One of the best Chromebook you should purchase in 2025

Display dimension: 14 inches | Display decision: 1,920 x 1,200 | Put in reminiscence: 8GB | Weight: 3.09 lbs | Obtainable ports: 2 x USB-A 3.2, 2 x USB-C 3.2, HDMI 1.4, Headphone jack, Kensington Nano safety slot | Drive capability: 512GB | Battery life: 8 hours as examined

Acer has reliably produced a few of my favourite Chromebooks for years now, and with the newest Chromebook Plus 514 mannequin, they’re actually hitting the candy spot of value and efficiency. At solely $350, it’s cheaper than my earlier choose for one of the best Chromebook (Lenovo’s IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus) and improves on it in a number of methods.

The massive spec enhancements are a more recent processor (Intel’s Core 3-N355 chip) and a spacious 512GB solid-state drive. It’s additionally lighter than Lenovo’s machine and has a reasonably spectacular array of ports, together with two USB-A and an HDMI port along with the anticipated USB-C jacks. The 14-inch touchscreen is vivid and clear and has the marginally taller 16:10 facet ratio that you simply don’t usually discover in laptops at this value level – they’re often caught with narrower 1080p shows. One factor the Acer offers up compared to the Lenovo is a 360-degree hinge, however I’ve at all times discovered that to be a slightly area of interest function that isn’t a compelling promoting level.

Design-wise, this can be a utilitarian slab of a laptop computer, nevertheless it’s simply skinny (0.71 inches) and lightweight (3.1 kilos) sufficient to really feel compact and simple to journey with. The keyboard and trackpad, in the meantime, really feel significantly better than I’d count on on a laptop computer at this value. The backlit keys are giant and have satisfying journey, making it nice to sort away on for hours at a time. And the glass-covered trackpad is clean and enormous; my solely criticism is that it often was activated by the aspect of my palm whereas typing.

The principle downsides are that the audio system and webcam are fairly mediocre. Audio is tinny and lacks depth, whereas video calls confirmed a definite lack of dynamic vary within the digicam. They’ll actually do in a pinch, and they’re anticipated corners to be minimize on a reasonably budget-priced laptop computer – however if you happen to take plenty of video calls or need higher onboard audio output, look elsewhere.

Battery life is about what I anticipated for an Intel-powered Chromebook. It lasted over eight hours whereas taking part in again a locally-stored video file, and I acquired a bit underneath seven hours whereas going by my regular workday (plenty of Chrome tabs, a handful of internet and Android apps like Hold, Google Chat, YouTube Music, Lightroom and Todoist). That’s not distinctive, however except you actually should be away from energy for lengthy intervals frequently it ought to be adequate (particularly at this value).

As this Chromebook was simply launched this summer season, Google is promising software program and safety updates till June of 2035. (For those who’re nonetheless utilizing this laptop computer 10 years from now, I applaud you.) Given the combo of efficiency and functionality at this value level, Acer’s newest Chromebook Plus 514 is simple to suggest for anybody who desires a no-nonsense laptop computer. However if you happen to’re the form of one that plans to make use of their Chromebook all day, on daily basis, you may need to take into account our improve picks.

Display dimension: 14 inches | Display decision: 1,920 x 1,200 | Put in reminiscence: 12GB | Weight: 3 lbs | Obtainable ports: 2 x USB-A 3.2, 2 x USB-C 3.2, Headphone jack, Kensington Nano safety slot | Drive capability: 256GB | Battery life: 13 hours as examined

Acer’s brand-new Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is minimize from a really related fabric as the usual 514 we suggest, however underneath the hood there are some main upgrades. It’s one of many first Chromebooks to make use of MediaTek’s Kompanio Extremely 910 chip, slightly than the usual Intel or AMD fare. This makes a serious distinction in how the Spin 514 performs. There are not one of the occasional slowdown or hiccups that also occur on Intel-based fashions when you have too many home windows or apps open. Tabs hardly ever must reload and pop again up shortly on the uncommon event that they do. Music or video playback by no means skipped no matter what else I used to be doing, and Android apps like Lightroom labored swiftly and easily.

