The 3 Best Chromebooks of 2023

After a new round of testing, we’ll be adding the following picks to this guide: the Acer Chromebook Spin 513 will be our top pick, the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook (13″) will be our budget pick, and the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 will be our upgrade pick. If you want a big screen, we recommend the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook 16" with an i3 or i5 processor.

A good Chromebook can do almost anything a regular laptop can do, and the best ones feel better to use than their similarly priced Windows counterparts. After testing most of the Chromebooks released over the past eight years and testing 16 models so far in 2022, we recommend the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook (13″). It's comparatively inexpensive, and it offers fast performance plus an excellent keyboard and trackpad. The Flex 5i is also compact and light, and its 1080p touchscreen is vivid and bright. Though our other picks last a couple of hours longer, the battery in the Flex 5i should still survive a full day of work or classes.

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.

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

A great $400 Chromebook can feel faster to use—and be lighter and more compact—than a similarly priced Windows laptop.

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

With excellent performance for its low price, a great keyboard and trackpad, and a compact, light body, the Lenovo Flex 5i is the Chromebook to buy.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $450.

Recommended configuration

The Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook (13″) is an exceptional Chromebook. In addition to being an all-around great laptop, our recommended model offers faster performance than most Chromebooks under $500. Many cheap Chromebooks can't handle a video call and an open document at the same time, or they feel slow with just a handful of tabs open. But thanks to its Core i3 processor and 8 GB of memory, our pick can handle everyday workloads with aplomb. The Flex 5i's predecessor, the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 (13″), is a decent option if you find it in stock and on sale with a Core i3 processor, but it has only 4 GB of memory, and its guaranteed update support runs out a year sooner.

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The Galaxy Chromebook 2 is smaller, lighter, and speedier than the Flex 5 and lasts longer on a charge, but it's quite a bit more expensive.

Recommended configuration

If you’re willing to pay more for a smaller and lighter Chromebook with longer battery life, get the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2. The Flex 5i is more than good enough for most people, but if you want a sleeker, more portable Chromebook, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 is the best option—if I had to carry a laptop around all day, this is the one I’d buy. Unlike our other picks, this model has only USB-C ports; if you own older peripherals that use USB-A, you’ll need a dongle or dock to accommodate them. (Note that we don't recommend the Galaxy Chromebook 2 with a Celeron processor, as it's too slow for its price.)

The Flip C536 has a large, 15.6-inch screen and a built-in number pad, but it's too big and heavy to travel with frequently.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $370.

Recommended configuration

If you need a bigger screen and a number pad, the Asus Chromebook Flip C536 (C536EA-BI3T3) is the best option. Its 15.6-inch touchscreen provides more room to do work or enjoy media, but it also makes the laptop bulkier. We don't recommend this 4.3-pound laptop if you need to take yours to work, class, or even a coffee shop—it's best used around the house. If the C536 is unavailable, the virtually identical Asus Chromebook Flip CM5 (CM5500FDA-DN344T) is another great option.

It can be difficult to find a decent Chromebook in stock during the back-to-school shopping season. If none of our picks are available, we recommend setting up stock alerts through NowInStock.net or browser extensions like Keepa. If you can't find a new Chromebook anywhere, consider a used Chromebook—but double-check the official end-of-support date before you buy. You can also turn an old Windows or Mac computer into a Chromebook, if you have an aging system lying around.

With excellent performance for its low price, a great keyboard and trackpad, and a compact, light body, the Lenovo Flex 5i is the Chromebook to buy.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $450.

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 is smaller, lighter, and speedier than the Flex 5 and lasts longer on a charge, but it's quite a bit more expensive.

The Flip C536 has a large, 15.6-inch screen and a built-in number pad, but it's too big and heavy to travel with frequently.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $370.

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 you should also consider one 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 Chromebooks are cheap: A $400 Chromebook is faster, lighter, and sleeker, and blessed with better battery life, than a $500 Windows laptop. Chromebooks are also secure and easy to maintain.

