Ranking: The best Chromebooks reviewed by Notebookcheck

The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 conquers the top of our top list thanks to an unprecedented combination of performance and efficiency. The brand new MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 ARM processor not only delivers outstanding performance for demanding tasks, but also enables record-breaking battery life of over 15 hours.

Coupled with a brilliant OLED display, a powerful sound system and absolutely silent operation, it is the first ARM-based "Chromebook Plus" to set a new benchmark for the entire device category, making it the current reference. In addition to the strong values in our benchmarks and measurements, it has a handsome casing with lots of glass and aluminum. Unfortunately, this also comes at a corresponding price. Lenovo itself offers the Chromebook for around 730 euros.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 Chromebook is an elegant convertible with a 14-inch screen that can be used as both a laptop and a tablet thanks to its 360-degree hinge. The Intel Core i3 processor, 8 GB RAM and 512 GB NVMe SSD ensure smooth everyday performance.

The casing has a robust finish and combines aluminum with plastic. The keyboard is backlit and the touchpad is pleasantly large. The screen impresses with its Full HD resolution, good viewing angle stability and even illumination. Deductions are made for the somewhat reflective surface.

The equipment is solid and includes two USB-C ports, USB-A, MicroSD and Wi-Fi 6E. The webcam delivers usable images and has a privacy shutter.

At around 9 hours, the battery life is acceptable, but not outstanding. The speakers deliver a decent sound. During operation, the Chromebook remains pleasantly quiet and hardly heats up.

A luxury device for aesthetes who are willing to compromise: the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus XE550XGA immediately attracts attention with its ultra-slim, feather-light aluminum housing and flawless finish. Its absolute flagship is the brilliant 15.6-inch AMOLED display. It also impresses in everyday use with its fast performance thanks to the Intel Core 3 processor, a good, illuminated keyboard and mostly silent operation.

However, the aforementioned willingness to compromise is necessary for some important points. With a price of around 800 euros, it is one of the most expensive Chromebooks on the market. In addition, the battery shows two faces: while it lasts a long time in optimized mode, the runtime can drop to less than five hours when the keyboard backlight is activated and the display brightness is high. The webcam also only delivers mediocre results. However, if you focus on an outstanding display and an exquisite design, you will get an exceptional and very high-performance Chrome OS notebook.

The Acer Chromebook Plus CB514 4HT is a solid Chromebook with a good price-performance ratio. The elegant design with silver plastic casing and matt display is very appealing. At 1442 g, it is not the lightest, but still mobile. The features include modern USB-C and classic USB-A ports, a microSD card reader and a Full HD webcam with privacy shutter. An HDMI port is missing, but can be retrofitted using an adapter.

The Intel Core i3-N305 processor ensures smooth everyday work. 8 GB RAM and a 128 GB SSD round off the solid equipment. The matte Full HD display is sufficiently bright and offers good viewing angle stability. The battery life of 11 hours is excellent.

The Chromebook Plus CB514 4HT is a quiet and energy-efficient device that is ideal for anyone looking for a reliable Chromebook for everyday tasks. With a price of around 300 euros, it is also very affordable.

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11 turns out to be in our test a true quick-change artist: sometimes a fully-fledged notebook with detachable keyboard, sometimes a handy tablet with optional pen support - flexibility is a top priority here. Traveling users in particular will be pleased with the long battery life of up to 12 hours, which easily bridges longer train journeys or flights. The convertible is powered by the MediaTek Kompanio 838, a processor that cannot keep up with the most powerful models, but is more than sufficient for typical Chromebook applications. Another plus point: thanks to passive cooling, the Duet 11 is absolutely silent.

The 11-inch display in 16:10 format delivers a sharp display with 1,920 × 1,200 pixels and can score points with good color space coverage. However, a slight blue cast tarnishes the otherwise positive impression and the color reproduction could also be a little better. The detachable keyboard with its small key travel is intended more for short texts and is less suitable for extensive typing.

The Asus Chromebook CX1405CKA in its basic configuration with the Intel Celeron N4500 ranks at the bottom of our best list, even before the Asus Chromebook CM14 tested a long time ago. The reason for this is the extremely weak performance of the Intel processor, which barely offers enough reserves even for the undemanding ChromeOS and is therefore slower than the MediaTek chip in the CM14.

In return, the CX14 offers a nominally better screen without PWM. If you are interested in this model, you should probably go for one of the better equipped variants: Versions with an Intel N100 or the Core 3-N355 (in the Chromebook-Plus model) promise a much more suitable performance for everyday use.

The offer price for the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim CB only 100 euros in some cases. Nevertheless, you get a laptop here that at least doesn't show any visual flaws. On the downside, however, is the weak hardware equipment. A MediaTek Kompanio 520, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB eMMC memory do not necessarily guarantee a fast notebook. But the performance is sufficient for the slim Chrome OS. Surfing, streaming and office work are no problem for the IdeaPad. With the energy-saving processor and a battery with 46 Wh capacity, the Chromebook shows its advantages above all in terms of battery life and energy consumption.

The IdeaPad Slim CB does not need a fan. The energy-saving MediaTek Kompanio in combination with a good battery ensures long runtimes away from the power socket.

The IdeaPad Slim CB's main drawbacks are the screen and speakers. The TN panel does not have a particularly good color display and the speakers do not deliver a convincing sound. However, the low purchase price is a strong argument for the entry-level model and Chrome OS.

The Asus Chromebook CM14 is another entry-level device with MediaTek Kompanio 520 and hardly differs from the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 CB in terms of hardware. Only the eMMC memory on the Asus device is twice as large. The screen, battery life, webcam and sound are also pretty much the same on both devices. Unfortunately, the Chromebook from Asus costs a little more than the entry-level laptop from Lenovo.

The Asus Chromebook CM 14 is also a slim entry-level laptop that is suitable for office, streaming and surfing.

One thing that stands out positively about the Chromebook from Asus compared to the IdeaPad is the distribution of the ports. The CB14 offers a USB-C port on both sides for charging or connecting a monitor.