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Chromebooks are lightweight, require no real upkeep, and are durable as all get-out because they're designed for businesses and schools. It's only logical to go Chrome if you're in need of an easy computer for your kid or your grandma, especially now that most are touchscreen and all support Android apps. When looking for a Chromebook, Walmart has done impressively well cultivating a nifty market of direct sales and third-party vendors to help give you a wide selection and excellent sales. These are the best the retail giant has to offer today.
Stylus Savvy: Lenovo 500e Chromebook 2nd Gen
Lenovo makes some of the best Chromebooks on the market, and while the lower tier 300e and 100e education Chromebooks have been sold out in most places the last few weeks, the 500e 2nd Gen is still available from Walmart, giving us a great option for kids who like to doodle and sketch. What separates the 300e and 500e is that the latter comes with a built-in EMR stylus that can be used for annotating notes, digital art projects, and for keeping the screen from getting dirty if you tend to snack while you procrastinate on homework.
I miss the stylus more than I reasonably should going back to my Lenovo C340-11, but the durability of the 500e is hard to understate. It's been tested 10 ways to Monday for how it handles drops, spills, and destructive tendencies of kids like trying to pry apart the keyboard or yank cables out of the ports too roughly. The 500e is great for adults that need a life-proof Chromebook as they work from the veritable minefield that is the American home.
Auto Update Expiration date: June 2026
Pros:
- Rugged but awesome-feeling housing
- Six years of support
- 10-hour battery life
- EMR stylus built-in
Cons:
- Grease/oil magnet
- Expensive for a kid's Chromebook
Stylus Savvy
Lenovo 500e Chromebook 2nd Gen
Great for the classroom or the couch.
This Chromebook takes many of the same specs from the handy C330 and adds an EMR stylus and a rugged shell.
Durable and Dependable: HP Chromebook 11 G7 EE
HP's Chromebook 11 has been around since almost the beginning of the Chromebook market, and we're now up to eight generations of this compact computer. Last year's version is the easiest to find today, and certainly the easier one to find on sale. This is the non-touchscreen version, which lets you save a few bucks while still getting the same processor and memory configuration as my favorite Chromebook on the market, the Lenovo C340-11.
While a touchscreen is a very handy feature for most Chromebooks, a non-touch Chromebook is still a rugged little laptop for writing up homework or surfing social media. Because it's designed for classrooms, the HP 11 G7 EE has a spill-resistant and pick-resistant keyboard, drop-tested chassis, and 13-hour battery life so that it can go all day and well into the night before you have to go scrounge up a USB-C charger.
Auto Update Expiration date: June 2026
Pros:
- 13-hour battery life
- Compact form factor
- Mil-spec durability
- USB-C charging
Cons:
- Not a 2-in-1
- Not a touchscreen
Durable and Dependable
HP Chromebook 11 G7 EE
Perfect for working from home and doing homework anywhere
While it's not the fanciest Chromebook around, it's a Chromebook that just keeps going and going.
Best for Power-users: ASUS Chromebook Flip C434
The Chromebook Flip C434 is essentially a 14-inch Chromebook in a 13-inch shell, offering you a bigger screen while still being portable. Between its thin, solid construction, excellent battery life, and options for higher RAM and storage, the C434 is a Chromebook that can do it all, and it even includes a backlit keyboard, a rarity in the Chromebook market.
This is one of my favorite Chromebooks on the market today, and so it's little surprise that it's been selling out left and right the last few weeks. I prefer this 8GB model to the 4GB, especially for people who intend to do keep 30 tabs open while they're on a conference call with their boss, and this is a reasonable price for an upgrade you'll appreciate for years to come.
Auto Update Expiration date: June 2026
Pros:
- Still portable
- Backlit keyboard
- 8GB of RAM
- 14-inch 2-in-1
Cons:
- Expensive
- Hinge style is divisive
Best for Power-users
ASUS Chromebook Flip C434
A portable powerhouse you can use anywhere
The 4GB models of the ASUS C434 are getting snatched up left and right, but the 8GB model is the one you'll want for the long haul.
Built for Business: Acer Chromebook 715
If you're used to having dual 20-inch monitors at your desk at work, I'm sorry I can't replicate that with a single Chromebook. Luckily, the 15.6-inch screen on the Acer Chromebook 715 is exceptional for split-screening your windows as you work on research, expense reports, and, of course, redditing while pretending to work.