But Chromebooks can't run Photoshop, Windows-specific games, or many of the programs you might be used to having on your Mac or Windows computer. They don't have much local storage, and they work best with a full-time internet connection—though there are offline options for Gmail, Google Drive, and other apps. If you use web-based email, if you can get by with Microsoft's Office 365, Google's office web apps, and Android app alternatives, and if you stream your music and movies over the internet as well, a Chromebook should do just about everything you need it to.

In 2022, most Chromebooks have 64 GB or 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 need 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.

If you’re on a budget, these are the best cheap Windows laptops and Chromebooks we recommend after extensive research and hands-on testing.

Senior staff writer Kimber Streams has tested most of the Chromebooks released since 2014, when they began researching and testing Chromebooks for Wirecutter. They’ve tested and reviewed hundreds of laptops, including Chromebooks, cheap Windows laptops, gaming laptops, and fancy 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 the way of your using the internet, the Chromebook has failed at its only job. Here's what we look for:

Performance: A decent processor and enough memory (RAM) together make the difference between a Chromebook that feels quick and responsive and one that suffers from slow load times and frustratingly laggy inputs.

In our mid-2022 round of testing, we found that reliable performance for a Chromebook requires 8 GB of RAM and at least a 10th- or 11th-generation Intel processor or 5000-series AMD Ryzen processor. When we used Chromebooks with lower-end processors or less memory for everyday tasks, we encountered longer and more frequent delays loading tabs, typing in documents and spreadsheets, and speaking on Zoom calls. People who work with lots of tabs, frequently work in large documents while on video calls, or use Linux apps on their Chromebooks should get a model with at least an Intel Core i3 processor and 8 GB of RAM.

Some low-end processors paired with 4 GB of RAM are fast enough to get by on a budget Chromebook. We’ve found in our testing that processors with at least four threads—an important spec that influences how fast your computer feels and is often listed alongside the number of cores a processor has—can handle running a Zoom video call and taking notes in a document simultaneously. But we have encountered occasional freezes and delays on these models, and we’re concerned about how well they’ll perform over the long term.

Avoid most Chromebooks that run on Intel's N-series Celeron or Pentium processors, on ARM-based processors from companies like 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 mid-2022, Chromebooks that meet our performance requirements typically cost at least $400, and you can get a great one for less than $500. Options with better performance tend to cost at least $600.

Keyboard and trackpad: A keyboard and trackpad should be good enough not to get in the way of your work. A backlit keyboard is a nice luxury, and most Chromebooks priced over $400 have one.

Battery life: A Chromebook should last for 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 lug 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 for a 13- to 15-inch screen—any higher isn't worth the trade-off in battery life, and any lower looks noticeably worse. A 1366×768 resolution is acceptable on a smaller screen in a cheaper Chromebook.

Ports: We appreciate when a Chromebook includes both USB-C ports and traditional USB-A ports to connect older peripherals.

Touchscreen and 360-degree hinge: A touchscreen and a 360-degree hinge are nice perks since Chromebooks also run Android apps, and an included stylus is a bonus. Since those features add cost, we don't require them for all of our picks.

Support: Google guarantees eight years of software updates—including new features and security fixes—for every new Chromebook released after 2020.1 We don't recommend any Chromebooks with a support date that expires before 2026. You can check how long a model has guaranteed support on Google's support site or check on your Chromebook itself by following these steps. (This support is separate from a hardware warranty provided by the laptop's manufacturer.)

From budget-friendly options to thin-and-light ultrabooks to powerful gaming laptops, we’ve spent hundreds of hours finding the best laptops for most people.

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 paid attention to input lag while typing in Google Docs. We also watched streaming video on Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube.

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. This step also highlighted the performance gap separating models with Intel's and AMD's typical laptop processors from those with low-budget Intel or AMD chips, as well as ARM-powered Chromebooks.

To test the battery life of each Chromebook, we used a customized version of the Chromium battery test designed to emulate normal browsing behavior. The first 60% of the test involves loading a new website every minute, scrolling down and back up the page. The next 20% of the test loads a Gmail tab with audio streaming in a background tab. For the next 10%, the Chromium test loads various Google Docs items; the final 10% of the test plays a full-screen YouTube video. We ran the test until each Chromebook died.

