The best Chromebook you can buy in 2025

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.

Screen size: 14 inches | Screen resolution: 1,920 x 1,080 | Installed memory: 8GB | Weight: 3.15 lbs | Available ports: 1 x USB-A 3.2, 2 x USB-C 3.2, HDMI port | Drive capacity: 128GB | Battery life: Up to 11 hours

When Google first introduced the Chromebook Plus line almost a year ago, models with that designation started at $400 — but since, things have gotten less expensive. Acer’s just-released Chromebook Plus 514 hits all the key specs, including a 13th-gen Intel Core i3-N305 processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and a 1080p display and webcam. None of this is anything to write home about, but you’re getting a lot of value for a laptop priced at $380. It also includes the aforementioned AI features and a year’s worth of the $20/month Google One AI Premium plan, which includes a generous 2TB of cloud storage for your photos, Drive and Gmail files.

Design-wise, the Plus 514 is pretty basic, but it gets the job done; it’s your standard laptop with a 14-inch display. It’s neither overly thin (.81 inches) or light (3.15 pounds), but these specs are totally reasonable for a sub-$400 laptop. (It’s actually ever-so-slightly lighter than the more premium Spin 714.) Same goes for the screen — it’s a touchscreen, and its 1,920 x 1,080 resolution is fine, but I do miss the extra vertical pixels you’ll get with our other picks in this guide. The display is otherwise good, and the keyboard and trackpad are likewise more than good enough for a laptop at this price.

Overall, the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is a solid option if cost is your main concern — but it’s also worth noting that the Lenovo model we picked as the best overall Chromebook is often on sale, sometimes for under $400 as well. In that case, the price difference between the two laptops is close enough that it’s worth springing for the better display you’ll get with the Lenovo. But I’ve also seen the Plus 514 selling for as little as $330, which is a great deal for a capable Chromebook.