The best Chromebooks for students in 2025: Expert tested and reviewed

1 month ago 2

Let's face it: having a laptop for school is a necessity. But toting around a bulky, slow computer from five years ago is not the vibe. Opting for a Chromebook is a solid choice for students: they're lightweight, fast, and typically cost far less than Windows PCs or Apple MacBooks.

Chromebooks run on ChromeOS, a streamlined operating system that integrates with Google Drive, making it easy to navigate to apps like Google Docs, Google Drive, and Gmail so you can stay on task and in touch with teachers and classmates. Even better: Chromebooks have leveled up the past few years, offering more power, storage, and features powered by Google's Gemini.

What is the best Chromebook for students right now?

ZDNET's staff has extensive hands-on experience with PC hardware, including our top laptop choices and a variety of Chromebooks. While deciding on the best Chromebooks for students, we take a holistic approach by using the devices we test over the course of a week and assess their performance across different tasks.

The Chromebook I recommend most for students is the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus. It's extremely thin and lightweight, with a surprising amount of power under the hood and a brilliant OLED display.

Also: The best lightweight laptops of 2025: Expert tested

It's not going to be the top choice for everyone, however, so we've included other models from some of the top names like Lenovo, HP, and Acer, for a variety of use cases. Here's how these top five Chromebooks stack up for your school and study needs.

Sort by

All Value Performance Design/Build Battery life Display

The best Chromebooks for students in 2025

Slim, light, and expressly portable, Samsung's Galaxy Chromebook Plus makes an impression on campus with its AMOLED display and premium form factor.

Why we like it: Weighing just 2.6 pounds, the Galaxy Chromebook Plus is a 15-inch laptop that will slide into a backpack and go largely unnoticed, yet has enough power on board to act as a main driver.

You've got 8GB of RAM, 256GB of local storage, and an Intel Core 3 Series 1 processor, with a vivid Full-HD 15.6-inch AMOLED display. Add to this a set of ports that's robust enough for any mainstream laptop and you've got a device that can connect to external monitors and work with your peripherals. The cherry on top? The fantastic battery life, which will easily last all day on campus and into the night for those late study sessions.

Review: Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus

Who it's for: The student who values a premium display, utilizes Google's ecosystem, and is engaged with all the features Chromebook Plus devices have to offer. This is a top-tier Chromebook Plus with all the latest features such as the Quick Insert key and AI-powered features with Gemini.

Who should look elsewhere: The Galaxy Chromebook Plus is the most expensive Chromebook on this list, but it's also the most premium in terms of hardware. If you're committed to the idea of using a Chromebook, and you want the best one out there, this is your device. If you're looking for something cheaper, there are plenty of other options.

Show Expert Take Show less

If you're moving around a huge campus, then an ultraportable, lightweight Chromebook may serve you best like the Lenovo Flex 3i.

Why we like it: The laptop weighs about 2.75 pounds, has a sizable 12.2-inch display that supports touchscreen input. It can also be folded into a tented display or tablet. Lenovo equipped the Flex 3i with an Intel Processor N100, a more modest processor that, when paired with the 4GB of RAM, this should be more than capable of powering most student tasks.

Review: Lenovo Flex 3i Chromebook

ZDNET tested the Lenovo Flex 3i and found it efficient enough to stream hours of content, write and edit documents, as well as have multiple tabs open at once.

The cherry on top is the lack of noise typically found in fan-powered laptops. That makes this a distraction-free Chromebook, especially if you're churning out last-second papers in the library.

Who it's for: Most of the Chromebooks on this buying list make the cut as far as portability is concerned, but the Lenovo Flex 3i arguably gives you the most functionality for its size.

Who should look elsewhere: If you need more power than the Intel processor and rather low RAM can provide, check out my other top picks.

Show Expert Take Show less

If you're into blowing off steam after class with gaming, this Chromebook Plus from Acer is as well-suited for cloud gaming as it is productivity tasks with Google Drive and Gemini.

