Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 Review: A Game-Changer

Amazingly, the base configuration has 12 GB of RAM. That’s not quite as much as the 16 GB you get in some Snapdragon X-powered Windows laptops like the forthcoming HP Omnibook 5 16—but for ChromeOS, it’s more than enough. Meanwhile, the base configuration comes with 128 GB of storage, and the upgraded model has a 256-GB solid state drive.

Performance is solid. Speedometer is a benchmark that tests performance in the browser, which is important for ChromeOS since it’s all built around the Chrome browser. The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 was around three times faster than the Celeron N4500, as tested in the Asus Chromebook CX15, and around half the speed of the Apple M4 in a MacBook Air. I also tested a couple of heavier Android games like Diablo: Immortal and PUBG Mobile, which played well with settings maxed out. That’s not surprising, but it shows that this chip can handle almost anything you throw at it. Like most ARM-powered laptops, the Chromebook Plus 14 is just as fast on battery as it is while plugged in.

Google and Lenovo are also touting the AI capabilities of this device, as the MediaTek chip is capable of 50 trillion operations per second (TOPS), a standard met by nearly all of its Windows and Mac competitors. Because of that, the Chromebook Plus 14 has a few exclusive on-device AI features you won’t find in other Chromebooks. One of the most useful is Smart Grouping, which can identify the various apps and tabs you have open and group them intelligently into separate desktops. It’s pretty handy. Less interesting to me is Quick Insert, which gives you unnecessarily easy access to AI-generated images. Beyond that, it also has the selection of AI features that come with all Chromebook Plus laptops, such as the helpful Continue Where I Left Off.

The efficiency of the Kompanio Ultra 910 shines bright in battery life tests, too. It has a 60-watt-hour battery, resulting in some impressive runtime. Lenovo and Google claim it’s the longest-lasting Chromebook ever, and it’s the best I’ve tested, lasting 16 hours in a video playback test. It might not last as long as the MacBook Air M4 or laptops like the Asus Zenbook S 16, powered by Intel’s latest Core Ultra Series 2 chips, but it’s in the ballpark. That’s important because before the recent surge in ARM-powered laptops (like the modern MacBooks), Chromebooks were known for battery life. That was largely due to how lightweight ChromeOS was to run. It’s nice to see Chromebooks are back in the running.

Value Where It Counts

Photograph: Luke Larsen

The Chromebook Plus 14 has one other trick up its sleeve. Unlike the janky speakers featured in nearly every Chromebook, this Lenovo has a quad-speaker setup and is the first to use Dolby Atmos. These are surprisingly good speakers—almost as good as the 13-inch MacBook Air’s audio, providing a well-rounded sound that even features hints of bass. They’re the best speakers on a laptop of this price.

Many of my points have been couched in the context of the price, and there’s a reason for that. At $650 for the base configuration or $100 more to up the RAM and storage (and add the touchscreen), the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 is hitting a price that Windows laptops have struggled to address. There are contenders, but the Chromebook Plus 14 makes a case for Chromebooks at this price, offering several features and overall build quality that you won’t find in competitors. If you’re willing to embrace ChromeOS, this is simply the best the ecosystem has to offer.