The best Chromebook you can buy in 2025

Whether you’re shopping for a budget-friendly laptop for school or a sleek machine for everyday productivity, the best Chromebooks can offer surprising functionality for the price. Chromebooks have come a long way from their early days as web-only devices. Now, many Chromebook models feature powerful processors, premium displays and even touchscreen support, making them a compelling alternative to a regular laptop for plenty of users.

There are more options than ever too, from lightweight clamshells to high-end, 2-in-1 designs that can easily replace your daily driver. Whether you’re after a new Chromebook for streaming, work or staying on top of emails, there’s likely a model that fits both your budget and your workflow. We’ve tested the top Chromebooks on the market to help you find the right one — whether you’re after maximum value or top-tier performance.

Best Chromebooks in 2025

Nathan Ingraham for Engadget

Acer has reliably produced some of my favorite Chromebooks for years now, and with the latest Chromebook Plus 514 model, they’re really hitting the sweet spot of price and performance. At only $350, it’s cheaper than my previous pick for the best Chromebook (Lenovo’s IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus) and improves on it in several ways.

The big spec improvements are a newer processor (Intel’s Core 3-N355 chip) and a spacious 512GB solid-state drive. It’s also lighter than Lenovo’s machine and has a pretty impressive array of ports, including two USB-A and an HDMI port in addition to the expected USB-C jacks. The 14-inch touchscreen is bright and clear and has the slightly taller 16:10 aspect ratio that you don’t often find in laptops at this price point – they’re usually stuck with narrower 1080p displays. One thing the Acer gives up in comparison to the Lenovo is a 360-degree hinge, but I’ve always found that to be a rather niche feature that isn’t a compelling selling point.

Design-wise, this is a utilitarian slab of a laptop, but it’s just thin (0.71 inches) and light (3.1 pounds) enough to feel compact and easy to travel with. The keyboard and trackpad, meanwhile, feel much better than I’d expect on a laptop at this price. The backlit keys are large and have satisfying travel, making it great to type away on for hours at a time. And the glass-covered trackpad is smooth and large; my only complaint is that it occasionally was activated by the side of my palm while typing.

The main downsides are that the speakers and webcam are pretty mediocre. Audio is tinny and lacks depth, while video calls showed a distinct lack of dynamic range in the camera. They’ll certainly do in a pinch, and they are expected corners to be cut on a fairly budget-priced laptop – but if you take a lot of video calls or want better onboard audio output, look elsewhere.

Battery life is about what I expected for an Intel-powered Chromebook. It lasted over eight hours while playing back a locally-stored video file, and I got a little under seven hours while going through my normal workday (lots of Chrome tabs, a handful of web and Android apps like Keep, Google Chat, YouTube Music, Lightroom and Todoist). That’s not exceptional, but unless you really need to be away from power for long periods on a regular basis it should be good enough (especially at this price).

As this Chromebook was just released this summer, Google is promising software and security updates until June of 2035. (If you’re still using this laptop 10 years from now, I applaud you.) Given the combo of performance and capability at this price point, Acer’s latest Chromebook Plus 514 is easy to recommend for anyone who wants a no-nonsense laptop. But if you’re the kind of person who plans to use their Chromebook all day, every day, you might want to consider our upgrade picks.

Pros

Relatively compact and light
Decent performance and battery life for the price
Large storage cap
Solid keyboard, trackpad and display

Cons

Tinny speakers
Mediocre webcam

$350 at Costco

Nathan Ingraham for Engadget

Acer’s brand-new Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is cut from a very similar cloth as the standard 514 we recommend, but under the hood there are some major upgrades. It’s one of the first Chromebooks to use MediaTek’s Kompanio Ultra 910 chip, rather than the standard Intel or AMD fare. This makes a major difference in how the Spin 514 performs. There are none of the occasional slowdown or hiccups that still happen on Intel-based models if you have too many windows or apps open. Tabs rarely need to reload and pop back up quickly on the rare occasion that they do. Music or video playback never skipped regardless of what else I was doing, and Android apps like Lightroom worked swiftly and smoothly.

