For students and casual social media scrollers alike, a great Chromebook laptop, much like the best laptops, can never go unappreciated. Oozing style and sophistication with ultra-thin, lightweight designs and (even sometimes having touchscreen functionality), these versatile devices are perfect for practically everyone.
For those in need of instant file access, regardless of whether you're on your Chromebook or other devices, Google Cloud's seamless integration ensures that you can jump into stored Cloud files immediately. Work collaboratively and securely in a flash without the need for expensive subscription services, with a Chromebook - you have everything you'll need.
Not lacking whatsoever in mindblowing hardware and a broad range of impressive tech features to sink your teeth into, the best Chromebook laptops easily rival their formidable laptop counterparts - offering equal, if not greater performance capabilities at a lower budget.
The best Chromebooks of 2023 at a glance:
• Best Chromebook laptop: ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5501 - View at Amazon
• Best value Chromebook: Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook - View at Amazon
• Best versatile Chromebook: HP Chromebook x360 14c-cc0003sa - View at Amazon
• Best Chromebook for graphic design: ASUS Touchscreen Full HD 14-inch Chromebook - View at Amazon
Among some of the best laptops for students, Chromebooks are absurdly cheap compared to their competition, and with very few cutbacks on performance, there's no downside to considering these terrific Chromebooks.
The best Chromebooks of 2023:
Best Chromebook laptop
Description
A clear frontrunner of this year's Chromebook lineup, the ASUS Chromebook Flip is a wonderfully affordable, yet impressively speedy laptop under £1,000 that is quite capable of handling your daily computing tasks.
Not lacking in RAM at 16GB, nor CPU power with an 11th-generation Intel CPU, the ASUS Chromebook Flip is a downright brilliant deal with its mighty hardware specs alone, but when paired with its touchscreen, rest assured, you're getting a bargain.
For those looking to store a colossal amount of files, however, the Chromebook Flip might disappoint somewhat - it only has 256GB of SSD storage, so you might want to start using Google Cloud.
Pros
- Versatile flip functionality
- Excellent responsive touchscreen controls
- Remarkable 16GB of RAM
Cons
- Fairly low 256GB of storage
Best value Chromebook
Description
Swift, yet slim and lightweight - the ultra-responsive Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook is a remarkable laptop deal that's bound to boost your on-the-go productivity almost instantly.
Whether you're sitting snug in bed, or you're fixated on your screen, hunched at your office desk - you'll find the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 highly accommodating to practically any task.
Sketch, watch movies or scroll through your socials at the flick of your wrist with Lenovo's buttery-smooth touchscreen, and with the Flex 3's 8GB of RAM, you'll face no issues with slow startup or bloated browsers.
As for battery life, you can comfortably browse all day without the need for a charger, all thanks to the IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook's nine-hour battery life, keeping you powered up when you need it the most.
Pros
- Reliable low-budget laptop
- Great touchscreen
- Solid amount of RAM
Cons
- Weaker CPU than expected
Best versatile Chromebook
Description
Tablet, laptop, or somewhere in-between, the HP Chromebook is an incredibly versatile laptop that's essential for total touchscreen comfort that isn't bogged down by performance lag.
Responsive, seamless and striking visually, the Chromebook x360's full-fledged touchscreen allows for wonderfully versatile note-taking, as well as delightful film-bingeing in your downtime.
A great battery life, a reliable 8GB of RAM and a tough 11th-generation i3 processor, the HP Chromebook x360 is perfect for students in need of a note-taking machine, or creative project hobbyists with its ample power.
Pros
- Great build quality
- 360-degree hinge
- Excellent webcam
Cons
- Low SSD storage
Best Chromebook for graphic design
Description
Perfect for artsy students and budding hobbyists alike, the ASUS CX54 Chromebook is the ultra-lightweight answer to your graphic design woes.
Gorgeously thin and well-made, this sturdy, yet sleek Chromebook laptop includes a spectacular stylus pen, which feels perfectly responsive and life-like. With a whopping 512GB of SSD storage, the ASUS CX54 also makes for a perfect device for saving those large projects.
