The Best Chromebook You Can Buy In 2025

1 day ago

Whether you’re shopping for a budget-friendly laptop for schoolhouse aliases a sleek instrumentality for mundane productivity, nan champion Chromebooks tin connection astonishing functionality for nan price. Chromebooks person travel a agelong measurement from their early days arsenic web-only devices. Now, galore Chromebook models characteristic powerful processors, premium displays and moreover touchscreen support, making them a compelling replacement to a regular laptop for plentifulness of users.

There are much options than ever too, from lightweight clamshells to high-end, 2-in-1 designs that tin easy switch your regular driver. Whether you're aft a caller Chromebook for streaming, activity aliases staying connected apical of emails, there’s apt a exemplary that fits some your fund and your workflow. We’ve tested nan apical Chromebooks connected nan marketplace to thief you find nan correct 1 — whether you’re aft maximum worth aliases top-tier performance.

Editor’s statement (7/16/25): While I still urge everything successful this guide, there’s 1 very intriguing caller Chromebook I’m successful nan process of testing. Lenovo, who makes our prime for champion wide Chromebook, conscionable released a caller premium model. The Chromebook Plus 14 starts astatine $649 and is nan 1 of nan first to usage nan ARM-based MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 chip. Most different performance-focused Chromebooks tally connected Intel aliases AMD chips, but truthful acold nan Kompanio Ultra has been much than up to what I’ve thrown astatine it. And nan different use is artillery life — Lenovo promises up to 17 hours. I haven’t afloat tested this yet, but from what I’ve seen nan ARM spot is unsurprisingly overmuch much businesslike than nan Intel ones I usage connected astir different Chromebooks. I’m hopeful that this laptop will past for 10 hours of existent use, not conscionable playing backmost video aliases immoderate different low-power task.

Design-wise, it has much successful communal pinch Google’s aged Pixelbook Go aliases moreover a MacBook Air than astir different Chromebooks. It's pleasantly bladed (.63 inches) and ray (2.58 pounds). It besides features a 14-inch OLED display, 256GB of retention and 16GB of RAM. The exemplary I’m testing costs $749, but there’s besides a $649 configuration pinch 12GB of RAM, 128GB of retention and nary touchscreen — but it uses nan aforesaid chip, still has an OLED surface and should get likewise agelong artillery life. The comparatively precocious value makes maine hesitate connected calling this nan champion Chromebook for everyone, but it’ll almost surely beryllium nan Chromebook to bargain if you attraction astir artillery life. I’ll update this guideline again erstwhile I decorativeness my testing.

Best Chromebooks successful 2025
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus
Acer Chromebook Plus 514
Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714
Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE
Best Chromebooks FAQs
Other Chromebooks we tested

Best Chromebooks successful 2025

Screen size: 14 inches | Screen resolution: 1,920 x 1,200 | Installed memory: 8GB | Weight: 3.52 lbs | Available ports: 1 x USB-A 3.2, 2 x USB-C 3.2, MicroSD paper slot (SD 3.0), Headphone jack, Kensington Naon information slot | Drive capacity: 128GB | Battery life: 6 hours arsenic tested

Lenovo has been making immoderate of nan champion affordable Chromebooks you tin bargain for respective years now, and its 2023 IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus is still an affordable action that provides conscionable astir everything you could want successful a basal Chromebook. (We’re calling it nan Flex 5i from here.) The 14-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 touchscreen is some larger and taller than past year’s model. This intends you get much vertical surface existent estate, which is thing I admit complete a modular 1080p display. This Lenovo exemplary hits nan Chromebook Plus recommended specs pinch a 13th-generation Intel Core i3 processor positive 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. That’s a bump up from nan 11th-generation processor successful nan 2022 model, and nan RAM and retention should beryllium plenty, truthful you’ll get bully capacity from this machine.

Unfortunately, nan artillery life is reasonably mediocre — I sewage astir six hours of regular usage retired of it. My workflow includes a ton of Chrome tabs, positive web apps for things for illustration Slack, Todoist, Trello, Google Keep and YouTube Music. I usually return a fewer video calls during nan day, truthful if you’re not connected camera overmuch you mightiness get a spot much clip from nan laptop. I wish it lasted longer, but I can’t sound it excessively overmuch considering nan Flex 5i’s price.

