As the laptop market has grown over the last few years, Chromebooks have too often been shoved into a niche as a cheaper device that isn’t quite a full featured laptop but gives you a little more juice than a tablet. Well, guess what? Chromebooks have outgrown that label and it’s time to give them some real consideration as a primary laptop.
Here’s what is still true about Chromebooks. In general, they run smaller and lighter than your standard laptop. They run on Chrome OS, as opposed to MacOS or Windows. And they rely on connectivity a bit more than your average machine, with smaller hard drives that get supplemented with cloud storage.
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BEST CHROME OS EXPERIENCE
Google Pixelbook
The best-looking one of the bunch, the Pixelbook is an understandably pricey premium Chromebook that’s genuinely fun to use.
- CPU: 7th Gen Intel Core processor
- RAM: 8GB-16GB
- Storage: 256GB-512GB
- Battery life: Up to 10 hours
- Screen: 12.3-inch
- Display: 2400 x 1600 FHD
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BEST FOR TRAVELING
Asus Chromebook Flip
A well-reviewed 2-in-1 with better specs than others at its price point, yet still small enough for any and every excursion.
- CPU: 10th Gen Intel Core i3 Processor
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 64GB
- Battery life: Up to 12 hours
- Screen: 14-inch
- Display: 1920×1080
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BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
HP Chromebook 13
A high performance, sophisticated-as-hell Chromebook from HP that gives expensive traditional laptops a run for their money.
- CPU: Intel Core m5
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 32GB
- Battery life: Up to 8 hours
- Screen: 13-inch
- Display: 3200 x 1800
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BUDGET PICK
Acer Chromebook 14
A huge FHD screen and 12 hours of battery, packed into a full metal body that’s built to last — all for significantly less than competitors.
- CPU: Intel Celeron N3160
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 32GB
- Battery life: Up to 12 hours
- Screen: 14-inch
- Display: 1,920 x 1,080
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BEST FOR ANDROID LOYALISTS
Samsung Chromebook Pro
A laptop that converts to a tablet and gives you the Android experience on a bigger screen, this convertible device is great for anyone who loves the Google Play Store.
- CPU: Intel Core m3-6Y30
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 32GB
- Battery life: Up to 9 hours
- Screen: 12.3 inches
- Display: 2400×1600
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GREAT FOR KIDS
Dell Chromebook 11
A little light on power and size, the Dell Chromebook 11 is made for students and folks who go light on laptop use.
- CPU: Intel Celeron N3060
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 16GB
- Battery life: Up to 10 hours
- Screen: 11.6 inches
- Display: 1366×768
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BEST FOR THE SECURITY-MINDED
HP Chromebook x360 14c
A fingerprint reader and webcam security switch makes the HP x360 14c among the safest and most secure Chromebooks on the market
- CPU: Intel Core i3
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 64GB
- Battery life: Up to 12 hours
- Screen: 14 inches
- Display: 1920×1080