Maybe extra importantly than the way it feels now, the Spin 514 ought to really feel snappy for years to come back. There’s simply extra room for this chip to deal with rising efficiency calls for through the years. Benchmarks from the Android model of Geekbench 6 assist illustrate this: the Spin 514 scored 2,526 on the single-core CPU check, 7,687 on multi-core and 18,020 on the GPU check. For comparability, Acer’s recently-released Chromebook Plus 514 with an Intel Core 3 chip scored 1,150, 4,407 and 5,932 respectively. Clearly, benchmarks don’t inform all the story, nevertheless it’s illustrative of how performant this chip is.

This goes for AI-related duties, as effectively – the MediaTek chip consists of the corporate’s NPU 890, which is rated at 50 TOPS (trillion operations per second). In observe, which means the varied Gemini-powered AI instruments in ChromeOS will run sooner than they do on an Intel machine. For those who’re eager to attempt these types of options, the Spin 514 is an efficient choice.

Past the MediaTek chip, you’ll discover 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage; I’m stunned that it has much less storage than a laptop computer that prices half as a lot, however 256GB is usually lots for ChromeOS because it depends totally on the cloud. The keyboard, trackpad and touchscreen show are all wonderful, and battery life is phenomenal. I acquired greater than 14 hours of video playback from the Spin 514, and hit over 9 hours of use if I wasn’t pushing issues too onerous.

The audio system are additionally a step up over those in the usual Chromebook Plus 514; whereas they’re not one of the best laptop computer audio system I’ve ever heard, they’ve a considerably fuller tone that’s much less tinny. Sadly, I can’t decide the webcam at this level because the mannequin I reviewed didn’t have the ultimate webcam {hardware} in place. Mine has a regular 1080p digicam, however the closing mannequin promoting in Greatest Purchase steps as much as a 5-megapixel webcam. That ought to provide considerably higher video name high quality, however with out testing it I can’t say the way it seems in observe. That stated, the 1080p webcam on the pc I examined had stable coloration stability and was lots sharp for my makes use of.

The mannequin I examined is promoting at Greatest Purchase for $700, a excessive value that feels honest given the standard of this pc. Acer additionally plans to promote the Chromebook Plus Spin 514 instantly from its website with 16GB of RAM and a high-res, 2,880 x 1,800 display for $750. That’s a pleasant display for that value, however I wager most individuals might be pleased with this mannequin. And whereas this pc simply got here out, we’ll be maintaining a tally of Greatest Purchase to see if it will get any value reductions within the coming months, as a result of then it’ll be even simpler to suggest.

Display dimension: 16 inches | Display decision: 2,560 x 1,600 | Put in reminiscence: 8GB | Weight: 3.75 lbs | Obtainable ports: 1 x USB-A 3.2, 2 x USB-C 3.2, HDMI, Headphone jack, Ethernet | Drive capability: 256GB | Battery life: 9 hours (producer estimate)

Acer first launched the Chromebook 516 GE within the fall of 2022 as a part of Google’s push to make units appropriate for cloud gaming and up to date it in 2024 with Intel’s Core 5 120U chip. The excellent news is that you simply don’t should be a gamer to understand the Chromebook Plus 516 GE. For $650, you’ll get a 16-inch show with a 2,560 x 1,600 decision and a 120Hz refresh price. NVIDIA’s GeForce Now gaming service helps as much as 4K visuals at 120Hz on its Final tier so that you’ll get to see these advantages. This laptop computer additionally helps Steam, but one more reason avid gamers is likely to be desirous about attempting it. However even non-gamers ought to benefit from the Plus 516 GE’s crisp and clear display and refined {hardware}.

It additionally consists of Intel’s Core 5 120U chip, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Given the laptop computer’s dimension, it’s good that Acer didn’t skimp on ports right here: there’s an HDMI port, USB-C, USB-A, Ethernet and a headphone jack. The keyboard has gamer-friendly LED lights which you can customise, however extra importantly, it’s only a stable and cozy keyboard for enjoying video games or simply typing up studies. The trackpad is giant and responsive as effectively.

