Top Chromebooks in 2019
Given that the Chrome OS world has rapidly expanded over the past few years, it is no doubt that you’d more often than now be faced with the dilemma of choosing a Chrome hardware that would fit your needs while on a budget.
Finding one that suits your needs usually takes more than a few minutes of research. And quite unfortunately, the low-end to midrange Chrome OS hardware
Unlike what is being passed down as “affordable” on other platforms, The Chrome OS platform offers the best bang for your buck. Moreover, buying a Chromebook is a relatively straightforward affair as the software experience is pretty uniform across the plethora of options for Chrome OS hardware.
If you are currently in the market for a Chrome-powered machine, with an affordable pricetag, then don’t just power through this article, let us take you on a ride.
Here are our best mid-range and high-end Chromebooks you should totally check out.
Top Midrange Chromebooks
Acer Chromebook 14 For Work
If you desire is a Chromebook that’s built for the workspace, looks good and work hard, then the Acer Chromebook 14 For Work should be at the top of your list.
Under the hood is Intel’s 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i3 processor coupled with a 4GB RAM configuration.
With a chassis built with durability in mind, the outer body coupled with a tough Corning® Gorilla® glass display can handle drops from as high as 45cm and a downward force of 60kg.
Coming in at $599.99, MSRP, the device is a steal and it’s always on some sort of sale on a variety of online retail stores with up to $200 off at times. Currently, it’s available on Amazon for $440.89.
This makes Acer’s Chromebook 14 a hardy companion.
Its other features include support for USB 3.1 Type C that allows both charging and Data transfers – even allowing projection from high-resolution displays via the USB 3.1 connector.
The 12-hour battery life is above average as you get a full workday out of it from a single charge and with MIMO 2X2 802.11ac⁴ wireless adapter, you enjoy stable Wi-Fi speeds.
Lenovo Chromebook C330
Convertible Chromebooks are in no doubt in abundance considering how they’ve become the norm in modern computing and the C330 is one of many this list that combines the form-factor with a respectable feature-set. Coming in at 299 USD on Amazon, the laptop is powered by the MediaTek MT8173C chipset together with 4gb of LPDDR3 RAM and options of 32gb and 64gb of internal eMMC storage.
Samsung Chromebook Pro/Plus
Samsung
The Samsung Chromebook Pro/Plus holds their own when it comes offering the mainstream “convertible experience” with their 360° rotating displays and a responsive pen to boot.
Additionally, they are respectively equipped with, Intel Core M3 Processor 6Y30, 4GB RAM, 32GB eMMC and ARM® Cortex®-A72, Quad Cortex-A53, RAM 4GB DDR3 RAM and a 32 GB SSD storage.
Both laptops sport a 12.3″ LED Display with a 3:2 aspect ratio which is one of their strong merits. The 12.3″ display offers a considerable amount of screen real estate in tablet mode. This gives you a lot more freedom while scrolling through web pages on the device’s secondary mode.
Samsung’s design department has undoubtedly put a lot effort into designing the device to resemble those sleek convertible notebooks seen on other platforms. Thickness comes in at 0.55” and relatively lightweight at just 2.38lbs.
The Samsung Chromebook Pro is priced at $497.97 on Amazon while the Chromebook Plus comes in at $284.05 on Amazon as well.
Asus Chromebook Flip
If you are into convertibles and the Samsung Chromebook Plus didn’t quite cut it for you, then the latest incarnation of the flip series, Asus Chromebook Flip C302 might actually do the trick.
With a launch price of around $600, the device fits the upper mid-range category.
The device is fitted with an Intel Core M3 6Y30 or Pentium4405Y processor that is coupled 4GB of RAM for a good balance of work and leisure use. At the graphics department is the Intel HD Graphics 515 with both 32GB or 64GB of eMMC storage configurations.
