Best Lenovo Chromebooks in 2024

Lenovo not only manufactures some of the best Windows laptops but is also behind some of the best Chromebooks, too. It's the number two Chromebook maker in the world, right after HP, and it offers many different kinds of Chromebook devices. You'll find traditional laptops, 2-in-1s, tablets, and even compact mini PCs that run ChromeOS. All that considered, if you're looking for the best Lenovo Chromebook that's right for you, you've come to the right place.

The best Lenovo Chromebooks in 2023

Lenovo has a lot of great Chromebooks, but at the top of our list is the Lenovo Flex 3i Chromebook. It combines a lot of what we look for in the ideal ChromeOS device without topping out at over $1,000. It has a great display, decent performance, an excellent keyboard, and is fully convertible.

Coming with an Intel Celeron N4500 CPU and 4GB of RAM, you can speed through a lot of your basic workflows with ease. This is true even with this low amount of RAM since ChromeOS is efficient. The storage might be the slower eMMC type, but on ChromeOS, many files are stored in the cloud, so this should not be a big issue. The keyboard is also excellent, especially with its numpad, which helps make crunching numbers in Google Sheets easy. The only downside at this price is that it's not backlit. The Abyss Blue color option and keyboard are also nice and will set you apart from gray and black laptops that people typically own.

Then there's the 15-inch display. Your content will look great on the Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution display, and you can easily stack windows side by side. This Chromebook can be converted into a tablet and tent mode for multimedia consumption, with a battery rated for 10 hours. Lenovo even rounded the corners of the device to make it more comfortable to hold.

As far as other specs go, this Lenovo Chromebook has an HDMI port, 2 USB 3.1 Type-A- ports, and a USB Type-C port. This means you can ditch the dongles and carry around the device without worrying about accessories.

One of the most popular ChromeOS tablets you can buy right now is the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook, and as we found in our review, it brings a lot to the table for the money.

Powering the package is the second-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c processor. This isn't like the typical Intel or AMD chips. Rather, it's Arm-based, so you won't get lag with Android apps and games, and day-to-day web browsing worked smoothly. This chip also helps with battery life. In our tests, we pumped out an entire day’s worth of work despite the OLED display, which usually consumes a lot of battery.

Usually, a Chromebook tablet has a flimsy and cheap keyboard as an optional purchase. But the IdeaPad Duet 5 comes with a keyboard, and it'll connect easily. We comfortably used the IdeaPad Duet 5 on our lap without frustration and even completed long blog posts. This device also gets you through a full day at school or work without issue.

Besides that, the IdeaPad Duet 5 comes with a 16:9 OLED panel. This ratio makes it great for viewing movies and consuming media. In our tests, the display had off-the-charts brightness, great viewing angles, and accurate color reproduction. Even the speakers were great since it’s a quad-array setup.

But for all the good things we’ve said about the IdeaPad Duet 5, it's limited in some areas. There is no headphone jack on board, so Bluetooth headphones or a USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone adapter will be your only option. There are also only two USB-C ports, so you’ll need to invest in a dongle for connecting to displays and USB drives.

Just like Windows laptops, Chromebooks come in a 2-in-1 convertible form factor, and the best one that you can buy is the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i. This Chromebook is much like our top pick but has a much faster Intel Core i3 CPU option, and comes in under $500.

What's great about the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i is the processing option. It includes 10th-generation Intel Core i3 processors and 4GB of RAM. Storage, meanwhile, comes in at 64GB. This is great for everyday workflows, as well as streaming and multimedia. Speaking of multimedia, the display comes in full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution for clear images. The added touch and pen support are pluses; you can annotate PDF files or bring out your inner artist and draw in apps from the Google Play Store. Just keep in mind that the pen is sold separately.

This Chromebook is also built tough. It's designed out of aluminum and can stand the test of time. Part of that design also includes the backlit keyboard, which will be a huge help during late-night study sessions. It also has an excellent port selection. The mix includes two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C ports, a USB 3.1 Type-A port, and an audio jack.

This isn't the most powerful Chromebook on the market by any stretch, but if you want a 2-in-1 at this great price point, you can't go wrong.

If you're looking for a Chromebook within a small budget, then the Lenovo Chromebook C340 is a great option. It might not be the fanciest Chromebook, but it's priced between $150-$200, and you'll still get a great 2-in-1 form factor.

With this Chromebook, you'll be getting an Intel Celeron N4000 processor paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage. As we've mentioned about similar budget Chromebooks, you might not be able to do more demanding tasks, but you'll be fine for basic web browsing and multimedia consumption. ChromeOS typically handles low-powered CPUs like this one very well.

Going to the display, thanks to the HD, wide-viewing angle IPS display, you can enjoy and share all your favorite movies and videos with crystal clarity. The touchscreen lets you click or drag files on the screen for easy, intuitive interactions.

In terms of design, this device can be striking. You'll find it in either a Platinum Grey or a standout Sand Pink. This is also a compact device at 0.7 inches thick and weighing 2.65 pounds.

