Best Chromebooks in the UK (2022 Reviews)

Best Chromebooks

Struggling to find the Best Chromebook? Browse our top picks of the most selling Chromebooks under £200, £300, and £400 available right now in the UK.

The best Chromebooks aren’t just for running a few Google Workspace apps anymore. Google’s Chrome OS has come along a long way, with the recent versions allowing for a variety of serious computing work. They are ideal for students, office workers, and anyone searching for a streamlined, no-frills laptop with long-lasting battery life.

Furthermore, Chromebooks have always been a reasonably-priced alternative to MacBooks and Windows laptops. Amid the unexpected influx in virtual classrooms and remote meetings, these portables managed to outsell Apple laptops and cut even deeper into Windows’ dominating market share.

The best thing about the Chromebook market is that you get to choose from numerous options. Whether you are looking for superb portability and lasting battery, or a high-performance chipset with a bright and vibrant touchscreen display, there are various choices available for you.

On top of that, cheaper Chromebooks often go for discounts, making them even more affordable. It also means you can potentially snag a mid-range budget Chromebook. However, not everyone has the time or the patience to scour the online market for attractive deals for hours, which is why we have done the heavy lifting for you.

In this guide, we have shortlisted the best Chromebooks and discussed them in detail. We will also answer a few frequently asked questions regarding Chromebooks by the time we wrap up this guide, so make sure to read on.

List of The Best Chromebook Under £200, £300, £400

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Top 5 Best Chromebooks Deals in the UK (Reviews)

With the target price in mind, most of the Chromebooks we have chosen to showcase on the following list are neither the most capable machines nor particularly premium. However, they should serve you well as long as you stick with lighter tasks. Now then, on to our top recommendations.

1. Asus C423 (C423NA-EB0290) – Best Chromebook Under £200

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  • Display: 14” FHD 16:9 touchscreen
  • Processor: Intel Celeron N3350 (2C/2T) w/ Intel HD Graphics 500
  • Memory: 4 GB LPDDR4
  • Storage: 64 GB eMMC
  • Battery Life: Up to 10 hours
  • Inputs: 2 x USB 3.2 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.2 Type-A, MicroSD card reader, 3.5mm combo audio jack

If you are looking for a traditional design, the Asus C423 is our first pick for the best Chromebook under £200 UK. It’s a portable and lightweight 14-inch Chromebook that offers an all-day battery life without breaking the bank.

The 14-inch, Full HD display gets bright and vibrant, and the impressively thin bezels help you maximize productivity. It also has 10-point touch support and a matte anti-glare coating to reduce disrupting reflections in a home or office environment.

The Asus C423 is one good-looking Chromebook, with its aluminium-finish lid and sleek profile. The 180° hinge is very durable and is rated for 20,000 open-and-close cycles. The keyboard has a 1.4mm key travel, while the large trackpad makes gesture navigation easy. Despite the thin and light form factor, it packs a set of stereo speakers that get generously loud and immersive.

This particular C423 variant is powered by a dual-core Intel Celeron N3350 processor clocked at 1.1 GHz. It’s paired with 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 64 GB of flash memory, delivering adequate performance for light-threaded workloads in Chrome OS.

Fortunately, this Chromebook does have a MicroSD slot, meaning you can have more storage space for your personal files. Other connectivity options include two Type-C and a single Type-A USB 3.2 port, as well as a 3.5mm combo jack for headsets and speakers. Both of the USB-C ports support display output and power delivery.

The 38Wh cell combined with the efficient hardware gives this Chromebook up to 10 hours of battery life. The C432 also has a 720p webcam for your video call needs. Furthermore, it comes with dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity.

Overall, the Asus C423 (C423NA-EB0290) is a sweet find under £200, considering its solid build quality and long-lasting battery life. It’s worth noting that this laptop has several variants, so make sure to choose the following model.