Ditching the conventional plastic design for a well-furnished aluminum chassis, the Asus Chromebook Flip is a sight to behold and with its 12.5-inch screen that supports
Weighing in at just 1.1kg, the Asus Chromebook Flip is a perfect device for those often on the go. You can find it on Amazon for $509.00.
Acer Chromebook 14
Shopping for a Chromebook means there is a great chance you’re not looking for a device that cost over $400. If you want to enjoy everything Chrome OS has to offer but is not willing to shell out close to $500 for a top-notch Chromebook, you can always opt for Cheaper alternatives like the Acer Chromebook 14.
Priced around $300 on Amazon, the device is a lot cheaper than any of the Chromebooks on this list but doesn’t come with some of the bells and whistles like a hybrid design or fast CPU.
The device does ship with an Intel Celeron N3160, which is considerably slower than the Core M3 6Y30 found in the Asus Chromebook Flip but since its running Chrome OS, you still get the full experience of the platform with a few bottlenecks.
With a full Aluminum chassis, the device does come across as a well-built laptop. There’s also 12 hours of battery life, a full HD display, 32GB eMMC storage and RAM options of both 4GB and 8GB. Given the specs, the Acer Chromebook 14 is the best bang for your buck.
Samsung Chromebook Plus (V2)
Most that shop for Chromebooks usually don’t want to shell out huge sums for the device but in truth, they don’t really have to. Mid-range Chromebooks are a core part of Google’s business model for the platform, thus, there are several well-made mid-range devices that tick all the right boxes.
One of these devices is Samsung Chromebook Plus V2. Samsung has become somewhat of veteran within the Chrome OS community –having been part of it since it’s inception—and this is evident in how it designed almost all its Chromebook offerings.
Having a starting price of about $529, the device falls under the mid-range tier meaning its Celeron 3965Y, 4GB of RAM can handle most of usual workloads thrown at it.
The Plus V2 is a hybrid Chromebook—The display turns a full 360 degrees to transform it into a tablet—and transform into four different modes like the clamshell, multimedia, tent, and tablet.
Its other features include 1920 x 1200 resolution and has 32GB eMMC flash memory for storage.
Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14
If you are not feeling the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 then you should look into this Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14.
The device packs a bigger storage and a relatively faster chipset sporting an Intel Core i3 and 128GB of eMMC Flash Memory making it a compelling alternative. The both have 4GB of RAM but I reckon the Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 would handle multi-tasking and other intense tasks far better and its 1920 x 1080 resolution packs impressive color and clarity.
Additionally, it features IPS technology that provides wide viewing angles and you will be served with LED backlight feature that absent on Samsung Chromebook Plus V2.
ASUS Chromebook C423
The ASUS Chromebook C423 offers some really interesting features for its price – going for $249—though its Intel Dual-Core Celeron N3350 Processor (2M Cache, up to 2.4 GHz) makes it is far slowly than the Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14, but the device performs really well under less intense workloads like simple web surfing and video streaming.
This Chromebook iteration from Asus aims to be affordable while keeping everything within a slim and an artistically crafted body.
The Chromebook weighs about 1.2kg making it extremely easy carry around and its entire thickness is 16.1 mm with a 5.8 mm bezel and has screen-to-body ratio of 78%.
For about $249 you will be getting a Chromebook that has 14-inch HD 1366×768 Anti-Glare NanoEdge display featuring anti-glare coating to reduce reflection from external light sources.
It is powered by Intel Dual-Core Celeron N3350 Processor that is coupled with 4 GB LPDDR4 RAM and 32GB eMMC storage.
The devices feature ports that includes both USB Type-C and Type-A ports for high speed file transfer and more.
Lenovo Chromebook S330
This Lenovo Chromebook S330 has about the same starting price as the ASUS Chromebook C423 but weighs about 1.5 kg, a little more than its rival.
Featuring a sleek, stylish, and durable slim chassis, the device is amazing to look at. Lenovo Chromebook S330 comes with 14.0″ display, a MediaTek MT8173c Quad-core processor, 4GB Memory, and 32GB EMMc SSD storage.
