Chromebooks can include quite a lot of completely different {hardware} inside, so it may be onerous to determine precisely what you want. Happily, the Chromebook Plus program has made the jumble of specs simpler to parse. ChromeOS can also be gentle sufficient that it doesn’t require extremely beefy specs to get an excellent expertise. Listed below are some normal recommendations on what to look out for.
Processor: For the perfect expertise, you need to keep away from older Chromebooks with Intel Celeron processors. The Chromebook Plus specs provide an excellent baseline to ensure speedy efficiency, and I’d advocate going with a minimum of an Intel Core i3, Core i5, or AMD Ryzen 3 7000 processor. Simply be careful for overspending on configurations with Intel Core i7 processors except you want the additional horsepower for multitasking Android video games, Linux apps, and dozens of Chrome tabs. Whereas Intel and AMD dominate the processor scene, you’ll often discover Chromebooks utilizing ARM processors just like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 within the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 above. These might be high-quality for very fundamental duties, however they gained’t fare as nicely beneath sustained, intense hundreds (a minimum of till one thing newer comes alongside).
RAM: All the time go for a minimum of 8 GB of RAM for those who can afford it. You gained’t discover 4 GB of RAM in something aside from fundamental, super-budget Chromebooks, nevertheless it severely limits your capacity to multitask. If you wish to keep away from slowdowns, 8 GB of RAM is the usual you need to purpose for.
Storage: In contrast to a Mac or Home windows PC, quite a lot of your Chromebook work will dwell on the internet. This implies you may usually get away with much less storage, however I wouldn’t advocate going beneath 128 GB. When you can afford it, you’ll be far more snug with a minimum of 256 GB. You’ll get the perfect pace out of an NVMe stable state drive, so look out for that on the spec sheet while you’re evaluating fashions.
Display: The overwhelming majority of Chromebook shows you’ll discover might be IPS LCD panels, and that’s simply high-quality. Till OLED shows make extra of a dent within the Chromebook area, IPS LCD screens provide the perfect distinction and coloration accuracy. When you’re purchasing within the excessive funds vary, be careful for TN LCD panels, as they’re typically decrease high quality and provide worse viewing angles. For decision, a 1,920 x 1,080-pixel decision needs to be your commonplace. You’ll get crisp visuals at 13- and 14-inch display sizes and it’s satisfactory at 15 inches. Larger resolutions will look even higher, however be cautious of the battery life tradeoff you’ll see from pushing energy to extra pixels.
Ports: USB-C ports have grow to be commonplace on the most recent Chromebooks, so there’s not any excuse to purchase one with out them. Attempt to get one which prices over USB-C so you may recharge with a transportable energy financial institution while you’re on the go. A microSD card slot may also be useful if you’d like a straightforward solution to increase your storage on the fly. You’ll discover that some Chromebooks assist Thunderbolt 4 over their USB-C ports as nicely. Whereas that’s a superb choice to have for those who plan to plug your Chromebook into some high-end screens, it isn’t mandatory for most individuals. As a substitute, you will get related exterior monitor assist (and spend so much much less) with an HDMI port or DisplayPort over USB-C assist.
