Many people probably spend most of their time in the browser. At the same time, there is also a great need for increasingly cheaper laptops. A Chromebook therefore seems an ideal device. Chromebooks cost little and then offer the most popular browser. Still, the rise of the Chromebook seems to be over. What's the current state of the Chromebook market? We compared a number of Chromebooks to find out.
Chromebooks are laptops that run on Google Chrome OS, not much more than a Linux distribution with the Chrome web browser as an interface. All tasks including word processing, e-mailing and even photo editing can be performed in a tab of Chrome. In the first versions of Chrome OS, the interface was really limited to the browser window, now Google has added a taskbar (which in Chrome OS is called the 'shelf') with system tray in the current version, just like in Windows. Also read: 5 golden tips for every Chromebook owner.
Because you perform all tasks in the browser, you use web services such as Google's own G Suite or Microsoft's online version of Office. Combine that with the usually small storage capacity and you have a laptop that you can mainly use with the internet. However, it is possible to use some web services offline, mainly Google's own services. You can also type a document on the go without an internet connection, offline in Google Docs, but you cannot install a 'real' local word processor. However, you can play music locally. Chrome OS also includes a file manager and a built-in image viewer with simple editing capabilities. So there are quite a few options offline, but before you consider a Chromebook, ask yourself whether you can live with a computing experience that mainly takes place in the browser. Just downloading a popular freeware tool is not an option on a Chromebook.
Test justification
We've requested Chromebooks for sale to consumers. Dell focuses specifically on the business market with its Chromebooks. HP does have a consumer model, but was unable to supply it. Despite the business approach, Lenovo's ThinkPad is also aimed at consumers, according to Lenovo. We eventually received eight Chromebooks and we tested them. We pay attention to things such as the housing, the battery life and the quality of the keyboard and screen. Of course we also check whether Chrome OS runs smoothly. There are no real benchmark programs available for Chromebooks. In order to provide insight into the differences between, for example, the processors used and to interpret our own experiences, we benchmarked the Chromebooks with Google's Octane 2.0. This benchmark runs in the browser and measures how quickly a device processes tasks in JavaScript.
Acer Chromebook 11
Acer is the most active Chromebook brand. The Chromebook 11 is an entry-level model and costs 229 euros. For that money you get a compact 11.6-inch laptop made of white plastic. The back of the screen is finished with a white aluminum plate. The build quality of the Chromebook is good, for example there are no points where you can really press the housing. The keyboard feels solid and does not bounce when tapping. However, the keys have little pressing depth, the click is okay. We have mixed feelings about the touchpad with integrated button. The touch section works excellently, the integrated physical button is unfortunately less attractive. The processor used is the Intel Celeron N2840, an energy-efficient dual-core processor with a clock speed of 2.16 GHz from Intel's older Bay Trail-M generation. This chip is of course not a speed monster, but you run into the limitations of the Chromebook mainly due to the limited memory of 2 GB. The chosen WiFi chip is striking, an 802.11ac variant from Intel with two antennas, we would expect in a much more expensive laptop. We also see such relatively expensive Wi-Fi chips in other Chromebooks.
The Chromebook includes an 11.6-inch panel that uses IPS technology and has a matte finish. As a result, the viewing angles and the colors of the screen are fine. In short, it is mainly the amount of working memory that really throws a spanner in the works, because the battery life is fine with about eight hours.
Acer Chromebook 11
Price
Website
6 Score 60
- Pros
- Sturdy housing
- Good screen
- Negatives
- 2GB RAM
- Click of the touchpad
Acer Chromebook R 11
In terms of housing, the Acer Chromebook R 11 is almost identical to the Chromebook 11. The white plastic housing also looks solid on this model. It is striking that the R 11 has the on-off switch on the side, which is necessary because the R 11 has a folding screen and can also be used as a tablet. Acer has opted for an IPS screen with an excellent viewing angle and color reproduction. You can also see everything clearly in tablet mode. During our test, the R 11 was already equipped with Android, just like the ASUS Flip, so that you can also use it as an Android tablet.
Acer has also opted for an IPS screen on this Chromebook. That is extra important with a tablet. Acer has opted for an Intel Celeron N3060 in this Chromebook, a dual-core processor of the newer Braswell generation than the Bay Trail-M in the other Acer Chromebook. There is not much difference in performance in the benchmark, but this Chromebook is more pleasant to use due to its 4 GB of RAM and you can leave more tabs open at the same time. The keyboard and touchpad are the same as on the other Acer Chromebook. The keys have little depressing depth, but they do have a reasonable click. The touchpad with integrated button works great in terms of touch, but clicking is sometimes a bit difficult. The overall picture is nice, especially because you can also use the R 11 as a tablet. With a battery life of about eight hours, the R 11 works excellently. This Chromebook appears to be difficult to find under the type designation R 11, but a search for CB5-132T-C14K does yield results.
Acer Chromebook R 11
Price
Website
8 Score 80
- Pros
- Good screen
- Sturdy housing
- Touch screen
- 4GB RAM
- Negatives
- Click of the touchpad
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 11e Chromebook
Although ThinkPad is a business brand of Lenovo, the reviewed version of the ThinkPad Yoga 11e Chromebook is also intended for consumers, according to Lenovo. That's not a bad story, you can buy the tested version for 340 euros, which resembles Acer's Chromebook R 11 in terms of specifications, which costs 329 euros. Lenovo's Chromebook is very reminiscent of a typical ThinkPad with its matte black housing. A detail is, for example, that the two ThinkPad logos have an illuminated dot on the i.
The black housing feels very solid, but does come across as a bit clunky. The ThinkPad Yoga is equipped with a touch screen where you can flip the screen and use it as a tablet. That screen has a diagonal of 11.6 inches with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and uses IPS technology. The viewing angles and color reproduction are therefore excellent. We are very enthusiastic about the keyboard. The keys have a lot of depressing depth with a pleasant click. It is extra nice that the touchpad with integrated button is also of a very good quality.
Lenovo has equipped the Chromebook with a quad-core Intel Celeron N3150, an energy-efficient chip with Intel's Braswell architecture, which does not require active cooling. The Chromebook doesn't score very well in the Octane benchmark, but in practice the Chromebook feels good with its 4 GB RAM. The battery life is very good with more than ten hours. Unlike the Chromebook R 11 and ASUS Chromebook Flip, the ThinkPad was not yet equipped with Android during the test. The model is on the list to get this option in 2017.
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 11e Chromebook
Price
Website
9 Score 90
- Pros
- Good screen
- Sturdy housing
- Excellent keyboard and touchpad
- Negatives
- Relatively thick
- No Android yet during the test
