Best Chromebooks (2026): Most of them are bad, but they’re not

I was pleased to see that the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 didn’t skimp on the bad touchpad. This goes a long way toward improving the experience of actually using the laptop on a moment-by-moment basis. I wasn’t annoyed every time I had to click and drag or select a piece of text. This device’s biggest weakness is definitely the screen, and that’s true of every cheap Chromebook I’ve tested. The colors are ugly and desaturated, giving everything a sickly green tint. It’s also not the world’s sharpest, as it stretches 1920 x 1200 pixels across a large 16-inch screen. But in terms of ease of use and performance, the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 is a great value, combining an Intel Core i3 processor with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. For a Chromebook that often goes on sale for $350, that’s a steal.

While we’re here, let’s go cheaper, shall we? Asus has two inexpensive Chromebooks that I tested last year and were fairly impressed with. the Asus Chromebook CX14 And CX15. Note in the name that these are not “Chromebook Plus” models, meaning they can be configured with less RAM and storage, and even use lower-powered processors. That’s exactly what you get in the cheaper configurations of the CX14 and CX15, and that’s how they sometimes bring prices down to $130. I’d definitely recommend the version with 8GB of RAM, but regardless of which option you choose, both the CX14 and the larger CX15 are fairly attractive laptops. You’ll know that’s a huge compliment if you’ve seen how ugly Chromebooks at this price have been in the past.

However, I appreciated the relatively thin bezels and thickness of the case, as well as the larger touchpad and comfortable keyboard. The CX15 comes in a stunning blue colour. The touchpad isn’t great, and neither is the screen. Like the Acer Chromebook Plus 516, it suffers from poor color reproduction and the brightness reaches just 250 nits. It also has a 720p webcam, which makes video calls a bit difficult. But this would be true for almost all competitions (and there aren’t many).

Of the two models, I definitely prefer the CX14, as it doesn’t have a number pad and an off-center touchpad, which I’ve always found difficult to use. Look – no one would do that love Using a computer costs less than $200, but if that’s what you can afford, the Asus Chromebook CX14 will at least get you through without a lot of frustration.

whatever you do, Don’t just head to Amazon And buy any old Chromebook they sell to your child for $100. It’s worth shelling out the extra money to get something with better battery life, a more modern look, and decent performance.

Other good Chromebooks we’ve tested

We’ve tested dozens and dozens of Chromebooks over the past years, reviewing every major release across the price range. Unlike Mac and Windows laptops, Chromebooks tend to last a little longer, and aren’t updated as often. I stand by my picks above, but here are some standouts from our testing that are still worth a purchase for the right person.

Photo: Daniel Thorpe Lancaster