It boasts a 120Hz display, RGB lighting, anti-ghosting keys, and Wi-Fi 6E. Unfortunately, it costs more than its similarly-specced competition, despite having a slower processor. But grabbing it on sale makes up for the weaker processor with a battery life that surpasses the Acer’s by five hours.

It’s compatible with plenty of cloud gaming services like Nvidia GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Luna, Utomik, and more. GeForce Now stands out by supporting ray tracing and 120Hz refresh rates.

You can still have a good cloud gaming experience with a Chromebook that isn’t gaming-specific. But particularly when it comes to the display, this one has some standout options you won’t see in most Chromebooks.

Read our full Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Gaming Chromebook review.

Pros

  • Excellent 120Hz display

  • Snappy processor

  • Lots of useful ports

Cons

  • Middling graphics performance

  • Limited native game compatibility

Buy now at Amazon

$727.99 from Walmart
Product image of Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 (2020)
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 (2020)
  • Processor: Intel Core i3-10110U
  • Graphics: Integrated
  • Memory: 8GB
  • Storage: 128GB SSD
  • Display: 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1080, QLED touchscreen
  • Battery life: 6.5+ hours

The fiery red, 2-in-1 Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 is nice for people already invested in Samsung’s ecosystem. It’s not the speediest machine, but it has enough oomph to run multiple apps at once. It also has a bright, vibrant 1080p QLED display, topping out at 440 nits. Shows like Life in Color and video games like Cyberpunk 2077 (run in the cloud) look gorgeous on this screen. The touchscreen is super responsive, too.

This Chromebook is advertised with up to 13 hours of battery life, but it falls well short of that. In our standard battery test, we measured only 6.5 hours of battery life with moderate web-browsing usage.

Pros

  • QLED display

  • Wi-Fi 6 compatible

  • 2-in-1

Cons

  • Touchy trackpad

  • Battery life

$299.00 from Best Buy

Buy now at Amazon

$894.50 from Walmart

How We Test Chromebooks

Since Chromebooks aren’t sold for processing power, we adjust our testing accordingly. We do benchmark the processor. But we generally focus on usability, including the quality of the screen and keyboard, and other factors like battery life. We rate overall usability by combining these factors into a weighted score.

Laptop pictured with the screen folded back into a tablet configuration
Credit: Reviewed.com / Jackson Ruckar

Because Chromebooks are mostly designed for running web applications like Google Docs, we use two different web benchmarks: Basemark and Speedometer. These test the processing power of the laptop in a web browser: for all of them, we used Google Chrome.

Since most people will tote their Chromebooks around, brightness in different settings is important. We measure this with a colorimeter, a handheld device that measures luminance. We examine the white levels and black levels at max brightness and then again at 50% brightness.

Finally, we test the battery life of each laptop to see how long they last between charges. With their displays adjusted to a moderate brightness of 200 nits, we set them to continuously cycle through popular websites. This simulates idle web browsing, and we time how long each laptop does it until the battery dies. We also consider human factors like how comfortable the screen is to look at and how easy the keyboard is to type on.

What’s the Difference Between a Chromebook and a Laptop?

Chromebooks stand apart from Macbooks and Windows laptops. ChromeOS isn’t a full-fledged operating system in the same sense as Windows or MacOS.

You’ll be spending most of your time in the Chrome browser using web-based tools. You can install Android mobile apps for extra functionality, but it’s more limiting than using desktop-class software. Likewise, you’ll typically find less onboard storage. Instead, you’ll rely on cloud storage services like Google Drive.

Without access to desktop-class software, you won’t be able to perform tasks like audio editing or install mandatory workplace software for most jobs. That may make this a poor choice of primary device for some folks.

But if you’re fine doing most of your work in a browser, Chromebooks can be a great way to save money. They’re significantly cheaper than their full-fledged counterparts, with a solid Chromebook usually running around $400.

How to Choose the Best Chromebook for You

Chromebooks are inexpensive and largely virus-free, a great option for college students. Equipped with low-power processors, Chromebooks typically have good battery life and are fanless. That said, they’re not the most powerful laptops in the world. Most of the time they can only handle everyday tasks like browsing the web, checking e-mail, and watching Netflix.

Display Size

Most laptops range in size from 13-17 inches. Generally, smaller ones are meant for lighter work, and larger ones give you more screen space for heavy-duty work like video editing or intense gaming.

Accordingly, apart from a couple of 16-inch gaming Chromebooks, most of the laptops we’ve tested here float around 13-14 inches. For most people, that hits a great spot for lightweight portability while still giving you a clear look at your web browsing or streaming video.

Person uses Google Pixelbook on their lap
Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar

A Chromebook’s size can influence how easy the keyboard and trackpad are to use, which is important. Interacting with your laptop should be as smooth as possible.

Size can also affect the number of included ports, which you’ll want to pay special attention to. If you’re streaming intense games, a Chromebook with an Ethernet port for hardwired Internet connections can be a huge benefit. If you attach extra devices, you’ll want a healthy number of USB ports, as well.

ChromeOS

In an age where so much software lives online, a Chromebook may serve you better than you’d think. Plenty of people live on Netflix, Gmail, and Google Docs already. Add in online photo editors like Pixlr, and you can do almost anything in a browser. Many web apps can even work offline for those rare occasions when you don’t have Wi-Fi.

Chromebooks have the bonus of being virtually virus-free since they’re running Linux under the hood. Also, they’re generally far cheaper, since they don’t need as much processing power.

Windows is still the dominant OS these days, so for certain games or intense work in editing photos and videos, you’ll probably want to stick to Microsoft for your main machine. But the nimble versatility of a Chromebook can be surprising.

Under the Hood

Chromebooks don’t need as much power, but hardware specs still matter. The processor, graphics card, RAM, and storage determine your laptop’s capabilities. For browsing the web and using office software, lower-power chips like Intel’s i3 and i5 are more than adequate.

You can get away with 4GB of RAM in a Chromebook, but given how RAM-intensive modern web browsing can be, we don’t recommend it. Stick to 8GB if you tend to open lots of tabs, use lots of browser extensions, or just want to future-proof your laptop.


Meet the testers

Michael Garrett Steele

Michael Garrett Steele

Contributor

@MGarrettSteele

Michael Garrett Steele has been writing and editing professionally since 2013, and has been a part of Reviewed since 2020. An MFA in music composition, Garrett has lent audio expertise to everyone from Independence Community College to Bethesda Softworks, informing reviews of audio equipment and services. Garrett also covers tech, drawing on experience working everywhere from IT helpdesks to enterprise architecture sales. Steele has also become a go-to reviewer for minor plumbing fixtures since covering bidets for Reviewed in early 2020.

See all of Michael Garrett Steele's reviews
Adrien Ramirez

Adrien Ramirez

Staff Writer

@itsaramkat

Adrien is the PC staff writer for Reviewed with over 4 years of experience covering laptops, desktops, software, games, and more.

See all of Adrien Ramirez's reviews
Joanna Nelius

Joanna Nelius

Former Senior Editor, Tech

@

Joanna specializes in anything and everything gaming-related and loves nerding out over graphics cards, processors, and chip architecture. Previously she was a staff writer for Gizmodo, PC Gamer, and Maximum PC.

See all of Joanna Nelius's reviews

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