The 5 Best Chromebooks - Fall 2023 Reviews

The best Chromebook we've tested is the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2022), a 2-in-1 convertible. It has a sturdy build, a thin and light design, and a battery that lasts over 13 hours on a full charge. The display looks sharp and provides just enough space for split-screen multitasking. It also supports pen input and comes with a stylus that you can dock into the side of the laptop. The keyboard feels comfortable to type on, and while the touchpad is on the smaller side, it tracks all movements and gestures well. Its 1080p webcam is surprisingly good, among the best you can find on Chromebooks. You get Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity and a decent port selection, including two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s. No biometrics, unfortunately.

As for the configurations, you can get this laptop with an Intel 12th Gen Core i3, i5, or i7 CPU and up to 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage. However, availability is scarce because it's discontinued, and there's a newer 2023 model, which we haven't tested but expect to be very similar. The upgrades include a faster Intel 13th Gen CPU and a higher resolution 1440p webcam, but it no longer has stylus support. You can get the 2023 model on Amazon or at Best Buy.

Our best budget Chromebook pick is the Lenovo Chromebook C340 15 (2020). This 2-in-1 convertible feels well-built and is easy to carry around. You can get this laptop with an Intel Pentium Gold or Core i3 CPU; both options are long in the tooth but fast enough to provide a smooth experience on Chrome OS. You can only get a maximum of 4GB of memory, so heavy multitaskers have better options. The battery lasts easily through a typical day of light use and charges over USB-C.

The overall user experience is good for such an affordable laptop. The display looks decently sharp and provides plenty of room for multitasking; it just doesn't get very bright, which is typical for most budget laptops. The keyboard feels great to type on, and although the touchpad is on the smaller side, it's responsive to all movements and gestures. Port selection is okay; you get one USB-A, two USB-Cs, an SD card reader, and a headphone jack. It isn't a fanless device, but the fan never gets loud, which is great for quiet classrooms or offices.

If you want to spend as little as possible, consider the Acer Chromebook 315 (2020). Thanks to its compact design, it's easy to carry around, and its battery lasts a full day of light use, so you don't have to worry about bringing a charger. It has a full-size keyboard with a Numpad, a reasonably large touchpad, and a decent 720p webcam. Ports include two USB-As, two USB-Cs (with support for charging and video output), and an SD card reader.

You can choose between a 720p or 1080p display (with or without touch input); we highly recommend the 1080p option because 720p just isn't good enough for a 15.6-inch screen. As for the quality of the display, the 1080p panel looks decently sharp and provides plenty of space for multitasking, but it doesn't get very bright, meaning you might have some visibility issues in well-lit settings. This laptop is only available with Intel Celeron CPUs. They can handle light workloads just fine but don't expect to do anything remotely intensive.

For media consumption, we recommend the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021), a 13-inch Chrome OS tablet with a kickstand and detachable keyboard. This form factor lets you take the keyboard off when viewing content, which is convenient in tight spaces like an airplane, and it also makes the device easier to hold and use as a tablet. You can pop the keyboard back on when you need to type something out; however, it feels cramped, so there are better options for typing long essays.

The feature that makes this device amazing for viewing media is its OLED display. It's sharp, bright, and colorful, and like all OLEDs, it displays deep, inky blacks. The speakers get reasonably loud. However, they don't have much bass and sound slightly unnatural. The battery lasts around eight hours of video playback or 10 hours of light use, and it charges over USB-C, so you don't have to deal with a proprietary charger. The display supports pen input if you want to take notes or draw, but you must buy the stylus separately.

The best gaming Chromebook we've tested is the Acer Chromebook 516 GE (2022). Chrome OS isn't typically associated with gaming, as there aren't any Chromebooks with a discrete GPU and most popular titles are designed for Windows. However, with internet speeds increasing, cloud gaming is a viable option, which is what this device is for. Cloud gaming services like NVIDIA GeForce NOW and Xbox Cloud Gaming (currently in Beta) do all the processing on their servers, and the image streams to your device.

As for games from the Google Play Store, some will run just fine, but some might not because the creators designed them for Android smartphones and tablets with an ARM chip. Also, you may come across titles with no keyboard, mouse, or controller support. The laptop's overall build quality is good, and while it's on the bulkier side, it isn't too heavy. It sports a 16-inch QHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a good response time, giving you a clear image in fast-moving scenes.

You get Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity and an Ethernet port for a fast and stable internet connection, though remember that you need a Wi-Fi 6E router to take advantage of the new wireless standards. The keyboard feels spacious and tactile, doesn't get hot under load, and has RGB backlighting. Its Intel 12th Gen (P-series) CPU is fast but power-hungry; you can expect the battery to last around six hours of light use or an hour of gaming.