Let’s take a look at my list of key tech trends that everyone should be ready for, starting today.

#1: Computing Power

Computing power will continue to explode in 2022. We now have considerably better cloud infrastructure, and many businesses are re-platforming to the cloud.

We are also seeing a push towards better networks – 5G is being rolled out, and 6G is on the horizon. That means even more power in our phones, in our cars, and in our wearable devices.

#2: Smarter Devices

Growing computer power is enabling us to create smarter devices. We now have intelligent televisions, autonomous cars, and more intelligent robots that can work alongside humans to complete more tasks.

In 2022, we’ll see continued momentum for this smart device explosion, including the introduction of intelligent home robots.

#3 Quantum Computing

The trend of quantum computing — the processing of information that is represented by special quantum states – enables machines to handle information in a fundamentally different way from traditional computers. Quantum computing will potentially give us computing power that is a trillion times more powerful than what we get from today’s advanced supercomputers.

I predict that in 2022, quantum computers could fundamentally change how we approach problems like logistics, portfolio management, and drug innovations.

#4 Datafication

Data is a key enabler for all of these trends. All of the digitization in our world today means we have enormous amounts of data available, and data has now become the number one business asset for every organization. We can use data to better understand our customers, research key trends, and get insight into what’s working inside our organizations.

#5 Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Organizations and researchers are now using all their data and computing power to provide advanced AI capabilities to the world.

One of the key trends in the AI world is machine vision. We now have computers that can see and recognize objects on a video or photograph. Language processing is also making big advances, so machines can understand our voices and speak back to us.

Low-code or no-code will also be a huge trend this year. We will be able to build our AI using drag-and-drop graphical interfaces, so we can develop extraordinary applications without being limited by our coding skills.

#6 Extended Reality

We now have more augmented reality (AR) capabilities on our devices (particularly our phones and tablets), and we’re seeing an even bigger push toward virtual reality (VR). In 2022, we’ll see new, lighter, more portable VR devices, so instead of having clunky headsets that require WiFi connections, we will have devices that are more like glasses that connect to our phones and give us superior VR experiences on the go.

These extended reality advances pave the way for incredible experiences in the metaverse, a persistent, shared virtual world that users can access through different devices and platforms.

#7 Digital Trust

Blockchain technology, distributed ledgers, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are transforming our world, and we will continue to see advances in this technology in 2022. These innovations go beyond Bitcoin to things like smart contracts that allow us to verify ownership with NFTs. This year, we will see more companies and individuals enhancing physical objects with blockchain technology and tokens.

#8 3D Printing

We can now make things with 3D printing that we would never have dreamed of a decade ago. In 2022, we’ll see transformations in manufacturing and beyond, from 3D printing technological innovations, including mass-produced customized pieces, concrete for houses, printed food, metal, and composite materials.

#9 Genomics

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to two scientists, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna, for their work developing a method for genome editing. Genomics, gene editing, and synthetic biology are a top trend of 2022 because these advancements can help us modify crops, cure and eradicate diseases, develop new vaccines like the COVID-19 shot, and other medical and biological breakthroughs.

Nanotechnology will also allow us to give materials new attributes by manipulating them on a subatomic level, so we can create things like bendable screens, better batteries, water-repellent, self-cleaning fabrics, and even self-repairing paint this year.

#10 New Energy Solutions

The last hugely important trend is new energy solutions. As we tackle climate change, we’ll see continued advances in the batteries we use in our cars, as well as innovations in nuclear power and green hydrogen. These new trends will allow us to power our ships, our planes, our trains and generate energy for the general public.

Respected Apple source, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, took to Twitter to highlight a report in the Nikkei Asia(opens in new tab), and observed that all this could spell big trouble for the MacBooks due later in 2022.

As Kuo observes, the problem is that Quanta is pretty much the “sole EMS supplier for MacBook”, an acronym for Electronics Manufacturing Services – meaning involvement in design issues (and more) as well as manufacturing – and that Quanta’s disrupted production means the MacBook is the most impacted hardware when it comes to the Chinese lockdowns (in Shanghai and elsewhere).

Apple’s iPhone and iPad will also be affected as you might imagine, with production suspended at Pegatron and Compal, but as Kuo notes this won’t be as big a deal because Foxconn can “partially support” the supply of iOS devices to mitigate the shortfall at least somewhat. (We discussed the impact on Apple’s iOS hardware in more detail here earlier this week, if you’re interested).

