10 Best Chromebooks for Linux in 2022
Best Chromebooks for Linux, Chromebooks meet many requirements: They are affordable, portable, and have enough processing power for all basic tasks, such as web browsing or document editing. Some even come with high-end hardware components capable of meeting the needs of software developers and other professionals.
Best Cheap Laptops Under 150 Dollars
Last year at Google I / O in Mountain View, Google announced its intention to ship all future Chromebooks with Linux support immediately. Making it possible for users to run almost any popular Linux distribution in a container, in parallel with Chrome OS.
There is also GalliumOS, a fast and lightweight Linux distribution for Chromebooks built on top of Xubuntu to provide a fully functional desktop.
As you can see, Chromebooks have a lot to offer Linux users, not to mention their ability to run Android apps. Here we’ve compared a few popular Chromebooks, and here’s our list of the best Chromebooks for Linux in 2020.
1. Google Pixelbook
The Google Pixelbook is arguably the best Chromebook ever created, and it’s a fantastic Linux machine. Google created it to show everyone that Chromebooks don’t necessarily have to be manufactured cheaply and accordingly.
Priced at around $ 1,000, the Google Pixelbook is anything but affordable. It’s completely natural to experience a sticker crash when you see its price for the first time. However, the initial shock quickly transforms into admiration as you learn more about what this premium Chromebook has to offer.
The most popular version of the Google Pixelbook is powered by a 7th generation Intel Core i5 processor and is equipped with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Its long-lasting battery supports fast charging technology, allowing you to get approximately 2 hours of use in just 15 minutes. The 12.3-inch, 360-degree touchscreen features an ultra-fine resolution of 2400 x 1600 pixels, resulting in a supreme multimedia experience.
Because Google Pixelbook is aimed at advanced users, Google equipped it with a comfortable backlit keyboard that is a pleasure to type on. As an optional accessory, you can purchase the Pixelbook Pen and use it to write, draw, and design naturally.
2. Google Pixelbook Go
The Google Pixelbook Go is our favorite Linux-compatible Chromebook for productivity on the go. You can get it with an Intel m3, i5, or i7 processor and up to 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The m3 version offers the most impressive battery life, but it doesn’t get enough performance for the most demanding Linux applications, at least not if you’re a heavy multitasker.
Regardless of which version you choose, you can always enjoy a 13.3-inch Full HD display with wide viewing angles, high maximum brightness, and realistic color reproduction. The display is complemented by dual stereo speakers for an uncompromising multimedia experience.
If you often use a laptop in quiet public places like the library. You’ll appreciate the backlit keyboard with Hush Keys calls, which barely make noise despite its precision and surprisingly long travel distance. It is completely fanless, there’s no reason to worry about noise, either.
3. Asus Chromebook Flip C434TA
If you’re looking for a relatively affordable Chromebook that doesn’t look or feel cheap, the Asus Chromebook Flip C434TA is a solid choice. It is powered by the Intel Core m3-8100Y processor, which is capable of up to 3.4 GHz despite consuming very little power. You can get it with 64GB of storage space and 4 or 8GB of RAM. We recommend that you waste more RAM because the extra 4GB really makes a difference when multitasking and using Linux apps alongside Chrome OS apps.
What really sets the Asus Chromebook Flip C434TA apart is its 14-inch Full HD display with ultra-narrow bezels (just 5mm). For us, a Chromebook with a 14-inch screen represents the perfect balance between productivity and portability. You can comfortably use two apps side by side without straining your eyes or maximize a single app with the 100% DPI scaling to see more information without scrolling.
Thanks to its 360-degree hinge, the Asus Chromebook Flip C434TA can instantly transform into a large tablet so you can enjoy your content the way you want. Two reversible USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C ports let you connect a wide range of devices, and there’s also a legacy USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A (Gen 1) port.
4. Acer Chromebook Spin 13
Why spend your hard-earned money on a laptop and tablet when you can buy the Acer Chromebook Spin 13, an affordable 2-in-1 convertible with enough processing power to run Linux and a smartly integrated stylus for drawing, writing, and writing ? in tablet mode.
Many affordable convertibles run on a low-end processor with an insufficient performance for serious multitasking, but not the Acer Chromebook Spin 13. With the Intel Core i5 8250U processor, 8GB of memory, and 128GB of storage, this versatile has everything needs to. create large spreadsheets, develop software applications, and edit videos. Because a powerful processor naturally consumes more power, the Acer Chromebook Spin 13 has a large battery that lasts up to 10 hours, more than enough for a full day of use.