Perhaps more importantly than how it feels now, the Spin 514 should feel snappy for years to come. There’s just more room for this chip to handle increasing performance demands over the years. Benchmarks from the Android version of Geekbench 6 help illustrate this: the Spin 514 scored 2,526 on the single-core CPU test, 7,687 on multi-core and 18,020 on the GPU test. For comparison, Acer’s recently-released Chromebook Plus 514 with an Intel Core 3 chip scored 1,150, 4,407 and 5,932 respectively. Obviously, benchmarks don’t tell the entire story, but it’s illustrative of how performant this chip is.

This goes for AI-related tasks, as well – the MediaTek chip includes the company’s NPU 890, which is rated at 50 TOPS (trillion operations per second). In practice, that means the various Gemini-powered AI tools in ChromeOS will run faster than they do on an Intel machine. If you’re keen to try these sorts of features, the Spin 514 is a good option.

Beyond the MediaTek chip, you’ll find 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage; I’m surprised that it has less storage than a laptop that costs half as much, but 256GB is generally plenty for ChromeOS since it relies primarily on the cloud. The keyboard, trackpad and touchscreen display are all excellent, and battery life is exceptional. I got more than 14 hours of video playback from the Spin 514, and hit over nine hours of use if I wasn’t pushing things too hard.

The speakers are also a step up over the ones in the standard Chromebook Plus 514; while they’re not the best laptop speakers I’ve ever heard, they have a significantly fuller tone that’s less tinny. Unfortunately, I can’t judge the webcam at this point as the model I reviewed didn’t have the final webcam hardware in place. Mine has a standard 1080p camera, but the final model selling in Best Buy steps up to a 5-megapixel webcam. That should offer significantly better video call quality, but without testing it I can’t say how it looks in practice. That said, the 1080p webcam on the computer I tested had solid color balance and was plenty sharp for my uses.

The model I tested is selling at Best Buy for $700, a high price that feels fair given the quality of this computer. Acer also plans to sell the Chromebook Plus Spin 514 directly from its site with 16GB of RAM and a high-res, 2,880 x 1,800 screen for $750. That’s a nice screen for that price, but I wager most people will be happy with this model. And while this computer just came out, we’ll be keeping an eye on Best Buy to see if it gets any price reductions in the coming months, because then it’ll be even easier to recommend.

Pros

Great battery life
Excellent performance
Solid keyboard, trackpad and display
Reasonably thin and light for the price

Cons

Expensive
I wish there were USB-C ports on both sides
Speakers and webcam are just okay

$699 at Best Buy

Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Acer first introduced the Chromebook 516 GE in the fall of 2022 as part of Google’s push to make devices suitable for cloud gaming and updated it in 2024 with Intel’s Core 5 120U chip. The good news is that you don’t need to be a gamer to appreciate the Chromebook Plus 516 GE. For $650, you’ll get a 16-inch display with a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. NVIDIA’s GeForce Now gaming service supports up to 4K visuals at 120Hz on its Ultimate tier so you’ll get to see those benefits. This laptop also supports Steam, yet another reason gamers might be interested in trying it. But even non-gamers should enjoy the Plus 516 GE’s crisp and clear screen and refined hardware.

It also includes Intel’s Core 5 120U chip, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Given the laptop’s size, it’s good that Acer didn’t skimp on 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 can customize, but more importantly, it’s just a solid and comfortable keyboard for playing games or just typing up reports. The trackpad is large and responsive as well.

The 516 GE weighs 3.8 pounds – pretty light for a laptop with a 16-inch screen. We haven’t tested the 2024 model yet, so I can’t confirm the battery life; Acer claims 10 hours, a figure that’ll surely dip if you’re doing more than watching videos or casual web browsing. Between the powerful hardware, solid design, good trackpad and keyboard and great screen, anyone who wants a bigger Chromebook will likely be happy with this model.