The backlit keyboard and trackpad are very bully and consciousness overmuch amended than I’d expect connected a reasonably affordable machine. The keys person bully recreation and nan trackpad is ample and responsive. Despite nan truth that it has a 1080p webcam, I can’t opportunity that I looked each that awesome successful nan video calls I took. It does nan job, but not overmuch more.

Other things successful nan Flex 5i’s favour see some USB-C and USB-A ports, a microSD paper slot and a information lock. It besides comes pinch built-in Wi-Fi 6E to meet nan latest Wi-Fi standard. At 3.5 pounds and 0.78 inches thick, it’s decidedly not nan lightest aliases slimmest action retired there. It’s a utilitarian slab of a laptop, but that’s OK. Finally, nan Flex 5i will person package and information updates until June of 2032, truthful you tin bargain this machine and person it covered for years to come.

For me, nan $500 Ideapad Flex 5i is nan perfect Chromebook, and nan bully news is that it’s regularly connected waste for rather a spot less. I’ve seen it arsenic debased arsenic $350 successful caller months. It’ll deed nan saccharine spot for a batch of buyers retired there, providing a level of value and capacity that’s beautiful uncommon to find astatine this value point. That said, it’s getting agelong successful nan bony compared to nan remainder of our picks, truthful I’m keeping an oculus retired for an update from Lenovo aliases a replacement from different manufacturer.

Pros

Good wide capacity for nan price
Nice display
Solid keyboard and trackpad

Cons

Mediocre artillery life
A twelvemonth older than our different picks

$460 astatine Amazon

When Google first introduced nan Chromebook Plus statement almost a twelvemonth ago, models pinch that nickname started astatine $400 — but since, things person gotten little expensive. Acer’s just-released Chromebook Plus 514 hits each nan cardinal specs, including a 13th-gen Intel Core i3-N305 processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of retention and a 1080p show and webcam. None of this is thing to constitute location about, but you’re getting a batch of worth for a laptop priced astatine $380. It besides includes nan aforementioned AI features and a year’s worthy of nan $20/month Google One AI Premium plan, which includes a generous 2TB of unreality retention for your photos, Drive and Gmail files.

Design-wise, nan Plus 514 is beautiful basic, but it gets nan occupation done; it’s your modular laptop pinch a 14-inch display. It’s neither overly bladed (.81 inches) aliases ray (3.15 pounds), but these specs are wholly reasonable for a sub-$400 laptop. (It’s really ever-so-slightly lighter than nan much premium Spin 714.) Same goes for nan surface — it’s a touchscreen, and its 1,920 x 1,080 solution is fine, but I do miss nan other vertical pixels you’ll get pinch our different picks successful this guide. The show is different good, and nan keyboard and trackpad are likewise much than bully capable for a laptop astatine this price.

Overall, nan Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is simply a coagulated action if costs is your main interest — but it’s besides worthy noting that nan Lenovo exemplary we picked arsenic nan champion wide Chromebook is often connected sale, sometimes for nether $400 arsenic well. In that case, nan value quality betwixt nan 2 laptops is adjacent capable that it’s worthy springing for nan amended show you’ll get pinch nan Lenovo. But I’ve besides seen nan Plus 514 trading for arsenic small arsenic $330, which is simply a awesome woody for a tin Chromebook.

Pros

Inexpensive
Performance, specs and built value are each bully for this price
Solid show and webcam

Cons

1080p show sometimes feels cramped

$275 astatine Amazon

Acer’s Chromebook Spin 714 has agelong been 1 of nan champion premium Chromebook options retired there, and nan latest exemplary released this outpouring is nary exception. The Chromebook Plus Spin 714 features a 14-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 touchscreen. Like nan surface connected Lenovo’s model, this useful retired to a taller 16:10 facet ratio than you’ll get from nan 1080p panels connected astir laptops. I’m a large instrumentality of taller laptop screens, and while this isn’t arsenic luxurious arsenic nan fewer 3:2 ratio Chromebooks connected nan market, it’s still a comfortable and precocious value screen. It’s besides a small spot brighter than nan surface connected nan Lenovo (340 nits vs. 300).

One noteworthy characteristic is nan 2K webcam included successful nan Spin 714. In a world wherever we’re each doing much video calls than we’d like, having a camera that doesn’t trim you to a blurry spot is decidedly appreciated. It’s a acold amended camera than nan 1 connected our apical pick, too.