Why we like it: Recent Chromebook Plus models are equipped with more robust processors, sleeker builds, and huge leaps forward in battery life. Acer's 516 GE is no exception. Its latest top-tier Chromebook Plus has all the tools needed for studying, but follows that up with some solid gaming power after hours.

I reviewed Acer's 516 GE Chromebook Plus, and praised its 120Hz display, noting that cloud gaming felt surprisingly smooth with 8GB of RAM and an Intel 5 120U processor. With 512GB of local storage, you don't have to worry about installing huge game files on the laptop; school-related tasks stay front and center.

Review: Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE

Who it's for: Chromebook users who want extra power. Many Chromebooks come with 4GB of RAM, for example, while the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE offers 8 and a 10-core CPU.

It's not just gaming that this laptop excels at. The slick display works well for any kind of media, and its great battery life means that this machine will be fine for long days on campus.

Who should look elsewhere: If $600 is more than you're willing to pay for a Chromebook, check out one of my more affordable options instead.

Show Expert Take Show less

If you're looking for a versatile note-taking device that can be a laptop or tablet, Lenovo's Duet Gen 9 is an 11-inch Chromebook with an included stylus for ideating, sketching, and documenting, while weighing just 1.1 pounds.

Why we like it: Chromebooks excel at just delivering the features you need, and if note-taking is what you're after, the Duet is a fantastic 2-in-1 laptop/tablet hybrid that resembles a Microsoft Surface Pro (for a fraction of the price).

It comes with a foldable keyboard and stylus that allows the user to work in a myriad of different configurations. For this reason, it works fantastic as a secondary device for in-field sketching and documenting, a work companion while hitting the library, or just for taking notes while leaving your bulky laptop behind.

Review: Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9

Who it's for: This is a device well-suited for note taking and working on documents, not necessarily intense research or extended browsing sessions. If you need something portable and versatile, this is a Chromebook that can act as a laptop or tablet, and is small enough to fit onto a small desk on campus or in the coffee shop.

If you like using a stylus or are in a field where you need to make sketches (architecture, chemistry, etc.), you'll appreciate how easy it is to snap into position and get to drawing, then revert back to laptop to write up your paper.

Who should look elsewhere: Users looking for a more premium laptop experience with a large screen or full-sized keyboard will want to skip this one, as it's verging more into tablet territory with the 11-inch display and diminutive trackpad.

Show Expert Take Show less

Why we like it: The Chromebook Plus x360 is an inherently flexible machine with the ability to flip the display around and turn into a tablet. Students in visual disciplines will particularly like this, as its one of the first Chromebooks to support Photoshop on the web (you even get a free, three-month trial with your purchase).

While 8GB of RAM might not seem like a lot, combined with the 12th Gen Intel Core i3 processor, the hardware punches above its weight with the streamlined ChromeOS, allowing the laptop to handle tougher tasks and to run way more apps at the same time effectively.

Review: HP Chromebook Plus x360

Who it's for: If you're looking for a proper 2-in-1 laptop/tablet experience but want something bigger than the Lenovo Duet, HP's Chromebook Plus x360 is a solid choice. If you appreciate a 2-in-1 form factor, either by using it in tablet mode or in tent mode for streaming media, this is the Chromebook we recommend.

Who should look elsewhere: Anyone who isn't seeking a convertible laptop might want to opt for one of the other Chromebooks on this list. But even if you're not, the 14-inch size and touchscreen capability makes it more versatile than the Galaxy Chromebook Plus. It's also a bit heavier, weighing 3.32 pounds.

Show Expert Take Show less

What are the tariffs in the U.S.?

The recent U.S. tariffs on imports from countries like China, Vietnam, and India aim to boost domestic manufacturing but are likely to drive up prices on consumer electronics. Products like smartphones, laptops, and TVs may become more expensive as companies rethink global supply chains and weigh the cost of shifting production.

