The perfect Chromebook you should purchase in 2026

Display screen measurement: 14 inches | Display screen 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 most recent Chromebook Plus 514 mannequin, they’re actually hitting the candy spot of value and efficiency. At solely $350, it’s cheaper than my earlier decide for one of the best Chromebook (Lenovo’s IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus) and improves on it in a number of methods.

The large spec enhancements are a more moderen 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 shiny and clear and has the marginally taller 16:10 side 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 provides up compared to the Lenovo is a 360-degree hinge, however I’ve all the time discovered that to be a slightly area of interest function that isn’t a compelling promoting level.

Design-wise, it is a utilitarian slab of a laptop computer, but it surely’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 anticipate 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 huge; my solely grievance is that it often was activated by the facet 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 should you take numerous 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 enjoying again a locally-stored video file, and I acquired slightly underneath seven hours whereas going by way of my regular workday (numerous Chrome tabs, a handful of internet and Android apps like Maintain, Google Chat, YouTube Music, Lightroom and Todoist). That’s not distinctive, however until you actually have to be away from energy for lengthy intervals regularly it must be adequate (particularly at this value).

As this Chromebook was simply launched this summer time, Google is promising software program and safety updates till June of 2035. (When you’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 should you’re the type of one that plans to make use of their Chromebook all day, each day, you would possibly need to contemplate our improve picks.

Display screen measurement: 14 inches | Display screen 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 material 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 in case you have too many home windows or apps open. Tabs hardly ever have to reload and pop again up rapidly 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 growing efficiency calls for over time. 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 your entire story, but it surely’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 assorted Gemini-powered AI instruments in ChromeOS will run sooner than they do on an Intel machine. When you’re eager to strive these types of options, the Spin 514 is an effective choice.

Past the MediaTek chip, you’ll discover 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage; I’m shocked that it has much less storage than a laptop computer that prices half as a lot, however 256GB is usually loads 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 exhausting.

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 normal 1080p digicam, however the closing mannequin promoting in Greatest Purchase steps as much as a 5-megapixel webcam. That ought to supply considerably higher video name high quality, however with out testing it I can’t say the way it seems in observe. That mentioned, the 1080p webcam on the pc I examined had strong shade steadiness and was loads 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 screen for $750. That’s a pleasant display screen for that value, however I wager most individuals might be proud of this mannequin. And whereas this pc simply got here out, we’ll be keeping track 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 screen measurement: 16 inches | Display screen 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 have to 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 players is likely to be inquisitive about making an attempt it. However even non-gamers ought to benefit from the Plus 516 GE’s crisp and clear display screen 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 measurement, 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 strong and cozy keyboard for enjoying video games or simply typing up stories. The trackpad is giant and responsive as effectively.

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

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

Display screen measurement: 14 inches | Display screen 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 choose 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), gentle (2.75 kilos) and solidly constructed with out being terribly flashy. But it surely feels much 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 pleased to see it in the next decision, however I believe it strikes a very good steadiness between sharpness and general 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 strong and barely much less wobbly. It is likely to be a matter of private desire at this level as each keyboards are excellent, however I really feel like I can sort sooner and extra precisely on the Lenovo. The trackpad can also be much less liable to unintentional enter from my palm after 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, virtually 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 assorted Chromebooks I’ve examined, with correct shade copy and a pointy image general. 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 measurement. Lenovo says these audio system help Dolby Atmos, and music had extra depth and element when enjoying Atmos tracks from Apple Music. However even with out enjoying Atmos content material, the Lenovo’s audio system merely sounded excellent.

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 each day use and may carry out effectively for years to come back; AI efficiency utilizing varied 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 normal utilization throughout my typical workday.

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