With excellent performance for its low price, a great keyboard and trackpad, and a compact, light body, the Lenovo Flex 5i is the Chromebook to buy.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $450.

Recommended configuration

The Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook (13″) is an exceptional Chromebook—it's fast, it has an excellent keyboard and trackpad, it's compact and light, and it has a bright 1080p touchscreen with rich colors. And somehow, it's still comparatively inexpensive. The Flex 5i's battery life is just long enough to last through a day of work or classes, but that's cutting it close to the battery's 8-hour average in our tests, and it's the one area where our other picks do better. (The Flex 5i's predecessor, the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 (13″), is a decent option if you find it in stock and on sale with a Core i3 processor, but it has only 4 GB of memory, and its guaranteed update support runs out a year sooner.)

Many Chromebook keyboards are merely serviceable, and others feel stubborn, mushy, and unpleasant to type on. But the backlit keys on the Flex 5i offer deeper travel than those of many laptops and are comfortable to use. The trackpad, like most Chromebook trackpads nowadays, is accurate and reliable.

The Flex 5i is much lighter and more compact than most Chromebooks in this price range. In fact, at around 3 pounds and 12.2 by 8.4 by 0.7 inches, it's closer in weight and size to our upgrade pick, though the Flex 5i is a bit thicker.

In our productivity and media testing, the Flex 5i's 13.3-inch, 1920×1080 touchscreen display looked good. Light colors in spreadsheets appeared distinct and weren't washed out, and shadows and deep blacks looked appropriately dark in movies and TV shows. The Flex 5i has a 360-degree hinge, but it's too bulky to hold comfortably in tablet mode, despite being smaller and lighter than most Chromebooks. If you want a Chromebook you can use comfortably in tablet mode, consider our upgrade pick instead.

The Flex 5i has a mix of new and old USB ports, so it should accommodate most of the accessories and cables you already have. That mix includes two USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 ports, one USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 port, an audio jack, and a microSD slot for additional storage. The webcam is about as good as that of most laptops—it's sufficient for work or school calls—and our pick has a handy, physical privacy shutter that you can slide across the lens when you’re not using it to ensure that no one can see you. The Flex 5i also supports the latest Wi-Fi standard, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax). It comes with a one-year manufacturer's warranty and 100 GB of Google One storage for one year (which normally starts at $20 per year), and it has update support through June 2029.

In our mid-2022 web-browsing battery test, the Flex 5i lasted 8 hours 5 minutes, about two hours short of many other Chromebooks we tested. It still has enough battery to get through a full day of work or classes, but that's pushing it, especially if you crank up the screen brightness. We’d prefer a couple more hours of battery life, but our pick excels in so many other ways that we think it's worth this small trade-off.

The lid can be a little tricky; I frequently found myself needing two hands to open the Flex 5i. If that's a dealbreaker for you, consider the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 or the Asus Chromebook Flip CX3 instead—we were able to open both of those laptops with one hand in our tests. We wish the Flex 5i had a lip, as some of Lenovo's Yoga models do, to make the laptop easier to open. Otherwise, our pick offers excellent build quality.

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 is smaller, lighter, and speedier than the Flex 5 and lasts longer on a charge, but it's quite a bit more expensive.

Recommended configuration

As someone who tests laptops for a living, if I were shopping for a Chromebook, I’d get the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 with the Core i3 processor, and if you’re willing to pay more for a smaller and lighter Chromebook with longer battery life, you should, too. Unlike our other picks, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 lacks USB-A ports for connecting older peripherals; you need a dongle or dock to attach those. (Note, too, that we don't recommend the Celeron version of the Galaxy Chromebook 2, as it's too slow for its price.)

While the backlit keyboard is shallow, it's still satisfying to use. And whereas some laptop keyboards emit a clacking noise as you type, the Galaxy Chromebook 2's keyboard is quiet, which makes it ideal for a shared workspace. The trackpad is smooth and accurate, and though it's a bit smaller than the Flex 5i's trackpad, we didn't run into any issues with its size.