CNET: Tariff Pricing Tracker: We're Watching 11 Products You Might Need to Buy

Laptops and PCs are also hit hard by the new U.S. tariffs, with import duties potentially increasing prices by up to 35%. Many major brands still rely on Chinese and Vietnamese factories for assembly, meaning consumers could soon pay significantly more for everything from budget Chromebooks to high-end gaming rigs.

These tariffs may accelerate efforts to move production to regions like Mexico or India, but shoppers can expect higher costs and fewer discounts in the short term.

Right now, it looks like some tech may be exempt from the issued tariffs, but since it's always changing and developing, we are keeping an eye on it and will update you on the latest.

Also: Tariff exemptions for electronics offer a break for tech - but not for long

	Starting Price	RAM/Storage	Display	Camera	Battery life
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus	$749	8GB, 256GB	15.6-inch	1080p	12 hours
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i	$429	4GB, 64GB	12.2-inch touchscreen	720p	12 hours
Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE	$649	8GB, 256GB	16-inch	1080p	10 hours
Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9	$399	4GB, 128GB	11-inch touchscreen	5MP	8 hours
HP Chromebook Plus x360	$329	8GB, 128GB	14-inch touchscreen	1080p	6 hours

Choose this Chromebook...	If you want..
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus	A premium Chromebook with a brilliant AMOLED display, a thin and light form factor, and enough power under the hood to handle a variety of workflows.
Lenovo Flex 3i	A portable Chromebook that delivers lots of features for the price. It also supports touch inputs, and the 2-in-1 form factor lets you streamline your workflow by eliminating the need for a separate tablet.
Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE	A Chromebook that's ideal for classwork and resource-intensive applications, while also catering to entertainment.
Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9	A compact and affordable tablet/laptop hybrid that's well-suited to note-taking and sketching.
HP Chromebook Plus x360	A 14-inch laptop/tablet hybrid that comes in a variety of configurations and offers a premium 2-in-1 experience, especially for the price.

ZDNET thoroughly researches and stays up to date with the Chromebook marketplace. We narrow down our searches for the best Chromebooks for students by examining customer feedback, technical specifications, and price changes.

Along with selecting based on hands-on, expert testing, ZDNET also selected these Chromebooks for students based on CrXRPT 2.0 benchmarks. This test tells you how fast a Chromebook handles things you do every day, including playing video games, watching movies, and editing photos and provides an overall score. The higher the score, the better.

This benchmark consists of six scenario tests: photo effects, face detection, offline notes, stock portfolio dashboard, DNA sequence analysis, 3D shapes with WebGL and three additional video, music, and game player tests.

Photo Effects: Applies three effects -- Sharpen, Emboss, and Glow -- to two photos each, a set of six photos total.
Face Detection: Checks for human faces in a set of five photos in low resolution.
Offline Notes: Measures the time to encrypt, store, and display notes from local storage.
Stock Portfolio Dashboard: Calculates and displays different graphical views of a stock portfolio.
DNA Sequence Analysis: Measures the time it takes to process eight DNA sequences for open reading frames and amino acids.
3D Shapes with WebGL: Generates equation-based 3D shapes and displays them with WebGL.
Video Player: Plays a two-minute 1080p H.264 video clip in a browser from the local system.
Music Player: Plays an audio clip for three minutes.
HTML5-based game: Runs an impact.js-based game for about two minutes.

All tests were run using ChromeOS 89. Wi-Fi was on, but Bluetooth was disabled during the benchmarking. The screens were set to 80% brightness.

We use a combination of methods to test laptops here at ZDNET. First, we acquire data from benchmarking software to analyze a system's metrics under the hood and compare those to advertised numbers. Then, we spend about a week or two with the laptop using it the same way a normal consumer would. This lets us analyze its portability, form factor, and how well the battery actually holds up, among others. For an extensive breakdown, check out our comprehensive laptop testing methodology.

