Purchasing for a Chromebook that isn’t atrocious generally is a problem, however Google is aiming to repair that with its new Chromebook Plus label. Laptops with this label must meet particular requirements, which can make it a lot simpler so that you can inform which fashions are literally good.
As Wirecutter’s resident laptop computer skilled, I’ve spent practically a decade testing Chromebooks, and lots of of them are actually terrible—you’ll be able to’t even kind in a doc whereas on a video name because of their gradual processors and inadequate reminiscence. The worst offenders even have washed-out, low-resolution screens and potato webcams.
And I’m always making an attempt to reply all of the questions that folks have about Chromebooks: “Can I play Minecraft and different video games?” “Can I edit pictures and movies?” “Do I would like an web connection to do work?” And “Do I would like to fret about my Chromebook’s expiration date?”
Google has been steadily enhancing ChromeOS, the working system that powers Chromebooks, to repair these issues.
You possibly can play Minecraft on a Chromebook. You possibly can stream other video games on a Chromebook (although we discovered that the expertise isn’t nice, except you’re on a wired, Ethernet connection). And Google has prolonged its guaranteed software updates to 10 years for Chromebooks launched since 2021, lengthening the lifespan of 1000’s of laptops in homes and classrooms, retaining them in use and out of landfills.
With Chromebook Plus, Google is now making an enormous effort to make sure that you’re getting the perfect Chromebook expertise doable. Should you see a laptop computer with a Chromebook Plus label, it adheres to Google’s minimal specs: no less than a Twelfth-gen Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 7000 collection processor, 8 GB of reminiscence, and 128 GB of storage, in addition to a 1080p IPS show and a 1080p webcam. These minimal specs line up with what Wirecutter appears for in an excellent Chromebook, too. Based mostly on my years of testing, I can let you know that Chromebooks under these processor and reminiscence thresholds endure from frequent, irritating delays if you’re loading tabs, typing in paperwork and spreadsheets, and talking on video calls.
“Discovering a pc shouldn’t be a scavenger hunt,” John Maletis, a Google vice chairman who oversees ChromeOS product, engineering, and person expertise, informed us in an interview. “As we speak, it’s exhausting for customers to know what gadget to purchase. They’re pressured to navigate a sea of gadgets and specs ridden with trade-offs for issues they could or might not care about and haven’t any clear assure of high quality to make sure that the laptop computer will work the way in which they need, for what they want.”
The truth that Google is encouraging producers to make extra good Chromebooks by labeling laptops that meet these requirements is an effective factor for buyers. And we’re glad to see that these enhancements aren’t reserved for prohibitively costly laptops—most of the new Chromebook Plus fashions value between $400 and $550.
Chromebook Plus fashions may even have some new software program options. I’ve been placing them to the take a look at, and essentially the most helpful one for me is File Sync, which robotically syncs your Google Drive information for offline work. Now not do I have to ensure that I’ve the extension enabled and to double-check that each file I require is synced earlier than an extended flight. I additionally recognize the brand new video-call options—lighting correction, noise cancellation, and background blur—which work throughout a number of apps, together with Meet, Groups, and Zoom.
![A screenshot of a photo being edited on a Chromebook.](https://cdn.thewirecutter.com/wp-content/media/2023/10/chromebookplusblog-2048px-screenshot.jpg?auto=webp&quality=60&width=570)
Enhancing pictures will turn into marginally easier, too. Google is including extra strong modifying options, corresponding to Magic Eraser and Portrait Blur, to Google Images, and Chromebook Plus fashions will include a three-month subscription to Photoshop on the net. Photoshop on a Chromebook is not any alternative for the full-featured model on a robust photo-editing laptop computer—I discovered the controls awkward, and it froze completely a number of instances on easy actions, corresponding to exporting a single-layer file to a JPEG—nevertheless it’s a good stopgap for the occasional challenge.
If a laptop computer meets the Chromebook Plus spec necessities however doesn’t have the official Chromebook Plus label, Google says that the machine will nonetheless assist the entire new ChromeOS options. Here is a list of devices that will likely be getting these Chromebook Plus options.
None of those options by themselves is a complete game-changer—if you play a lot of video games, or if you edit photos and videos often, you need to nonetheless select a laptop computer higher suited to these duties. However these additions to ChromeOS will make it simpler to throw collectively the occasional flyer in your scout troop, edit a video to rejoice your grandparents’ fiftieth anniversary, or play Minecraft while not having to change computer systems.
Between the brand new ChromeOS options, the longer software program assist, and the useful, at-a-glance Chromebook Plus label promising good efficiency, it’s about to be the perfect time to purchase a Chromebook. Acer, Asus, HP, and Lenovo are launching their respective Chromebook Plus fashions on October 8, beginning at $400. We anticipate a kind of fashions to be our new prime decide, and we will likely be testing them as quickly as they’re accessible.
This text was edited by Caitlin McGarry.