What We’re Looking For
Value: All manufacturers offer configurations that cost a small fortune, but the best laptops are usually worthwhile even at their base level. Our goal is to find those sweet spots.
Performance:
How much performance you really need may be subjective, but the more headroom you have, the more a laptop can adapt to your evolving needs and the longer it can last before things feel sluggish.
Keyboard and Trackpad:
The keyboard and trackpad are the main interfaces you use with any laptop, and they should be good, even in a desktop replacement you mostly use with an external mouse and keyboard. What makes a good keyboard and trackpad? It’s slightly subjective, but a quality keyboard should have a logical and efficient layout, enough key travel to make typing feel good and lower the risk of double-presses, and ideally be backlit for easier use in the dark. Any worthwhile laptop should have a good trackpad that easily delivers accurate clicks and swipes, with gestures for better multitasking. Trackpads often come in two styles: hinged at the top (like a piano key) or haptic (where it doesn’t actually move, and the haptic vibration you feel emulates a physical click).
Screen:
In a perfect world, every laptop would have a large and bright OLED screen capable of displaying true blacks, with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 or higher and a refresh rate of 120Hz (or greater). But a panel like that comes with heavy costs, both in money and often in battery life. Not every laptop can have that ideal setup, but any good one should be sharp with accurate colors, enough brightness for some outdoor use (typically that means 400 nits or greater), and free of annoying anomalies like ghosting or bad off-angle viewing. Aside from OLED, Mini LEDs also make a great laptop panel that can be a big step up from the more typical IPS display, and an even bigger step up from the dim TN panels on truly cheap laptops. Unless a touchscreen is essential to a laptop’s design (like one that converts into a tablet), they’re usually a nice bonus, rather than a requirement. Ideally, they’d work with a stylus for more flexibility. MacOS laptops never have touchscreens, but they’re fairly common on Windows machines, Chromebooks…
Asus Chromebook Plus CX34
The Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 is the least expensive laptop with Google’s new Plus certification. At around $400 for a Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage, it’s the baseline Chromebook you should consider if you can’t spend any more.
It’s so easy to get a bad Chromebook at this price, so it’s a relief that the Chromebook Plus CX34 is so good. Not only does it have respectable internals, but the 1080p screen and 1080p webcam are good for the price, the keyboard is great, and the trackpad is fine, if a bit stiff. Battery life is decent, too, and like all Plus Chromebooks, it comes with 10 years of software updates. You can spend more on a laptop, and you probably should, but don’t buy a Chromebook less powerful than this one.
Read our review of the Asus Chromebook Plus CX34.
How We Test Laptops
Just like everything The Verge reviews, our laptop testing is primarily based on real-world use. We do run synthetic benchmarks like Geekbench, Cinebench, and 3DMark to get quantifiable comparisons between CPUs and GPUs. But, ultimately, the number-crunching is only part of it. The rest comes from actually using a laptop in our day-to-day routine, which can involve everything from Chrome tabs and Google Docs to photo and video editing and graphically-intense games — both on battery and plugged in.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 is an excellent choice for those who want a reliable and affordable laptop for basic tasks. It’s a great option for students, seniors, or anyone who wants a simple laptop for browsing the web, checking email, and word processing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the best laptop for most people?
A: The best laptop for most people is the MacBook Air, specifically the M4 model.
Q: What is the best laptop for gaming?
A: The best laptop for gaming is the one that can handle the latest games with nice-looking visuals and good frame rates.
Q: What is the best laptop for video editing?
A: The best laptop for video editing is one with a powerful processor, plenty of RAM, and a good graphics card.
Q: What is the best laptop for photo editing?
A: The best laptop for photo editing is one with a powerful processor, plenty of RAM, and a good graphics card.
Q: What is the best laptop for business use?
A: The best laptop for business use is one that is durable, reliable, and has good security features.