Acer Chromebook 15 (CB315-1HT)
The Chromebook from Acer intents to stay with for the entirety of the whole day with its 12hr long battery life and featuring an impressively built display, the device is amazing for enjoying media either through streaming or internally stored file.
The device comes with a Full HD display sporting 1920×1080 resolution in a 16:9 aspect ratio perfect for watching your favorite videos and all that is Powered by an Intel® Pentium® Quad-Core processor which delivers the performance you need on the web.
Additionally, the Acer Chromebook 15 features two full-sized upward facing speakers injecting that immersive feeling to almost everything including movie watching or enjoying your favorite game.
Pixel Slate (Base Model)
Google did pretty impressively with the first launch of a Chrome OS powered tablet. Not only is the device impressively crafted, it has blurred the line between the tablet and a laptop by being both at the same time.
The device is sold in several different variation which each catering for a particular genre of users. But, if you are looking to get into the action without spending crazy amounts of dollars for the high-end Pixel Slate, you opt for the based model of the device.
The Based-model sports all the goodies like 12.3” 3000×2000 (293 ppi) LCD display, Dual front-firing speakers for better sound and powered by an Intel® Celeron® processor.
It features 4 or 8GB of RAM and 32GB of eMMc storage, two USB-Cs for charging, 4K display output and quicker data transfer.
Top Premium Chromebooks
Google Pixelbook
One of the reasons why the Pixelbook is at the bottom of the lot is it’s particularly hefty MSRP of $1000, which essentially makes recommending the Pixelbook a tedious affair.
The Google Pixelbook is everything you would expect from a computer in its price category and more. Not to mention the Pixelbook made our list cause it’s regularly on sale with as much as 300 off thereby bringing the entry-level price-point to a respectable $700.
Sporting a 7th Gen Intel Core i5 processor and about 128GB storage, the device was Google’s first answer to the Surface line of hardware from Microsoft.
With a design configuration that supports up to four modes, the Pixelbook can morph into whatever position you desire to put it in. With its impressive hardware, the device runs programs like Slack, Lightroom, Infinite Painter like a charm.
With just 10 hours of battery life, the Pixelbook seem to fall behind some of the Chromebooks mentioned on the list, but the device features fast charging – something missing in other devices – that can get you 2hours of use in just 15 minutes of charge.
The Pixelbook is currently on sale on the Google US Store for the Christmas break at $250 off.
Pixel Slate
earlier this year at the Google I/O event, the Pixel Slate was announced with up to four different configurations and a base model starting at $600 and the highest end variant going for as much as $1650.
We’ll be covering a review on the device later on and you can find the variants here.
Acer Chromebook Spin 13
Imagine a well-designed device running on a well-designed operating system and turn your gaze over to the Acer Chromebook Spin 13, and you realize they are one in the same.
The beautifully crafted convertible comes powered by an 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U CPU making it incredibly snappy and extremely fluid to use and with its flexible nature, this machine quickly transforms from tablet, notebook, display or tent-mode – thanks to its special 360° Hinge.
The display is a 13.5-inch plus its 2256 x 1504 resolution that is in a 3:2 aspect ratio allowing you to see more and do more with websites and docs.
There is also a Corning Gorilla Glass NBT IPS 10-point multi-touch screen, 8GB Memory, 128GB eMMC storage and Up to 10-hour Battery life.
HP Chromebook x2
This device kind of resembles the Pixel Slate due to their shared design language– it sports a detachable display– but it does feature a much lesser processor and some heavy-hitting features that makes Slate great.
Its detachable touch-screen display lets you enjoy brilliant 2K content, and you can write and draw on it with the included Active Pen.
The device has about 32GB of storage, and its Intel Core m3 processor and 4GB of RAM provide smooth performance while on the web or working on projects.
What are your thoughts on the devices listed on here? Share them with us in the comments!
