4 Best Chromebooks (2024): Tested and Reviewed Leave a comment
Chromebooks can include lots of completely different {hardware} inside, so it may be exhausting to determine precisely what you want. Thankfully, the Chromebook Plus program has made the jumble of specs simpler to parse. ChromeOS can also be gentle sufficient that it doesn’t require extremely beefy specs to get an excellent expertise. Listed here are some normal tips about what to look out for.
Processor: For the perfect expertise, you need to keep away from older Chromebooks with Intel Celeron processors. The Chromebook Plus specs provide an excellent baseline to ensure speedy efficiency, and I’d advocate going with a minimum of an Intel Core i3, Core i5, or AMD Ryzen 3 7000 processor. Simply be careful for overspending on configurations with Intel Core i7 processors until you want the additional horsepower for multitasking Android video games, Linux apps, and dozens of Chrome tabs. Whereas Intel and AMD dominate the processor scene, you’ll sometimes discover Chromebooks utilizing ARM processors just like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 within the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 above. These might be positive for very fundamental duties, however they gained’t fare as properly beneath sustained, intense masses (a minimum of till one thing newer comes alongside).
RAM: At all times go for a minimum of 8 GB of RAM when you can afford it. You gained’t discover 4 GB of RAM in something aside from fundamental, super-budget Chromebooks, however it severely limits your means to multitask. If you wish to keep away from slowdowns, 8 GB of RAM is the usual you need to goal for.
Storage: Not like a Mac or Home windows PC, lots of your Chromebook work will stay on the internet. This implies you may sometimes get away with much less storage, however I wouldn’t advocate going under 128 GB. When you can afford it, you’ll be far more snug with a minimum of 256 GB. You’ll get the perfect velocity out of an NVMe strong state drive, so look out for that on the spec sheet if you’re evaluating fashions.
Display: The overwhelming majority of Chromebook shows you’ll discover shall be IPS LCD panels, and that’s simply positive. Till OLED shows make extra of a dent within the Chromebook house, IPS LCD screens provide the perfect distinction and shade accuracy. When you’re buying within the excessive finances vary, be careful for TN LCD panels, as they’re typically decrease high quality and provide worse viewing angles. For decision, a 1,920 x 1,080-pixel decision needs to be your normal. You’ll get crisp visuals at 13- and 14-inch display screen sizes and it’s satisfactory at 15 inches. Increased resolutions will look even higher, however be cautious of the battery life tradeoff you’ll see from pushing energy to extra pixels.
Ports: USB-C ports have develop into commonplace on the latest Chromebooks, so there’s now not any excuse to purchase one with out them. Attempt to get one which expenses over USB-C so you may recharge with a conveyable energy financial institution if you’re on the go. A microSD card slot can be helpful if you would like a simple solution to broaden your storage on the fly. You’ll discover that some Chromebooks help Thunderbolt 4 over their USB-C ports as properly. Whereas that’s a superb choice to have when you plan to plug your Chromebook into some high-end screens, it isn’t mandatory for most individuals. As a substitute, you may get comparable exterior monitor help (and spend lots much less) with an HDMI port or DisplayPort over USB-C help.