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Pros Cons
Full HD touchscreen display Boring design
Good performance Soldered memory
All-day battery life Mediocre webcam
The USB-C ports support power delivery

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If you are willing to give up the touch-enabled display and half the internal storage space for double the memory capacity, consider the C423NA-EB0197 model of this Asus Chromebook.

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2. HP Chromebook 11 (11a-nb0002na) – Affordable Chromebook Under 200 Pounds

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  • Display:6” HD 16:9
  • Processor: Intel Celeron N3350 (2C/2T) w/ Intel HD Graphics 500
  • Memory: 4 GB LPDDR4
  • Storage: 32 GB eMMC
  • Battery Life: Up to 13 hours
  • Inputs: 2 x USB 3.1 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1 x MicroSD card reader, 1 x 3.5mm headphone/mic combo jack

Those who prefer form over function will find the HP Chromebook 11 attractive for its netbook-like profile. It’s a superbly portable 11-inch Chromebook that packs fairly decent hardware for its size. It’s also one of the cheapest options on this list.

The 11.6-inch widescreen display has a resolution of 1366 x 768 and a peak brightness of 220 nits. The low resolution isn’t that noticeable on the small screen, though it’s far from being colour-accurate. The matte screen finish helps combat annoying glares. That said, the thick bezels can be distracting at times.

The two-core, two-thread Intel Celeron N3350 offers snappy performance when browsing the web, watching videos, creating documents, and playing casual games. The 4 GB of memory is enough as long as you don’t have several browser tabs or app instances open.

The 32 GB of flash storage gives you very little room to install your favourite apps. That said, you can have more local storage space thanks to the MicroSD card expansion slot.

Connectivity-wise, we are looking at two USB 3.1 Type-A and two more USB 3.1 Type-C ports. The latter is capable of DisplayPort output and power delivery, which we consider welcoming additions on such an affordable Chromebook.

The 3.5mm headphone/mic combo jack is still here if don’t see yourself using the built-in stereo speakers. Furthermore, the device is equipped with Bluetooth 4.2 and Intel 802.11ac 2×2 Wi-Fi.

The Chromebook 11, despite its small footprint, packs in a 47Wh Li-ion battery. You can expect up to 13 hours of mixed usage from this device. The included 45W USB Type-C power adapter charges the Chromebook relatively quickly.

For students who are looking for a Chromebook under £200 and people looking for a no-frills portable PC, the HP Chromebook 11 stands out as an extraordinary choice. The fact that HP bundles a 1-year Google One subscription with this Chromebook is also an added benefit.

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Pros Cons
Fits easily into smaller backpacks Cheap build, thick screen bezels
Type-C ports support display/power delivery Subpar display
Stellar battery endurance 32 GB storage isn’t enough
Bundles a 1-year Google One subscription

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3. Lenovo IdeaPad Duet – Best Chromebook Under £300

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  • Display:1” FHD 16:10 touchscreen
  • Processor: Mediatek Helio P60T w/ ARM G72 MP3 graphics
  • Memory: 4 GB LPDDR4
  • Storage: 64 GB eMCP
  • Battery Life: Up to 10 hours
  • Inputs: 1x USB Type-C

The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet is a 2-in-1 Chromebook, offering the sheer portability of a tablet and functionality of a laptop, all for a stellar bargain price. The low-power chipset gives it up to ten hours of battery life.

Like most other convertible portables, the keyboard is detachable from the screen, so you can use the laptop as a tablet when needed. The cramped keyboard layout and average trackpad can be a nuisance to some, but they can be easily rectified with the use of standalone peripherals.

The 10.1-inch 16:10 touchscreen display is one of the main highlights of this device, with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 and a maximum brightness of 400 nits. Apart from being crisp, bright, and vibrant, the relatively thin screen bezels add to the immersion when watching favourite movies and TV shows.

Powering the IdeaPad Duet is an octa-core MediaTek Helio P60T mobile processor, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of flash storage. Despite the lower-end specs, it offers decent performance in lighter tasks, e.g., web browsing, word processing, video meeting, but don’t expect to run heavier apps. Chrome OS seamlessly switches between laptop and tablet mode, keeping all your app windows open.

