We have covered our pick of the best Chromebook for streaming, check it out.
Chromebooks are designed for those who have pretty much everything to do online starting from school learning, binge-watching Netflix to browsing the internet. The whole world of Chromebook revolves around Chrome OS but with limited features and software support.
For students – The Chromebook is the best bang for the buck, you can write assignments and research papers, attend Zoom classes, watch Streaming services and play Android games.
The latest Chromebook models support Android Apps installation with few clicks. With it, you can enjoy user-friendly design and thousands of app support. The new update even supports Microsoft Office Apps rather than the Office web version.
Most Chromebooks pack mobile CPU and low-power hardware, which results in strong battery backup. Comparing them with the same range of Windows laptops, Chromebooks offer up to 2 times more power and fast performance.
So, Chromebooks are the best of both worlds when it comes to cheap laptops under $300.
Best Chromebook For Streaming
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Model | Acer Chromebook Spin 311 | Lenovo Chromebook S330 | Asus Chromebook Flip C434 | HP Chromebook x360 | Acer Chromebook 315 |
Display | 11.6 Inch | 14 Inch | 14 Inch | 14 Inch | 15.6 Inch |
Display Resolution | 1366 X 768 | 1920 X 1080 | 1920 X 1080 | 1366 X 768 | 1366 X 768 |
Processor | Intel Celeron N4020 | MediaTek MT8173C | Intel Core M3-8100Y | Intel Celeron N4000 | Intel Celeron N400 |
RAM | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB |
Storage | 32 GB eMMC | 64 GB eMMC | 64 GB eMMC | 32 GB eMMC | 32 GB eMMC |
Touch Screen | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 600 | Power VR GX6250 | Intel HD Graphics 615 | Intel UHD Graphics 600 | Intel UHD Graphics 600 |
Average Battery | 12 Hours | 8 Hours | 10 Hours | 8 Hours | 10 Hours |
Price |
1) Acer Chromebook Spin 311 – Best For Live Streaming
Acer Chromebook Spin 311 fits the profile of a low-cost and versatile Chromebook that is good for students, remote learners, and professionals. It is an 11.6-inch convertible machine powered by Chrome OS and supports Android Apps. It’s an entry-level laptop from Acer that feels well-built, offers good performance, and is easy to carry around for distance learning.
Design
Acer Chromebooks look just like their cousins with thick bezels, an all-aluminum silver chassis, and a portable design. It’s a thin and light machine, weighing just above 2.6 pounds. Despite its portability, there is no flex around its body, the screen is protected by Gorilla Glass and can tackle minor accidents.
For back-to-school students and college users, carrying it around won’t be an issue, but for heavy users portability compromises power. Most Chromebook at this price look a bit dull and out fashioned, but Spin 311 proves to be attractive and eye-catching.
Display
The Spin 311 packs a low-resolution (1366 X 768) display and Acer has made compromises in this area. The 11.6-inch display is not big, not small for a Chromebook, and delivers sharp images for regular web browsing and media streaming. It has 131 PPI, though low pixels won’t be a problem due to the small screen size. It features an IPS panel with low brightness and thick bezels.
On the plus size, the 11-inch screen has touch supports to make Chrome OS experience smoother and more responsive. With its 360-degree hinge, the display is foldable and allows you to use it as a tent, tablet, or rest it in your lap.
Performance
Overall performance of the Spin 311 is pleasant and reliable. This model sports an Intel Celeron N4020 CPU and 4 GB of RAM, that has enough bells and whistles to run Chrome OS smoothly. It boots up in just 10 seconds, and while putting it on sleep mode, it instantly wakes up without any delay. Personally, I find this process speedy and quite impressive for a Chromebook.
While browsing the web and Editing Documents, I haven’t found any sluggishness or major performance issues. However, when I run more than a dozen Chrome Tabs, it starts to slow down and feel sluggish.
Trackpad and Keyboard
The keyboard is the biggest selling point of Spin 311, during my typing I haven’t found any feedback delay or low traveling. It features 1.6 mm traveling keys and responsive keystrokes to give users snappy and fast feedback. Even though it is an inexpensive laptop, you can get a premium keyboard that gives strong competition to expensive windows laptops.
The same goes with the trackpad as well, size-wise it’s small but responsive. I was able to easily swipe between tabs and scroll through documents without any issue.
Battery Life
Battery wise nearly all Chromebook offer more juice than any cheap and budget windows laptops. The Acer Spin 311 can last through all day and without needing an adapter. This is due to the low-resolution display and limited CPU resources used by Chrome OS.
