Your Chromebook has a “best by” date. Here’s why you can’t do anything about it, in 60 seconds.
Our favorite laptops at every budget (PC, Mac and Chromebook)
© Sebastian Czapnik | Dreamstime.com
Most people have one or two gadgets running simultaneously and can do fine keeping them charged with a couple of cables and a wall outlet. But for those who have multiple devices, that’s simply not enough. Tap or click here for the top charging stations for all your devices.
Tablets are great for browsing the web, reading ebooks, playing games, listening to music and video calls with friends and family. But you should look at a laptop for handling lots of emails, creating documents and general work/business needs. While tablets rely mostly on touchscreens, which is OK for texting, you’ll want a full keyboard for more intensive tasks.
Here are our picks for the best laptops that fit into any budget.
Best laptops under $500
Lenovo IdeaPad 3i
Why we picked it: It’s lightweight and affordable, with a powerful Intel Core i5 processor.
You get a lot of bang for your buck with the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i. It packs in a 12th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage via the solid-state (SSD) drive.
The 14-inch FHD display with narrow bezels gives you a great viewing experience, whether streaming movies or on a conference call. Connect your favorite devices via the USB-C port, two USB ports, HDMI or Bluetooth.
This laptop is travel-ready, weighing just over 3 lbs. and with a battery life of up to 10 hours. Windows 11 Home is included, so you don’t need to worry about upgrading your OS anytime soon. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i laptop is suitable for home, school and business use.
[content-egg-block template=custom/k3_list next=1]
HP 15 Laptop
Why we picked it: For a budget laptop, this is powerful with 8GB of RAM.
Don’t buy this now: Google’s just announced six new Chromebooks, including their AI-enabled Chromebook Plus line. With a Chromebook Plus laptop, you’ll get AI wallpapers, an AI text and photo editor, and Google’s Gemini AI assistant built in for as low as $429. Not bad, but I wouldn’t shell out for a first-gen AI laptop. They’ll only get better.
Chromebook pros and cons
Chromebook sales are through the roof, a 75% increase in the number shipped over the past year. Here’s what you should know before you buy.