Analysis: Macbook Air Delay in the Cards?

Obviously this is not the news anyone keen to see new MacBooks wants to hear, with these laptops apparently set to take the brunt of Apple’s lockdown-related disruption – at least going by these sources (pinches of condiments to hand, as ever).

So what MacBooks are we talking about? The rumor mill reckons that Apple is planning to push out a redesigned MacBook Air (2022) this year, and perhaps also a refreshed entry-level MacBook Pro 13-inch.

Certainly the next MacBook Air is keenly awaited, with the grapevine consistently floating the idea that it’s set for launch in 2022 – probably in the second half of the year, with production kicking off most likely in Q3. (The most recent rumor theorizes Apple could actually reveal the new Air as early as WWDC in June, but we’re not sure we’re buying such an early appearance for the device).

If we’re looking at, say, a September on-shelf release date for the MacBook Air, or maybe even October, then it’s not difficult to see how any further major slippage in the supply chain and production schedules could push the new notebook out to the very end of the year, maybe – or even 2023?

Apple would certainly want to avoid the latter worst-case scenario, if what we’ve heard from the rumor mill is correct – namely that it was originally the company’s intention to get the revamped MacBook Air out late in 2021, so the device has already theoretically slid a fair distance in terms of launch timeframe. But then there’s not much that can be done, really, if the tale really is playing out as these reports suggest – the MacBook Air will be ready when it’s ready, and obviously enough, not before.

Naturally, these lockdowns won’t just affect Apple, but also other big notebook makers like Dell, HP and Lenovo, companies that’ll doubtless feel similar pressures on their production timelines, too.

Since it was rolled out a month ago, more and more folks have been updating to the BIOS version ‘GKCN53WW’, and there have been growing amounts of complaints on various online forums (including Lenovo’s own platform(opens in new tab)) around serious issues which have been encountered post-upgrade. Windows Latest(opens in new tab), which spotted this, observes that the problems mostly affect Lenovo Legion gaming laptops.

The nastiness caused by the BIOS update in some cases includes the likes of Blue Screen of Death crashes with the error ‘DEVICE_POWER_STATE_FAILURE’ (or a driver power failure(opens in new tab)) or even boot failure, and freezing during game sessions, along with frame rates dropping badly at times.

One Reddit denizen posted(opens in new tab): “I installed this on a Legion 7 16ACHg6 I’ve had for 7 months. After playing games for 10 min or so the laptop severely throttles for a couple of minutes. In terms of performance, it was impossible to ignore. Dropping from 75-140fps in FFXIV online to around 15-20fps.This throttling would repeat every 10 min or so.

“I reverted to GKCN49WW and the problem is gone. Pretty severe bug for a gaming laptop BIOS update pushed as ‘critical.’”

Lenovo does indeed rate this BIOS update as a critical upgrade to install, presumably because it contains fixes for some nasty BIOS vulnerabilities revealed by the laptop maker last month, along with a bunch of tweaking for power-related settings.

Analysis: Avoid the update, then? You could do, but that comes with its own risks

First off, we should note that there are folks on these various Reddit (and other) threads who have reported installing the GKCN53WW update without any problems. So, it might just be a relatively small percentage of Legion owners who have hit trouble with this BIOS update – we can’t know the exact numbers, of course, but the number of threads on Reddit suggest that this is not a rare occurrence, at least.

Therefore the best course of action could be to give the GKCN53WW update a swerve for now, arguably; but that said, those aforementioned BIOS vulnerabilities are not something you want to leave hanging around. However, you do not need GKCN53WW to fix those, as per Lenovo’s security advisory(opens in new tab) on this matter, those holes are resolved by updating to GKCN51WW (as well as GKCN53WW). So if you’re already on 51WW, you’re protected against these exploits.

The rub is that if you want to grab GKCN51WW now, you can’t anymore – we’re not sure why, but the only option for download is the new GKCN53WW, with its possible crashing and frame rate dropping issues. Hopefully Lenovo will fix this BIOS update soon enough, but we haven’t heard anything from the manufacturer yet – and meantime, you’re left with the tricky choice of whether to upgrade and chance the crashes, or stick and risk the vulnerabilities instead. (If you’re on GKCN51WW and managed to grab this version before it disappeared, we’d suggest very firmly that you stick with it for now).