Putting it in a number, Spin 311 gives the average of 12 hours of continuous battery power. But, it depends on your usage if you continuously connect with Wi-Fi and browse the internet or stream videos on Youtube, it falls short after 10 hours as we’ve seen in our movie review testing.
Final Verdict
Acer Chromebook Spin 311 is a small and compact Chromebook with long-lasting battery life, acceptable performance, and a terrific keyboard all of it under $250. Due to its versatility and power, we’ve listed it on our pick of the best Chromebook For Streaming.
2) Lenovo Chromebook S330 – Best Value For money
Lenovo Chromebook S330 is an affordable 14-inch machine loaded with tons of features and solid performance. Despite being more than 1 year old, the S330 manages to be one of the best value for money Chromebook till date.
Design
The S330 is made entirely from plastic and feels cheap as any low-budget notebook tends to be. Plastic has the biggest impact on its portability and can be easily wielded by one hand. The chassis feels basic and covered by black color all around it.
It has a nice finish, great textures, and a good unique design. Though, when you put your finger on the body, it leaves some visible marks. There are no sharp edges, unnecessary textures, or finishing and bump. The S330 is a regular machine, not 2-in-1, so its lid rotates just 180 degrees.
Display
The 14-inch panel comes with plenty of bezels and Full HD resolution. It is an IPS panel with an anti-glare display. On top of the screen, you’ll find a webcam and a microphone hole. The display produces really sharp images with vivid colors. It’s worth mentioning that the display is not touch-enabled which we mostly see in Chromebook.
With 1920 X 1080 resolution, you can stream movies in better quality than a 1366 X 768 resolution notebook. The decently placed speakers make the movie experience even better. The FHD display comes with a more bright panel, you don’t need full brightness settings for better visibility in this Chromebook. In most situations, S330 can handle and deliver everything crystal clear on 80% settings.
Performance
Lenovo Chromebook S330 can pair with i3, i5, and MediaTek processors, these processors are enough to power the Chromebook for computing tasks. Our review unit came with a MediaTek MT8173C processor which is a basic and entry-level CPU that fuels the budget Chromebook.
MediaTek processor is basically a mobile CPU and runs mostly on Android power tablets, so in terms of performance, it has limitations. You can do basic browsing and video conferencing, but don’t expect too much.
The MediaTek processor allows you to execute basic tasks, such as keeping multiple Chrome tabs and Multimedia streaming. However, it won’t be able to handle multiple apps at once or hardcore productivity tasks without freezing.
Trackpad and Keyboard
One of the best parts of the S330 is its keyboard. Despite its price, the keyboard feels premium and good for writers and students who have to write so many things and assignments on docs. The keys give tactical feedback with fast traveling and overall instant feedback. The trackpad is not good, though.
Battery Life
S330 runs on modest hardware which means long-lasting battery life. On our testing, the S330 lasted for around 8 hours on a single charge. It is charged through a USB-C charge port, so even if you forget the adapter, you can charge it through your smartphone charger. Though, it’s not fast charging. To achieve its 100% charge mark, the S330 takes around 3 hours. In my opinion, it’s a bit disappointing. For better battery health, we recommend powering it down completely rather than putting it in speed mode.
Final Verdict
Lenovo Chromebook S330 is strictly for basic users and students who don’t have to deal with heavy tasks. I have to say that if the touchscreen is not your thing, and you need a Chromebook with better brightness and Full HD resolution along with 8 hours of battery life then S330 is a justified choice.
Lenovo Chromebook S330 is the best value-for-money product in our list of the best Chromebook for streaming.
3) Asus Chromebook Flip C434 – Best Chromebook For Streaming Netflix
Asus Chromebook Flip C434 is a premium Chromebook with a strong aluminum build, long-lasting battery life, and tremendous performance. It got good looks, a slim ergonomic design and smaller chassis, and also the latest hardware.
Design
The Flip C434 is crafted with an elegant design and looks familiar with Asus’s pricier Zenbook lineup. It is constructed with Aluminum alloys and provides rigidness to the notebook. When you pick it up, it feels sturdy and well-built. Further, it has a thin and portable design more appealing to students and professional office workers.
With great quality, you need to put in some effort. It requires two hands to open the lid. It comes with 360-degree display rotation and allows you to use it as a media, tablet, clamshell, or tent. Around the corner, you’ll find tiny bezels to give this ultrabook a modern look.
