There’s a lot of hardware built inside a Chromebook, so it can be difficult to figure out exactly what you need. Fortunately, the Chromebook Plus program makes it easier to break down the jumble of specs. ChromeOS is also lightweight, so you don’t need incredibly powerful specs to get a good experience. Here are some general tips on what to look out for:
Processor: For the best experience, we recommend avoiding older Chromebooks with Intel Celeron processors. Chromebook Plus specifications provide a good baseline for guaranteed fast performance, and we recommend at least an Intel Core i3, Core i5, or AMD Ryzen 3 7000 processor. Unless you need the extra performance for multitasking Android games, Linux apps, and dozens of Chrome tabs, be wary of overspending on the Intel Core i7 processor configuration. Intel and AMD dominate the processor world, but you occasionally see Chromebooks using ARM processors, like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 in the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 above. It may be fine for very basic tasks, but it doesn’t perform well under sustained, intense loads (at least until something new comes along).
lamb: If you can afford it, always go for at least 8GB of RAM. You won’t find 4GB of RAM on anything but basic, ultra-cheap Chromebooks, but that will severely limit your multitasking abilities. To avoid slowdowns, 8GB of RAM is the standard you should aim for.
save: Unlike your Mac or Windows PC, most of your Chromebook work is stored on the web. That said, although you can usually get away with less storage, we don’t recommend going below 128GB. If you can afford it, at least 256GB would be much more convenient. You’ll get the best speeds from NVMe solid-state drives, so check the spec sheets when comparing models.
screen: Most of the Chromebook displays you’ll see are IPS LCD panels, and that’s fine. Until OLED displays take up more of your Chromebook’s space, IPS LCD screens offer the best contrast and color accuracy. If you’re shopping at an extreme budget, be wary of TN LCD panels. They are generally lower quality and have worse viewing angles. The standard resolution should be 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. You can get clear images on 13-inch and 14-inch screen sizes, and the 15-inch screen is acceptable. The higher the resolution, the better it looks, but keep in mind that powering more pixels can reduce battery life.
port: USB-C ports have become commonplace on newer Chromebooks, so there’s no longer an excuse to buy one without one. Consider purchasing one that can be charged via USB-C so you can charge it as a portable power bank on the go. The microSD card slot can also be useful if you want an easy way to expand storage on the fly. Some Chromebooks also support Thunderbolt 4 through USB-C ports. This is a great option if you want to connect your Chromebook to some high-end monitor, but it’s not necessary for most people. Instead, you can get similar external monitor support and spend a lot less money by using an HDMI port or DisplayPort over USB-C.