If you do update to the latest BIOS and encounter problems, Windows Latest highlights that you can roll back to the previous BIOS version, which is now GKCN50WW: it can be downloaded directly as an EXE file here(opens in new tab) (but of course this does not have those vital security fixes).

To roll back the BIOS on your Lenovo laptop, just double click on the EXE file of the previous version you wish to install, and follow the instructions given by the wizard that pops up. You may have to enable the flashing of the BIOS to a previous version before you can roll it back, though, which is done in the Lenovo BIOS Setup screen – to get into that, see the instructions here(opens in new tab).

Once in BIOS Setup, there’s an option which is related to rolling back the BIOS version, and you need to enable this (note that on some Lenovo machines, there can be a rollback prevention option which is enabled by default – and in this case, to revert to a previous BIOS version, you need to disable it).

Reverting the BIOS is, however, a process that can go wrong, so you do so at your own risk – and whatever you do, ensure that the laptop doesn’t power-down while applying a new BIOS (that’s how devices can get bricked).

All in all, it’s not a great situation for the less tech-savvy Lenovo laptop owners out there, who may not want to mess with BIOS rollbacks, but could feel forced to do so, if any post-update crashing issues are really bad. And indeed they may well feel it’s best to sit tight on an older BIOS to avoid this scenario – understandably – but that’s hardly ideal from a security perspective, either. So, hopefully Lenovo will be looking into fixing these reported problems as a matter of priority.

Zac Bowden of Windows Central(opens in new tab) claims that word from his sources is that Microsoft is getting ready to launch the Surface Laptop Go 2, and that the laptop will ship in the first half of 2022.

That means it could debut possibly in May or June, though Bowden reckons it’s most likely to be the latter – unless the current planned timeframe slips (which is, of course, always a possibility around launch timing).

Rumor has it that Microsoft intends to keep the pricing the same while (obviously) upgrading the hardware. In other words, the Surface Laptop Go 2 should start from $549 for the most basic version, with the pricing for upper-end models also staying the same.

What’s going on with the hardware upgrades, then? Bowden believes that the laptop will shift up a gear to Intel’s 11th-gen silicon (Core i5), with the entry-level model maintaining the same RAM and storage configuration, namely 4GB plus 64GB of eMMC.

The two higher-tier models will have the fingerprint sensor and power-up the RAM to 8GB plus storage to 128GB or 256GB respectively (SSDs, not eMMC drives), with pricing pitched at $699 and $899 just as before. If pricing stays the same in the UK and Australia, that would mean price tags of £549 / £699 / £899 and AU$999 / AU$1,249 / AU$1,549.

Analysis: If it ain’t broke, pep it up a bit

It’s exciting to hear that a next-gen Surface Laptop Go could be on the near horizon, seeing as the original laptop caused quite a splash when it landed back in October 2020. Indeed, in our review we praised it as the best Surface device Microsoft has ever made, delivering all sorts of high-quality elements – particularly that gorgeous display – as part of an affordable portable.

Performance was one of the areas where we were more critical of the original Surface Laptop Go, and stepping up to a 11th-gen Core i5 chip (from an 10th-gen) will help out on this front.

It’s also worth noting that an additional ripple in the rumor pond is that Bowden heard from one source that the entry-level Surface Laptop Go 2 might up its storage game to 128GB, which would be a very useful boost for this cheapest model. Then again, this could possibly be referring to the business-targeted version of the sequel, not the base consumer model, so take it with a particularly heavy pinch of salt.

While this is more of a minor refresh, of course, and nothing much about the overall design is supposedly going to change – save for a new color option (sage) – some pepping up on the hardware front is all that’s needed, really.

As far as the design goes, as they say, if it ain’t broke, there’s no need to fix it (although Bowden observes that a backlit keyboard might be nice, and this could yet be an upgrade Microsoft is implementing – though the low price point may yet preclude this, at the entry-level anyway).

As Wccftech reports(opens in new tab), Apple hosted a WWDC session called ‘Explore the new system architecture of Apple Silicon Macs(opens in new tab)‘ where it explained some of the benefits that Macs and MacBooks running on Apple Silicon will have compared to Apple computers running on Intel hardware.