As for nan remainder of nan hardware, nan Spin 714 bests nan Lenovo successful a fewer ways. It features Intel’s latest Core Ultra 5 115U processor, on pinch 8GB of RAM and 256GB of section storage. It besides has amended artillery life successful my testing — I typically sewage astir 8 hours utilizing it nether my normal workload. That’s not exceptional, but it’s successful statement pinch what I’ve seen connected different Intel-powered Chromebooks.

Just arsenic nan sanction suggests, nan Spin 714 has a 360-degree hinge which lets you usage nan laptop successful tablet mode. I’m not a instrumentality of this convertible creation – I don’t cognize who wants to usage a 3-plus lb tablet, but it’s location if you request it. That said, for a $700 laptop, it’s comparatively bladed (.7 inches) and ray (3.2 pounds), truthful for portability purposes, it’s difficult to complain. But Acer has been utilizing this aforesaid basal creation for a fewer generations now, truthful I’m starting to deliberation they could redesign nan chassis for nan adjacent model.

The latest Spin 714 costs $700 – not an unreasonable value for a machine pinch these specs and built quality. If you’re a superior multitasker, want a amended show and keyboard, aliases conscionable want a machine that’ll past arsenic agelong arsenic imaginable (Google says it’ll person package updates done June of 2034), nan Acer Spin 714 is easy to recommend.

Pros

Great screen
Clear webcam
Plenty of powerfulness and retention space
Comfortable keyboard and trackpad

Cons

A small pricey
Mediocre artillery life

$599 astatine Best Buy

Acer first introduced nan Chromebook 516 GE successful nan autumn of 2022 arsenic portion of Google’s push to make devices suitable for unreality gaming and conscionable updated it for 2024. The bully news is that you don’t request to beryllium a gamer to admit nan Chromebook Plus 516 GE. For $650, you’ll get a 16-inch show pinch a 2,560 x 1,600 solution and a 120Hz refresh rate. NVIDIA’s GeForce Now gaming work supports up to 4K visuals astatine 120Hz connected its Ultimate tier truthful you’ll get to spot those benefits. This laptop besides supports Steam, yet different logic gamers mightiness beryllium willing successful trying it. But moreover non-gamers should bask nan Plus 516 GE’s crisp and clear surface and refined hardware.

It besides includes Intel’s Core 5 120UL chip, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Given nan laptop’s size, it’s bully that Acer didn’t skimp connected ports here: there’s an HDMI port, USB-C, USB-A, ethernet and a headphone jack. The keyboard has gamer-friendly LED lights that you tin customize, but much importantly, it’s conscionable a coagulated and comfortable keyboard for playing games aliases conscionable typing up reports. The trackpad is ample and responsive arsenic well.

The 516 GE weighs 3.8 pounds – beautiful ray for a laptop pinch a 16-inch screen. We haven’t tested nan 2024 exemplary yet, truthful I can’t corroborate nan artillery life; Acer claims 10 hours, a fig that’ll surely dip if you’re doing much than watching videos aliases casual web browsing. Between nan powerful hardware, coagulated design, bully trackpad and keyboard and awesome screen, anyone who wants a bigger Chromebook will apt beryllium happy pinch this model. As for support, Google says nan Plus 516 GE will person updates until June of 2032.

Pros

Large, high-resolution surface pinch a accelerated refresh rate
Plenty of ports
Core 5 spot provides plentifulness of power
Large and freely keyboard
Relatively lightweight for a big-screen laptop

Cons

Not everyone will admit nan gamer aesthetic

$649 astatine Best Buy

Best Chromebooks FAQs

What is Chrome OS, and why would I usage it complete Windows?

This is astir apt nan number 1 mobility astir Chromebooks. There are plentifulness of inexpensive Windows laptops connected nan market, truthful why fuss pinch Chrome's operating system? Glad you asked. For me, nan elemental and cleanable quality of Chrome OS is simply a large trading point. Chrome OS is based connected Google’s Chrome browser, which intends astir of nan programs you tin tally are web based. There’s nary bloatware aliases unwanted apps to uninstall for illustration you often get connected Windows laptops, it boots up successful seconds, and you tin wholly reset to mill settings almost arsenic quickly.

