The best student Chromebook balances performance and affordability, making it one of the best options for scholars to manage their workloads. After all, most students will be working with a limited budget, but still require a powerful laptop to assist with their studies. In addition, they need something lightweight that scores highly in the portability category to take to and from class. The good news: we're already seeing loads of fantastic Black Friday deals on Chromebooks for students in the weeks leading up to the event proper.
Acer’s Chromebook Plus 515 is excellent for multitasking and boasts a lightning-fast startup as well, making it both a practical and versatile choice. Featuring a 12th-gen Intel Core i3 processor plus 8GB of RAM, it’ll breeze through everyday tasks and prove itself as a great option for media streaming. It feels satisfying to use, and its 15.6-inch 1080p touch display provides a very attractive canvas to work with.
If you’re after a formidable budget Chromebook, the Acer Chromebook 314 is going to tick most of your boxes. It has a 14-inch full-HD 1080p display that looks crisp and sharp and runs for a very respectable 12 hours on a full charge, plenty to power through a packed day at college. There’s no touchscreen here, and it is on the chunkier side, but for the price point, it’s a robust and reliable choice that left an impression on us.
At TechRadar, we have years of experience in testing the best PCs and laptops, including the best student laptops. We know that Chromebooks come in all shapes and sizes, and we’ve carefully assembled our list of the very best models to suit all budgets and requirements. So read on for the full lowdown, and find out which student Chromebook best suits your needs.
I've spent more than seven years of my life testing and reviewing every type of computer under the sun, from high-end gaming desktops to detachable Chromebook tablets, so you can trust that the laptops I recommend are ones I genuinely believe are worth buying. You won't find me playing favorites or pushing dodgy Amazon brands you've never heard of - these Chromebooks are the real deal.
The best student Chromebooks in 2024
A 12th-gen Intel Core i3 and 8GB of RAM might not impress in a Windows machine, but in the Acer Chromebook Plus 515, it offers quite snappy performance. When tested, we found day-to-day tasks a breeze and were even able to do some solid gaming on it, albeit through a streaming service. It even ran Adobe Photoshop, newly available on ChromeOS, without issue.
We did find its battery life lackluster as it lasted only five hours in our battery test as opposed to the ten it’s advertised to get. But, it does recharge quickly, getting back to full in under an hour. But, a pretty satisfying-to-use keyboard and touchpad, along with a nice 15.6-inch 1080p touch display more than make up for it.
But, what makes this such a great option for students is the fact that its snappy performance, great keyboard and touchpad, and the rest of the package come in at a remarkably accessible, dare we say, budget price tag.
Read our full Acer Chromebook Plus 515 review
Picture your perfect school Chromebook, and if it’s not the Acer Chromebook 314 then it’s pretty damn close, especially at this price. It’s not surprising if there’s one thing Acer knows, it’s how to build the best student Chromebooks.
The only weak point – considering the price – is the processor, but for general school work and research the 1.1GHz Celeron is fine. When we tested it, we found it struggled a bit with opening a ton of Chrome tabs since there's only 4GB of memory, but even the best laptops can have issues with Chrome's RAM-guzzling tendencies.
On the plus side, we’re amazed there’s a Full HD 1080p display at this price point, although the 314 doesn't feature a touchscreen, which can potentially limit Android app use (if that’s important to you). Another key feature for students is the long battery life, with Acer claiming up to 14 hours, while we recorded 13 hours of video playback in our tests, making this a strong choice for getting you through your school day.
Read our full Acer Chromebook 314 review
Remember when tablets were going to take over the world? With the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook, that might still happen! Okay, probably not, but this is still the best detachable Chromebook money can buy right now.
Using a hybrid tablet/laptop design with a magnetic snap-on keyboard, this is ideal for the classroom and students - allowing easy tablet browsing for researching or easy Netflix fun when you kick back at home, but still has a keyboard when you need one.
