Chromebooks are ideal as notebooks for homeschooling. They’re reasonably priced, easy to use, and come with Google software for homework. We recommend the following six devices for students who need to study at home, ranked by current price.
1. Asus Chromebook Flip C436
The Chromebook Flip C436 is a high quality Chromebook with very good performance. Thanks to the magnesium-aluminum housing, it is both stable and lightweight. The 14-inch touch display shines brightly and even covers the sRGB color space – good for editing family photos. It can also be rotated 360 degrees so that, for example, the screen is closer to the user. A fast-paced 8-core chip called Intel Core i5-10210U, together with 8 GB of RAM, ensures high performance that would also look good on a Windows laptop. The 512 GB SSD is responsible for backing up data and a rapid user experience, nothing hangs or stutters.
Thanks to Harman Kardon loudspeakers, the teacher is easy to understand and the students can be seen via a webcam. Asus has put a lot of effort into the illuminated keyboard so that homework can be easily typed in the dark. There is also the fast Wi-Fi 6 plus Bluetooth 5, a headset connection and two USB-C ports. Similar to a cell phone, the Chromebook can be charged via USB-C and, thanks to the fingerprint sensor, the secure laptop can be conveniently unlocked.
2. HP x360 Chromebook
The HP x360 Chromebook offers a screen that can be rotated 360 degrees. It can be put up like a tent so that the keyboard is inaccessible and the attention is focused on the display. Like the Asus Chromebook Flip C436, the laptop relies on the Intel Core i5-10210U along with 8 GB of RAM for good performance. The internal memory is 128 GB, but most of the data will end up in Google Drive online anyway. In the form of Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1, the Chromebook is equipped with the latest wireless standards.
There are two USB-C ports including a charging function, a USB-A port and a headset port. A microSD port is also provided. The 14 inch touchscreen offers a sharp full HD resolution. Thanks to the HD webcam with a wide viewing angle, dual-array microphones and Bang & Olufsen stereo speakers, participation in the class should be easy. The camera can be covered with a switch.
3. Asus Chromebook CM5500FDA
With Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, the Asus Chromebook CM5500FDA is modernly equipped and allows a fast Internet connection. At 15.6 inches, the Full HD touch display is slightly larger than that of most other Chromebooks. This improves the overview on the screen. There is a 128 GB SSD and the AMD Ryzen 3250U processor ensures decent performance.
On the connection side, HDMI, USB-A 3.2, 2 x USB-C and a microSD card reader are offered. A headset connection should not be missing either. The keyboard is backlit if you have to type in homework late again.
4. Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 Chromebook
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 Chromebook can be operated with a separately available digital pen, ideal for drawings. The 13.3 inch full HD touchscreen can be rotated 360 degrees, so the laptop can be used with the screen facing forward for presentations, videos or pen input. Wi-Fi 6 ensures a fast internet connection, provided a suitable router is available. Headsets, for example, can be connected via Bluetooth 5.0.
The Lenovo Chromebook shares the fast Intel Core i5-10210U processor and 8 GB of RAM with the HP x360 and the Chromebook Flip C436. There are two USB-C ports including a charging function and a USB-A port and a headset port. Stereo speakers and HD camera with microphone are on board for virtual participation in the class.
5. Acer Chromebook Spin 514
The Acer Chromebook Spin is certified according to the MIL-STD 810H standard and is therefore quite robust. The student can throw the laptop on the bed and he will usually survive it. The 14-inch IPS display has full HD resolution and, like many other Chromebooks, the screen can be rotated 360 degrees. The AMD Ryzen 3 3250C and 8 GB of RAM are responsible for the performance and it is slightly slower than the Ryzen 5 3500C in the HP Chromebook 14b, but the frugal Chromebooks don’t necessarily need the best chips.
There is a 128 GB SSD as well as Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.0. Thanks to two microphones, stereo speakers and webcam should teaching participation not be a problem. There are two USB-C and two USB-A ports as well as a microSD card reader and a headset port.
6. HP Chromebook 14b
Thanks to the AMD Ryzen 5 3500C processor and 8 GB of RAM, the HP Chromebook 14b is powerful on the go. Compared to the Asus Chromebook Flip C436, the SSD is smaller, namely 128 GB. Most Chromebook data is usually stored in the Google cloud, so that’s fine. The 14-inch full HD display does not have a touch function and does not shine as brightly as that of the HP, but bright enough for indoor use.
The HP Chromebook also offers fast Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0. 2 x USB-C, HDMI, 2 x USB-A and a headset port are available as connections. The Bang & Olufsen loudspeakers ensure good speech intelligibility in class and thanks to the microSD card reader, for example, data or photos can be transferred from the mobile phone to the Chromebook.