Making the right Chromebook choice
It used to be so easy to choose a Chromebook: set your budget, see what’s available, press Buy. Now, it’s a far trickier process
Gone are the days when all Chromebooks were chunky plastic ultraportables with 11in to 13in screens. Now they run the whole gamut of laptops, from slimline 2-in-1 convertibles and detachables to more powerful gaming Chromebooks with RGB lighting and 16in displays.
As with buying any laptop, then, you need to fix your requirements before you buy. Are you going to prioritise portability or focus on models that will be comfortable to work on all day long? Do you need features such as a touchscreen, ruggedisation or a more flexible form factor, or are these irrelevant in comparison to a great keyboard, a big screen and strong performance?
Working out your priorities will help you select the right Chromebook.
Go big or go small?
The first decision this will help you make is which screen size to go for. Chromebooks with a 12in to 13.3in screen will generally be thinner and lighter, and more conducive to a 2-in-1 convertible design. On the other hand, they can make it hard to balance legibility with comfort, especially when you’re spending hours sitting in front of a browser and a bunch of Google Workspace apps, which is where 15.6in and larger screens come into their own. 14in Chromebooks give you a nice midway point between the two, which is why many manufacturers seem to be standardising on this screen size for their mainstream Chromebook lines.
Beyond size, you need to think about the screen technology and resolution. Almost all Chromebooks use IPS technology, with mini-LED and OLED tech pushing prices beyond where most users (and manufacturers) feel comfortable. Full HD resolutions are still the most popular, but to maximise usability many Chromebooks are shifting to a 16:10 aspect ratio and a 1,920 x 1,200 pixel count. This looks great at screen sizes below 15 to 16 inches, at which point higher resolutions look smoother and sharper, though you’ll still find these hard to come by on Chrome OS devices.
Similarly, cheaper Chromebooks often suffer from the same issues as budget Windows laptops: low brightness levels, poor contrast and limited colour gamuts. This Labs is full of Chromebooks that can’t show more than 65% of the sRGB colour space, and often less. While that means drabber images, if you’re just after a laptop to crunch through spreadsheets then this won’t be an issue. But it will be if you want a Chromebook that can handle more colour-critical creative tasks, such as photo and video editing.
Pay for performance?
Almost all Chromebooks use IPS technology, with mini-LED and OLED tech pushing prices beyond where most users feel comfortable
Two years ago, we saw a plethora of different processor architectures in Chromebooks, with manufacturers experimenting with energy-efficient ARM CPUs as well as using more conventional x86 processors.
While these still loiter in some lightweight, cheap or convertible Chromebooks, Intel’s technology now dominates the scene. Celeron and Pentium lines have gone the way of the dodo, to be replaced by Intel’s far more powerful N-series chips based on its Alder Lake architecture.
These provide enough performance for basic everyday browsing and simple productivity apps, and Chromebooks based on them can feel surprisingly slick and speedy, thanks to the low requirements of Chrome
OS. However, we’d still recommend a recent Core i3, Ryzen 5 or Core i5 CPU for good all-round performance and enhanced performance in Android and Linux apps.
Similarly, while you can get away with just 4GB of RAM, 8GB is a must for serious usage, partly because the Chrome browser and many websites
and web-based apps keep growing more demanding. While 16GB can make a difference in a few apps, for most users it won’t make a difference and could just be overkill.
Don’t fall short on storage
Amazingly, we still see some Chromebooks coming through with just 32GB or 64GB of storage, with the excuse that you don’t need more if you’re only using web-based apps. Again, though, having more will give you extra flexibility to use Android and Linux apps, and the ability to work on local files rather than files stored in the cloud, which is where latency and performance issues tend to creep in, especially when you don’t have access to a high-speed network.
This is why Google has mandated 128GB as a minimum for Chromebook Plus models, and why you ought to think about 256GB or more. You should also bear in mind that Google hasn’t mandated what type of storage this should be. For the smoothest, fastest experience, stick to Chromebooks using NVMe SSDs or UFS 3.1 storage over the slower, more old-fashioned eMMC flash.
Connectivity and comfort
Chromebook manufacturers have a nasty tendency to skimp on connectivity, with even some mid-range Chromebooks sticking to slower USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A and Type-C ports; these max out at 5Gbits/sec, while USB 3.2 Gen 2 doubles that to 10Gbits/sec and USB 4 to 40Gbits/sec (minimum). It’s also worth having more than one USB-C port to play with, not least because you’ll need one to charge the Chromebook for at least some of the time.
You can also use the USB-C port to connect to a screen, but we always still welcome the presence of an HDMI output. You never know when it might come in useful.
Luckily, Wi-Fi 6 has now become the standard for networking on Chromebooks, and a growing number of Chromebooks have introduced Wi-Fi 6E. Bluetooth 5.1 to 5.3 support is also ubiquitous, and wireless mice, keyboards and headsets will work as well on a Chromebook as on a Windows laptop, even if there may be some missing or unused functions or keys.
As with any laptop, don’t neglect the ergonomics. A keyboard that annoys you in the early days of owning a Chromebook may infuriate you for the Chromebook’s working lifespan, and while a Bluetooth mouse can help make up for a rough and unresponsive trackpad, there may be times when you don’t have one to hand.
Webcams and audio setups are also becoming increasingly important, especially when you may end up using your Chromebook for virtual meetings, chats and conference calls. Google has mandated 1080p webcams for Chromebook Plus devices, but even with a common resolution, clarity, colour and exposure control can vary.
Services and apps
Chromebooks still work best if you’re already embedded in Google’s ecosystem, meaning you use an Android smartphone and have access to Google’s Workspace apps, either through your company or through a personal account. However, it’s far from a walled garden, and you can also use Microsoft’s Office apps and services through Microsoft 365, or switch to using Android-based creative and productivity apps.
Google has also worked hard to build partnerships with a number of key software publishers, such as Adobe. In addition, now that the Crostini Linux support layer is baked into Chrome OS, you can also use a wide range of Linux apps.
You still don’t get the full range of software you’ll find on macOS or Windows platforms, and games can be hard to come by, outside of a small list supported by the Chrome OS beta of Steam. However, that list may grow longer thanks to the improved Linux support for gaming that’s being driven by Valve’s Steam Deck, and you can always use game-streaming services instead. GeForce Now and Xbox Games Pass Ultimate work a treat on Chrome OS. Similarly, most video- and music-streaming services can be used through their Android or browser-based apps.
For the fastest experience, stick to Chromebooks using NVMe SSDs or UFS 3.1 storage over the slower, old-fashioned eMMC flash