• How to download and install macOS 11
• These are the best Mac tips and tricks
• Check out the best laptops

The new boot process for future Macs will allow customers to install multiple instances of macOS – including different versions – and should make recovering macOS if something goes wrong a lot easier.

At the moment you have to remember a range of keyboard shortcuts to get into the macOS boot menu, but with the new Macs, you’ll be able to do that by pressing and holding down the Touch ID button, which will bring up a menu with various startup options.

Various boot options, such as target disk mode and single-user mode, can be accessed by pressing a single shortcut button, rather than having to use a complex series of key presses.

Better recovery options

If your Mac ever runs into issues, one of the most common fixes is starting it up in recovery mode, which helps you identify and solve the problem. Upcoming Macs and MacBooks running on Apple silicon will come with two new features: Mac Sharing Mode and Startup Disk.

Startup Disk is perhaps the most interesting of these, as it comes with security features based on iPhone and iPad Secure Boot. You can also boot from an external disk.

Another security mode will let you install any compatible version of macOS and third-party kernel extensions.

It seems that you’ll be able to disable Secure Boot, Root Volume Authentication, and System Integrity Protection too, which could reassure people who are concerned that Apple’s move to its own processors will give the company an excuse to lock down its Macs further.

The WWDC session(opens in new tab) is worth watching, as it also delves into the performance implications of Apple Silicon as well – with it using unified memory architecture between the CPU and GPU.

This all serves to make us even more excited to see these new Macs, which will hopefully launch later this year.

A recently discovered page on the Chromium Gerrit(opens in new tab) website reveals that body detection features are being worked on for a Chromebook laptop with the code name, “Crota”. Gerrit is a collaboration tool for software developers to come in and review each other’s work, and in this case, Google’s Chromium projects.

Google has expressed interest(opens in new tab) in the past with “integrated sensor technologies for more personalized experiences” and body detection could be the fruits of that labor.

Not much is known about how Google plans for implementing this security feature or how robust it will be. We did contact Google to see if it would like to make a comment about this project or provide information about it, and will update this post if it responds. However, we can look at other examples of body detection and paint a picture of what Google might be doing.

Advancements in security

Body detection, which is sometimes referred to as human presence detection, is a feature that allows a device to see if a person is standing right in front of it. You can see a demonstration of this technology on YouTube by Lattice Semiconductor(opens in new tab). It shows a computer detecting multiple men in front of its camera.

This technology is mainly used for security or quick logins via facial recognition. For example, Lenovo has body detection in several of its laptops like the ThinkPad X1 Nano where it will lock the computer if its user walks or turns away from the screen. Some ThinkPad models sport PrivacyGuard(opens in new tab) which alerts you if someone is peeking over your shoulder and looking at your screen.

For quick logins, body detection already exists in the form of biometric security. Many phones have fingerprint recognition readers on their backs. And there are laptops out there, like the Surface Pro 8, that support facial recognition via Windows Hello. Not only that, Chromebooks with face unlocking have been teased for about three years now.

It’s also worth pointing out that specialist website Chrome Unboxed(opens in new tab) has reported in the past that Google is also working on adding “snooping detection” for Chrome OS.

Potential manufacturer

Further details regarding “Crota” hardware are unknown. No one even knows who the manufacturer will be, but it could be Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Wistron. You can see evidence of this if you look at the Gerrit page(opens in new tab) for the body detection feature, which has an email from Wistron listed in the “signed-off-by” row.

Chrome Unboxed(opens in new tab) claims that if Wistron is listed that could mean that Dell is involved according to past Chromium Gerrit pages, but this is circumstantial evidence at best. We won’t know until more information is uncovered or leaked. If you’re interested in Chromebooks, TechRadar recently published a list of the best ones for 2022.

As Mac Rumors reports(opens in new tab), the shipping delays are hitting custom configurations of the new MacBook Pro 13-inch, so if you configure it to come with 24GB of memory, you’re currently looking at a delivery in the US from between August 3 to August 10.

If you buy the set configurations from Apple, however, you should be able to get it pretty swiftly, with delivery starting on June 24, which is the official launch day of the new laptop.

It’s the same story in the UK, where the base models are available on June 24. However, configuring the memory to 16GB sees the delivery date slip to July 4 – July 6, and upping it to 24GB moves the delivery estimate to August 2 – August 9. Changing the amount of storage can also impact the delivery date.

