Best Overall Value
Look, on raw specs alone this renewed Dell embarrasses everything else on the list. An Intel i5, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and Windows 11 Pro, all under £300? That's business-class hardware for Chromebook money. If you multitask heavily or want headroom that lasts years, this is the spec sheet to beat.
The catch is in the word "renewed". This is a refurbished ex-corporate machine, cleaned up, tested and resold. The 8th-gen i5-8365U is a couple of generations old, so it's not the fastest chip here on paper, but with 16GB RAM and a fast SSD it feels far quicker in daily use than any 4GB budget laptop. For everything this roundup covers, it flies.
Owner feedback on renewed Latitudes is generally positive, with the usual caveats: expect light cosmetic wear, and the battery won't be factory fresh. The Latitude range is built tough with a proper business keyboard, so it should last. If you can accept a used chassis, the value is unmatched. Just check the seller's grading and warranty before you commit.
Pros
- 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD, huge for the price
- Business-grade build quality
- Full Windows 11 Pro
- Handles heavy multitasking with ease
Cons
- Renewed, so expect cosmetic wear
- Battery health varies unit to unit
- Older 8th-gen processor
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Best Chromebook for Most
This is the Chromebook I'd point most people towards if the Plus 15 is a stretch. The N100 is a lovely little chip for ChromeOS, noticeably quicker than the Celerons further down, and here it's paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage. That combination keeps everything smooth: tabs, calls, streaming, the lot.
The 14in FHD screen is a comfortable size, more portable than a 15.6in but roomier than the 11in models. And that quoted 12.25 hours of battery is the real draw. Owners regularly report all-day use on a single charge, which is exactly what you want from a laptop you chuck in a bag.
Dual speakers and a clean Glacier Silver finish make it feel more premium than the price suggests. For browsing, video calls and general study or home use, this hits the sweet spot of speed, battery and value. It's the safest all-round Chromebook pick here. Full breakdown in our HP Chromebook 14a review.
Pros
- Snappy N100 with 8GB RAM
- Excellent 12h-plus battery life
- 128GB storage, generous for a Chromebook
- Portable 14in FHD form factor
Cons
- Flash storage slower than an SSD
- Plastic build, though sturdy enough
Buy on AmazonRead full review
Best Value Under £200
Pound for pound, this Lenovo is the value champion. Getting 8GB RAM and 128GB storage for well under £200 is remarkable, and it's why it ranks so high despite the modest processor. For browsing, streaming and video calls, that RAM count matters more than raw CPU grunt, and here you get plenty of it.
The MediaTek Kompanio 520 is an ARM chip rather than Intel, which brings a mixed bag. On the plus side, it's efficient, so battery life is strong and it runs cool and silent. The downside is that a handful of Android apps and Linux tools aren't optimised for ARM, so power users occasionally hit snags. For everyday web use, though, most owners never notice.
The 14in FHD screen is sharp, the Abyss Blue finish looks smart, and the whole thing is light and slim. If your budget is tight and you mainly live in a browser, this delivers the most usable machine for the least money. See our full Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook review.
Pros
- 8GB RAM and 128GB for under £200
- Efficient ARM chip, long battery life
- Slim, light and quiet
- Sharp 14in FHD display
Cons
- ARM chip has occasional app quirks
- CPU isn't built for heavy loads
Buy on Amazon£149.99Read full review
Best for Students
The standard HP Chromebook 14 is the sensible, no-drama pick for students and anyone who wants something that just works. It's well built, the 14in screen is a good size for lectures and note-taking, and ChromeOS is dead simple to live with. No antivirus faff, fast boots, automatic updates.
Spec-wise it sits a notch below the N100 version above, which is why it ranks here rather than higher, but for the core tasks in this roundup, Google Docs, Classroom, browser research, video calls, it holds up nicely. Battery life is solid enough to see out a day of classes.
Owners like the clean design and the fact it feels tidier than its price would suggest. If you want a fuss-free study machine and the pricier HP is out of budget, this is an easy recommendation. More detail in our HP Chromebook 14 review.
Pros
- Clean, sturdy build
- Great size for study and note-taking
- Simple, low-maintenance ChromeOS
- Reliable everyday performance
Cons
- Specs vary by config, check before buying
- Slower than the N100 sibling
Buy on Amazon£249.99Read full review
Best New-Chip Budget Buy
This ASUS is one of the cheaper picks, and it earns its place with a newer Intel Celeron N50 chip. That newer silicon gives it a slight efficiency and responsiveness edge over the older Celerons elsewhere on this list, which counts when you're on a shoestring.
The trade-off is clear on the memory: 4GB RAM and 64GB eMMC. That's fine for a handful of tabs, email, a video call and some streaming, which covers most of what budget buyers actually do. Push past a dozen tabs plus an app or two, though, and you'll feel it slow down. Manage your expectations and it's perfectly pleasant.
The 14in Full HD screen is a nice touch at this price, and the build is typical ASUS tidy. As an affordable everyday Chromebook for light users, it's good value. Just don't expect it to keep up with the 8GB machines higher up. Read our ASUS Chromebook 14 CX1405 review for more.