Screens with a 16: 9 aspect ratio are great for multimedia, but they leave something to be desired when it comes to surfing the web, writing documents, encoding, or doing any other activity that benefits from more vertical screen space. That’s why the Acer Chromebook Spin 13 has a 13.5-inch touchscreen with a 3: 2 aspect ratio and stylus holder. Once you experience what it’s like to work a screen in this aspect ratio, you won’t see 16: 9 laptops the same way ever again.
5. Dell Inspiron 11 Chromebook
The Dell Inspiron 11 is a great Chromebook for casual users looking for durability, speed, and simplicity in a portable design. Its textured black composite chassis is resistant to fingerprints and smudges. Because the Chromebook has generously rounded corners, it can easily withstand all the bumps and drops it encounters during daily use.
Thanks to the Intel Celeron processor, it also handles Chrome OS applications with ease, even when you open several of them at once. Unfortunately, heavy Linux apps are a challenge for this laptop, but you should be aware that portability is by far its most important feature. The 11.6-inch display makes the Dell Inspiron 11 so compact that you can toss it into any bag or pouch without a problem, and its advanced anti-glare coating makes it easier to use the Chromebook outdoors.
For such a compact Chromebook, the Dell Inspiron 11 offers an impressive selection of ports, including a full-size HDMI port, two regular USB ports, a microSD card reader, audio jack, and Noble lock slot.
6. HP Chromebook 14
The HP Chromebook 14 is one of the most affordable Chromebooks on this list, and you need to keep this in mind to understand where its value comes from. This is not the right machine for power users or demanding professionals who are willing to spend extra money to enjoy the smooth performance and superior build quality.
This device is intended for people on a budget who don’t want to spend more money than necessary just to surf the web, send emails, and do schoolwork. That’s why the HP Chromebook 14 comes with a low-end processor (AMD Dual-Core a4-9120) and only 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage space.
Fortunately, HP understands that even people who don’t need outstanding performance can appreciate a long-lasting battery, excellent build quality, and comfortable input devices. To make this budget Chromebook even more attractive, HP decided to connect the 14-inch screen to the chassis with a 180-degree hinge, making it easy for users to watch movies in bed or share the screen with others.
7. Acer Chromebook 14
The Acer 14 will draw your attention to the aluminum finish.
It gives the laptop body a very quirky look that you would expect to see on a high-end Windows laptop. It is very striking and elegant. Everything looks better with aluminum (only if phone manufacturers got it).
IPS screen with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. In case you didn’t know, IPS are often preferred over other display technologies due to color intensity and multiple viewing angles. It comes at a cost of having a slightly higher response rate, but it’s negligible: You probably won’t be playing hardcore twitch games on a Chromebook anyway. It is much more enjoyable than having a white or black bezel. Again, aluminum for victory.
It is powered by an Intel Celeron N3160 Quad-Core processor with a clock speed of 1.6GHz (Braswell). With 4 cores running on some of the newer processor architectures, you will have a very decent machine to boot Linux on.
Lots of RAM for multitasking. If you like multitasking, you’ll be happy to know that it also comes loaded with 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM. This is double the standard of 2GB of RAM commonly found on older entry-level Chromebooks. You’ll be able to “take your finger off” and launch all your favorite shows while playing on Steam while watching a video on VLC while chatting on Pidgin.
And it also has good 32GB storage, which is twice the 16GB standard again. You will have plenty of space to save games, files, images, pictures, and other media on your local disk if you are paranoid about using cloud storage.
8. Acer C720P Chromebook
The Acer C720P is a touchscreen Chromebook that is perfect for running Linux.
The display is a 1366 x 768 pixel IPS display with capacitive touch for up to 10 fingers. This means that you can literally use each of your fingers and it will register them all. That is very beautiful.
For starters, it is much more portable. It only weighs 2.98 pounds and measures 8.03 x 11.34 x 0.78 inches, so it has a small footprint compared to the 13.3 “and 14.6” Chromebooks on this list.
This makes it easy to carry and very light. The Acer C720P is also a wide-screen Chromebook. This makes the aspect ratio work best for programming, encoding, developing, or even playing games or watching videos on the widescreen. It is rare to find widescreen support on an 11.6 “laptop, especially with touch screen support.
A decent processor. It is powered by an Intel Celeron 2955U processor running at 1.4GHz with a 2MB L3 cache. This isn’t the most powerful CPU on this list (awarded to Toshiba 2), but it does have a good punch. It is enough to handle the most popular and stable versions of Linux distributions.
RAM, storage, connectivity, and battery. It also comes with 32GB of storage, which can be swapped out for a larger capacity SSD.
If you plan to save a lot of files and media on your computer, you will definitely want to upgrade or get an external drive to store them.