In our mid-2022 battery-life tests, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 had solid battery life in line with many of the models we tested—the Core i3 model we recommend lasted 10 hours 1 minute in our tests. We expect it to last through a full day of work or school without needing to be plugged in. The Galaxy Chromebook 2 is just a bit smaller all around than the Flex 5i, and it weighs just 2.71 pounds. It's not quite the lightest and most compact Chromebook we’ve tested—that honor goes to our previous upgrade pick, the Google Pixelbook Go. (We still think the Pixelbook Go is a great Chromebook, but it's no longer our upgrade pick because support for the Pixelbook Go runs out in June 2026, and five years is the minimum we expect for a laptop.) But the Galaxy Chromebook 2 is light enough to use comfortably in tablet mode, unlike any of our other picks.

The 13.3-inch display looks crisp and vibrant, and because it gets a bit brighter than the Flex 5i's screen on the highest settings, it's better suited for working outdoors in sunlight. The touchscreen on this Samsung model offers the same 1920×1080 resolution as on most of our picks, plus it has a 360-degree hinge for tent and tablet modes, unlike the Pixelbook Go, which works only as a regular ol’ clamshell laptop.

This Chromebook has two USB-C ports that carry data at 5 Gbps, power, and display, as well as one 3.5 mm audio jack and a microSD slot. It doesn't have any USB-A ports for connecting older peripherals; if you want to do that, you need to attach a dongle or dock. The Galaxy Chromebook 2's webcam looks a bit better than the Flex 5i's, but it's still not as sharp as the Pixelbook Go's excellent 1080p webcam. Like our top picks, this laptop supports Wi-Fi 6. The Galaxy Chromebook 2 has guaranteed update support through June 2028, a one-year warranty, and 100 GB of Google One storage for one year.

The Flip C536 has a large, 15.6-inch screen and a built-in number pad, but it's too big and heavy to travel with frequently.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $370.

Recommended configuration

If you want a larger screen and a number pad, we recommend the Asus Chromebook Flip C536 (C536EA-BI3T3). Its 15.6-inch touchscreen provides more room to get work done or to enjoy media, and the number pad is useful if you perform a lot of data entry. That big screen makes the whole laptop heavier and bulkier, so the C536 is much less portable than our other picks—we don't recommend it if you need a laptop to take to work, class, or even a coffee shop. If the C536 is unavailable, the virtually identical Asus Chromebook Flip CM5 (CM5500FDA-DN344T) is also a great option.

The Flip C536's biggest appeal lies in its spacious 15.6-inch, 1920×1080 touchscreen, which is ideal if you want more room to work on documents and spreadsheets, or if you simply prefer a larger screen for watching shows and movies. Its colors are vibrant, and we didn't see any noticeable color tints during our tests. For some reason the C536 also has a 360-degree hinge, but it's way too heavy and bulky to flip around and use comfortably in other modes.

The Flip C536's backlit keys are enjoyable to type on, with deep travel and springy feedback. It's also the only one of our picks with a number pad, so if that feature is a must-have for you, this is the Chromebook to get. The extra-wide trackpad is responsive and accurate, too.

Even though the Flip C536 will last a long time away from an outlet—we recorded 10 hours 41 minutes in our battery test—it's too large and heavy to carry around on a regular basis. At 4.3 pounds, it's by far the heaviest of our picks, and compared with the Flex 5i, it's about 2 inches wider, an inch deeper, and a bit thicker. If you need a portable Chromebook to take to classes, to commute or travel with, or to occasionally cart to a café, consider our other picks instead.

Like our top picks, the Flip C536 has two USB-C ports that carry data at 5 Gbps, power, and display. It also has a USB-A port (3.2 Gen 2), a microSD slot, and an audio jack. The HDMI port supports the 2.0a specification. (The Flip CM5 model has HDMI 1.4.) The webcam is about as good as that of our other picks, and the Flip C536 supports Wi-Fi 6 and has guaranteed update support through June 2029. It comes with a one-year warranty and 100 GB of Google One storage for one year.

If our top pick is out of stock: Get the Acer Chromebook Vero 514 (CBV514-1H-38VS), the next best option. Compared to the Lenovo Flex 5i the Vero 514 is more expensive, it's bulkier and a bit heavier, and it lacks a touchscreen. But the Vero has solid performance, long battery life of around 12.5 hours in our tests, a decent 14-inch 1080p display, and a higher-quality 1080p webcam.