In Australia, picking 24GB of memory means the new MacBook Pro 13-inch will ship in ‘5 – 6 weeks’, rather than on launch day, as models with less memory will start shipping on.

If you’re happy to go with either of the base models, which come with the M2 chip, 8GB of unified memory and either 256GB or 512GB storage, then you should still get it on launch day at the end of this week.

However, if you want more ambitious specs, including the new 24GB memory option, which is one of the main selling points of the M2 chip, then you may have to wait months to get it.

Analysis: Supply issues persist

The news that some MacBook Pro 13-inch models will be delayed is disappointing – but, sadly, not too surprising. We’ve seen some MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021) and MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) models become difficult to get hold of, with current shipping estimates for new orders now well into August.

Apple has also publicly indicated that supply issues would impact its products throughout 2022, which could cost the company between $4 and $8 billion.

This makes us particularly worried for the new MacBook Air (M2, 2022). Unlike the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022), the new MacBook Air comes with a complete redesign – as well as the M2 chip – and this could compound supply issues.

Also, while the MacBook Pro 13-inch is set to launch this Friday, June 24, Apple has yet to give a concrete launch date for the new MacBook Air, simply telling us it will launch in ‘July’.

All of this leads us to suspect that the MacBook Air may be quite hard to get hold of, especially if you choose to configure it beyond the base specs. This is one of those times, however, where we hope to be proved wrong.

Given that this is a rather surprisingly early time to be hearing about the M3, stay skeptical around this one, although that said, it does come from one of the more reliable Apple leakers out there; Mark Gurman.

In Gurman’s latest newsletter (published on Bloomberg(opens in new tab)) he mentions that Apple is working on the M3, which should theoretically be finished and inside Macs as soon as next year. Seemingly, the M3 is destined to be the engine of a refreshed MacBook Air 13-inch, as well as a MacBook Air 15-inch, along with a new all-in-one iMac (he doesn’t specify what size model), all of which are purportedly scheduled for launch in 2023.

There’s mention of a 12-inch MacBook, too (also recently rumored, as you may recall), but it’s much more tentative as the portable is still supposedly very early in the development timeline. Of course, all of this is speculation, so we should be careful about how much weight to lend any of these potential new Macs, anyhow.

Originally seen as a platform built around Google’s cloud apps (Chrome, Gmail, etc), Chrome OS has done well in the education market. Over time, however, the appeal for Chromebooks has widened, and the best Chromebooks are some of the best laptops overall today. In fact, the demand for these Chrome OS laptops spiked over the past two years that Chromebooks outsold MacBooks in 2020 (according to the IDC via Geekwire).

• Check out the best 2-in-1 laptops
• Best college laptops for students
• How to check your Chromebook’s battery health

If you’re considering buying one for your kid, our Chromebook drop test(opens in new tab) gives us a sense of which Chrome OS laptop is the most durable. Students should also check out our Windows 10 vs. macOS vs. Chrome OS guide when the back-to-school season comes around.

Below is a comprehensive guide for anyone who is considering buying a Chromebook. We’ve put our collective knowledge together to look at pricing, features, and comparisons with other laptops, including MacBooks and top Windows 10 laptops, to see if a Chromebook is best for you.

How Much Do Chromebooks Cost?

For the longest time, there was a pretty narrow price range for Chromebooks, and it was on the more affordable end of the spectrum. That is still largely the case; You can pick up the affordable and lightweight Samsung Chromebook 4 — which has an 11.6-inch HD display, an Intel Celeron N3000N CPU and 4GB of RAM — for only $229. For a bit more than that, Lenovo offers the excellent $279 Chromebook Duet.

Other models ask you to go into the mid-range price bracket, such as Google’s Pixelbook Go ($649), the business-friendly Lenovo Yoga C13 Yoga, or the $549 Samsung Chromebook Pro, a stylus-equipped 12.3-inch notebook with a 2400 x 1600-pixel display, an Intel Core M3 processor and 4GB of RAM. Now the premium Chromebook market is growing, with laptops like the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook ($999) and its successor, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2, leading the charge.

You’ll probably wind up paying more for a Windows 10 notebook, as the average selling price for a PC is $478, according to NPD. There are more affordable options, as we’ve detailed here, but the PC laptop market has a much higher cap than the Chromebook market.