Pros
- Newer Celeron N50 chip
- Full HD 14in screen at a low price
- Tidy ASUS build
- Fine for light everyday tasks
Cons
- Only 4GB RAM limits multitasking
- 64GB storage fills up fast
Buy on Amazon£159.99
Best for Everyday Basics
Closely related to the CX1405CTA above, this ASUS CX1405 is another honest budget Chromebook built for the basics. The 14in FHD screen, tidy chassis and ChromeOS simplicity make it an easy machine to recommend to someone who just wants to browse, email and stream without fuss.
Like its sibling it runs 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, so the same caveats apply. Keep your tab count sensible and it stays responsive. Lean on it hard and it'll stutter. For a first laptop, a second machine for the sofa, or something for an older relative, that's a fair deal.
Battery life is decent, and owners generally rate it as reliable and well made for the money. It doesn't do anything special, but it does the everyday stuff dependably. That's the whole point of a budget Chromebook. Our ASUS Chromebook 14 CX1405 review has the full picture.
Pros
- Reliable everyday performer
- 14in Full HD screen
- Well built for the price
- Simple ChromeOS experience
Cons
- 4GB RAM struggles with heavy multitasking
- Limited 64GB storage
Buy on Amazon£199.99Read full review
Best Budget Overall
The Acer Chromebook 314 is our pick for the tightest budgets. It's cheap, it's reliable, and it does exactly what a budget Chromebook should. The Celeron N4500 is entry-level but perfectly capable of running the browsing, email and streaming most buyers need, and the 14in Full HD screen is a genuine plus at this price.
Yes, 4GB RAM and 64GB storage cap what it can do. This isn't a multitasking beast. But for a simple, dependable machine to get online and get things done, it's hard to argue with the value. Owner reviews consistently praise its reliability and the solid Acer build.
Battery life comfortably covers a day of light use, and ChromeOS keeps the whole thing low-maintenance. If you want the essentials done well without spending much, this is the sensible budget champion. Full write-up in our Acer Chromebook 314 review.
Pros
- Excellent value for the basics
- 14in Full HD screen
- Reliable, sturdy Acer build
- Good battery for light use
Cons
- 4GB RAM limits heavy use
- 64GB storage is tight
Buy on Amazon£189.99Read full review
Best for Kids
The ASUS CR1100 takes a different angle: it's built to survive. This 11.6in Chromebook is a rugged, education-focused machine designed for drops, spills and general child-related chaos. It ships with a 3-year ASUS warranty, which tells you exactly who it's for.
The Celeron N4500, 4GB RAM and 64GB storage are basic, and the 11.6in HD screen is small and lower resolution than the FHD panels elsewhere. So for an adult wanting a main machine, it's not the pick. But for a kid doing schoolwork, watching videos and messing about online, the durability and long warranty are worth more than raw speed.
It's compact and light, easy for small hands, and ChromeOS is simple to lock down with parental controls. As a first laptop for a child, the peace of mind here is the real selling point. Just go in knowing the screen and specs are entry-level.
Pros
- Rugged, spill-resistant build
- 3-year ASUS warranty included
- Compact and light for kids
- Easy parental controls via ChromeOS
Cons
- Small 11.6in HD screen
- Basic 4GB/64GB specs
Buy on Amazon£299.99
Best Cheap Backup Laptop
The Lenovo S345 is showing its age, and that's the honest truth. The AMD A4 processor is an older, slower part, and 32GB of storage is genuinely tight for a modern Chromebook once updates and a few apps have eaten into it. This ranks near the bottom for good reason.
That said, it's not without merit. The 14in FHD screen is better than you'd expect at this price, the Mineral Grey finish looks smart, and for the absolute basics, checking email, light browsing, a bit of streaming, it still functions. As a cheap backup laptop or a spare for occasional use, it does a job.
Just be realistic. It won't multitask well, that 32GB fills up fast, and it's not a machine to lean on daily. Check the ChromeOS auto-update expiry date before buying, because older models have shorter support windows left. For a low-cost secondary device, though, it's serviceable. See our Lenovo Chromebook S345 review.
Pros
- Nice 14in FHD screen for the price
- Smart, tidy design
- Fine for basic browsing
- Low cost
Cons
- Ageing, slow AMD A4 chip
- Just 32GB storage
- Check update expiry before buying
Buy on Amazon£239.00Read full review
Best Big-Screen Bargain
The ASUS C523NA rounds out the list, and it's here mainly for one reason: a big 15.6in screen at a low price. If you want the largest display possible for browsing and video without spending much, it delivers on size.
Everything else, though, dates it. The Intel Celeron N3350 is one of the oldest and slowest chips in this roundup, and paired with 4GB RAM it's the least responsive machine here. It'll do simple single-task jobs, one browser tab, a video, an email, but ask it to juggle and it drags noticeably. The 64GB storage is basic too.
The bigger concern is longevity. Older Chromebooks like this have shorter ChromeOS update windows remaining, so check the expiry date carefully before you buy. For a cheap, big-screen machine for very light use, it works. For anything demanding, spend a little more and grab something higher up this list. Our ASUS C523NA review covers it fully.
Pros
- Large 15.6in screen for the money
- Smart silver design
- Fine for single-task light use
Cons
- Dated, slow N3350 processor
- 4GB RAM struggles to multitask
- Shorter update support left
Buy on Amazon£260.00Read full review
