Chromebooks have come a long way and evolved from machines capable of browsing the web to a new level. They’re highly focused on cloud-based applications, browsing, and the new machines are also capable of running full-fledged applications. Chromebooks can run Linux and Android apps, enabling the possibility to do even more than what these devices were capable of just a few years ago, making them an excellent value for those looking for long-lasting, durable, and reliable devices that work seamlessly with Android smartphones.
Chromebooks started as cheap budget devices that allowed users to get on the internet, and today, they’re much more than that. They’re widely used in the education field, and there are even gaming Chromebooks and those focused on business and enterprise users. There’s a device for everyone. In this post, we included some of the best overall, the best premium, gaming, budget, and affordable Chromebooks we could find.
Given that it’s Back to School season at the time of posting this, you might also find some amazing deals on some of the best machines at various retailers, such as Amazon, BestBuy, and more.
These are the best Chromebooks in 2023
HP Dragonfly Pro
Best Overall
The HP Dragonfly Pro is a beautiful and premium Chromebook machine. It’s designed with Google, and it has a gorgeous display, an RGB backlit keyboard, a long battery life, and plenty of power thanks to the 12th-generation Intel processors.
- Gorgeous and bright display
- Powerful performance
- Long-lasting battery
If you’re after the best overall Chromebook, then you might be interested in the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook. It packs a large, high-resolution 14-inch touch screen with up to 1200 nits of brightness, and it’s powered by 12th-generation Intel processors with 16GB of RAM and 256GB SSD. It comes in two colors, black and white.
The machine starts at a whopping $1,000 in the US, but it’s not completely unjustified considering the premium build quality and excellent hardware. It has an RGB backlit keyboard, an 8MP web camera, and excellent-sounding speakers. It’s plenty powerful to run multiple applications simultaneously, and it’s clearly not intended for those who just want to browse the web, but do more.
When it comes to ports, the laptop has four Thunderbolt 4 ports, and the battery should last you a good day on a single charge, assuming you take it lightly with your workload. The Dragonfly Pro can run games from your Steam library and even lets you use your favorite Android applications without ever slowing down. It might not be cheap, but it provides a premium experience with its build quality, great software, and excellent hardware
HP Elite Dragonfly
Premium Pick
The HP Elite Dragonfly is an excellent premium Chromebook. It’s powered by the 12th-generation Intel processors, coupled with 8GB of memory and plenty of storage. It has a beautiful 13.5-inch 2K touch display, and a compact design with B&O dual stereo speakers.
- 13.5-inch 2K display
- Great selection of ports
- Backlit keyboard and B&O speakers
- It’s slightly expensive
- The pen stylus doesn’t come with the laptop
If you’re looking for a premium convertible Chromebook, you might be interested in the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook. Keep in mind that it’s not a cheap device, and a higher configuration can run you around $1,900. Depending on your needs, this might be an overkill, but if you’re looking for a convertible with great features and hardware, it’s hard to find anything else that’d come close to this.
The Elite Dragonfly is powered by the 12th-generation Intel processor and Intel Iris X graphics. It has 8GB of RAM and 28GB of PCIe NVMe SSD. As for the screen, the laptop boasts a 13.5-inch 2K IPS panel with touch input. It also supports the pen stylus, but that sadly doesn’t come bundled with the machine.
The ports are also great. It sports two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB-A, an HDMI 2.0, and a headphone/microphone combo jack. There’s a 5MP camera, a backlit keyboard, and B&O dual stereo speakers. The trackpad provides haptic feedback, and 50Wh battery can quickly charge up with the provided 45W USB-C adapter
Lenovo Flex 5i
Best Premium
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i is a great 2-in-1 Chromebook with plenty of power under the hood. It has a 13.3-inch FHD touchscreen, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It runs the latest version of ChromeOS, and it’s perfect for work, studying, and consuming media at home, or in the office.
- 13.3-inch FHD touch display
- 2-in-1 convertible
- Affordable with a premium design
- It feels a bit underpowered
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i is perfect for some light work, students, and consuming content. It comes with a 13.3-inch FHD display and backlit keyboard. It’s powered by the 11th-gen Intel Core i3 CPU and 8GB of memory, making it great for multitasking and running multiple applications in the background.
The chip is powerful enough to handle most workloads, and students can easily fill out spreadsheets and use cloud-based web apps and software without any slowdowns. When you want to kick up your feet and relax a little, the device will be able to run less-demanding titles, but you shouldn’t expect a gaming powerhouse.
