If you want a Chromebook with a touchscreen, you’re in luck – there’s plenty to choose from. But which Chromebooks have touchscreens and which one should you go for?
Chromebooks are great. They’re cheaper than Windows or Macs, they run lightweight software, so they boot fast and last years at a time. And because they effectively run on a browser, you don’t need much in the way of specs to get excellent performance.
This latter aspect – the fact that Chromebooks do more with less – is the #1 reason why Chromebooks are now so popular with college students and school kids. In fact, during 2021, there was a 75% year-on-year growth in Chromebook sales. This is a huge deal. Make no mistake.
If you’re in the market for a Chromebook and you want one with a touchscreen, what’re your options though? As noted in the intro: you have A LOT of options. I will not list them all – there are just too many. Instead, I’ll list out my top picks for 2022 – AKA the ones you should be looking at with respect to design, performance, and battery life.
Chromebooks With Touchscreens
The following Chromebooks are all excellent options and they all come with a touchscreen. If you’re in the market for a decent, hard-working Chromebook that’ll handle anything you can throw at it, the following are the ones we’d be looking at in 2022:
- Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 – $699
- HP Chromebook x360 14c – $629
- Lenovo Chromebook Duet – $299
- ASUS Chromebook Flip C436 – $999
- IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook – $599.99
- Google Pixelbook Go – $649
- Acer Chromebook 314 – $249
- ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 – $704
Our Favorite Chromebook?
Which is best? I might be biased but I do think Google’s Pixelbook Go is perhaps the best overall option on the list above. It does it all. It has great specs, a beautiful touchscreen, and it looks as good as anything from Apple’s Mac stable.
If you can stretch to the asking price, the Pixelbook Go would be the one to go for – it is an incredible machine with tons of processing power and all the core features you’ll need to work effortlessly. I tested one out in 2021; it blew me away. From its overall design to its performance, everything is flawless.
The Cheapest ChromeBook Option That Doesn’t Suck?
If you just need something cheap that’ll get the basics done right, go with the Lenovo Chromebook Duet. The Duet is priced aggressively, it doesn’t run the same level of spec as the Pixelbook Go, but for basic college and school stuff – writing essays, researching, compiling reports, taking notes – it is perfectly adequate.
Most Popular ChromeBook Brand?
There are now quite a few companies making Chromebooks. You have Google, obviously, Samsung and other well-known brands as well as lesser well-known OEMs although you’re probably best avoiding these (it’s always advisable to go with well-known brands).
One of the most popular Chromebook brands, however, is HP; it has posted MASSIVE triple-figure growth year-on-year between 2020 and 2021 – and its growth is continuing in 2022. This is largely down to the fact that it charges very little for its Chromebooks, making them attractive to students and/or those on a budget.
Best HP Chromebook – Premium & Budget Option
My current recommendation for HP’s best Chromebook – which also has a touchscreen – would be the HP Chromebook 14c. It has all the specs and performance you’ll ever need and it looks superb. As workhorses go in the Chromebook arena, it is up there with the best of them. If you want to work fast and always have enough power and battery at your disposal, this is the one to go for.
If you want something from HP that is cheaper, go with the HP Chromebook 11; it is super affordable, perfect for students, and it’ll get you up and running for less than $200. It lacks the power and finesse of the more expensive HP Chromebook x360 14c but it is a great little affordable Chromebook that is more than ideal for students and school kids.
What Are Chromebooks Used For?
The best Chromebook is the one you can A) afford and B) work with; these are the two most important factors you need to consider before buying one. The cheaper the price, the lower the spec and features. But ALL Chromebooks run the same software – ChromeOS – and have the same software functionality.
This means, from a software perspective, you will have exactly the same features on a $200 Chromebook as a $1000 Chromebook. Where things get different is related to performance. A $1000 Chromebook will have a better CPU, more storage, higher amounts of RAM, and a higher quality screen.
You will also get access to things like a touchscreen, higher build quality, and more robust designs, as well as things like removable displays. But from a software and usability perspective, all Chromebooks – regardless of price – work the same and use the same software, giving you access to things like Google Drive, Google Docs, and the Google Play Store.
The ONLY time you’ll pay more is when you go for higher-spec models with better internal components and fancier displays. But the good thing about ChromeOS is that it doesn’t need high-end components to run smoothly. That’s why a $200 Chromebook will run as smoothly as a $1000 Chromebook. This is why plenty of people get buy using incredibly cheap options like the HP Chromebook 11.
And this is really the great thing about Chromebooks in general; you don’t need much processing power or spec to work quickly and efficiently with Google’s suite of applications. They’re all designed to run on mobile, so the chipsets you’ll find inside even the cheapest Chromebook will be more than enough to run them perfectly.
And check out How To Turn Your Old Mac Into A Chromebook!
