For this roundup, we’re focusing on models that offer that experience without making major compromises on speed and battery life. Every laptop here was tested hands-on.
Do you shop during Amazon Prime Day? We’re tracking the best Prime Day laptop deals, including budget machines and Chromebooks, as well as gaming rigs.
If you prefer to leave the Google ecosystem, PCWorld has a separate roundup of the best Windows laptops. And if you’re curious about where Chromebooks are headed, check out this deep dive into the new AI-powered Googlebooks.
Why you should trust us: It’s in our name! PCWorld prides itself on its laptop experience and expertise. We’ve been covering PCs since 1983 and now review over 70 laptops each year. All of the picks below have been personally tested and vetted by our experts, who have applied not only performance benchmarks but also rigorous usability standards. We’re also committed to reviewing laptops of all price points to help you find a machine that fits your budget.
Asus Chromebook Plus CX34: Best overall Chromebook
Advantages
- Fast processor performance
- Good keyboard
- Wide range of connectivity options
- Elegant design
Cons
- Battery life is not competitive
- The screen’s 16:9 aspect ratio feels a little cramped
Price when reviewed:
$499
The best prices today:
Who should buy the Asus Chromebook Plus CX34?
If you want a Chromebook that can do it all, the Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 is the one for you. The Intel Core i5 keeps everything running smoothly: streaming, school work, or juggling multiple tabs. And the ports? You’ve got USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, and a headphone jack, meaning you can say goodbye to dongle life.
Asus Chromebook Plus CX34: Additional Considerations
But it’s not all sunshine. The 16:9 screen may seem small if you’re used to more spacious screens, and while 13 hours of battery life sounds good on paper, others last longer. It’s not a deal breaker, but if screen space or all-day power is at the top of your list, you might want to look elsewhere.
Read our full Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 review
Asus Chromebook CX15: Best budget Chromebook
Advantages
- Good design with nice keyboard.
- Sharp 15.6-inch 1080p display
- Decent speakers
- Extremely economical
Cons
- Small touch panel
- Slow dual core processor
- 4 GB of RAM often holds you back
- Short battery life for a Chromebook
Price when reviewed:
$159
The best prices today:
Who should buy the Asus Chromebook CX15?
Need a reliable laptop for under $200? The CX15 is worth a look because it’s ideal for anyone who primarily browses the web and watches YouTube videos. The spacious 15.6-inch 1080p display and spacious keyboard also make it feel more premium than you’d expect at this price. For everyday tasks, it really gets the job done; The same cannot be said for many machines in this range.
Asus Chromebook CX15: Additional Considerations
You won’t get blazing fast performance here and that’s completely fine. The Intel Celeron N4500 processor offers enough power to handle lighter workloads, but you may see some lag with more intense multitasking. Battery life is pretty good at around 10 hours, although we’ve seen other Chromebooks that last longer.
Still, for what you pay, the CX15 is a surprising little machine.
Read our full Asus Chromebook CX15 review
Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14: The best high-end Chromebook
Advantages
- Beautiful OLED screen
- Surprisingly strong performance for a fanless Chromebook
- Loud and clear speakers
- Competitive battery life
Cons
- Difficult to read function keys
- AI tools seem unnecessary in daily use
Price when reviewed:
$649
The best prices today:
Who should buy the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14?
If you’ve been looking for a high-end Chromebook, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 is worth considering – it’s a big step up from the usual budget fare. It has a 14-inch 1920×1200 OLED touchscreen and the colors really pop. The model we tested came loaded with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS storage, so it handles a ton of tabs, Documents, YouTube, whatever you throw at it. And the MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 chip (plus a small neural processing unit) keeps everything snappy.
The 2.78-pound aluminum chassis is also super light to carry and the battery will last you about 19 hours, as long as you’re conservative with the brightness level.
Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14: Additional Considerations
The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 is almost the complete package, but we had a couple of small details. The function keys are really small and pick up fingerprints like nobody’s business. But again, those are small complaints. If you want a Chromebook that looks and feels better than the budget one, this is the one to go for.
Read our full Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 review
Other notable Chromebooks we’ve tested
- Acer Chromebook Plus 514: The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 isn’t the most attractive ChromeOS machine, but it offers good performance and plenty of storage for the price.
- Acer Chromebook Plus 516: The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 doesn’t have much going for it, but it benefits from an Intel Core i3 chip with solid performance and a sometimes low asking price.
- Acer Chromebook Spin 315: Comfortable to type on and handles the basics well, although the large bezels and limited charging options hold it back (hence why it’s not on the list above).
- Asus Chromebook Plus CX14: Performs better than models with Celeron CPU.
How we test Chromebooks
The PCWorld team puts each and every laptop through a series of benchmark tests that test GPU and CPU performance, battery life, etc. The idea is to push the laptop to its limits and then compare it to others we’ve tested. Due to the nature of cloud-based Chromebooks, they go through a series of web-based tests. It wouldn’t be fair or possible to run the same type of tests on a Chromebook that we use on laptops because they exclusively run a completely different operating system.
For a more detailed explanation of our testing procedures, see how PCWorld tests laptops.
Who selected this item?
Hi, I’m Ashley Biancuzzo and I oversee all laptop and Chromebook coverage at PCWorld. While you’ll see me review Chromebooks from time to time, I’m also very interested in the broader world of consumer technology. I spend a lot of time writing and thinking about where laptops are headed: from artificial intelligence and sustainable designs to long-term trends. When I’m not immersed in the world of technology, you’ll probably find me gaming, getting lost in a good book, or relaxing with my rescue greyhound, Allen.
How to choose the best Chromebook
If you want something like a Windows or a MacBook but cheaper, check out a Chromebook. Just keep in mind that they have some limits. They’re good for simple, everyday things, but they don’t have much RAM or storage, so they’re not equipped to handle more resource-intensive tasks like gaming or video editing.
We have a guide comparing Chromebooks and Windows laptops if you want to find out which is best for you.
