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Whether you’re shopping for a budget-friendly laptop for school or a sleek machine for everyday productivity, the best Chromebooks can offer surprising functionality for the price. Chromebooks have come a long way from their early days as web-only devices. Now, many Chromebook models feature powerful processors, premium displays and even touchscreen support, making them a compelling alternative to a regular laptop for plenty of users.
There are more options than ever too, from lightweight clamshells to high-end, 2-in-1 designs that can easily replace your daily driver. Whether you're after a new Chromebook for streaming, work or staying on top of emails, there’s likely a model that fits both your budget and your workflow. We’ve tested the top Chromebooks on the market to help you find the right one — whether you’re after maximum value or top-tier performance.
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Best Chromebooks in 2025
Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget Best Chromebook overall Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus Screen size: 14 inches | Screen resolution: 1,920 x 1,200 | Installed memory: 8GB | Weight: 3.52 lbs | Available ports: 1 x USB-A 3.2, 2 x USB-C 3.2, MicroSD card slot (SD 3.0), Headphone jack, Kensington Naon security slot | Drive capacity: 128GB | Battery life: 6 hours as tested Lenovo has been making some of the best affordable Chromebooks you can buy for several years now, and its 2023 IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus is an affordable laptop that provides just about everything you could want in a basic Chromebook. (We’re calling it the Flex 5i from here.) The 14-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 touchscreen is both larger and taller than last year’s model. This means you get more vertical screen real estate, which is something I appreciate over a standard 1080p display. This Lenovo model hits the Chromebook Plus recommended specs with a 13th-generation Intel Core i3 processor plus 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. That’s a bump up from the 11th-generation processor in the 2022 model, and the RAM and storage should be plenty, so you’ll get good performance from this machine. Unfortunately, the battery life is fairly mediocre — I got about six hours of regular use out of it. My workflow includes a ton of Chrome tabs, plus web apps for things like Slack, Todoist, Trello, Google Keep and YouTube Music. I usually take a few video calls during the day, so if you’re not on camera much you might get a bit more time from the laptop. I wish it lasted longer, but I can’t knock it too much considering the Flex 5i’s price. The backlit keyboard and trackpad are very good and feel much better than I’d expect on a fairly affordable machine. The keys have nice travel and the trackpad is large and responsive. Despite the fact that it has a 1080p webcam, I can’t say that I looked all that great in the video calls I took. It does the job, but not much more. Other things in the Flex 5i’s favor include both USB-C and USB-A ports, a microSD card slot and a security lock. It also comes with built-in Wi-Fi 6E to meet the latest Wi-Fi standard. At 3.5 pounds and 0.78 inches thick, it’s definitely not the lightest or slimmest option out there. It’s a utilitarian slab of a laptop, but that’s OK. Finally, the Flex 5i will receive software and security updates until June of 2032, so you can buy this computer and have it covered for years to come. For me, the $500 Ideapad Flex 5i is the ideal Chromebook, and the good news is that it’s regularly on sale for quite a bit less. I’ve seen it as low as $350 in recent months. It’ll hit the sweet spot for a lot of buyers out there, providing a level of quality and performance that’s pretty rare to find at this price point. That said, it’s getting long in the tooth compared to the rest of our picks, so I’m keeping an eye out for an update from Lenovo or a replacement from another manufacturer. Pros Good overall performance for the price
Nice display
Solid keyboard and trackpad Cons Mediocre battery life
A year older than our other picks $379 at Amazon
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