Top 5 best student Chromebooks 2025
The best student Chromebooks for learners of any age
The top pupil For students of all ages, Chromebooks can be an excellent choice because they combine excellent daily performance with affordable prices that won’t break the bank. Although many students cannot afford to spend a lot of money on a brand-new MacBook, a laptop should be viewed as an investment in your future academic success because it is often one of the most significant primary expenses for students.
Over the years, I’ve tested hundreds of laptops, many of which ran Google’s streamlined, light ChromeOS. Only the top Chromebooks for students are included in the list I’ve put together below; these are the ones that are not only capable of handling coursework but are also small, light, and have long battery lives, making them perfect for rushing between classes.
One of the greatest choices for students to handle their workloads is the finest student Chromebook, which strikes a mix between performance and price. After all, the majority of students will have a tight budget, yet they still need a strong laptop to help them with their coursework. They also require a lightweight device that is very portable so they may carry it to and from class.
For instance, Acer’s Chromebook Plus 515 is a useful and adaptable option because it has a lightning-fast launch and is great for multitasking. It will easily handle daily work and prove to be a fantastic choice for media streaming thanks to its 12th-generation Intel Core i3 processor and 8GB of RAM.
Table of Contents
BEST STUDENT CHROMEBOOK
1. Acer Chromebook Plus 515
BEST BUDGET
2. Acer Chromebook 314
BEST DETACHABLE TABLET
3. Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook
BEST CHROMOBOOK BY PERFORMANCE
4. Acer Chromebook Spin 713
BEST CHROMOBOOK FOR WORK
5. Acer Chromebook 516 GE
1. Acer Chromebook Plus 515
In a Windows computer, a 12th-generation Intel Core i3 with 8GB of RAM would not be impressive, but in the Acer Chromebook Plus 515, it provides surprisingly fast performance. During testing, we discovered that daily chores were effortless, and we could even play some good games on it—albeit via a streaming service. Even the recently released Adobe Photoshop for ChromeOS functioned without any problems.
Because it barely lasted five hours in our battery test instead of the 10 hours it is supposed to, we did find its battery life to be lacking. However, it recharges rapidly, returning to full capacity in less than an hour. However, a great 15.6-inch 1080p touch screen and a fairly pleasing keyboard and touchpad more than make up for it.
However, what really makes this a fantastic choice for students is that its fast performance, excellent keyboard and touchpad, and the rest of the package are all available at a very affordable price.
As part of its Chromebook Plus series, which is Google’s new standard for Chromebooks with improved hardware and software, the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is part of the company’s initial lineup. It might very well be among the greatest Chromebooks for students, if not the best Chromebooks overall.
The Plus 515 has a somewhat sleeker and cleaner appearance than its predecessor, the Acer Chromebook 515, although sharing a similar design. The touchpad and keyboard both have a pleasant snap, but the latter is truly fun to use due to its excellent responsiveness.
The 15.6-inch full HD (1920×1080) display with IPS, 16:9 aspect ratio, and built-in multi-touch is paired with them. Gamers will undoubtedly benefit from a huge, HD screen, but those who use the Chromebook Plus 515 for productivity work might not.
2. Acer Chromebook 314
If the Acer Chromebook 314 isn’t your ideal school Chromebook, it’s pretty damn near, especially considering its price. It should come as no surprise that Acer is an expert in creating the greatest Chromebooks for students.
The processor is the sole drawback, given the cost, although the 1.1GHz Celeron is adequate for research and basic schoolwork. We tested it and discovered that it had some trouble launching a lot of Chrome tabs because it only had 4GB of memory, but Chrome’s RAM-guzzling tendencies can affect even the greatest laptops.
Although the 314 lacks a touchscreen, which might restrict the usage of Android apps (if that’s important to you), we’re nonetheless impressed that there’s a Full HD 1080p display at this pricing point. The extended battery life is another important advantage for kids. According to Acer, the battery can last up to 14 hours, and our tests showed that it could play videos for 13 hours. This makes it a good option for getting through the school day.
In terms of performance, size, and price, the Acer Chromebook 314 is a very good laptop. Anyone looking for the best Chromebook 2021 has to offer will value this portable device if they want a 14-inch screen, a sharp screen, a long battery life, and a small yet manageable package.