As for support, Google says the Plus 516 GE will receive updates until June of 2032. That shorter support timeline is my main concern about this laptop at this point — I’m keeping my eye out to see if Acer updates this model soon or if there’s another newer pick with a longer support window.

Pros

Large, high-resolution screen with a fast refresh rate
Plenty of ports
Core 5 chip provides plenty of power
Large and spacious keyboard
Relatively lightweight for a big-screen laptop

Cons

Not everyone will appreciate the gamer aesthetic

$649 at Best Buy

Nathan Ingraham for Engadget

Acer’s Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is an excellent laptop – but if I was going to pick one Chromebook to make my primary computer, it would be Lenovo’s Chromebook Plus 14. To me, it feels like the update to Google’s own Pixelbook Go that we never got. That means it’s thin (0.62 inches), light (2.75 pounds) and solidly built without being terribly flashy. But it feels far more interesting than the generic laptop vibes I can’t help but get from Acer; smaller bezels around the display and the ridged, textured underside of the laptop make it feel more premium and unique.

The OLED touchscreen is a standout. While it’s the same resolution as the Spin 514, it’s noticeably brighter and colors are more vivid without feeling blown out. I’d be happy to see it in a higher resolution, but I think it strikes a good balance between sharpness and overall quality without going to 4K where battery life might be affected.

I also love the keyboard and trackpad, both of which just feel slightly nicer than those on the Acer. The keys don’t have quite as much travel, but they feel more solid and slightly less wobbly. It might be a matter of personal preference at this point as both keyboards are very good, but I feel like I can type faster and more accurately on the Lenovo. The trackpad is also less prone to accidental input from my palm when I’m typing. There’s a fingerprint reader below the keyboard for biometric authentication too, which is another nice luxury to have. The trackpad is smooth and quite large, almost as big as the one on my MacBook Pro.

Other details like the webcam and speakers are well executed here, as well. The 5-megapixel camera is my favorite out of the various Chromebooks I’ve tested, with accurate color reproduction and a sharp picture overall. The speakers are also the best I’ve tested in this latest roundup, with impressive music playback despite the laptop’s thin size. Lenovo says these speakers support Dolby Atmos, and music had more depth and detail when playing Atmos tracks from Apple Music. But even without playing Atmos content, the Lenovo’s speakers simply sounded very good.

As for performance, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 runs the same MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 chip as Acer’s Chromebook Plus Spin 514, so all the good things I had to say about it apply here as well. It’s extremely responsive in day to day use and should perform well for years to come; AI performance using various Gemini tools was also quite snappy. And the Lenovo’s battery life is the best of any Chromebook I’ve tested, lasting over 14 hours in our video playback test and about 10 hours of standard usage during my typical workday.

Overall, the Lenovo’s Chromebook Plus 14 and Acer’s Chromebook Plus Spin 14 are very similar and you can’t go wrong with either if you are looking for a high-quality laptop that’ll work well now and into the future. I value the Lenovo’s OLED screen, keyboard and better speakers over the Spin’s 360-degree hinge, but your mileage may vary. For me, though, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 is the best Chromebook you can buy.

Pros

Great battery life
Excellent performance
OLED display is sharp and vivid
My favorite keyboard on a Chromebook
Premium design is thin, light and classy

Cons

Expensive
Small number of ports

$749 at Best Buy

Best Chromebooks FAQs

What is Chrome OS, and why would I use it over Windows?

This is probably the number one question about Chromebooks. There are plenty of inexpensive Windows laptops on the market, so why bother with Chrome’s operating system? Glad you asked. For me, the simple and clean nature of Chrome OS is a big selling point. Chrome OS is based on Google’s Chrome browser, which means most of the programs you can run are web based. There’s no bloatware or unwanted apps to uninstall like you often get on Windows laptops, it boots up in seconds, and you can completely reset to factory settings almost as quickly.