Acer Chromebook Spin 714
Runner-up: Best Premium
The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2023) is an excellent premium laptop with a backlit keyboard, great port selection, and a beautiful 14-inch display. It’s powered by the 13th-gen Intel Core i5 1335U processor with 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD.
- 13th-gen Intel CPU
- Beautiful 14-inch display
- Great selection of ports
If you’re looking for a premium Chromebook experience, you might want to take a look at the Acer Chromebook Spin 714. The machine has the latest generation Intel CPU, a beautiful display, and a backlit keyboard at a price that’s justifiable and affordable.
The Acer Spin 714 is powered by the 13th-generation Intel Core i5 1335U chip, coupled with 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage. It’s plenty powerful to run web apps, selected Steam games, and Android apps, and it’s versatile thanks to the hardware. It has a 14-inch 1920 x 1200 display with 16:10 aspect ratio, and it’s made of aluminium. There’s a backlit keyboard, and there are two USB-C ports, an HDMI port, and a single USB-A port.
It’s fair to say that the Acer Chromebook 714 (2023) is capable of anything you want to throw at it, and it’ll do well regardless of the task you want to accomplish. It also doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, and it can be found for under $600.
Framework Chromebook
Best for Developers
It’s not every day you see a customizable and upgradable laptop, especially not a Chromebook. The machine offered by Framework isn’t cheap, but it offers you the option to upgrade the internals and the ports further down the line, bringing new life to the laptop that would otherwise only last a few years.
- Great for developers
- Customizable, upgradable and versatile
- 12th-generation Intel processors
The Framework Chromebook is versatile, customizable, and upgradable. It features a modular design that can easily swapped and upgraded to keep the device fresh and easy to maintain. The company also offers detailed manuals to help you quickly solve problems, and repair the device with ease.
The Framework Chromebook is the best laptop for developers and those who are looking for a versatile and upgradable laptop. It comes with the 12th-generation Intel processors, and the memory and storage can easily be customized to your needs with ease. If you’re the type of person who likes to tweak and have the option to change the configuration based on various needs, this is easily the best Chromebook that money can buy. The Framework laptop offers options not available on any other device on the market
Asus Chromebook Vibe CX55
Best for Gaming
$654 $700 Save $46
The Asus Chromebook Vibe CX55 is a powerful Chromebook, and it’s powered by the Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD. It has a 15.6-inch FHD display with 144Hz refresh rate, and it’s capable of playing games, and doing more demanding tasks.
- Decent all-round performance
- Great overall battery life
- Large display with 144Hz
- Outdated hardware
- Not ideal for more demanding titles
If you happen to live in the Google ecosystem and want a thin and light Chromebook for gaming, you’re in luck. The ASUS Chromebook Vibe CX55 Flip is an excellent powerhouse, and it’s powered by the Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor. Keep in mind that it’s a two-year-old processor at this point, and while it’s a little outdated, it’s still up for any task.
The machine has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. It’s perfect for gamers who want to play some games in their free time, and students who want to study. It’s also great for power users who want to run multiple apps, and those who need a machine to get work done on a slim and fairly lightweight convertible.
The Vibe CX55 Flip comes with a 15.6-inch FHD display with 144Hz refresh rate, and perhaps the only downside is that the screen isn’t very accurate, so we would advise against using it for any color-accurate work, such as photo editing. That said, the laptop is perfect for streaming games via cloud services, and it’ll perform as you would expect, assuming you have a solid and stable connection.
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2
Best from Samsung
$450 $550 Save $100
The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 is one of the most potent Chromebooks. It features an Intel Core i3 2.1GHz processor, a 13.3-inch FHD QLED display, and enough storage space for basic tasks and schoolwork.
- Great QLED display
- Vibrant colors
- Affordable & Compact
- It’s powered by an older chip
If you’re a fan of Samsung’s thin and light laptops, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 is our best pick from the company. It comes with a gorgeous 13.3-inch QLED FHD+ display and 10th-generation Intel processors. It can be configured to your needs, and it’s one of the rare devices to come in this unique red color.
If you’re looking for a premium Chromebook that’s excellent for browsing, using applications, work and studying, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 will serve you well. It has plenty of power to accomplish basic and some demanding tasks, and it also supports the S Pen that could be used for drawing, sketching, and designing things. Sadly, though, the S Pen doesn’t come with the device, and it’s an optional accessory.