The 516 GE weighs 3.8 kilos – fairly mild for a laptop computer with a 16-inch display. We haven’t examined the 2024 mannequin but, so I can’t verify the battery life; Acer claims 10 hours, a determine that’ll certainly dip if you happen to’re doing greater than watching movies or informal internet shopping. Between the highly effective {hardware}, stable design, good trackpad and keyboard and nice display, anybody who desires an even bigger Chromebook will doubtless be pleased with this mannequin.

As for help, Google says the Plus 516 GE will obtain updates till June of 2032. That shorter help timeline is my primary concern about this laptop computer at this level — I’m maintaining my eye out to see if Acer updates this mannequin quickly or if there’s one other newer choose with an extended help window.

Display dimension: 14 inches | Display decision: 1,920 x 1,200 | Put in reminiscence: 16GB | Weight: 2.75 lbs | Obtainable ports: 1 x USB-A 3.2, 2 x USB-C 3.2, Headphone jack | Drive capability: 256GB | Battery life: 14 hours as examined

Acer’s Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is a wonderful laptop computer – but when I used to be going to select one Chromebook to make my major pc, it will be Lenovo’s Chromebook Plus 14. To me, it feels just like the replace to Google’s own Pixelbook Go that we by no means acquired. Meaning it’s skinny (0.62 inches), mild (2.75 kilos) and solidly constructed with out being terribly flashy. Nevertheless it feels way more fascinating than the generic laptop computer vibes I can’t assist however get from Acer; smaller bezels across the show and the ridged, textured underside of the laptop computer make it really feel extra premium and distinctive.

The OLED touchscreen is a standout. Whereas it’s the identical decision because the Spin 514, it’s noticeably brighter and colours are extra vivid with out feeling blown out. I’d be comfortable to see it in the next decision, however I feel it strikes a great stability between sharpness and total high quality with out going to 4K the place battery life is likely to be affected.

I additionally love the keyboard and trackpad, each of which simply really feel barely nicer than these on the Acer. The keys don’t have fairly as a lot journey, however they really feel extra stable and barely much less wobbly. It is likely to be a matter of private choice at this level as each keyboards are superb, however I really feel like I can sort sooner and extra precisely on the Lenovo. The trackpad can be much less susceptible to unintended enter from my palm once I’m typing. There’s a fingerprint reader beneath the keyboard for biometric authentication too, which is one other good luxurious to have. The trackpad is clean and fairly giant, nearly as huge because the one on my MacBook Professional.

Different particulars just like the webcam and audio system are effectively executed right here, as effectively. The 5-megapixel digicam is my favourite out of the varied Chromebooks I’ve examined, with correct coloration copy and a pointy image total. The audio system are additionally one of the best I’ve examined on this newest roundup, with spectacular music playback regardless of the laptop computer’s skinny dimension. Lenovo says these audio system help Dolby Atmos, and music had extra depth and element when taking part in Atmos tracks from Apple Music. However even with out taking part in Atmos content material, the Lenovo’s audio system merely sounded superb.

As for efficiency, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 runs the identical MediaTek Kompanio Extremely 910 chip as Acer’s Chromebook Plus Spin 514, so all the great issues I needed to say about it apply right here as effectively. It’s extraordinarily responsive in day after day use and may carry out effectively for years to come back; AI efficiency utilizing numerous Gemini instruments was additionally fairly snappy. And the Lenovo’s battery life is one of the best of any Chromebook I’ve examined, lasting over 14 hours in our video playback check and about 10 hours of ordinary utilization throughout my typical workday.

General, the Lenovo’s Chromebook Plus 14 and Acer’s Chromebook Plus Spin 14 are very related and you’ll’t go mistaken with both if you’re on the lookout for a high-quality laptop computer that’ll work effectively now and into the longer term. I worth the Lenovo’s OLED display, keyboard and higher audio system over the Spin’s 360-degree hinge, however your mileage could range. For me, although, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 is one of the best Chromebook you should purchase.