Best Chromebook 2021: The top Chrome OS laptops from Asus, Acer, Google and Lenovo

Need a lightweight, low-cost laptop that just works? The best Chromebooks are now nearly as practical to use on a day-to-day basis as a regular Windows laptop or MacBook and they tend to be much less fussy to use as well. The best Chromebooks are ideal as main laptops for kids and students, too, especially as everyone begins to study from home a lot more.

Below, you'll find our current pick of the best Chromebooks to buy, from the outstanding Google Pixelbook Go to cheaper options from HP and Acer. But first, a few tips on what you should look for when shopping for laptops based on Chrome OS because there are certain things you should bear in mind.

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How to choose the best Chromebook for you

What is a Chromebook and how does Chrome OS work?

Chromebooks run Chrome OS, which is a stripped-down operating system developed by Google. If you've used Google Chrome, you'll be mostly familiar with how Chrome OS works: Chrome OS is just like the Chrome web browser we’re all familiar with except with a few extra bells and whistles thrown in, such as a file browser, an apps menu and Google Assistant. Essentially, there’s no learning curve; Chrome OS is very simple to get to grips with.

Instead of using conventional desktop applications, you'll be using Google's excellent web-based suite of apps. This includes Docs for word processing, Sheets for spreadsheets and Slides for presentations. You'll be storing most of your stuff online, meaning every change you make is saved automatically. You will need a persistent internet connection to make the most of Chrome OS, but some features - all the aforementioned Google Apps, for instance - do work offline as well, which is handy in case of outages. Any changes you make are simply synchronised back to the online files when you reconnect.

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What else can I do with a Chromebook?

These days the more appropriate question to ask would be what can't you run because there's a wealth of options available to today's Chromebook user. In terms of web-based apps, you can run all sorts of tools now on a Chromebook, even advanced stuff like RAW photo editing and compositing. Apps like Polarr or Pixlr Editor are both great choices and are surprisingly capable.

Chromebooks all have USB ports and some even have SD/microSD card slots, so you can transfer your media and documents around just like on a standard laptop. Even if you can’t find a web-based app that fits your needs, there’s no need to worry. These days you can also run Android apps on a Chromebook. Just search the Google Play Store and you'll find a wealth of apps to install and run, including a number of games and all your favourite smartphone software.

If that isn’t enough, you can also install many Linux applications on a Chromebook using Crostini, Chrome OS’s built-in Linux development environment. While you can’t always run the latest versions, this opens up full-fat desktop applications including LibreOffice, GIMP, Inkscape and Audacity.

What do I need to look for when buying a Chromebook?

Chrome OS was designed to run on relatively low-powered hardware, so you don’t need a super-fast Core i7 or Ryzen 7 processor to get a smooth experience; even a lowly Pentium or Core i3 processor will do the job. Faster processors and quad-core processors are usually worth a little extra, as some of the slower single-core Celerons struggle once you have a few apps or browser tabs open, but you don’t need to go overboard. Similarly, 4GB of RAM will be fine for most users, but consider 8GB if you’re planning to use your Chromebook for business or creative work, as even some web-based apps will use the extra memory.

It’s arguably more important to think about size and weight. Chromebooks often work best as a secondary device you can use when darting in and out of the office, or as a basic computer for homework and learning. You don’t need to spend a lot to get a cracking thin and light model, and the build quality is pretty good these days, with manufacturers moving away from cheap, plasticky efforts to more luxurious aluminium designs as you move up the price range.

2-in-1 convertibles are worth a look, as well. Although Chrome OS isn’t the best OS for touchscreen use, it’s still great to have a laptop you can use as a tablet for entertainment, and some even work with a pen or stylus if you want to sketch or take notes.

Finally, a decent display is crucial. If there’s a full HD IPS screen option then it’s worth paying extra for, and we’re even seeing some models with QHD or 4K/UHD displays.

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The best Chromebooks to buy

1. Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 Chromebook: The best all-round Chromebook

Price: £530 | Buy now from Lenovo

The IdeaPad Flex 5 isn’t the most stylish Chromebook, the lightest Chromebook or the most powerful Chromebook, but it’s the one with the best overall balance of performance, features and value for money. It has an excellent 13.3in full HD screen, a lightweight, convertible form factor and superb connectivity, including 802.11ax Wi-Fi. The keyboard is fantastic, and it’s a great device for everyday use.

And while it’s not quite as speedy as the Asus Chromebook Flip C436F, it’s not far behind. The Core i5/8GB RAM version we tested is one of the fastest Chromebooks we’ve seen, and the entry-level Core i3/4GB version should still be fast enough for many users. With great battery life on top, this is a Chromebook with few weaknesses at a price you’ll struggle to beat.

Read our full IdeaPad Flex 5 Chromebook review

Buy now from Lenovo

2. Google Pixelbook Go: Simply the best Chromebook there is

Price: £629 | Buy now from John Lewis

Google smashed it out of the park when it made the first Pixelbook, but the follow-up is even more impressive. Although it’s getting a little long in the tooth, it’s still one of the best-designed, super-slim Chromebooks out there, with one of the best laptop keyboards ever. Couple that with a decent 13.3in 1080p touchscreen and supreme battery life and you have one of the best laptops it's possible to buy for around £600.