I wish it was a 2-in-1, but the clamshell form factor is fine because let's face it, a nearly 16-inch tablet would be kind of ridiculous. It's a touchscreen, though, and whether you're flicking your way through emails, tapping away at Freecell, or watching YouTube with the kids, the 715 is a great Chromebook that more than earns its affordable price tag.
Auto Update Expiration date: June 2025
Pros:
- Huge touchscreen
- i3 processor with 128GB storage
- Full keyboard with number pad
Cons:
- Not a 2-in-1
- A boring look
- Only 1080p screen
Built for Business
Acer Chromebook 715
A good workhorse that won't stand out
Build quality is solid on the powerful but understated Acer Chromebook 715, which makes it great for office work but a bit big for travel.
Best for Students: ASUS Chromebook Flip C214 (Re-certified)
Would I rather sell you a new ASUS C214? You bet, but it's been so popular the last few weeks that new ones are all but impossible to find. The ASUS Chromebook Flip C214 is covered in an easy-grip texture and rubberized plastic bumpers, helping it survive the use and abuse of a classroom environment. A spill-resistant keyboard is another useful feature, even if you're just using it at home next to your favorite mug of coffee.
The zinc hinge on this compact 2-in-1 should be able to withstand all that folding and unfolding. I like to flip it into tent mode for some Microsoft Solitaire Collection — yes, you can play Microsoft Solitaire on a Chromebook — and when in tablet mode, you can use the second camera near the keyboard as a "rear" camera to show off whatever's in your room instead of relying solely on the front camera.
Auto Update Expiration date: June 2026
Pros:
- 12-hour battery life
- Ruggedly handsome
- Easy-to-carry 2-in-1
Cons:
- Not the stylus model
- Hard to find new
Best for Students
ASUS Chromebook Flip C214 (Re-certified)
Rugged, reliable, and ready for whatever
This is my favorite Chromebook for students right now, but finding one new is all but impossible, so grab it re-certified.
Big Screen Beauty: HP Chromebook 15-de0518wm
HP may mostly be known for its smaller, education-focused Chromebooks, but it can make quite the sophisticated big-screen Chromebook, too. With a 15.6-in touchscreen, B&O speakers, and a quite fetching ceramic white lid with cloud blue chassis, the HP Chromebook 15 is more than a pretty face — it's a pretty useful laptop, too.
Under the hood sits an i3 processor to power your Android apps and multi-window workdays, and 128GB of storage to store all your work — and several films for watching when the network goes out and you can't work. You can't fold it back into stand mode for presentations or movie marathons in bed, but it's a great Chromebook for work or playing at home. It's a bit big for carrying back and forth every day, but it's easy enough to bring along on vacations for watching videos in the hotel room.
Auto Update Expiration date: June 2025
Pros:
- Backlit keyboard
- 15.6-inch touchscreen
- Premium look
Cons:
- Not a 2-in-1
- Wish it came with 8GB RAM
Big Screen Beauty
HP Chromebook 15-de0518wm
Big, bold and beautiful Chromebook.
With a long support life and a nice shiny touchscreen, this Chromebook is ready to work and play all day with a 13-hour battery.
Bottom line
There's plenty of great Chromebooks to recommend out there, but currently, the stock is inconsistent. A Chromebook you saw listed as in-stock today might be gone tomorrow. That being said, there are plenty of options available for every need.
I've got three I'd recommend depending on your situation. If you prefer your touchscreen in a more manageable size, our favorite pick right now is the Lenovo 500e 2nd Gen with its EMR stylus, 2-in-1 flexibility, and Lenovo's proven durability is well worth the investment, especially when the non-education, non-stylus models like the Lenovo C330 are selling at about the same price.
If you don't care about a touchscreen and just want a long-lasting laptop for you, your spouse, or your kids, the HP Chromebook 11 G7 EE without having to sacrifice USB-C charging or a decent chipset.
If you are someone who tends to have a million things going on at once on your Chromebook, spring for 8GB RAM with the ASUS Chromebook C434. I still miss my C434 every day, especially at my standing desk where I kept it in stand mode on my poor girl's stand with my mechanical keyboard and just tapped away on its touchscreen all day long.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Ara Wagoner themes phones and pokes YouTube Music with a stick. When she's not writing help and how-to's, she's running around Walt Disney World with a Chromebook. You can follow her on Twitter at @arawagco. If you see her without headphones, RUN.
by Ara Wagoner