Of course, there are some drawbacks at this price, especially the fact that it doesn’t have a MicroSD expansion slot. Connectivity options are also boiled down to a single USB-C port.

The stereo speakers are on the quiet side, so may have to use your discrete speakers or headphones via Bluetooth or the included USB-C to 3.5mm adapter. Additionally, the supplied 10W USB charger takes a long time to top up the 7000mAh battery.

In Lenovo’s defence, they had to cut costs somewhere to keep the price down, so consider them as reasonable trade-offs. In total though, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet is one of the best two-in-one Chromebooks in the £200 segment for people on the go.

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Pros Cons
2-in-1 convertible form factor Cramped keyboard layout
16:10 touchscreen display w/ stylus support Underpowered mobile processor
Long-lasting battery I/O is severely limited
It has a kickstand Speakers don’t sound great

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4. Acer 315 (CB315-3H) – Chromebook with Number pad Under £300

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  • Display:6” HD 16:9
  • Processor: Intel Celeron N4020 (2C/2T) w/ Intel UHD Graphics 600
  • Memory: 4 GB LPDDR4
  • Storage: 32 GB eMMC
  • Battery Life: Up to 12.5 hours
  • Inputs: 2 x USB 3.1 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1 x MicroSD card slot, 1 x 3.5mm audio out

If you are looking for a bigger screen, the Acer Chromebook 315 is a decent choice that comes under 300 pounds. It has a relatively thin profile and nifty features that separate it from the rest of the competition, though there are noticeable compromises.

The Chromebook 315 features a 15.6-inch HD display (not a touchscreen) that gives you a bigger area for multitasking. Although the TN panel doesn’t get as crisp, bright, and vibrant as an IPS panel, it’s still serviceable for a Chromebook at such an affordable segment.

The dual-core Intel Celeron N4020, while not a capable chip on paper, offers speedy performance in Chrome OS. It’s paired with 4 GB of LPDDR4 memory and 32 GB of eMMC storage, allowing you to run all the basic productivity applications. The MicroSD card slot is very useful since you definitely would require a lot more storage space.

The Chromebook 315 has plenty of ports, including two USB 3.1 Type-C, two USB 3.0 Type-A slots, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Both USB-C ports support DisplayPort output and power delivery. The DC charging port pulls up to 45W from a power source. Wireless network connectivity options include 802.11ac 2×2 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0.

The 3-cell Li-ion battery in the Chromebook 315 provides up to 12.5 hours of runtime, giving you a day’s worth of usage with extra juice to spare. When running low, the included fast charging adapter tops up the battery in a matter of a few hours.

This is one of the few Chromebooks with a number pad, making data entry in spreadsheets faster and efficient. The keyboard offers tactile feedback but misses out on backlighting. The trackpad is on the smaller side, but you can always connect a mouse via the USB ports.

Aside from the lower-res screen and less internal storage space, there’s a lot to like about the Acer Chromebook 315. Once again, it’s worth noting that this device comes in many variants, so we recommend looking specifically for the “CB315-3H” model.

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Pros Cons
The 15.6-inch screen is good for productivity Inferior TN panel, touch input is missing
Snappy performance in Chrome OS 32 GB storage is a limitation
It has a dedicated numeric keypad Small touchpad
Flexible connectivity

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5. Asus C425 (‎C425TA-H50033) – Chromebook under £400

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  • Display: 14” Full HD 16:9
  • Processor: Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y (2C/4T) w/ HD Graphics 615
  • Memory: 4 GB LPDDR3
  • Storage: 64 GB eMMC
  • Battery Life: Up to 12 hours
  • Inputs: 2 x USB 3.2 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1 x MicroSD card reader, 1 x 3.5mm combo jack

If you can extend your budget a little bit, then the Asus C425 (TA-H50033) would be a considerable upgrade over the Asus C423 highlighted above on this list. It’s a 14-inch Chromebook in the footprint of a 13-inch device. The thin-and-light profile allows it to fit easily in any bag.