If you can't find our other picks: The Asus Chromebook Flip CX3 is another good option, but at 3.64 pounds it's much heavier and more expensive than the Flex 5i and the Chromebook Vero 514. The Flip CX3 offers great performance, a 14-inch 1080p touchscreen, a comfortable keyboard and trackpad, and two more hours of battery life than the Flex 5i. It also comes with a stylus.

If you’re looking for a cheaper 15-inch Chromebook: The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i Chromebook (15″) is a decent choice, especially if you can find it on sale for less than $400. But this model's performance is borderline due to its N6000 processor—in our testing, conducting a Zoom video call while working on a spreadsheet maxed out the processor, which resulted in video and audio delays on Zoom and delays when we navigated and typed in the spreadsheet.

If you want longer battery life and a taller screen: The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (CP714-1WN-53M9) is an excellent Chromebook, with 13 hours of battery life, a reliable keyboard and trackpad, and a vivid 14-inch display. Compared with the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2, the Spin 714 has a taller display and more ports, but it's noticeably heavier and bulkier. If you find the Spin 714 on sale—or if you don't mind the extra weight—it's worth buying.

If you want a repairable Chromebook: The Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition is what you’ve been waiting for. Just like its Windows counterpart—which received a 10 out of 10 repairability score from iFixit and which we recommend in our Windows ultrabook guide—you can easily replace and upgrade the Framework Chromebook's individual parts. Framework includes a screwdriver and handy QR codes by each internal part that direct you to step-by-step replacement guides with links to the exact parts you’ll need. You’ll be able to add more storage and memory, replace your battery, extend your ChromeOS support date by upgrading your mainboard with a new processor, or repair anything else if it breaks. But this promise depends on Framework continuing to exist and supply parts for this Chromebook. If the company goes under or stops supporting this model, then it's just like any other Chromebook—when it breaks or its support runs out in June 2030, you’ll have to replace the whole thing. It's also very pricey for a Chromebook at $1,000, and its battery life is decent, but not superb at 10 hours and 18 minutes.

If you need a durable Chromebook for young kids: The Acer Chromebook 712 (C871-C85K) could be a good option, thanks to its durable body and spill-resistant keyboard. But it's slower than our top pick—it can handle remote schoolwork or a video chat, but it can't do both at the same time gracefully. It also suffers from a terrible, low-resolution, non-touch screen, and its keyboard is mediocre.

We haven't yet tested a Chromebook with a 16-inch screen, like the Asus Chromebook Flip CX5 (CX5601). We plan to test it for our next update.

Google has announced upgrades to cloud gaming on Chromebooks. There are also a handful of new Chromebooks with big, high-refresh screens and RGB keyboards: the Asus Chromebook Vibe C55 Flip, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook 16", the Acer Chromebook 516 GE, and the Asus Chromebook Vibe CX34 Flip. We’re currently testing these models and ChromeOS's enhanced cloud gaming options.

At CES 2023, Intel announced new 13th generation N-series processors that may improve performance on cheaper Chromebook models. The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i Chromebook, which starts at $350, will be available with N100 and N200 processors in May. We plan to put these processors through our real-world testing to see if they provide the performance bump that cheap Chromebooks have desperately needed to keep up with everyday tasks.

The HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook is a premium Chromebook with the brightest display we’ve seen in a Chromebook, an 8-megapixel webcam, and a customizable RGB keyboard. It's available with an Intel Core i5-1235U processor, 16 GB of memory, and 256 GB of storage. We’re currently testing this model against our upgrade pick.

We also saw the Asus Chromebook CM14 and CM14 Flip at CES 2023, though we don't yet have information on pricing or availability. We’re interested in testing the performance on the MediaTek Kompanio 520 processor in both models when they launch.

Lenovo announced the IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook (14") at Mobile World Congress 2023. This model also ships with a MediaTek Kompanio 520 processor, and we plan to test it when it's available in May.

Acer has announced the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (CP714-2WN), an updated version of the CP714-1WN model that we like. We’ll test it against our picks when it's available in May.