But is a Chromebook right for you? Our Chromebook buying guide has the answers to these and other questions.

Chromebooks run Chrome OS, Google’s operating system, so they heavily feature Google’s suite of applications (Chrome, Google Docs, Google Sheets, etc) and need a working Internet connection to get the most out of them. Although you can log in to Chrome OS as a guest, we recommend you sign in to the system with a Google account to have the best experience.

Chromebook apps: Can I use Android apps?

These machines were primarily optimized for Google apps, such as Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Drive, however, every modern Chromebook now has access to the Play Store. This deep integration can be either positive or negative, depending on how you use a PC. Chromebooks will be easy to set up if you already use those apps. And if you need help using incognito windows, we have a guide for that too.

Android apps are available on all new Chromebooks. This gives Chromebooks access to more games, productivity options and other apps to make these machines more versatile, though the apps seemingly run via an emulator with mixed results. Also, not all apps are optimized for a larger screen (they were built for mobile-first), so you might encounter some scaling issues. Check out our guide to the best Chromebook games for specific gaming app recommendations.

It may be best to stick with the Office Android apps or Office Online if you’re bringing a lot of files over to your Chromebook. There are often formatting issues when importing third-party documents into Drive. Fortunately, Google Drive allows you to save documents to Microsoft formats, so you’ll still be able to share files with non-Chromebook users through Microsoft Word or other programs.

On the other hand, there are a handful of photo editors available for Chrome OS, including Pixlr (free) and Photopea, which look a lot like Photoshop but without the advanced tools. But those with existing files are out of luck — there is no Chromebook app that can edit Adobe’s .PSD files.

If you’re familiar with Linux’s applications, you’ve got some options. Chromebooks will support Linux programs right out of the box, satisfying demand from some of the more tech-savvy Chromebook owners.  The Pixelbook was the first that will get this option, and others followed.

How are Chromebooks for offline use?

Chromebooks are designed to rely heavily on the Internet, which means that many apps simply won’t work if you’re out of Wi-Fi range. There are more than 200 offline Chrome apps that can work without Internet connectivity, including Gmail, Pocket and Google Drive, and tons of the Android apps will also work offline.

Chromebook games

The Chrome Web Store offers casual titles such as Bejeweled and Cut the Rope, but you won’t have the same selection as you would on a Windows machine or a Mac. Fortunately, Chromebooks with Android support get more modern titles such as Fallout Shelter, Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and Minecraft, so be sure to check out our best Chromebook games roundup for some of the top titles out there.

Chromebooks generally have limited graphics processing power, so you’ll want to stick to less demanding titles. However, Google’s Stadia platform can stream AAA games like Assassin’s Creed and Doom to any device with a Chrome browser, which makes Chromebooks much more formidable gaming machines.

Chromebook special features

Google Assistant landed on the Chrome OS platform in the Pixelbook. While you can activate it with the Pixelbook Pen, that $99 accessory isn’t necessary when you have the dedicated Assistant key in that laptop’s keyboard. While the launcher is currently integrated with Google Now, giving you info cards for the current weather and local news stories, we could see it switching to Google Feed.

Google redesigned the on-screen keyboard for touch-screen use, making it easier to use on 2-in-1s like the Asus Chromebook Flip C436. With a minimalist design, the on-screen keyboard recognizes your scribbles and gives you choices of text to input. When we tested that feature, it was always accurate in recognizing our writing.

Google debuted a new webpage dedicated to new Chrome OS feature announcements, entitled “What’s new with your Chromebook.”

Chromebook battery life

Chromebooks typically offer exceptional battery life, but not every model. Of the Chromebooks we’ve reviewed in the past year, we’ve seen an average of 9 hours and 15 minutes of endurance on the Laptop Mag Battery Test, which involves continuous Web surfing over Wi-Fi.

On the top end, you’ll notice standouts like the Acer Chromebook R 13‘s runtime of 11:00. Google’s own Pixelbook, disappointingly, offers a relatively short 7 hours and 43 minutes of juice. Then again, the Pixelbook Go, an arguably better value than the more premium Pixelbook, lasted an excellent 11 hours and 29 minutes.