If you’re after a stylish and personal laptop that’s thin and light, can last all day on a single charge, and lets you do most type of workloads, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 will be a great choice. The laptop has two USB-C ports and a microSD card slot, making it great for connecting it with monitors and other peripherals, and extending the storage
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i Chromebook
Best Budget
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i is a flexible 2-in-1. It supports the tent mode and has an Intel N100 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of eMMC storage. It’s perfectly capable of handling everyday tasks and browsing the web. It has a 12.2-inch touch screen with 1920 x 1200 resolution.
- 12.2-inch FHD+ display with a touch screen
- Compact and 2-in-1
- Great port selection considering the price and compact form factor
- Slow storage
- Not very fast for anything more advanced
If you’re on a low budget, or perhaps you just want a 2-in-1 that can handle browsing the web and a few additional apps on-the-go, the IdeaPad Flex 3i might just be the device you’re looking for. It boasts a 12.2-inch FHD+ display with touch input, and despite having a small form factor, it’s powered by the Intel Atom N100 processor. The chip isn’t the most powerful CPU on the market, but it’ll easily handle basic tasks and a few applications on the side.
The laptop has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage. It’s great for editing spreadsheets, and getting work done, as well as studying, just don’t expect it to play graphics-intensive games, as it lacks power. That said, it’ll be excellent for light work on-the-go.
The machine has two USB-A ports, a USB-C port, an HDMI, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as a microSD card reader. Despite the small and compact design, the laptop has excellent ports, and the device is built to last.
Acer Chromebook Spin 311
Best Value
$206 $290 Save $84
The Acer Chromebook Spin 311 is a great budget laptop, It’s excellent for children and it’s ultra-portable thanks to its small and compact design. It can last a full day on a single charge, and it’s powerful enough to browse the web and run light workloads without a problem.
- Compact and versatile
- Affordable
- Great for children and as a budget device for light workloads
- Small storage capacity
- It’s getting old
Whether you want a quick lightweight and portable laptop, or a device to browse on, the Acer Chromebook Spin 311 will do a great job. It’s an excellent budget device, capable of handling basic tasks. While it lacks power and performance, it’ll do well for running web apps and general browsing, and the 11.6-inch HD screen makes it portable for quick trips and easy to use for children.
The laptop can be used as a tablet, and it can easily last a full day on a single charge. Keep in mind that the laptop is getting old, and it has a MediaTek chip with 4GB of RAM and 32/64GB of internal storage. Suppose you want a backup device that portable, easy to carry and provides a great general experience for basic tasks. In that case, the Acer Chromebook Spin 311 will be a great laptop, and it offers excellent value for the money
Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5
Best Tablet
The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook comes with a 13.3-inch OLED 1920 x 1080 display. It’s an excellent all-rounder, and it’s a compact and portable tablet that can easily turn into an all-in-one with the magnetic, detachable keyboard.
- Excellent all-in-one Chromebook tablet
- Long-lasting battery
- Great performance thanks to Snapdragon 7c Gen 2
- Higher configurations could be a bit too expensive
Chromebooks are excellent laptops, and the Lenovo Duet 5 also happens to be a tablet. It starts at just $500 and offers excellent performance, compatibility with Android apps, and the full version of ChromeOS in a small chassis. The Duet 5 can attach keyboards magnetically, and it’s powered by the capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c chip, providing enough power to do some light work, browsing, studying, and some light gaming on the go.
The tablet sports a 13.3-inch 1080p display, and it has 400 nits of brightness. It’s bright enough at home or in the office, and while it won’t win any performance awards, it’ll be perfect for everyday users who just want something slim, light, and portable that can easily fit in any backpack.
The machine also boasts four speakers, and it has up to 8GB of RAM. It’s excellent for consuming media, and power users will be able to run multiple applications side-by-side, simultaneously without any slowdowns. The battery can also last a full day on a single charge, and it’s ideal for anyone looking for a cheap compact Chromebook.
Which Chromebook should you buy?
The HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook is our best overall selection and the Chromebook we’d recommend for anyone to purchase. The laptop was released at the beginning of 2023, and it’s one of the best devices, packing the latest features, and impressive hardware that’s capable of anything you throw at it, be it gaming, Android apps, or multitasking.
HP Dragonfly Pro
Editor’s Choice
The HP Dragonfly Pro is a beautiful and premium Chromebook machine. It’s designed with Google, and it has a gorgeous display, an RGB backlit keyboard, a long battery life, and plenty of power thanks to the 12th-generation Intel processors.
If you’re looking for a powerful Chromebook that looks beautiful, has a compact design and form factor, and has plenty of power to game and do multiple tasks simultaneously, the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook will do an excellent job at a reasonable price tag.