Display
The display is fair and bright with slim bezels and groundbreaking picture quality. It covers 93% of the sRGB color gamut and delivers a more vibrant and vivid image quality.
The display is a 14-inch size that looks sharp, bright, and colorful. It uses a 16:9 aspect ratio 1920 X 1080 pixels resolution. It is suitable for working indoors and outdoors, and we also got a good movie experience. The touch panel works well and gives a smooth and comfortable experience.
While reading the webpage and editing presentations, Flip C434 has done a pretty good job. The crispness in the text and nearly accurate color in graphic elements were good experiences to be seen on a Chromebook.
Performance
Our review unit was packed with an Intel M3-8100Y processor, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of storage. Directly looking at specs, it’s obvious that C434 has enough muscle to keep most Chrome OS users happy. We know what M3 mobile CPU can offer, and by pairing it with C434, it meets all our productivity requirements.
We haven’t found any major lag while running multiple Chrome tabs and editing basic photos. Though, video editing was a big disappointment on the machine. When I tried to edit and mix some clips on the android app after some time it started to slow down and the temperature went up immediately.
So, for regular web tasks and document editing, it has all the bells and whistles but for heavy usage such as video editing, you will be disappointed.
Trackpad and Keyboard
The island keyboard features full-size keys with sufficient travel and quick feedback. The keys are well placed and support five levels of the backlight. It is a lot better than any laptop at this price. Overall typing experience was soft, quiet, and responsive.
Meanwhile, the trackpad is well-sized and accurate. It supports all multitouch gestures precisely and gives a smooth and comfortable scrolling experience. The buttons are silent and easy to click.
Battery Life
The Flip C434 battery has a 48-watt capacity and is designed to last for a full day. To test in the real world, we’ve run some YouTube videos and web browsing to see when it’s run out of battery. To our surprise, it lasts about 10 hours which is admirable looking at its CPU power and Full HD display.
In our second test, we’ve kept some Chrome tabs open and edited some documents along with routing works. It managed to give 12 hours of continuous juice.
To sum up, whether you use it for basic use or YouTube streaming, you’ll get an average of 10 hours of backup without needing to plug in the charger.
Final Verdict
Asus Chromebook Flip C434 offers a compelling combination of power, portability, and performance. If budget is not an issue and one needs a Chromebook under $400, then this is a reasonable deal.
Asus Chromebook Flip C434 is one of the strongest builds when it comes to the best Chromebook for Streaming.
4) HP Chromebook X360
HP Chromebook X360 is undoubtedly a good-looking and high-performing notebook that offers stellar performance for your routine task. For students, teachers, and normal users, it’s a deal-breaker product with a convertible design, strong battery backup, and a terrific keyboard. Though, it’s not a perfect Chromebook on the market today.
Design
HP Chromebook X360 is a sharp-looking machine with a robust build and premium look. It weighs around 3.3 pounds which is reasonable for a 14-inch notebook. At this weight, it takes the effort of two hands to fold the notebook from laptop to tablet mode.
It’s a convertible notebook that can fold up to 360 degrees. There is no flex on both the keyboard and screen. The chassis feels classy and lighter at this price point. The lid is marked with Chrome insignia and the HP logo at the center. Further, two silver hinges hold the screen and keyboard together.
Display
The display is a bit old school. The 14-inch panel sports an HD touch screen with 1366 X 768 resolution. The low-pixel resolution shows a bit of dull and dim images. Watching YouTube videos and Netflix wasn’t a big problem, but throughout the streaming, I can feel something was missing. I don’t know whether it was low pixel or picture quality, but it wasn’t up to the mark.
The touch experience, on the other hand, was terrific. It is stylus supported, so taking notes and researching papers would be fun. The x360 has one of the best touchscreens we’ve seen in the Affordable Chromebook.
Performance
HP Chromebook x360 is equipped with Intel Celeron N400 CPU, 4 GB RAM and 32 GB eMMC storage. It is a mobile processor and comes with limited power. You can binge-watch Netflix, run multiple Chrome tabs, and edit documents and presentations, but don’t expect more than this.
If you want more power, X360 can be configured with an i3 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and 64 GB eMMC storage costing $500.
During my testing, I attended some Zoom meetings and used various Android apps including Twitter, Facebook, and Gmail. At this time, I haven’t heard any fan noise or heat. That’s a very impressive performance from a Chromebook.