Compared to our top pick, the Lenovo 5i Chromebook (14″) is a bit bulkier and heavier, it has less memory for multitasking and a more limited processor, and it lacks the convenience of a touchscreen. It also has mediocre battery life at around 8.5 hours.

The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 (13″) is an older, now-discontinued version of our top pick with an Intel Core i3-10110U processor and 4 GB of RAM. It has one less year of update support and isn't as good at multitasking, but it's otherwise identical to our top pick and a decent option if you find it on sale for $300 or less.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 (CP514-1H-R4HQ) is larger and heavier than our top picks, it typically costs a bit more, and its processor delivers lower performance when the laptop is unplugged. It's still fast enough for everyday computer tasks, but we don't recommend it at its usual price of $500.

The Acer Chromebook 314 (CB314-3HT-P6QW) has an N6000 processor just like the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i Chromebook (15″). But the Chromebook 314 costs around $460, and we don't recommend spending more than $400 on a Chromebook that struggles to run a Zoom call and a document at the same time.

The keyboard on the Acer Chromebook Spin 314 (CP314-1HN-P138) felt rattly and cheap. This laptop is heavy compared with our top pick, too, and during our tests its processor struggled with a video call and a document open at the same time.

We previously named the HP Chromebook x360 14c-ca0065nr and Chromebook x360 14c-ca0053dx as picks because of their great keyboard and trackpad, their fast performance, and their 14-inch touchscreen, but both models have been discontinued. HP has replaced those models with the updated 14c-cc0013dx and 14c-cc0047nr, but the new versions’ screen has a noticeably yellow-green tint. We don't recommend either new model unless it's on sale and none of our other picks are available.

The processor in the Acer Chromebook 514 (CB514-2H) is too slow for everyday tasks, and our review unit stopped turning on.

The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 with a Celeron 5205U is too slow for its $550 full price—or even its $400 sale price. Our top picks offer better performance for a similar price.

In our tests, the Acer Chromebook Spin 513 (CP513-1H-S338) and its ARM-based processor struggled to run a Zoom call and work on a spreadsheet at the same time. Its screen had a blue cast and looked washed out, too.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet 3 (11″) and HP Chromebook x2 11 are both detachable ChromeOS tablets that come with keyboards. But both models rely on too-slow processors, and they aren't any cheaper than our top picks.

The Asus Chromebook Flip C433 (C433TA-AS384T) is a great Chromebook with one extremely frustrating flaw: The lid is held shut by surprisingly aggressive magnets. Even with two hands, I found it a struggle to open the lid every single time, and when I asked other people to use the laptop, I overheard some choice words from them (I used plenty of my own each time I tried to pry it apart). The reviewer for Chrome Unboxed encountered the same issue, calling this Chromebook "by far the most difficult laptop I’ve ever tried to open"; we also tried a floor model at Best Buy, and it had the same problem. Its support runs out in June 2026, so we don't recommend it over newer models with years more support.

In a previous version of this guide, the Asus Chromebook Flip C434 (C434TA-DSM4T) was a pick because of its solid performance, reliable trackpad and backlit keyboard, excellent battery life, and spacious 14-inch screen with tiny borders. But we no longer recommend the C434 because we’ve seen a higher-than-typical number of owner reports indicating hardware issues, including reports of unresponsive touchscreens, displays that won't turn on, defective keyboards and trackpads, and Bluetooth problems. We’ve also encountered display glitches on our own review unit. Its support runs out in June 2026.

The Lenovo ThinkPad C14 Gen 1 Chromebook is a great Chromebook with a top-notch keyboard and trackpad, but there's no reason to buy it over the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 or the Acer Chromebook Spin 714. Both models are smaller, lighter, and less expensive than the ThinkPad, and the Acer Spin 714 has superior battery life and a taller aspect-ratio screen.

The HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook is a wonderful Chromebook. It 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 around 10 hours of battery life. The Dragonfly also has guaranteed update support through June 2030, plus a useful array of ports, a responsive fingerprint reader, and a handy webcam cover. But it starts at $1,150, and you can get an excellent Windows ultrabook or a MacBook Air for that kind of money, or our upgrade Chromebook pick for much less than that.