In fact, the only serious problem with its age is that it doesn’t use Intel’s latest 10th or 11th generation CPUs. Instead, you’re stuck with the old eighth-generation Core i5, i7 or M3 processors, and even with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of SSD storage you won’t get quite the same performance you’ll get with the latest models. However, it's still perfectly quick and responsive for anything you're likely to want to use it for and, with Chrome OS maturing nicely, it's capable enough to be used as your main machine. If you want something more powerful and luxurious you can opt for the Core i7 model, which comes with an even sharper 4K display.

If you've already tried Chrome OS and want to stick with it, the Pixelbook Go is still a natural step up from the entry-level models. We just hope that Google gives it the update it so richly deserves.

Read our full Google Pixelbook Go review for more details

Buy now from John Lewis

3. Asus Chromebook Flip C436F: The fastest Chromebook ever

Price: £699 | Buy now from Currys PC World

If the Google Pixelbook Go is our favourite Chromebook of all time, the Asus Chromebook Flip C436F runs it pretty close. With a 10th-gen Intel Core i5 CPU at the helm, coupled with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, it’s the fastest Chromebook we’ve ever tested and it’s a lovely thing to use as well.

It has an incredibly slim and light chassis and a large 14in 1,920 x 1,080 display, weighs a mere 1.2kg and, like Like Asus’ other Flip devices, it has a 360-degree hinge that lets you fold the display all the way around. This means you can use the laptop as a tablet, or simply tuck the keyboard under and out of the way, bringing the screen closer to your eyes when you’re watching films and TV.

It is, quite simply, a brilliant Chromebook and well worth considering over a similarly priced Windows 10 machine. Look out for our full review very soon.

Buy now from Currys PC World

4. Lenovo IdeaPad Duet: The best budget Chromebook

Price: £230 | Buy now from Lenovo

It might be a 2-in-1 hybrid with a clip-on keyboard and a 10.1in screen, but the IdeaPad Duet is the best budget Chromebook you can buy right now. Why? Well, where most cheap Chromebooks have dishwater-dull 11in or 14in HD displays, the Duet has a bright full HD screen that’s pin-sharp with excellent colour. The keyboard, which is attached by a magnet, is surprisingly good, and even the shrunk-down touchpad is perfectly usable. It works effectively either as a tablet or as a pint-sized laptop.

In fact, if you can live with the screen size, the only big issue is performance. The quad-core MediaTek Helio processor isn’t exactly speedy, and with 4GB of RAM this is one of the slower Chromebooks we’ve tested recently. Yet, in actual use for browsing, watching videos and writing document drafts, the Duet doesn’t feel tired or unresponsive, and its battery life is phenomenal. There’s really nothing else out there that is this cheap and this good.

Read our full IdeaPad Duet review

Buy now from Lenovo

5. Asus Chromebook C423: The best Chromebook under £400

Price: £379 | Buy now from Amazon

If your budget extends a little higher than £200 to £300, then the Asus Chromebook C423 is the Chromebook to buy. Go for the version with a Pentium N4200 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 14in full HD screen, and you’ll get a Chromebook that’s much more capable than the budget competition, without the expense of the higher-end models.

The body is plastic rather than aluminium, but it doesn’t feel creaky at all. You also get a decent keyboard, ample connectivity and a screen that could be brighter, but that still delivers good image quality. Plus, while it won’t match the performance of the Core i3 and i5-powered Chromebooks, the Pentium-based C423 still handles demanding apps and multi-tasking with ease. The only thing to worry about is the limited 32GB of storage. Still, that’s no disaster on a Chromebook, and this is the cheapest full-sized Chromebook that we’d happily recommend.

Read our full Chromebook C423 review

6. Acer Chromebook Spin: The best Chromebook convertible

Price: £599 | Buy now from Argos

If you miss the old Chromebook Pixel and Pixelbook, the Chromebook Spin 713 is the next best thing. Like them it’s a premium convertible with a superb all-metal, thin-and-light design and a square 3:2 aspect ratio screen. That screen also happens to be bright, with good colour reproduction and a fantastic 2,256 x 1,504 resolution. Add the excellent keyboard, responsive touchpad and impressive connectivity – complete with Bluetooth 5 and Wi-Fi 6 – and this is an impressively feature-packed machine for £600. Even the audio is great.

It’s also very good on the performance front; with a 10th-generation Core i3 processor and 8GB of RAM, you won’t have any problems running multiple browser tabs and apps at the same time. There’s also more than enough battery life to get you through a working day. It’s not quite as cheap as the Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook or as speedy as the Asus Chromebook Flip C436F, but the Acer trumps both on screen quality. This is a brilliant 2-in-1 hybrid that’s as happy to handle some hard work as it is to entertain.

Read our full Acer Chromebook Spin 713 review

Buy now from Argos