Packing Qualcomm's powerful but super-efficient Snapdragon 7c processor, the Duet 5 lasted for more than 16 hours of continuous use before needing a charge when we tested it, and generally offers superior performance to its predecessor, the IdeaPad Duet Chromebook - although it's worth mentioning that this newer model is more expensive, and the nifty Lenovo smart stylus isn't included.
Read our full Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook review
Chromebooks don’t typically come with an Intel Evo certification but the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 is different. That certification means this portable meets a higher standard thanks to its 11th-gen Core i5 CPU, Intel Iris Xe graphics, and 8GB of RAM. In our review, we praised the strong performance and excellent screen.
That 13.5-inch display packs a higher resolution than the typical 1080p screen that most laptops come equipped with, with a tall 3:2 aspect ratio for improved productivity in large spreadsheets and text documents - giving you more on-screen real estate to cut down on scrolling. And of course, the 'spin' part shouldn't be discounted: the 360-degree hinge and touchscreen let you swap to tablet mode in an instant.
Sure, the Spin 713 is not the most exciting-looking Chromebook out there, not to mention missing some expected features like a privacy shutter for the webcam. But considering how good everything else on it is, these minor missteps are easy to overlook.
Read our full Acer Chromebook Spin 713 review
'Gaming Chromebooks' are a new oddity, and we're pleased to say that this first offering from Acer fits the bill. With a brushed black metal chassis, RGB-backlit keyboard, and a truly incredible display, this is a gaming laptop with the heart of a Chromebook.
In our review, we admired the strong performance of the 12th-gen Intel CPU and the phenomenal clarity of the 120Hz QHD+ screen - probably one of the best we've ever seen on a Chromebook, in fact. It's got a ton of storage too, thanks to the 512GB drive. The battery life isn't quite as strong as some of the other laptops on this list, but that's a tradeoff for the superior overall package.
One important thing to note here is that while the Acer Chromebook 516 GE (that's short for 'gaming edition') can run Google Play Store games, you can't run PC games directly from Steam on it. Instead, these gaming Chromebooks exemplify Google's Chrome OS focus on cloud computing by relying on cloud gaming platforms such as Nvidia's GeForce Now or Amazon Luna - so bear in mind that you'll need to pay a subscription to one of those services to get the full gaming experience here.
Read our full Acer Chromebook 516 GE review
If you’re willing to spend a little more, the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2023) is worth the extra cash. Even though Chromebooks have a fairly low threshold for good performance, this one with its 13th-Gen Intel Core i5 and 8GB or RAM has the power to run 20 Chrome tabs at once without any noticeable slowdown.
How do we know? We tested it including a number of streams going at once. Plus, the more robust hardware is necessary as this notebook comes with a slightly higher resolution display than most, specifically 1920 x 1200p with a 16:10 aspect ratio. Plus, it’s a touchscreen.
While we were not as impressed with the somewhat hollow-sounding speakers or slightly stiff keyboard, we were when it lasted 12 hours during our battery life benchmark. It also comes with a very sturdy hinge so you can manipulate into tablet, tent, and display mode without any worry of the screen sagging.
So, yes, the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2023) is pricier, but that’s only because you get a more premium looking and feeling package.
Read our full Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2023) review
If you want simple, stripped down, and affordable while still getting a full laptop experience, then Acer Chromebook Spin 314 (2023) might be the portable for you. This model is very budget-friendly while still offering a 14-inch 1080p display and a 360-degree hinge for that 2-in-1 functionality.
Though this Chromebook didn’t impress with bells and whistles, we were pleasantly surprised by its day-to-day performance, if a little less so by its storage space. We also loved its portability – it weighs in at under three and a half pounds. The typing experience and battery life were also big pluses here, both of which are important for students who plan on using their laptops throughout the day for notetaking.
Of course, it can run a little warm if you push it, but if you plan on pushing your device, this Intel Pentium-powered laptop might not be the way to go. But, if you just need to do some word processing, write some emails, create a few spreadsheets, and watch whatever’s in your Top Ten recommendations on Netflix, then save yourself a few bucks and get this Acer Chromebook.