The extremely thin 5.5mm bezels made it possible to fit a larger display in a smaller chassis. Its 14-inch 1080p IPS panel offers wide viewing angles and gets reasonably bright and punchy. The impressive screen-to-body ratio of 85% makes videos look more immersive and productivity work less distracting.

Inside the Asus C425 is a dual-core, hyperthreaded Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y CPU clocked at 1.6 GHz. It fares slightly better than the Celerons in the majority of Chromebooks at this price. Paired with 4 GB of memory, it breezes through Chrome OS and is sufficiently capable of handling Google Workspace and other productivity apps on the Play Store.

The 64 GB eMMC storage should be enough for users who mostly rely on cloud storage. However, the MicroSD card slot leaves room for ample local storage expansion. Connecting external storage drives and other devices is also easy via the single USB 3.1 Type-A and two Type-C ports, the latter of which support display and power delivery.

The chipset’s overall low power draw combined with the 3-cell 48Wh battery gives the Asus C425 up to 12 hours of runtime. The 45W Type-C USB power brick included in the box offers fast charging.

The C425 features a full-size backlit keyboard so that you can stay productive even at night. The 1.4mm key travel provides a decent typing experience, whereas the 6-inch trackpad incorporates multi-touch gestures and palm-rejection functionalities.

Additional features like Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity, a 720p HD webcam, and a built-in microphone make the Asus C425 a compelling Chrome OS machine for students and remote workers, especially after this permanent price drop.

Asus bundles a 12-month Google One membership with its C425 (TA-H50033) Chromebook. Apart from exclusive perks, it gives you 100 GB of storage across all the Google services, so the limited local storage space wouldn’t be a concern for some time.

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Pros Cons
Pentium CPU offers slightly better performance than the Celerons Slower DDR3 memory
14-inch Full HD IPS screen Lacks touch input
Portable than most 14-inch laptops Speakers are on the quieter side
Backlit keyboard, large trackpad

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Also, Check – Best Budget Projectors Reviews

Best Chromebook in the UK (F.A.Q)

Here we answer a few questions you may have about the best Chromebooks under £200, £300, and £400 (and Chromebooks in general):

Q1. Are Windows laptops better than Chromebooks?

Windows laptops are generally considered the primary option for serious work. However, when it comes to the entry-level segment, Chromebooks are the better option as Google’s Chrome OS is more optimized for the lower-end hardware.

The bitter truth is that Microsoft’s Windows 10 and 11 are simply too resource-intensive to run smoothly on a device that has an Intel Celeron CPU and 4 GB of RAM. But the same hardware would certainly fare better on Chrome OS.

Q2. Is 4 GB RAM enough for multi-tasking?

On Chrome OS, 4 GB of memory is enough for opening a few browser tabs and app instances– but that’s about it. If you are looking for a better multi-tasking experience and increased system responsiveness, spend a bit more extra and opt for the 8 GB models instead.

Some Chromebooks do have SODIMM expansion slots, but you will have to find a RAM module that matches the specifications of the original one. Opening up a Chromebook may also void its warranty, so tread with extreme caution.

Q3. How long does a Chromebook receive updates?

Every Chromebook receives regular security patches and major OS updates directly from Google until it reaches its Auto Update Expiration (AUE) date. Once a Chromebook hits its AUE date, further software updates from Google won’t be provided.

The date is subject to support from OEMs and manufacturers, so make sure to check out the official AUE date of the Chromebook you plan to purchase.

You May Like – Best Projector Screens

Bottom Line

Finding the best Chromebook deal in the UK should be easy, now that we have shortlisted the best of them in this guide. Our handy buy links will send you directly to Amazon UK, where you can effortlessly go through the billing process and make a purchase.

Once you pick the Chromebook that’s perfect for your use case, you are ready for a brand-new user experience with the nifty productivity of Google Workspace and Android apps from the Play Store. As for existing Chrome OS users, they will find themselves just at home.

Best Chromebooks in the UK (2022 Reviews)

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