Of course, simplicity will also be a major drawback for some users. Not being able to install native software can be a dealbreaker if you’re a video editor or software developer. But there are also plenty of people who do the majority of their work in a web browser, using tools like Google Docs and spreadsheets for productivity without needing a full Windows setup.

Google and its software partners are getting better every year at supporting more advanced features. For example, Google added video editing tools to the Google Photos app on Chromebooks – it won’t replace Adobe Premiere, but it should be handy for a lot of people. Similarly, Google and Adobe announced Photoshop on the web in 2023, something that brings much of the power of Adobe’s desktop apps to Chromebooks.

Chromebooks can also run Android apps, which greatly expands the amount of software available. The quality varies widely, but it means you can do more with a Chromebook beyond just web-based apps. For example, you can install the Netflix app and save videos for offline watching. Other Android apps like Microsoft Office and Adobe Lightroom are surprisingly capable as well. Between Android apps and a general improvement in web apps, Chromebooks are more than just portals to a browser.

What do Chromebooks do well?

Put simply, web browsing and really anything web based. Online shopping, streaming music and video and using various social media sites are among the most common daily tasks people do on Chromebooks. As you might expect, they also work well with Google services like Photos, Docs, Gmail, Drive, Keep and so on. Yes, any computer that can run Chrome can do that too, but the lightweight nature of Google Chrome OS makes it a responsive and stable platform.

As I mentioned before, Chrome OS can run Android apps, so if you’re an Android user you’ll find some nice ties between the platforms. You can get most of the same apps that are on your phone on a Chromebook and keep info in sync between them. You can also use some Android phones as a security key for your Chromebook or instantly tether your 2-in-1 laptop to use mobile data.

Google continues to tout security as a major differentiator for Chromebooks, and it’s definitely a factor worth considering. Auto-updates are the first lines of defense: Chrome OS updates download quickly in the background and a fast reboot is all it takes to install the latest version. Google says that each webpage and app on a Chromebook runs in its own sandbox as well, so any security threats are contained to that individual app. Finally, Chrome OS has a self-check called Verified Boot that runs every time a device starts up. Beyond all this, the simple fact that you generally can’t install traditional apps on a Chromebook means there are fewer ways for bad actors to access the system.

If you’re interested in Google’s Gemini AI tools, a Chromebook is a good option as well. Every Chromebook in our top picks comes with a full year of Google’s AI Pro plan — this combines the usual Google One perks like 2TB of storage and 10 percent back in purchases from the Google Store with a bunch of AI tools. You’ll get access to Gemini in Chrome, Gmail, Google Docs and other apps, Gemini 2.5 Pro in the Gemini app and more. Given that this plan is $20/month, it’s a pretty solid perk. Chromebook Plus models also include tools like the AI-powered “help me write,” the Google Photos Magic Editor and generative AI backgrounds you can create by filling in a few prompts.

As for when to avoid Chromebooks, the answer is simple: If you rely heavily on a specific native application for Windows or a Mac, chances are you won’t find the exact same option on a ChromeOS device. That’s most true in fields like photo and video editing, but it can also be the case in law or finance. Plenty of businesses run on Google’s G suite software, but more still have specific requirements that a Chromebook might not match. If you’re an iPhone user, you’ll also miss out on the way the iPhone easily integrates with an iPad or Mac. For me, the big downside is not being able to access iMessage on a Chromebook.

Finally, gaming Chromebooks are not ubiquitous, although they’re becoming a slightly more reasonable option with the rise of cloud gaming. In late 2022, Google and some hardware partners announced a push to make Chromebooks with cloud gaming in mind. From a hardware perspective, that means laptops with bigger screens that have higher refresh rates as well as optimizing those laptops to work with services like NVIDIA GeForce Now, Xbox Game Pass and Amazon Luna. You’ll obviously need an internet connection to use these services, but the good news is that playing modern games on a Chromebook isn’t impossible. You can also install Android games from the Google Play Store, but that’s not what most people are thinking of when they want to game on a laptop.