Of course, simplicity will besides beryllium a awesome drawback for immoderate users. Not being capable to instal autochthonal package tin beryllium a dealbreaker if you’re a video editor aliases package developer. But location are besides plentifulness of group who do nan mostly of their activity successful a web browser, utilizing devices for illustration Google Docs and spreadsheets for productivity without needing a afloat Windows setup.

Google and its package partners are getting amended each twelvemonth astatine supporting much precocious features. For example, Google added video editing devices to nan Google Photos app connected Chromebooks – it won’t switch Adobe Premiere, but it should beryllium useful for a batch of people. Similarly, Google and Adobe announced Photoshop connected nan web successful 2023, thing that brings overmuch of nan powerfulness of Adobe’s desktop apps to Chromebooks.

Chromebooks tin besides tally Android apps, which greatly expands nan magnitude of package available. The value varies widely, but it intends you tin do much pinch a Chromebook beyond conscionable web-based apps. For example, you tin instal nan Netflix app and prevention videos for offline watching. Other Android apps for illustration Microsoft Office and Adobe Lightroom are amazingly tin arsenic well. Between Android apps and a wide betterment successful web apps, Chromebooks are much than conscionable portals to a browser.

What do Chromebooks do well?

Put simply, web browsing and really thing web based. Online shopping, streaming euphony and video and utilizing various societal media sites are among nan astir communal regular tasks group do connected Chromebooks. As you mightiness expect, they besides activity good pinch Google services for illustration Photos, Docs, Gmail, Drive, Keep and truthful on. Yes, immoderate machine that tin tally Chrome tin do that too, but nan lightweight quality of Google Chrome OS makes it a responsive and unchangeable platform.

As I mentioned before, Chrome OS tin tally Android apps, truthful if you’re an Android personification you’ll find immoderate bully ties betwixt nan platforms. You tin get astir of nan aforesaid apps that are connected your telephone connected a Chromebook and support info successful sync betwixt them. You tin besides usage immoderate Android phones arsenic a information cardinal for your Chromebook aliases instantly tether your 2-in-1 laptop to usage mobile data.

Google continues to tout information arsenic a awesome differentiator for Chromebooks, and it’s decidedly a facet worthy considering. Auto-updates are nan first lines of defense: Chrome OS updates download quickly successful nan inheritance and a accelerated reboot is each it takes to instal nan latest version. Google says that each webpage and app connected a Chromebook runs successful its ain sandbox arsenic well, truthful immoderate information threats are contained to that individual app. Finally, Chrome OS has a self-check called Verified Boot that runs each clip a instrumentality starts up. Beyond each this, nan elemental truth that you mostly can’t instal accepted apps connected a Chromebook intends location are less ways for bad actors to entree nan system.

If you’re willing successful Google’s Gemini AI tools, a Chromebook is simply a bully action arsenic well. Every Chromebook successful our apical picks comes pinch a afloat twelvemonth of Google’s AI Pro plan — this combines nan accustomed Google One perks for illustration 2TB of retention and 10 percent backmost successful purchases from nan Google Store pinch a bunch of AI tools. You’ll get entree to Gemini successful Chrome, Gmail, Google Docs and different apps, Gemini 2.5 Pro successful nan Gemini app and more. Given that this scheme is $20/month, it’s a beautiful coagulated perk. Chromebook Plus models besides see devices for illustration nan AI-powered “help maine write,” nan Google Photos Magic Editor and generative AI backgrounds you tin create by filling successful a fewer prompts.

As for erstwhile to debar Chromebooks, nan reply is simple: If you trust heavy connected a circumstantial autochthonal exertion for Windows aliases a Mac, chances are you won’t find nan nonstop aforesaid action connected a ChromeOS device. That’s astir existent successful fields for illustration photograph and video editing, but it tin besides beryllium nan lawsuit successful rule aliases finance. Plenty of businesses tally connected Google’s G suite software, but much still person circumstantial requirements that a Chromebook mightiness not match. If you’re an iPhone user, you’ll besides miss retired connected nan measurement nan iPhone easy integrates pinch an iPad aliases Mac. For me, nan large downside is not being capable to entree iMessage connected a Chromebook.