The Acer Chromebook 314 works incredibly well within its constraints since it is aware that it is not a monster of a laptop. For a well-rounded computing experience, it thus strikes a balance between performance, battery life, functionality, usability, and design.
Highlights include a bright, clear, and sharp screen, as well as a large display with lots of capacity for programs, tabs, and documents—all of which significantly increase productivity.
3. Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook
Even after three years, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook is still among the greatest computers (and unquestionably the best Chromebook) available. Because of its stunning OLED display, which rivals that of more costly laptops, it still provides a high-end experience that many Chromebooks just cannot match.
Chromebooks don’t age as quickly as Windows 11 laptops because they require less power to operate. This is particularly true of the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook, which came with remarkably potent specs for a Chromebook, such as 8GB of RAM, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen2 chip, and Wi-Fi 6 support. When it first launched in 2021, this made it an outstanding performer, and it still is.
Remember when the world was supposed to be overtaken by tablets? That might still occur with the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook! Well, most likely not, but this is still the greatest detachable Chromebook available for purchase at the moment.
This is perfect for the school and students because it features a hybrid tablet/laptop design with a magnetic snap-on keyboard. It makes it simple to browse on a tablet for research purposes or to watch Netflix when you’re relaxing at home, but it also has a keyboard for when you need one.
In general, the Duet 5 offers better performance than its predecessor, the IdeaPad Duet Chromebook, and it’s worth noting that this newer model is more expensive and doesn’t come with the handy Lenovo smart stylus. It packs Qualcomm’s powerful but incredibly efficient Snapdragon 7c processor, and when we tested it, it lasted for more than 16 hours of continuous use before needing a charge.
4. Acer Chromebook Spin 713
In contrast to other Chromebooks, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 has an Intel Evo certification. With its 11th-generation Core i5 CPU, Intel Iris Xe graphics, and 8GB of RAM, this portable is certified to exceed higher standards. We commended the superb screen and powerful performance in our evaluation.
In addition to having a tall 3:2 aspect ratio for increased productivity in large spreadsheets and text documents, the 13.5-inch display has a better resolution than the standard 1080p screen that most laptops come with. This gives you more on-screen real estate to reduce scrolling. The’spin’ feature should also not be overlooked, since the touchscreen and 360-degree hinge enable instantaneous switching to tablet mode.
Indeed, the Spin 713 lacks several expected features, such as a privacy shutter for the webcam, and isn’t the most visually appealing Chromebook available. However, given the quality of everything else on it, these small errors are easily overlooked.
Since the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 is Intel Evo certified, it must meet specific performance and user experience requirements defined by Intel, such as a quick startup time of around one second, a battery life of at least nine hours, and extra security features.
That’s all well and good, but the Core i3 or Core i5 processor—depending on the model—is the main attraction here.
Although Chrome OS may function flawlessly on low-power devices like as Intel Celeron CPUs and ARM-based chips, it really shines on a full Core i5-1135G7, like the one in the unit we evaluated.
Additionally, because the Chromebook Spin 713 has a 256GB PCIe SSD instead of eMMC flash memory storage and 8GB RAM, it essentially forces you to install and use local programs from the Google Play Store, which the device effortlessly runs without any lag.
5. Acer Chromebook 516 GE
We’re happy to report that this initial product from Acer meets the criteria for “gaming Chromebooks,” a recent quirk. This is a gaming laptop with the heart of a Chromebook, with a brushed black metal chassis, an RGB-backlit keyboard, and an absolutely amazing display.
The 12th-generation Intel CPU’s powerful performance and the 120Hz QHD+ screen’s amazing clarity—possibly among the best we’ve ever seen on a Chromebook—were both praised in our evaluation. The 512GB disk gives it a ton of storage as well. In exchange for the better overall package, the battery life isn’t nearly as good as some of the other laptops on this list.
It’s crucial to remember that although the Acer Chromebook 516 GE (short for “gaming edition”) can run games from the Google Play Store, it cannot run PC games straight from Steam. Instead, by depending on cloud gaming platforms like Nvidia’s GeForce Now or Amazon Luna, these gaming Chromebooks represent Google’s Chrome OS focus on cloud computing. Keep in mind that in order to really enjoy the gaming experience here, you will need to pay for a subscription to one of those services.