The Asus Chromebook Flip CX5 (CX5400FMA-DN388T-S) is another great Chromebook with no major flaws, but at its typical price of $700 there's no reason to buy it over the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 or the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 (CP713-3W-5102).

Google's Pixelbook Go was our previous upgrade pick because it's compact and light and offers top-of-the-line build quality and long battery life. We still love this model—and it has a better webcam than the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 does—but its support runs out in June 2026, two years sooner than support for the Galaxy Chromebook 2. Five years is the minimum lifespan we expect from a laptop, and we can't recommend a high-end Chromebook with a shorter lifespan unless you feel comfortable installing ChromeOS Flex.

Although Lenovo's ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook (13″) is a great Chromebook, it typically costs around $650 for a fast-enough processor and is heavier and bulkier than our similarly priced upgrade pick. (We don't recommend the model with an AMD Athlon processor, as it's too slow.)

The Asus Chromebook Flip C436 (C436FA-DS388T) is a good Chromebook, but it's way too expensive. Our upgrade pick is cheaper, lighter, thinner, and blessed with longer battery life and a better keyboard.

The Dell Latitude 5400 Chromebook Enterprise is not a Chromebook for most people. This business-focused Chromebook has a powerful Core i5-8365U processor, 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage, as well as a ton of ports. But it's bulky, it weighs 3.24 pounds, and it typically costs around $900.

The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook has terrible battery life and costs $1,000.

In our tests, the Acer Chromebook 315 (CB315-4HT) and its N6000 processor struggled with video calls and other simultaneous tasks. We also found that its keyboard wasn't as nice to type on, and compared with the other 15-inch Chromebooks we tested, its screen was dim with a bluish tint.

The Lenovo 3i Chromebook (15″) provides even weaker performance because it has less RAM. The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i Chromebook (15″) is a better option at this price.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 512 (R853TA) and Chromebook Spin 511 (R753T) are both very similar to the Chromebook 712 but are comparatively expensive for their slow performance and terrible displays.

Many budget models—including the Acer Chromebook 317 (CB317-1H-C994) and the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go—rely on the Intel Celeron N4500 processor, which is too slow for even light use.

The Asus Chromebook Flip CM3 (CM3200FVA-DS42T) has a tempting price but an abysmally slow MediaTek processor.

Several different versions of the HP Chromebook x360 14b are available from various retailers. All of these models are similar to the x360 14—a now-discontinued model that we previously recommended—but Chrome Unboxed notes that they "sport lesser processors, not-so-premium displays and more budget-y build quality." We couldn't find any models with both a 1080p screen and a fast-enough processor.

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet is an inexpensive ChromeOS tablet that comes with a keyboard-and-kickstand cover. But I found the cramped keyboard impossible to adjust to—even as someone who adjusts to weird keyboards for a living. The processor was too slow for everyday work, as well, and the Duet lacks a headphone jack. Most people should spend a little more for our top Chromebook pick, the Flex 5i, unless you just really want a ChromeOS tablet.

Most Chromebooks with Intel's N-series Pentium or Celeron processors feel too slow even in light use—on these machines, we experienced delays with just a handful of tabs open. For the same reason, we don't recommend laptops with any ARM-based processors like those from MediaTek, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Rockchip, or Samsung. And we don't consider any model with less than 4 GB of RAM.

A laptop should last at least five years, so we don't recommend any Chromebooks with a support date that expires before 2026. This group includes formerly notable models such as the Acer Chromebook 11 C771T, the Asus Chromebook Flip C302 (C302CA-DH54), the Google Pixelbook, and the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2. Even if you find a good deal on one of these models used, they’ll stop receiving feature and security updates in less than five years, and at that point you’ll need to install ChromeOS Flex or upgrade your laptop.

This article was edited by Signe Brewster and Jason Chen.

Power testing, Git repositories on Chromium

Auto Update policy, Google Chrome Enterprise Help (Google Support)

Chromebook security, Chromebook Help (Google Support)

Use your Chromebook offline, Chromebook Help (Google Support)

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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