Read our full Acer Chromebook Spin 314 (2023) review
How to find the best student Chromebook
If you're not really familiar with Chromebooks (and a lot of parents aren't) then trying to figure out which Chromebook your child needs can be a bit of an ordeal. Your child's education is important, so you want to make sure they have the tools they need to succeed, but how do you know what the right tools are?
Fortunately, there are a couple of key points to consider when it comes to shopping for a student Chromebook, and helpfully, a lot of it comes down to a child's grade level.
If they are younger students, i.e., in primary, elementary, and even middle school, focus on price and durability. Those kids are going to be rough with that Chromebook, so don't worry about getting one that's "too cheap", so long as it can hold up to a kid's careless treatment of it. The specs here are pretty irrelevant, since schools are going to target lessons toward the least powerful Chromebooks in the class, not the fastest or most powerful, so higher specs are going to be a huge waste of money at this level.
If your kid is in secondary/high school, then they are likely going to need something more robust than a basic, school-issued Chromebook. They will be writing papers, researching assignments, and possibly even doing some light multimedia editing using web apps. In this case, look to get at least an Intel Celeron, AMD Athlon, or Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, but if you can spring for an Intel Core i3 or an AMD Ryzen 3 processor, it definitely won't hurt. Try to get 8GB RAM if you can in case your child needs to work with any third-party or school-delivered apps that might bog down a 4GB system, or if they end up working with a dozen or more open Chrome tabs while researching an assignment.
If you or your child is heading off to university, now is the time to invest in a much more powerful Chromebook, since you might really want to try and have it carry you through a full four years of undergraduate work. Aim for an Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor, at least 64GB to 128GB of actual SSD storage rather than eMMC flash storage, and a minimum of 8GB RAM. This kind of Chromebook might cost you as much as some of the best Ultrabooks, which can be just as powerful and run a full-featured Windows OS, so it's ok to ask if a Chromebook makes sense for your program of study at this stage.
What's the best Chromebook for students?
The best Chromebook for students isn’t necessarily going to be the most expensive, high-spec option. However, for high-school or college students who will be researching and writing their own papers, and perhaps doing some multimedia editing, you’ll want something versatile, with a decent processor, and a reasonable amount of storage space.
Our top pick, the Acer Chromebook Plus 515, supplies all of the above, and for a reasonable cost, too. Its only downside is a lackluster battery life, which tops out at around six hours or so. But in all other respects, it’s a great Chromebook choice for multitasking.
Is a Chromebook better than a laptop for students?
There are a few factors to consider when it comes to Chromebooks versus laptops, particularly when thinking about which is best for students. In terms of price and ease of use, Chromebooks certainly appear more favorable. And thanks to Chrome OS, Chromebooks also benefit from an easy-to-navigate UI and aren’t as dependent on powerful hardware to run.
On the flip side, laptops typically run Windows or macOS, which means they tend to be more compatible with a wider variety of learning platforms. As some of the apps that you might need for college work may not be available on a Chromebook, students in higher education may prefer to invest a bit more in a traditional laptop for their studies.
How we test and choose the best student Chromebooks
Generally, we don't set out specifically to test how a Chromebook will work in any given educational environment, since there is too much nuance to the education space to adequately assess that kind of thing. What we do test, however, is a Chromebook's performance and battery life, its features and functionality, and we assess its design with an eye towards the kind of user it is trying to serve.
Between running benchmarks for determining performance relative to competing models and gauging its average battery life over several tests, we use the Chromebook ourselves in the course of our day-to-day work, much like a student might (at least an older student, anyway).
If it's good enough for a tech journalist, it's going to be an excellent Chromebook for a teenager or college student. And while some lower-spec Chromebooks meant for young students will be entirely inadequate for a working adult, we can still determine its basic functionality and durability, which is ultimately all a young child needs from a Chromebook.
If it has enough battery life to get through a typical school day and it's appropriately priced, we can be confident that it will serve the needs of younger students for many years to come.
To read more about our testing process, find out how we test.
Today's best student Chromebook deals
