Gadgetory

if you want a cheap laptop for just doing the basics you should look seriously at a Chromebook for a lot of people it might be better than a Mac or a PC but there are plenty of options with that multicolored chrome logo in the corner so how do you pick the perfect one Chromebooks are always cheap and they always run the exact same software so when you're looking for one you should really pay attention to a few other things battery life is key and it varies wildly among different models so does performance depending on the processor you get and even for $300 you should still expect a good keyboard and trackpad and good and sturdy industrial design after all you do have to use the thing even if it's cheap there is no perfect Chromebook yet no wonderful mix of everything that I want but Dells Chromebook 11 comes the closest it's an 11.6 inch laptop for $299 with all the bells and whistles a good Chromebook needs an Intel processor helps it run fast as just four gigs of RAM having an Intel chip is really important in a Chromebook it's really nicely designed a matte gray box that weighs just under three pounds and seems to take a travel induced feeding pretty well it has a good keyboard and trackpad despite the smaller size and the best thing about it is it'll last you an entire workday or more good performance good design good battery virtually no other Chromebook can claim to have all three fair warning though the Chromebook 11 does have the same problem most other Chromebooks do if screen isn't particularly impressive its eleven point six inches 1366 by 768 with a giant bezel and a lot of reflections but it does get the job done and if you're gonna sacrifice something to get this price getting only an average display actually is better than settling for subpar performance or a frustrating keyboard trackpad I'm still waiting on the perfect Chromebook the one that does everything exceptionally well and still cost $300 but until that exists the Dell Chromebook 11 is the best one you can buy the Samsung Chromebook 2 is the next best thing though and it's this close to being the right thing the 13-inch model has a higher res 1080p screen that is frankly still a tiny bit washed out and muted but you'd be hard-pressed to find a better display on a $399 laptop anywhere and the Chromebook 2 has a good keyboard and trackpad plus a really beautiful design that curved wedge you'll also find on samsung's high-end at eve laptops if body is a little plasticky and it has this faux stitched leather that I'm not about but it's light and thin and sturdy and looks more thoughtfully designed than just about any other Chromebook its battery also easily lasts all day but the Chromebook 2 runs a Samsung Exynos processor the same one you'll find in some of Samsung's tablets that means it works like well the tablet it's good enough as long as you're only doing one thing at a time but as soon as you even try to load a couple of browser tabs simultaneously the thing really starts to chug as soon as you pick up any other laptop the chromebook 2 just starts to feel slow too slow there's a smaller Chromebook too as well on 11 inch model but it's not worth buying it's only slightly cheaper than the 13-inch model only slightly lighter only slightly smaller and it has a much worse 1366 by 768 display and a more cramped keyboard and trackpad the size and price savings just aren't worth the sacrifice especially when it still comes with exactly the same performance problems among the larger screen Chromebooks out there the Toshiba Chromebook is one of the best it's good-looking almost like a MacBook Air though it's a bit deceiving it's a little flimsy and not as well made as I'd like it to be it has solid performance thanks to Intel's Haswell processors I really can't stress enough how important those are a Chromebook and it has decent battery life too but it has a big low res display that is average at best and pixel II and frustrating at worse it's a decent option especially at $299 but you can do better same goes for the HP Chromebook 14 which has the odd distinction of being the largest Chromebook on the market it comes in cool colors has solid performance it also has good battery life and a nice keyboard and trackpad but it has one of the worst displays you'll find on a Chromebook and it's both heavy and a little bit cheaply made Chromebooks are made to be portable to go everywhere with you and this is not that machine that focus on portability is like most Chromebooks have 11.6 inch screens of those the acer c720 p is one of the best it's not exactly attractive at all but it has everything else going for it good battery good performance decent touchscreen usable and portable if it weren't for the Dell Chromebook 11 this might be the choice but Dell gives all that plus a design that doesn't look like it was hacked together in five minutes out of spare parts there's also the Acer c720 which is the exact same thing but without a touchscreen it's cheaper and gets slightly longer battery life but it's basically the same proposition I still hate the design but if you want a dirt cheap Chromebook that works this is probably the one to get the HP Chromebook 11 is sort of the default Chromebook who likes to talk about it but it's not very good it's cheap and plasticky and slow I like its super vibrant display which proves 1366 by 768 doesn't have to be a bad thing and I love the fact that it charges with the USB cable but this looks feels and operates like the cheapest Chromebook on the market then it isn't so don't buy it and then there's the Chromebook pixel this is the gold standard what all other Chromebooks are supposed to aspire to with an incredible twelve point five inch 2560 by 1700 touchscreen a fast processor an outrageously beautiful design that's as nice as any laptop on the planet and a great keyboard and trackpad oh except that it's $1,299 more expensive that basically all of these other Chromebooks combined it's a wonderful idea in a totally ridiculous thing to spend your money on it's really amazing how far Chromebooks have come in the last few years they used to be just a web browser but now for a lot of people they're fully capable of replacing your PC they're getting better all the time and companies are still looking for that perfect balance of performance and quality and price but these are finally real viable options for everyone and if you're in the market you can't do any better right now than the Dell Chromebook 11 it does everything right and it only cost $299 that's pretty hard to