Finally, gaming Chromebooks are not ubiquitous, though they’re becoming a somewhat much reasonable action pinch nan emergence of unreality gaming. In precocious 2022, Google and immoderate hardware partners announced a push to make Chromebooks pinch unreality gaming successful mind. From a hardware perspective, that intends laptops pinch bigger screens that person higher refresh rates arsenic good arsenic optimizing those laptops to activity pinch services for illustration NVIDIA GeForce Now, Xbox Game Pass and Amazon Luna. You’ll evidently request an net relationship to usage these services, but nan bully news is that playing modern games connected a Chromebook isn’t impossible. You tin besides instal Android games from nan Google Play Store, but that’s not what astir group are reasoning of erstwhile they want to crippled connected a laptop.

What are nan astir important specs for a Chromebook?

Chrome OS is lightweight and runs good connected reasonably humble hardware, truthful nan astir important point to look for mightiness not beryllium processor powerfulness aliases retention space. But Google made it easier to get accordant specs and capacity precocious past twelvemonth erstwhile it introduced nan Chromebook Plus initiative. Any instrumentality pinch a Chromebook Plus nickname meets immoderate minimum requirements, which hap to beryllium very akin to what I’d urge astir group get if they’re looking for nan champion laptop they tin usage each day.

Chromebook Plus models person astatine slightest a 12th-gen Intel Core i3 processor, aliases an AMD Ryzen 3 7000 bid processor, some of which should beryllium much than capable for astir people. These laptops besides person a minimum of 8GB of RAM and 128GB of SSD storage, which should do nan instrumentality unless you’re really pushing your Chromebook. All Chromebook Plus models person to person a 1080p webcam, which is bully successful these days of changeless video calling, and they besides each person to person astatine slightest a 1080p FHD IPS screen.

Of course, you tin get higher specs aliases amended screens if you desire, but I’ve recovered that fundamentally everything included successful nan Chromebook Plus target specs makes for a very bully experience.

Google has an Auto Update argumentation for Chromebooks arsenic well, and while that’s not precisely a spec, it’s worthy checking earlier you buy. Last year, Google announced that Chromebooks would get package updates and support for an awesome 10 years aft their merchandise date. This support page lists nan Auto Update expiration day for virtually each Chromebook ever, but a bully norm of thumb is to bargain nan newest instrumentality you tin to maximize your support.

How overmuch should I walk connected a Chromebook?

Chromebooks started retired notoriously cheap, pinch database prices often coming successful nether $300. But arsenic they’ve gone much mainstream, they’ve transitioned from being fundamentally modern netbooks to immoderate of nan champion laptops you’ll want to usage each day. As such, prices person increased: At this point, you should expect to walk astatine slightest $400 if you want a coagulated regular driver. There are still galore Chromebooks retired location disposable astatine a debased value that whitethorn beryllium suitable arsenic secondary devices, but a bully Chromebook that tin beryllium an all-day, every-day laptop will costs more. But, notably, moreover nan champion Chromebooks usually costs little than nan champion Windows laptops, aliases moreover nan champion “regular” laptops retired there.

There are a fistful of premium Chromebooks that attack aliases moreover transcend $1,000 that declare to connection amended capacity and much processing power, but I don’t urge spending that much. Generally, that’ll get you a amended creation pinch much premium materials, arsenic good arsenic much powerful internals and other retention space, for illustration a higher-capacity SSD. Of course, you besides sometimes salary for nan marque name. But, nan specs I outlined earlier are usually enough, and location are aggregate bully premium Chromebooks successful nan $700 to $800 scope astatine this point.

See Also:

Best Laptops for 2025
Best Gaming Laptops
Best 2-in-1 Laptops for 2025
Best Cheap Windows Laptops
Best Laptops for College Students

Other Chromebooks we tested

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus

Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook Plus, released successful precocious 2024, is 1 of nan much unsocial Chromebooks retired there. It’s highly bladed and light, astatine 0.46 inches and 2.6 pounds, but it manages to see a 15.6-inch show successful that frame. That surface is simply a 1080p sheet that’s crisp and bright, but its 16:9 facet ratio made things consciousness a spot cramped erstwhile scrolling vertically. Performance is very good, and nan keyboard is solid, though I’m not a instrumentality of nan number pad arsenic it shifts everything to nan left. At $700 it’s not cheap, but that feels adjacent considering its size and capabilities. If you’re looking for a large surface laptop that is besides ace light, this Chromebook merits consideration, moreover if it’s not nan champion action for everyone.