What are the most important specs for a Chromebook?

Chrome OS is lightweight and runs well on fairly modest hardware, so the most important thing to look for might not be processor power or storage space. But Google made it easier to get consistent specs and performance late last year when it introduced the Chromebook Plus initiative. Any device with a Chromebook Plus designation meets some minimum requirements, which happen to be very similar to what I’d recommend most people get if they’re looking for the best laptop they can use every day.

Chromebook Plus models have at least a 12th-gen Intel Core i3 processor, or an AMD Ryzen 3 7000 series processor, both of which should be more than enough for most people. These laptops also have a minimum of 8GB of RAM and 128GB of SSD storage, which should do the trick unless you’re really pushing your Chromebook. All Chromebook Plus models have to have a 1080p webcam, which is nice in these days of constant video calling, and they also all have to have at least a 1080p FHD IPS screen.

Of course, you can get higher specs or better screens if you desire, but I’ve found that basically everything included in the Chromebook Plus target specs makes for a very good experience.

Google has an Auto Update policy for Chromebooks as well, and while that’s not exactly a spec, it’s worth checking before you buy. Last year, Google announced that Chromebooks would get software updates and support for an impressive 10 years after their release date. This support page lists the Auto Update expiration date for virtually every Chromebook ever, but a good rule of thumb is to buy the newest machine you can to maximize your support.

How much should I spend on a Chromebook?

Chromebooks started out notoriously cheap, with list prices often coming in under $300. But as they’ve gone more mainstream, they’ve transitioned from being essentially modern netbooks to some of the best laptops you’ll want to use all day. As such, prices have increased: At this point, you should expect to spend at least $400 if you want a solid daily driver. There are still many Chromebooks out there available at a low price that may be suitable as secondary devices, but a good Chromebook that can be an all-day, every-day laptop will cost more. But, notably, even the best Chromebooks usually cost less than the best Windows laptops, or even the best “regular” laptops out there.

There are a handful of premium Chromebooks that approach or even exceed $1,000 that claim to offer better performance and more processing power, but I don’t recommend spending that much. Generally, that’ll get you a better design with more premium materials, as well as more powerful internals and extra storage space, like a higher-capacity SSD. Of course, you also sometimes pay for the brand name. But, the specs I outlined earlier are usually enough, and there are multiple good premium Chromebooks in the $700 to $800 range at this point.

See Also:

Other Chromebooks we tested

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus

This was our pick for best overall Chromebook for years, and it’s still one of the better options you can find for a basic laptop that doesn’t break the bank. It’s a few years older than our current top pick, so its processor isn’t fresh and it only has 128GB of storage. It also won’t get updates from Google as long as newer models. But it still combines a nice screen and keyboard with solid performance. This laptop typically costs $500, which feels high given its a few years old and Acer’s Chromebook Plus 514 is only $350, but if you can find it on sale and can’t find the Acer it’s worth a look.

ASUS CX15

This Chromebook is extremely affordable – you can currently pick it up for only $159 at Walmart. That price and its large 15.6-inch screen is mainly what it has going for it, as the Intel Celeron N4500 chip and 4GB of RAM powering it does not provide good performance if you’re doing anything more than browsing with a few tabs open. If you’re shopping for someone with extremely basic needs and have a small budget, the CX15 might fit the bill. But just be aware that you get what you pay for.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus

Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook Plus, released in late 2024, is one of the more unique Chromebooks out there. It’s extremely thin and light, at 0.46 inches and 2.6 pounds, but it manages to include a 15.6-inch display in that frame. That screen is a 1080p panel that’s sharp and bright, but its 16:9 aspect ratio made things feel a bit cramped when scrolling vertically. Performance is very good, and the keyboard is solid, though I’m not a fan of the number pad as it shifts everything to the left. At $700 it’s not cheap, but that feels fair considering its size and capabilities. If you’re looking for a big screen laptop that is also super light, this Chromebook merits consideration, even if it’s not the best option for everyone.

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