Trackpad and Keyboard
The X360 keyboard comes with plenty of spacing and large keycaps. The keys are backlit and feel snappy. It has a good amount of traveling, but it requires too little pressure to register a keypress. So, while typing you can accidentally press a key and make an error.
The trackpad is large and feels soft. The build is excellent and the inbuilt buttons register click quickly from the buttons. As usual, it supports all the Chrome OS gestures and gives the same feel as scrolling through the touchscreen. Both keyboard and trackpad are far better and more responsive compared to their counterparts.
Battery Life
Out of the box, x360 packs with 58 watt-hours of battery. It should be plenty from a Chrome user perspective. HP claims that the base model of X360 can last for up to 12 hours. Though, that’s not entirely true.
As always we’ve run some tests by opening multiple chrome tabs, streaming some YouTube videos, and playing some android games, the x360 lasted just 8 hours. So, it falls short on HP’s claimed 12 hours long battery cycle.
If you mitigate brightness and do some basic editing or browsing, given the low-CPU power and HD display you can expect up to 10 hours of juice. But, not more than that.
Final Verdict
HP Chromebook X360 really stands out for its attractive design, robust build, and fast performance, but the battery life is disappointing. Further, the keyboard needs some improvement and we also like to see a Full HD panel at this price point (which is currently the standard picture resolution on a Chromebook).
If you need a premium-looking Chromebook then HP Chromebook X360 is Hands down one of the best Chromebook for streaming.
5) Acer Chromebook 315
Acer Chromebook 315 comes with a big display, tons of features, and terrific battery life. It promises a lot of things at a low price and also comprises some features along the way.
Design
The 315 has adapted a basic and simplistic design so it won’t give a vibe or feel of a premium notebook. It has a slim aluminum casing with noticeable flex. The chassis feels sturdy and impressive for a plastic clamshell. It has a 1.8 kg weight and you can lift it up with just one hand.
Having a 15-inch screen means it is larger than many other Chromebooks that shipped with 11 & 14-inch displays. Despite being constructed from plastic, it feels strong and doesn’t leave a stretch or mark when you rest your finger on it. You can rotate the display up to 180 degrees.
Display
When it comes to the display, there are a few tweaks. The 15.6-inch display feels spacious and large but sports a 1366 X 768-pixel resolution. Usually, Chromebook doesn’t come in handy with a screen this large, most revolving around 11 to 14 inches. So this extra room in the panel is absolutely a deal-breaker for productivity and Online classes. With this, one can get a really good movie-watching experience.
The display features 260 nits of brightness, so during sunlight, it is difficult to see objects clearly. The colors are not perfect either, well nowhere near what we see in premium notebooks used by creative professionals. If you aren’t in a creative field it won’t be an issue for you.
Performance
As we earlier said, The 315 is a pretty basic machine (not to mention, incredibly cheap) which means the performance would be limited. You can run some browsing web and stream media, it will handle it easily without any slowdown. When you push the boundary by keeping dozens of Chrome tabs open and editing some images, it starts to struggle.
The processor unit is fueled by Intel Celeron N4000 CPU, so the performance would stick to word processing and web browsing. When it comes to gaming, it runs most of the android games without a problem, but don’t expect lag-free gaming for long hours.
Trackpad and Keyboard
The trackpad performs really well during web scrolling and reading. It is large and smooth, with amazing audible buttons. It is well-placed and means you can easily rest your palm on spare space while typing. It supports all the gestures, but not precisely. It takes some time to get familiar with unusual trackpad behavior.
Speaking about the keyboard, you got a full-sized keyboard with the luxury of a number pad. The keys are good, reliable, and have a good amount of traveling. For a casual user, it’s okay, if you type for long you might find the key traveling a bit slow. Also, there is no backlighting or high-quality material used in the keys.
Battery Life
With limited power and HD screen, Acer Chromebook 315 managed to offer up to 10 hours of battery backup in some of the heaviest and resource-intensive tasks during our testing. Further, while streaming movies offline, it was able to give a striking 11 hours of continuous juice. When you stream videos online or attend school lectures, it will last at least about 9 hours.
Final Verdict
To conclude, Acer Chromebook 315 is the best Chromebook that has a lot to offer at a very cheap price. With a dim display and low pixel, you definitely compromise something, however, at $200, it’s not a deal-breaker.
Wrapping up
With Chrome OS, you will run shorts on web applications and games, but the things that can work on Chrome OS would be glorious. In our list of The Best 5 Affordable Chromebooks For Back-To-School Or Distance Learning you’ll find notebooks with good performance, long battery life, and affordable price.