Although technically accurate, the Acer Chromebook 516 GE’s claim to be the first gaming Chromebook in history is completely worthless. Since the ChromeOS Alpha that would enable Steam compatibility isn’t yet available, the 516 GE now operates just like a gaming computer, which is possible with game streaming services like Nvidia GeForce NOW.
Nevertheless, this Chromebook is excellent. When you have a high-speed internet connection, it streams games flawlessly. Its performance is outstanding, effective, and quick in a way that defies its specifications. Even when playing hard games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Dying Light 2 for extended periods of time, the system only gets a little warm due to its excellent airflow. Additionally, its exceptional performance translates into productivity, as it effortlessly manages spreadsheets, web surfing, video streaming, conference calls, and more without any lag or glitches.
These assertions are supported by the benchmarks, as each test’s results are significantly better than those of the majority of other Chromebooks. Additionally, the HD 2560 x 1600 display and 120Hz refresh rate support such excellent performance. The sound quality is one area that falls short, though. It’s terrible, to put it plainly. It works perfectly at regular volume levels, however the sound quality gets progressively worse as you turn up the volume. You will need to purchase gaming earphones to compensate for this, as it is also an obvious problem when gaming.
Determining which Chromebook your child needs can be a bit of a headache if you’re not very familiar with them, as many parents are. You want to make sure your child has the resources they need to achieve because you value their education, but how do you tell which resources are appropriate?
Thankfully, there are a few important factors to take into account when purchasing a Chromebook for students, and fortunately, a lot of it is related to the grade level of the child.
Pay attention to cost and longevity if they are younger pupils, such as those in primary, elementary, or even secondary school. As long as the Chromebook can withstand a child’s negligent handling, you shouldn’t worry about purchasing one that is “too cheap” because those youngsters will be harsh with it. Higher specs will be a tremendous waste of money at this level because schools will be designing lessons for the least powerful Chromebooks in the class, not the quickest or most powerful ones. As a result, the specs are essentially meaningless.
Your child will probably require something more capable than a simple Chromebook provided by the school if they are in secondary or high school. In addition to writing papers and conducting research, they might also use web tools for light multimedia editing. In this situation, you should aim for a processor that is at least Intel Celeron, AMD Athlon, or Qualcomm Snapdragon, but it won’t hurt to upgrade to an AMD Ryzen 3 or Intel Core i3. If your child needs to use any third-party or school-provided apps that could slow down a 4GB PC, or if they wind up using a dozen or more open Chrome tabs while researching an assignment, try to get 8GB of RAM.
Now is the perfect moment to get a lot more powerful Chromebook if you or your child is going to college. You might want to try to use it for your entire four years of undergraduate coursework. Choose an AMD Ryzen 5 or Intel Core i5 processor, at least 8GB of RAM, and 64GB to 128GB of real SSD storage as opposed to eMMC flash storage. It’s acceptable to question if a Chromebook makes sense for your course of study at this point because this type of device may cost as much as some of the best Ultrabooks, which can be equally powerful and run a fully functional Windows OS.
Which Chromebook is ideal for students?
The priciest, most feature-rich Chromebook isn’t always the greatest choice for students. However, you’ll want something adaptable, with a respectable processor and a respectable quantity of storage capacity, for high school or college kids who will be conducting their own research, writing their own papers, and possibly performing some multimedia editing
The Acer Chromebook Plus 515, our best choice, offers all of the aforementioned features at a fair price. Its poor battery life, which peaks at about six hours, is its only drawback. However, it’s a fantastic Chromebook option for multitasking in every other way.
For students, is a Chromebook preferable than a laptop?
When deciding which is better for pupils, there are a few things to take into account when comparing Chromebooks vs laptops. Chromebooks are undoubtedly more appealing in terms of cost and use. Additionally, Chromebooks have an intuitive user interface and require less powerful hardware to function because of Chrome OS.
Conversely, laptops are usually more compatible with a greater range of learning platforms because they run Windows or macOS. Higher education students might opt to spend a little more money on a standard laptop for their studies because some of the apps they might need for their coursework might not be available on a Chromebook.