Benchmarking: First, we run a series of tests to put the computer's hardware through the wringer in order to see what it's capable of. Cinebench is one of the most commonly-used hardware testing suites, which tests the laptop's rendering performance on single and multiple CPU cores. PCMark 10 is another powerful program that covers a wide variety of tasks performed in the workplace, and there are many others that we use in tandem to gather as much data as we can. Some components we run tests on include:

Processor: The "brain" of the laptop, and one of the most important factors that determines performance. The four biggest manufacturers that make most of the CPUs found in laptops today are Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and Apple -- in their own machines only. This is tested in benchmarking software.

The display: The size of the display is measured diagonally from corner to corner. This is also what dictates the laptop's overall size and play a big role in the laptop's cost. Brightness is measured in "nits", and color spectrums are tested in benchmarking software.
The graphics processor (GPU): Whether it's integrated into the CPU or a dedicated graphics card, how well the machine handles graphics is a key factor when it comes to demanding visual tasks like video editing, rendering, and of course, gaming. We test the GPU with a combination of benchmarking software, gaming, and media playback.
Physical form factor: Finally, the laptop's overall appearance and physical form factor encompasses its weight, thickness, how the keyboard and trackpad feel, and whether or not it has a display that can be folded back to form a tablet. We carry the laptop around for at least a week and note how well it commutes.
Battery testing: We test a unit's battery in a few ways. A handful of benchmarking programs have their own battery testing components, but we also will just let the laptop run for as long as it can under a medium load. We ensure screensavers and hibernation mode are turned off, set the display's brightness and audio at 50%, load up a livestream on YouTube in Chrome, and wait 'til the end.

The human element: As we mentioned earlier, metrics and system data is important, but numbers alone don't give you the full picture. This is where we weave in our personal experience with the device and tap into the practical use cases that consumers actually care about.

Ultimately, our goal is to break down the capabilities of each and every laptop we test into digestible terms that real people can find useful. There is a lot of noise and confusion when it comes to navigating the laptop and computer consumer market, so we hope to bring an intuitive element to the whole process by leveraging our team's decades of experience.

Chromebooks are good for almost any job, but they're great for students. If a student can use a web browser, they can use a Chromebook. They are easy to navigate and do not have the complexity or the same learning curves as a Windows, Mac, or Linux-based machine may have.

For teachers and school administrators, Google also provides G Suite for Education and Google Classroom to help them make remote learning as easy as possible.

A Chromebook can be a great laptop choice for students of all ages. They're more basic than their Windows counterparts, which means even very young children will be able to use them. They also have less powerful processors and graphics capabilities, reducing the temptation to play games all night rather than finish up homework.

A Chromebook's battery life is its biggest selling point, with many models sporting at least 10 hours of use on a full charge. This means your kids won't have to keep track of charging cables in order to use their Chromebook throughout the school day.

Chromebooks are excellent for casual, daily use and tasks such as using email, surfing the web, and completing homework assignments. However, they tend to lack the processing power and storage of many Windows and Mac laptops, and they are not suitable for tasks that require a lot of computing power.

If you need a PC capable of handling creative applications, video editing, or gaming, a Chromebook probably isn't the right choice.

It is possible, and there may even be a few advantages. Chromebooks often have great battery life, so they're perfect for taking notes in lectures or completing assignments.

However, if a college course requires the installation of specific software apps typically available on Windows or Mac, it might not be compatible with ChromeOS. In addition, the machine might not have the power to handle them anyway.

Are there alternative Chromebooks for students worth considering?

There are lots of options out there if you're looking for a Chromebook geared towards students of all ages. Here's a short list of alternate Chromebooks:

The HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook on a colored background.

In ZDNET's May update, we made guide layout changes and updated our top picks with the latest news and pricing. We also replaced several discontinued options.

Laptops Reviewed & Compared

Read Entire Article