You get only 2GB of RAM but you get 32GB of SSD storage. Chromebooks are generally sold in 2GB of RAM and 16GB of SSD or 4GB of RAM and 32GB of SSD. This gives you updated storage without inflating the price. It is actually quite cheap for a touch screen laptop.
In terms of connectivity, you get all your needs: a single USB 3.0 port, a single USB 2.0 port, HDMI output with HDCP support, Bluetooth 4.0, SD card reader and a special Acer inviting Nplify 802.11 a / b / g / n / MIMO Dual-Band 2.4GHz and 5GHz LAN. That is something worth mentioning as well. Chromebooks generally only support WiFi 802.11 a / c connectivity.
It has a 7.5-hour battery, which isn’t quite as impressive as the other laptops here, but still pretty good.
9. ASUS Chromebook Flip C302CA (Flip 2)
ASUS Chromebook Flip C302CA has a Full HD screen.
The screen for this thing is a 12.5 ” FHD with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
Currently, no Chromebook has a true 4K display. The closest is the HP Chromebook 13, which has a 3K resolution. It is also coated with an anti-glare coating and an active light sensor that effectively eliminates any glare and reflections.
The keyboard is a full-size keyboard. If you write quickly, you will appreciate it. It allows you to write on the go without too much kickback. It is intuitive and feels very comfortable to write quickly. I found that I made fewer mistakes compared to my CB3-131. Travel distance is important. Much. And this Chromebook has it configured almost perfectly.
I just wish the keys were a little bit more apart since that’s what I’m used to. But nevertheless, it is one of the Chromebooks with the best keyboards for typing.
The key float is also minimal.No more cursors disappearing and having to relocate them again.
As for the specs, as mentioned above, it runs on an Intel m3 CPU with a clock speed of 2.2GHz.
An Intel m3 is more than enough to run almost any Linux distribution (that’s reasonable). You can try some of the most visually stunning desktop environments like Zorin, Ubuntu, Fedora Core 6, Suse / OpenSuse, KDE, Maku, and Cinnamon.
And if that’s not enough, you have the option of boosting this baby to a 1.1GHz clocked Intel Core m5 CPU. It offers slightly better performance resulting in a faster machine.
And of course both processors have an Intel HD Graphics coprocessor for games, videos, and other media.
It’s loaded with 4GB of RAM for moderate multitasking power. It’s comparable to some other models on this list, so it’s nothing extraordinary. But it is definitely good compared to a 2GB variant. The double RAM capacity is definitely remarkable.
It features a 10-hour battery life on a single charge, which is more than enough to get you through the day. Whether you’re doing things or just playing around, 10 hours of battery life is enough.
10. ACER CHROMEBOOK SPIN 15
The Acer Chromebook Spin 15 is so prized that you won’t hesitate to buy it. It will take you to cloud nine for its characteristics. The construction and quality of this product are impressive and extraordinary. Its RAM size is 4 GB, and the screen size is 15.6 inches.
Now you don’t need to worry about your battery. It allows you to do your job with high gloss.
Acer’s best Chromebook spin 15 is such a practical Chromebook that it makes you do tricks with your life. How? Let me tell you, you can use your Chromebook as a laptop, a standing screen, a tent, or a tablet.
Whichever style is right for you, there will be no problem. Its 360 ° dual torque hinge lets it do wonders for you.
You can take your Chromebook with you everywhere and you can use it anywhere without any hindrance in your work. Most surprisingly, it has a wide-angle view webcam that makes video chatting and conferencing really easy and enhances your experiences.
The Corning Gorilla Glass touchpad gives you the incredible touch experience that makes tapping, panning, sliding, and zooming easier.
Acer Chromebook spin 15 is really easy to use and very fast. It helps you back up your files and comes with built-in antivirus protection.
The speakers will make your mood really happy as they are of such high quality. It has dual audio speakers that will take your gaming, movie, and song experience to another level!
Conclusion
The most attractive feature of Chromebooks is their affordability. Software licenses to install Windows or Mac OS are important factors in the price of a laptop. However, Chromebooks come installed with Google’s Chrome operating system, which is based on Linux and costs only a fraction of the price.
It is this inclusion of Chrome OS that makes a Chromebook a Chromebook.
Chrome OS is optimized to run the suite of Google applications, such as Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Drive. Unfortunately, this means that the Chromebook provides limited or no support for non-Google software, such as Photoshop or Microsoft Office.
While some people take Chromebooks like a fish in the water, this dependence on Google apps may seem quite limiting to others. As such, there is a growing community of Chromebook users who have dedicated themselves to installing Linux-based distributions on their Chromebooks.
