Best Chromebook Picks: Top Performers or Budget-Friendly Options?

Chromebooks provide a budget-friendly and highly portable alternative to traditional Windows laptops, making them ideal for educational settings. Typically featuring screens between 11 and 16 inches, they are lightweight and easy to carry. Many models have convertible functionalities and excellent battery life. Running on Google Chrome OS, they store data and apps in the cloud, which limits their performance with resource-heavy applications. The CHIP Test Center regularly evaluates various models, ranking their performance, features, display quality, and battery life to help consumers make informed choices.

Chromebooks provide an affordable and highly portable alternative to traditional Windows laptops, making them ideal for educational settings, whether in schools or universities. The CHIP testing center routinely evaluates the latest models, and our Chromebook ranking gives a comprehensive overview of the current testing results.

Typically, Chromebooks feature smaller screens ranging from 11 to 16 inches, which allows them to fit easily in bags and backpacks. Generally, they are lighter than larger 17-inch laptops. Many of these devices also boast a convertible design, enabling usage as a tablet when needed. Additionally, the battery life of Chromebooks is often exceptional, offering a major advantage for users on the go.

Equipped with Google’s Chrome OS, Chromebooks rely on cloud storage for data, programs, and settings, resulting in mostly limited SSD storage within the devices. Therefore, they are not particularly suited for resource-heavy applications such as Photoshop for image editing, video editing software, or gaming.

Top Chromebook Picks: Best in Test and Price-Performance

Top Performer

Best Price

Excellent (1.2)

Excellent (1.2)

Excellent (1.0)

Good (2.3)

Excellent (1.2)

Excellent (1.0)

Excellent (1.3)

Satisfactory (2.7)

Excellent (1.4)

Satisfactory (3.0)

10:36 hours

11:27 hours

09:19 hours

09:34 hours

1920 x 1200 pixels

2000 x 1200 pixels

from €696

(Amazon Marketplace)

from €299

(Media Markt)

How the CHIP Testing Center Evaluates Chromebooks

Sleek Chromebooks running Google’s Chrome OS offer the promise of efficient cloud-based work, rapid startup, and extended battery life. With a variety of models available, we take these differences into account during our testing process. We assess whether these devices meet their claimed capabilities in real-world scenarios, evaluating five key criteria. The top-performing device in each category receives a score of 1.0, while others are rated accordingly. The final scores are calculated based on the weighted average of these categories.

While Chromebooks primarily operate from the cloud, performance assessment remains critical in our evaluation framework. System performance greatly influences the response times and maximum operational load of the Chrome browser. To determine performance, we utilize relevant benchmarks such as PCMark and 3DMark. The ‘Performance’ category contributes 20% to the overall score.

Features of a Chromebook range from RAM and storage capacity to connectivity options and additional elements like card readers and fingerprint sensors. The ‘Features’ category also has a 20% weight in the overall evaluation.

The display is a crucial component of a Chromebook, accounting for 25% of the total score. Our testing evaluates pixel density, maximum brightness, brightness distribution, contrast ratio, and the coverage of relevant color spaces such as sRGB and AdobeRGB—essential factors for image and video editing as well as media enjoyment.

The ‘Ergonomics’ category includes subjective evaluations of noise levels and the quality of the casing. We also assess the keyboard and touchpad through practical testing, which contributes 10% to the overall rating.

The ‘Battery’ category, another vital component of a Chromebook, significantly influences its portability and suitability for mobile use. We evaluate battery life under two scenarios: video playback and office usage. The ‘Battery’ category accounts for 25% of the overall score.

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