We recommend shooting for at least 9 hours of juice, which half of the Chromebooks we’ve reviewed offer. While some affordable Windows 10 notebooks offer amazing battery life, the ultraportable notebook average is a shorter 8 hours and 56 minutes.

Are Chromebooks durable?

Similar to business notebooks made to survive drops and other minor disasters, Chromebooks are built to withstand falls, scrapes and similar punishment.

We put the durability of top Chromebooks to the test by dropping 11 different models from heights of 2.5 feet and 4 feet then scoring them on a scale of 0 to 10 based on how much damage was sustained. You can read our full report here.

Separately, the Acer Chromebook 14 proved durable, surviving unscratched and fully functional after our Dropbot 5000 test bench dropped it from a height of 48 inches onto a plywood plank.

The Latitude 5400 Chromebook Enterprise and the Acer Chromebook 14 for Work are MIL-STD-810G certified, meaning they’re capable of passing durability testing that U.S. Military equipment must pass.

Durable Chromebooks aren’t just for adults. The kid-friendly Acer Chromebook 11 N7 C731T survived a full glass of water getting spilled onto its keyboard, as well as the 48-inch high drops from our Dropbot 5000. It may have gotten scuffed along the way, but it’s a good option for clumsier users.

Chromebooks for business

Laptops with Chrome Enterprise offer tools that IT administrators need to manage laptops in and out of the office.

The Dell Latitude 5300 2-in-1 Chromebook Enterprise, HP Pro C640 Chrome Enterprise and Lenovo ThinkPad C13 Yoga are among the first true business Chromebooks with a full suite of security features, including a  Trusted Platform Module (TPM), a security chip that helps keep malicious attackers away from your passwords.

What size screen does my Chromebook need?

Most Chromebooks fall between 11 and 13 inches. That means you won’t have trouble choosing a smaller model, such as the 11-inch Acer Chromebook 11 N7 , the 12.5-inch Asus Chromebook Flip C302CA and the 13-inch ThinkPad 13 Chromebook.

These models often weigh less than 3 pounds, making them the most portable, and great options for kids. However, the screen size and keyboards may seem cramped for adults.

Those looking for more real estate for web surfing, getting work done, watching movies and playing games can pick up the 14-inch Acer Chromebook 14 or the 15-inch Acer Chromebook 15, a few examples of the growing batch of Chromebooks with big screens. Lenovo took it a step further with the Yoga Chromebook C630, a 15.6-inch laptop with a 4K display.

While the demand for larger Chromebooks is increasing, don’t look for a 17-inch Chromebook; they simply don’t exist yet.

The Acer Chromebook 715 and 714 are 15.6-inch and 14-inch aluminum notebooks with fingerprint readers. The Chromebook 715 also sports a number pad.

What specs do I need?

Because Chromebooks are meant primarily for online use, the specs aren’t as important as they are for Windows laptops, but you’ll still want to know how much power and storage you’re getting for your money. Here’s a quick guide.

RAM

When it comes to RAM, Chromebooks come with either 2GB or 4GB. While models with 4GB are more expensive, we’ve found that difference to be worth it for multi-tasking.

MORE: How Much RAM Do You Really Need?

Both the HP Chromebook 14 (4GB RAM) and the Lenovo 100S Chromebook (2GB RAM) featured the same Celeron N2840 processors, but the HP notebook handled more than a dozen open tabs without a problem while the Lenovo stuttered with 10 open Chrome tabs and Spotify playing. Our tests of the Windows version of the Lenovo Ideapad 100S ($180) show that similarly spec’d PCs can handle a larger stack of tabs.

If you have a larger budget, we recommend upgrading to a Chromebook with 8GB of RAM or even 16GB. The memory upgrade will ensure your system never slows down.

CPU

The processor in your Chrome OS machine helps determine how smoothly your Chromebook performs, especially when you have multiple tabs open and you’re streaming video or playing games.

We find Intel Celeron chips in many Chromebooks, and they often provide acceptable speed. The $229 Acer Chromebook 11 N7 C731T (Celeron N3060, 4GB RAM) for example, could run 8 concurrent Chrome tabs, but stuttered after we opened another.

You can get a Windows 10 laptop with similar specs and price, such as the Dell Inspiron 11 3000 ($229), but it might not be as capable. That machine has the same processor and memory, but while it lasts more than 13 hours, its performance was less than that of the 11 N7.

