Best Chromebook 2021: Our pick of the top Chrome OS laptops for school, college and more

2 years ago 278

(Pocket-lint) - Chromebooks person been getting much fashionable successful caller years, and for bully crushed - galore of the biggest names successful laptops, including HP, Acer and Asus, are flooding the marketplace with options.

Education has been a large marketplace for the devices, but they're besides large arsenic a elemental location laptop for email, Google Docs and web browsing. 

We person a afloat conception beneath our picks explaining the ins and outs of Google's Chrome OS, arsenic good arsenic proposal connected however to take the close exemplary for your needs, but, essentially, the operating strategy is Google's alternate to Windows and macOS.

It's ridiculously elemental to use, updates itself and lacks the disorder and complexity that often hobbles rival platforms. It is little susceptible for nonrecreational usage than the different operating systems, but, for astir users astatine location oregon successful education, it provides much than capable functionality.

With each that said, then, let's dive into the apical picks we've tested.


What is the champion Chromebook? Currently, our apical proposal is the Google Pixelbook Go. However, we besides counsel checking retired the Acer Chromebook Spin 713, Asus Chromebook Flip C434, Acer Chromebook Spin 513 and Acer Chromebook Spin 311


Our Top Pick: Best Chromebook

Pocket-lint

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Pixelbook Go

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For

  • Well designed, lightweight and attractive
  • Speedy performance
  • Great keyboard

Against

  • The trackpad could beryllium better
  • Enters the terms scope of decent Windows machines

If you're impressed by the Pixelbook enactment but person a tighter budget, the Pixelbook Go is simply a hugely awesome introduction astatine a little terms constituent (though it's inactive pricey for a Chromebook).

It's a uniquely-designed instrumentality that makes immoderate superb choices, specified arsenic the ripple texture connected the unit's bottommost side. 

It's got awesome powerfulness nether the hood, too, to marque definite that you'll consciousness similar you're utilizing a much premium instrumentality than its terms suggests, and we comfortably complaint it arsenic 1 of the champion Chromebooks we've ever used. 

Chromebooks we besides recommend

While the Google Pixelbook Go is astatine the highest of this list, it's not needfully the close Chromebook for everyone, particularly with specified a wide scope of prices and specifications connected the marketplace today. That's wherefore we've besides selected the pursuing devices for you to consider. 

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Acer Chromebook Spin 713

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For

  • Clever hinge design
  • Nice surface ratio for productivity
  • Plenty of powerfulness for astir users

Against

  • Build prime could beryllium improved

The Acer Spin 713 manages to beryllium premium without creeping into ridiculous pricing.

It is durable, has a precise bully surface successful a large facet ratio and packs plentifulness of powerfulness inside.

It tin beryllium configured with up to 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, paired with a Core i7 processor it ensures snappy show and future-proofing for years to come. The convertibility of the instrumentality could travel successful useful if you're moving Android apps too.

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Asus Chromebook Flip C434

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For

  • Solid keyboard
  • Great screen
  • Decent artillery life

Against

  • The trackpad isn't the best

The Flip C434 is simply a large 2-in-1 that feels truly premium portion inactive undercutting the Pixelbook's terms nicely.

It's got the beatified triumvirate for a laptop, successful a coagulated screen, large keyboard and awesome artillery life. 

The trackpad lets the squad down a small bit, but it runs truly nicely and has large ports. Plus, with the enactment to usage it arsenic a tablet, it's truly adaptable and utile successful antithetic scenarios. 

Pocket-lint

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Acer Chromebook Spin 513

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For

  • Exceptional trackpad
  • Stylish understated design
  • Comfortable keyboard

Against

  • Slow storage
  • Limited surface brightness

The Acer Spin 513 delivers a batch for its asking terms and manages to consciousness coagulated contempt its mostly integrative construction.

A decent screen, prime keyboard and slick touchpad marque it a delight to use. The instrumentality is besides wholly soundless acknowledgment to its fanless plan and coagulated authorities storage.

We deliberation it's a cleanable enactment for younger users doing schoolwork, oregon truly anyone who needs a reasonably inexpensive laptop for emails, web browsing and watching videos. 

Pocket-lint

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Acer Chromebook Spin 311

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For

  • Solid and comfy keyboard
  • Good artillery life
  • Rugged operation and hinge design

Against

  • Massive bezels connected the screen
  • Some touchpad annoyances

It whitethorn not beryllium the prettiest happening successful the world, but it's decidedly casual to recommend. The Acer Spin 311 is the cheapest Chromebook to marque our list, and it offers tremendous worth for money.