Elsewhere, the Chromebook C340 makes it easy to connect to other devices, thanks to its two ultrafast USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 ports, two USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 ports, and an audio jack. Built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 makes connecting wirelessly a breeze.

Chromebooks are popular for education, and the Lenovo 300e Chromebook 2nd Gen is the best to choose for students in the classroom or at home. It is designed especially for the education market, is built tough, and is portable and compact, all for less than $300.

This Chromebook is built tough with rubber bumpers, reinforced ports and hinges, and mechanically anchored keys. This means it can stand the shock and awe that students might put it through. Lenovo even rates it as drop-resistant up to 29.5 inches, which is the height of a school desk. Oh, and the keyboard is spill-resistant, so it can stand up against water and other liquids.

This Chromebook has specs that are great for getting schoolwork done without distraction. It comes with AMD A-series processors, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of eMMC storage. Students can pull up Google Chrome and Google G Suite apps like Sheets without issue. There's also a front-facing 720p webcam and two speakers, which are decent enough for chatting in Google Hangouts and paying attention to recorded lectures.

The Chromebook can also be used in laptop, tablet, tent, or stand modes to make collaboration simple. All of this can be done with confidence, too, as the device is rated for up to 10 hours of battery and has a low-powered ‎1366 x 768 resolution display. There is no pen support, however, which is a miss.

Finally, it has a wide range of ports and a volume slider on the side of the device. The list includes USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, a headphone jack, and a full-size SD-card reader. IT admins who manage Chromebooks in school can easily take care of this Chromebook. Education apps like Tinkercad, GeGebra, LucidChart, Jamboard, WeVideo, and more are all optimized for this device.

Recently, a lot of businesses have been moving people over to Chromebooks specifically designed for enterprise. Lenovo designed a new ThinkPad Chromebook just for that: the ThinkPad C14 Chromebook Enterprise.

This is one of Lenovo's most powerful Chromebooks, with specs you'd usually find on a Windows laptop. It comes with the 12th-generation Intel Core i5-1245U VPro processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB PCIe SSD. For demanding workflows and heavy multitasking, these specs ensure that you'll be able to get a lot done. These CPUs come with 10 cores and 12 threads, more than what's found in typical Intel Core i3-based Chromebooks. You'll also get a 14-inch Full HD resolution display. And at the top of that display is a 1080p webcam, ensuring you'll look your best on all your calls.

This ThinkPad even has the Titan-C Google-designed security chip inside, which can help protect the end-user identity and ensure system integrity. That's on top of the webcam privacy shutter and the optional fingerprint reader.

This is one of the larger Chromebooks on our list, weighing 3.5 pounds, but that's still plenty portable. With the design, this Chromebook resembles a traditional Windows-based ThinkPad. It has a durable chassis, the traditional ThinkPad Trackpad, and a ThinkPoint nub in the middle. You can't forget the traditional ThinkPad backlit keyboard, either, or the various ports: USB-C Gen 1, Thunderbolt 4, 2 USB Type-A ports, a microSD card reader, HDMI 2.0, and a headphone/mic combo. You even can add a SIM card for 4G LTE cellular data. Like most products with the ThinkPad branding, this one meets the MIL-STD 810H standard, too. It will last the tests of time.

We've covered Chromebooks big and small, but if you need the most compact Chromebook possible, there's the Lenovo Chromebook Duet. This is a very small Chromebook with a 10-inch IPS touchscreen, and it weighs just over a pound. If you compare that to some of the other Chromebooks on our list, some of which are over three pounds, you'll feel the difference.

The other part of portability comes down to the keyboard. If you like, you attach the included keyboard case magnetically and pull out a kickstand for typing. The keyboard case gives room to type up documents, scroll webpages, and use the Duet Chromebook as a laptop. The Lenovo Chromebook Duet is even more portable thanks to its long battery life. Lenovo rates it for up to 10 hours. Of course, that’s rated on mixed usage with the 400-nit display at very low brightness.

While you might not multitask a lot on this device, the MediaTek Helio P60T processor inside is great for a first Chromebook. Android apps run well, mainly since the SoC being used is Arm-based, just like your Android phone.

There are some negatives here, though. There's only a single USB-C port on board and no headphone jack, either. So, you’ll need to ensure you use either Bluetooth headsets or a dongle for movie watching and other multimedia. Secondly, serious multitasking might slow down this device since it only has 4GB RAM.

Best Lenovo Chromebooks: The bottom line

And those are all the best Lenovo Chromebooks you can buy. If you want the best, it is hard not to go with the Flex 3i Chromebook, as it packs in plenty of value for under $1,000. It has a great 15-inch FHD display, a backlit keyboard, and a 2-in-1 form factor. You also get a lot of great ports like HDMI, USB-A, and USB-C. Other than that, two color options help you express some personality with the device.

For those who prefer something else like the tablet form factor, there's the Chromebook Duet 5, with an OLED screen and included keyboard. And for those who are into business and enterprise tasks, there's the ThinkPad C14, which has a Windows laptop look and feel, but the power of the latest Intel CPUs and ChromeOS under the hood. There's a Lenovo Chromebook for everyone, no matter your need.