If that doesn’t sound like enough for you, certain Chromebooks pack Intel Core CPUs for even more speed. The biggest downside to these Core M Chromebooks, such as the Asus Chromebook Flip C302CA ($499) and Samsung Chromebook Pro ($549) is their heftier price. Don’t worry about that powerful CPU affecting the battery life, as the Samsung Chromebook Pro (Core M3) provided more power and longer longevity (8:05) than its weaker Chromebook Plus (ARM MediaTek; 7:46) sibling.

If you want a Chromebook with enough speed to run your favorite Android apps, consider laptops with Intel 10th Gen or 11th Gen Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs, such as the Pixelbook Go. And don’t count out AMD, which recently announced new Ryzen and Athlon 3000 C-series CPUs made specifically for Chromebooks.

If you want a Chromebook without an Intel Chip, there’s always 2014’s Acer Chromebook 13, the only Chrome OS machine with an Nvidia chip (the Tegra K1). While it offers excellent graphics performance, it doesn’t offer a touch screen.

Storage Size

Since Chrome OS is so lightweight, Chromebooks often don’t need much storage. Most pack just 32GB of onboard storage, and that’s likely all you’ll need at this stage. Once Android support lands on the platform, users will find ways to make use of the SD card reader in notebooks such as the Acer Chromebook 14, where you can expand the storage up to 64GB.

Spring for a 32GB model now if you’re buying with Android apps in mind. Similarly-priced Windows laptops often include 32GB by default, but that operating system takes up so much space that you’re left with a similar amount of free storage as a 16GB Chromebook.

Google gives you 100GB of free Google Drive storage with every Chromebook purchase, though that only lasts for two years, after which you’ll only have the standard 15GB of free space.

Screen

The size of the screen isn’t the only thing that matters. While we appreciate the bright, color-accurate panel in the$179 Samsung Chromebook 4, its 1366 x 768-pixel dimensions mean it’s best for writing and reading. But if you want sharper images, video and graphics, spring for one with a full-HD display (1920 x 1080 pixels), such as the $359 Acer Chromebook R 13.

Windows 10 has been built for touch screens, but you can get the same functionality in Chrome OS. You just have to know which one to get — and expect to pay about a $100 premium. While old at this point, the $280 Acer Chromebook R 11(opens in new tab) can bend into a tablet, making use of its IPS touch-screen display. The HP Chromebook x2 has a detachable design, meaning you can remove the keyboard like you would on a Microsoft Surface and use the screen as a standalone tablet.

The $487 Asus Chromebook Flip C434 also has a touchscreen and supports Android apps. If the prospect of using What’s App, Super Mario Run and other apps on a Chromebook sounds like an option for you, make sure your next Chromebook includes a touchscreen.

The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook offers one of the best displays we’ve seen in a Chromebook, with a 4K AMOLED panel that covers 224% of the sRGB color gamut and reaches 357 nits of brightness.

Who are Chromebooks for?

Overall, the best way to tell if someone will enjoy owning a Chromebook is if you know they already spend most of their time in the Chrome browser. Those users will take to the notebook naturally.

If you’re buying this Chromebook for someone else, you should take a few moments to consider how they’re going to use the device. Chromebooks are especially good for younger students, as they are ease to use and are fairly secure. It’s also quite easy to update your Chromebook, and even better, these laptops often do that themselves.

Children who are still learning how to use computers may be more receptive to learning how a new operating system works, and while there’s no official Minecraft title for Chrome OS, the Android-based Minecraft: Pocket Edition will become available on certain Chromebooks later this year.

Some elder relatives may have never truly understood Windows enough to use their PC frequently, but others who have learned just enough to make do may become frustrated that they need to relearn where downloads go, or that their favorite app is not available for Chrome.

But if your office will support Chrome OS, you might want to look into getting your company to spring for the Dell Latitude 5400 Chromebook, a proper business laptop with great battery life and strong performance.

Bottom Line

Chromebooks are affordable and offer decent performance, and the introduction of Android apps is increasing their capabilities. Microsoft is fighting back with claims that Windows 10 S mode will give laptops better performance and battery life, but if you’re looking for a simple way to get online and you prefer Google’s services, you can confidently answer the question “Should I Buy a Chromebook?” with a bold “Yes!”