Best Chromebooks in Australia (2024): From $499

Buying a new Windows or MacOS laptop in 2024 isn't just expensive. It can often also mean paying for perks and additional performance you might not necesssary need.

For every creative or coder that makes use of the additional on-the-go grunt afforded by Apple's latest M-series processors, there are dozens of consumers with more everyday needs who don't. If that's you and everything you do on your laptop is contained within a web browser, there's a decent chance you might be able to get away with using a Chromebook instead.

Google's take on operating systems has come a long way over the past decade and the hardware design that the likes of Lenovo and ASUS are throwing at these devices nowadays goes a long way towards making up for the platform's inherent limitations. There are even Chromebooks for gamers nowadays. Of course, if you're in the market for a new Chromebook in Australia, it's hard to know where to start.

To save you some time, here's a quick round-up of the best Chromebooks in Australia.

Most Chromebooks try to leverage the fact that Google's operating system can run on pretty much anything by opting for the cheapest hardware and passing the savings on to you. The ASUS CX5 shows what's possible when you go the other direction with that tendency towards affordability.

Under the hood, this laptop comes powered by an Intel Core i5 1135G7 Processor and up to 16GB of RAM. The parts that are here prime the ASUS CX5 to deliver a smoother and snappier ChromeOS experience than much of the its competition. That said, the real selling point here is its integration of many of the quality of life features found in ASUS' Zenbook lineup. You get an Ergo-Lift hinge, you get a 144Hz display, you get a backlit keyboard and a larger trackpad.

Where other Chromebooks opt to give you more less, ASUS are using everything at their disposal. The final result might be a little heaviuer and expensive than some of the other options but if you want a Chromebook that's just that little bit better than all the rest, then you shouldn't look past the ASUS CX5.

If ditching both Microsoft and Apple is a step you’re willing to take for a better overall experience and a cheaper price, then the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Slim 3i Chromebook might be the best Chromebook you can find for under $500.

Even if it doesn't run on Windows, you can still get a lot of work done on this thing. Like many modern Chromebook, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Slim 3i even supports Android apps, which allows it to do a whole lot more than the Chromebooks that came before it could.

When you're looking at laptops this thrifty, there are always going to be some sacrifices. But as long as you're happy with the ones made here then you'll probably find that the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Slim 3i offers up plenty in exchange.

If you're after a Chromebook with the portability of an iPad and the versatility of the Surface Pro, Lenovo's IdeaPad Duet 5 is a solid choice.

Chrome OS tends to provide a snappy and smooth user experience on even modest or under powered hardware, and the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook is a great showcase for what Google’s operating system can do with even a more modest Qualcomm processor.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook isn’t the best 2-in-1 on the market, nor is it the best Chromebook overall. Still, it’s got a cheap price-tag, plenty of bang for buck and a flexible form-factor that lets you make the most of both those strengths.

Thanks to the rising popularity of services like Nvidia's GeForce Now, Amazon Luna and Xbox Games Pass cloud streaming, there are now Chromebooks designed for gaming. This Lenovo IdeaPad one is a great example of what this take on the formula can offer.

Lenovo's latest 16-inch IdeaPad gaming chromebook comes kitted out with a big 120Hz screen, a generous amount of on-board storage and an RGB keyboard. You'll even score a free three month subscription to Nvidia's game streaming service when you pick the laptop new instead of secondhand.