A Chromebook is a laptop defined by its operating system rather than its hardware. In most respects the machines differ little from Windows or Linux laptops; what marks them out is ChromeOS, Google's browser-based system, which is far less demanding than Windows and therefore makes even cheap, low-powered laptops pleasant to work on.
The short version
- The winner: Lenovo Chrome 14M9610 — a new ARM chip, an OLED touch display, silent operation and very long battery life.
- The display alternative: Samsung Chromebook Plus 15 — a bigger 15.6-inch AMOLED panel in a thinner body, with a proper SSD.
- The price tip: Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11 — an Android tablet with a detachable keyboard that becomes a laptop in seconds.
Why ChromeOS at all
ChromeOS is built around the Chrome browser and designed first for web applications and extensions. That frugality is the point: it runs smoothly on hardware that would struggle under Windows.
It has also grown up. Offline functionality is now genuinely good, helped by a real file system and the ability to run Android and Linux applications. And with the newer Chromebook Plus machines, more demanding work has become possible too.
The update process is one of its great strengths. Where Windows, Linux and macOS all need restarts for system updates, a Chromebook updates almost unnoticed in the background, which cuts downtime to a minimum.
The app question: Android, Linux and Windows
In the early days ChromeOS was built entirely around online services — Google Docs, Gmail and the rest. The focus is still web apps in the Chrome browser, but conventional laptop working is now possible, if not to the standard Windows sets.
The reason for the gap is software availability: the Microsoft Office suite, most Adobe programs and many niche tools have no ChromeOS version. The picture is improving, though. After a long refusal, Microsoft has integrated the Microsoft 365 applications into ChromeOS more sensibly — there is still no native version of Word and its siblings, but editing Office files through Microsoft's cloud services is markedly better than it was.
Android and Linux app support is what fills the remaining gaps, and it is the reason a Chromebook can now be a main machine for many people rather than a second one.
Gaming and entertainment
For watching things, a Chromebook is unremarkable in the best sense: local and streamed content plays as easily as on a Windows laptop or an Android or iOS device, and every relevant streaming service works either in the Chrome browser or through its Android app.
Gaming is more complicated. Because ChromeOS is so undemanding, most Chromebooks are correspondingly modest performers, and graphically demanding PC games simply do not exist on the platform. The way round it is game streaming: with a stable connection, plenty of major titles run well. Google shut its own Stadia service down in early 2023, but alternatives such as Nvidia GeForce Now and Blacknut work excellently on Chromebooks.
What "Chromebook Plus" guarantees
Google announced the Chromebook Plus concept in 2023 to mark out machines with more — and more consistent — performance than the cheaper, weaker models that dominated before.
To carry the badge, a machine must have at least a 12th-generation Intel i3 or an AMD Ryzen 5000 processor, 8 GB of RAM, 128 GB of SSD storage and a Full-HD display. That makes Plus models a solid, affordable class of work laptop rather than a compromise.
Plus machines also get exclusive AI-assisted features in ChromeOS — writing, correcting and summarising text, editing images, and improving the webcam picture — and Adobe applications such as Photoshop and Express Premium are meant to work better. Google Drive files sync automatically so they are available offline without a wireless connection.
The winner: Lenovo Chrome 14M9610
The 14M9610 has no tablet mode, but what it does have is a touch display using OLED technology, very long battery life, high-quality construction and a new ARM chip that suits Chrome applications particularly well.
It is thoroughly current on wireless too, with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. At just 1,170 g it is among the lightest laptops of any kind, and at 31.4 x 21.9 x 1.6 cm among the most compact, which makes it a dependable travelling companion. It also runs silently, on passive cooling.
That efficient ARM processor pays off in endurance: at reduced screen brightness and mixed use, up to 16 hours is possible — more than any other Chromebook in the comparison.
The compromises are worth knowing: there is no tablet mode, and storage is flash rather than a proper SSD.
The display alternative: Samsung Chromebook Plus 15
A good alternative to the favourite, built around Samsung's own AMOLED panel, which delivers excellent colours and outstanding black levels, averaging 410 nits — bright enough in most conditions, though the reflective screen is a nuisance in direct sunlight. The screen is larger at 15.6 inches, and yet the machine is thinner than the winner at just 1.2 cm.
It is light with it: 1,200 g despite that 15.6-inch panel, which makes it lighter than many smaller 14-inch Chromebooks. Wireless is Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, and the keyboard is backlit.
It adds two things the Lenovo lacks: a MicroSD card reader and a fast SSD in place of simple flash storage. Battery life is good and it is comparatively light for its size.
The price tip: Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11
The Duet 11 is essentially an Android tablet that a dockable keyboard converts into a laptop in seconds. At 25.5 x 16.7 x 0.7 cm it is roughly the size of an iPad Air, and it weighs 500 g on its own or 940 g with the keyboard and back cover fitted — both of which add about a centimetre of thickness. That makes it comfortably the most portable option here.
Performance is sufficient for typical Chromebook work in office and media applications, and it is well made.
Two caveats. Pen input is supported but no stylus is included. And it is too weak for high-end applications — this is a machine for everyday work, not for pushing.
Who should buy a Chromebook — and who should not
Buy one if your work happens in a browser and in Google's applications, you want a machine that stays fast on modest hardware, and you value updates that install themselves without ceremony.
Look elsewhere if you depend on the desktop Microsoft Office applications, on most of Adobe's range, or on specialist Windows-only tools — cloud editing has improved but it is not the same thing — or if you want to play graphically demanding PC games locally rather than by streaming.
Understanding the update clock
Updates are ChromeOS's quiet advantage. They install in the background rather than demanding restarts, and because Google does not permit manufacturers to customise the interface — unlike Android — there is no vendor layer to delay them, nor third-party app installation to complicate them.
Support is finite, though, and it varies by model. Google publishes the support cycle for every Chromebook on its own support pages, and that is the figure to check before buying, particularly on an older or discounted machine.
Which should you buy?
Take the Lenovo Chrome 14M9610 if you want the best of these overall: the OLED screen, the battery life, silent running and current wireless.
Take the Samsung Chromebook Plus 15 if the display matters most, or if you want the larger 15.6-inch panel, the card reader and the SSD.
Take the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11 if you want the cheapest sensible entry, or if a detachable tablet suits how you actually work — remembering the stylus is sold separately.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Chromebook powerful enough as a main laptop? For browser-based work, office documents and media, yes — and the Chromebook Plus specification (12th-gen i3 or Ryzen 5000, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD, Full HD) sets a floor you can rely on. It is not the machine for demanding local software.
Can I run Microsoft Office on a Chromebook? Not as native applications. Microsoft has improved how the Microsoft 365 applications integrate with ChromeOS, so editing Office files through its cloud services works considerably better than it once did, but there is still no ChromeOS version of Word and the rest.
Can I play games on a Chromebook? Not demanding PC games locally — most Chromebooks are modest performers by design. Streaming services such as Nvidia GeForce Now and Blacknut work excellently, given a stable connection. Google's own Stadia closed in early 2023.
Do Chromebooks work offline? Better than their reputation suggests. There is a real file system, Android and Linux applications run, and Google Drive files sync automatically for offline access.
How long will a Chromebook get updates? It varies by model, and Google lists the support cycle for each one on its support pages. ChromeOS updates arrive in the background without restarts, and no manufacturer interface layer delays them.
What is the difference between a Chromebook and a Chromebook Plus? Plus is a minimum-specification badge — 12th-generation Intel i3 or AMD Ryzen 5000, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD and a Full-HD display — plus exclusive AI features in ChromeOS for text, images and the webcam.