The keyboard is large and the flexible hinge plan lets you usage it arsenic a chunky tablet. The surface is beauteous coagulated too, albeit connected the smaller broadside with ample bezels.

For those who conscionable request a instrumentality to grip the basics, this is simply a terms bracket wherever Chromebooks truly shine.

Other products we considered

When trying to fig retired what we judge to beryllium the champion Chromebooks presently available, we spent hours investigating each the devices successful real-world scenarios and comparing the results. We see a scope of factors erstwhile it comes to recommending devices - and besides erstwhile a caller instrumentality enters our apical 5 selections. We don't conscionable origin successful our ain testing, either, but besides user reviews, marque prime and value, too.

In each of our roundups, determination are besides galore products we trial that don't marque the last cut. Since they whitethorn beryllium the close acceptable for immoderate people, however, we've listed them below.

How to take a Chromebook

There's a satellite of options erstwhile it comes to Chromebook devices, and astatine a wider terms scope than ever earlier - with immoderate options adjacent breaking the four-figure mark. This means choosing the close instrumentality for you tin consciousness similar an uphill battle.

In an effort to simplify things, present are immoderate things to see earlier buying.

What bash you request a Chromebook for?

These days a batch of the things we utilized to trust connected laptops and desktop computers for tin beryllium accomplished with a smartphone oregon tablet. Chromebooks inhabit a mediate crushed betwixt these devices.

The inclusion of a carnal keyboard makes Chromebooks overmuch much suited to getting enactment done, whether that's penning an effort for assemblage oregon crunching numbers for your taxation return.

With that said, they're besides large media depletion machines offering a overmuch larger show than your phone, and 1 that doesn't necessitate propping up to view. With Android app support, Chromebooks tin bash a spot of gaming too, though our acquisition near a small to beryllium desired.

If you'll beryllium typing a batch past you'll privation to see options that person a large keyboard, whereas if you'll beryllium watching a batch of contented you'll privation to see Chromebooks that person a bully surface with a decent resolution.

What's your budget?

As we've established, the terms scope connected Chromebooks is perfectly monolithic nowadays. While we deliberation it's highly hard to warrant the outgo of Google's flagship Pixelbook, arsenic beauteous arsenic it is, spending a small much connected a Chromebook tin pb to a amended wide experience.

If you conscionable request the implicit basics similar sending emails and connection processing, past an entry-level exemplary volition bash conscionable fine; but if you deliberation you're apt to ticker immoderate YouTube oregon Netflix videos connected it, past you mightiness see spending a small much for a amended surface and speakers.

Do you request a 2-in-1?

Many of our apical picks are convertible 2-in-1 designs that let you to usage the Chromebook successful either a laptop oregon tablet style. It's a useful relation that adds a batch of diverseness to a device.

If you cognize it's a diagnostic you'll ne'er privation to use, you mightiness beryllium capable to prevention immoderate wealth by going for a much accepted netbook benignant Chromebook. If it's a must-have feature, past this should besides assistance constrictive down your options.

Would you beryllium amended disconnected with a laptop?

While ChromeOS has travel a agelong mode since its launch, it tin inactive consciousness beauteous limiting erstwhile compared to Windows oregon macOS. If you're the benignant of idiosyncratic who likes to configure things to suit you, past you whitethorn rapidly beryllium frustrated with the limitations.

Similarly, if you request a batch of 3rd enactment applications to get your enactment done, you'll apt rapidly tally into a hurdle. You mightiness privation to instrumentality a look astatine our best laptops guide instead.

On the flip side, if you conscionable request a elemental instrumentality with a carnal keyboard to bash immoderate work, online buying and web browsing past you'll apt beryllium much than blessed with a Chromebook.

More astir this story

Every merchandise successful this database has been tested successful real-life situations, conscionable arsenic you would usage it successful your day-to-day life.

Chromebooks are a changeless regular companion for enactment and play. As such, we made definite to trial each aspects of our picks to guarantee they clasp up to sustained usage, from artillery beingness and ruggedness to wide show successful mundane tasks.

Of course, physique prime and plan are conscionable arsenic important arsenic the specs wrong a Chromebook, and we're besides funny successful however portable they are, and however easy they tin link to different devices similar peripherals, smartphones and outer displays

In each of our buyer's guides, including this one, we thin to skip implicit the spec comparisons and selling spiel; we conscionable privation to supply an casual to recognize reappraisal that gives you an thought of what it's going to beryllium similar to use.

Our verdicts are concise, but this is successful the involvement of brevity - remainder assured each the things connected this database person been afloat tested. You tin besides cheque retired our reviews conception for much in-depth sum of each the apical devices. 

Writing by Luke Baker. Editing by Conor Allison. Originally published connected 12 March 2018.

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