9 Best Chromebooks Compared
Other Good Chromebooks We've Tested
Photograph: Daniel Thorp-Lancaster
Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 for $711: Acer’s Chromebook Spin line has made a name for itself over the years, and its latest entry, the Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (9/10, WIRED Recommends), keeps that reputation alive. For $699 (or less if you find it on sale), Acer packs a surprising amount of power into this laptop thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 5 115 processor. It showcased breezy performance in my testing, and the chip’s dedicated AI processing power is a perfect complement to the AI features Google is sprinkling into ChromeOS. It's a bit too expensive compared to some newer Chromebook Plus models.
Acer Chromebook Plus 515 GE for $550: Chromebooks aren’t usually what you’d consider gaming laptops, but they’ve made gains in that segment over the past couple of years with the rise of cloud gaming. The best of the bunch is the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (8/10, WIRED Recommends), which works perfectly with streaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now. You can even use the Steam beta for Chromebooks, but I found this was only good for light indie titles.
Photograph: Daniel Thorp-Lancaster
Asus Chromebook CX34 for $399: Chromebooks don’t tend to be lookers, but Asus breaks tradition with the Chromebook Plus CX34 (7/10, WIRED Recommends). It’s wrapped in a gorgeous white shell that, while plastic, felt durable in my testing. I’ve reviewed many bland, gray Chromebooks, and I found myself reaching for the CX34 more because of its attractive design. The hardware in the CX34 is typical for a Chromebook Plus, and it felt responsive even when I had my usual complement of more than a dozen tabs and a handful of apps running. Unfortunately, this model doesn’t come with a backlit keyboard, and its 14-inch, 16:9 display feels cramped compared to other Chromebooks I’ve used with taller 16:10 screens. If you can look past those shortcomings, though, the CX34 is a solid little workhorse that stands out.
Acer Chromebook Plus 515 for $300: If you want a snappy laptop but don’t want to spend the extra cheddar on some of our other top picks, the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) will do the job. It’s not stylish, but it keeps the price low by sticking to the basics. Inside is an Intel Core i3-1215U processor, which handles ChromeOS and up to 20 open tabs with ease. Battery life is also good enough to get you through a workday, and it handled 8.5 hours of full-screen video before calling it quits in our testing. The 15-inch 1920 x 1080-pixel screen is nothing to write home about, but it’s crisp and won’t strain your eyes.
Photograph: Luke Larsen
Acer Chromebook Plus 514 for $355: As the slightly smaller sibling to Acer’s Chromebook Plus 515, the Chromebook Plus 514 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) offers a similarly great experience for budget-conscious buyers. It’s not the prettiest Chromebook out there, but it speeds through most tasks with its Intel Core i3-N305 processor and 8 GB of RAM. Best of all, you can frequently find it on sale for less than its usual $399 price.
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