As for its RAM and CPU capabilities, the standard 8GB of RAM might seem disheartening to the devoted tech nerd, but the ASUS Chromebook CX54 quickly makes up for it with its simply phenomenal Intel i7-1160G7 CPU, a breathtaking CPU that'll give you plenty of speed and multitasking capabilities.
ASUS's CX54 Chromebook is an exemplary laptop for schoolwork, and with plenty of processing power for design software, alongside Word, Excel and more - you'll never find yourself slowed down by an underpowered laptop again.
Pros
- Excellent 512GB SSD storage
- Terrific 11th-generation i7 CPU
- 360-degree folding capabilities
- Stylus pen included
Cons
- Low RAM for a midrange Chromebook
Best Chromebook display
Description
It's rare to find such a visually gorgeous budget laptop for less than £1,000 - but the Lenovo IdeaPad is precisely that Chromebook. The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Chromebook is everything you could possibly want out of a Chromebook laptop, with no shortage of hardware grunt and pretty aesthetics to entice any tech addict.
A 16-inch 2.5K screen, a four-zone backlit keyboard and a gorgeous metal chassis comprise this magnificent Chromebook, giving it a seamlessly durable feel that'll last a considerable amount of time.
But the IdeaPad 5's 2.5K screen isn't the only thing to rejoice over, far from it - there's also a whopping 12th generation Intel i5 CPU, 512GB of SSD storage and 8GB of RAM. Yes, there may not be any touchscreen capabilities to speak of, nor any folding - but what the IdeaPad 5 Chromebook lacks in versatility, it most certainly makes up for with hardware heft.
Pros
- Gorgeous 2.5K screen
- Ultra-thin and lightweight design
- Durable metal chassis
- Phenomenal 12th generation Intel CPU
Cons
- No touchscreen or folding
- Standard 8GB of RAM
Best Chromebook under £200
Description
For the early riser in need of a light Chromebook for their commute, who doesn't need the extra heft of a full-size laptop to lug, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 11-inch Chromebook is the absolute bargain-of-the-century solution to your back pain.
This small, yet mighty Chromebook laptop for under £300 might not have heaps of onboard storage, nor a wealth of RAM - but with Google's Chrome cloud technology, you really won't miss it.
Integrate your precious work seamlessly with the cloud, not only giving you boundless space for studying and work projects but also enabling easy access for yourself and your fellow coursemates should you need their assistance.
With the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3's excellent 12 hours of battery life, you'll never find yourself short on battery life when it truly counts ever again.
Pros
- Ultra-versatile tablet/laptop design
- Perfect for commuting
- Incredibly affordable
Cons
- Low 4GB of RAM
What's a Chromebook?
A Chromebook is a laptop designed to run ChromeOS, a unique Google operating system that links to Google's cloud storage. This secure online storage means that users can spend much less money on a laptop with less storage and still have plenty of space thanks to Google's cloud.
Chromebook vs. laptop: what's the best?
While there are certainly plenty of similarities between a normal laptop and a Chromebook, there are also a good amount of differences.
The first thing you'll probably notice about Chromebooks is their extremely reasonable price - many options are under £500 compared to laptops which tend to be more costly in general, this isn't without sacrifices, however.
Many Chromebooks have significantly less storage than their laptop counterparts due to the integration with Google Chrome's cloud storage, meaning you'll have much less space to store things on the Chromebook itself compared to a standard laptop.
While there are certainly advantages to laptop hardware, you certainly cannot deny the affordability of a great Chromebook - should you be a student (at school or university), a Chromebook is an absolutely exceptional option for you.
Are Chromebooks safe?
For those concerned about the Chromebook's integral use of the cloud for storage, you might be concerned about the safety and security of your data and privacy.
While Google Cloud is certainly safe, with plenty of encryption and security procedures to use which prevent any unwanted access, sometimes peace of mind requires a little more encryption.
For those in dire need of a little more protection, an excellent VPN might just be the answer to your web security woes - disguise your IP address, protect your data and keep prying, unwanted eyes out of your data.
Ryan Houghton is a tech writer and reviewer for What's The Best, specialising in PCs and gaming. He is a keen PC gamer and an avid reader.
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