Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14" 83LL000HUS 2025, Core 5 220U, 16GB, 256GB SSD, Luna Gray

A Chromebook with more muscle than it knows what to do with, and a storage drive that's already crying for help. Buy it cheap or don't buy it at all.

The Core 5 220U with 10 cores and 12 threads is genuinely surprising for a Chromebook. This thing chews through browser tabs, Android apps, and Linux containers without breaking a sweat. The 16GB of LPDDR5X at 5200MHz is the real star here, it's more memory than most Windows laptops at this price point. But that 256GB SSD lands in the 16th percentile for storage, which is a real letdown. You'll fill that up fast if you're doing anything beyond web browsing. The integrated Intel graphics are fine for ChromeOS, but don't expect to game on this thing, the gaming score of 8.1 out of 100 tells you everything you need to know.

The obvious comparison is the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition, which gives you a premium build and a real desktop OS for not much more money. The Apple MacBook Pro M4 Pro is in a completely different league on performance, but it's also in a completely different price bracket, so that's not a fair fight. The HP OMEN Transcend 14 and ASUS ROG Strix G16 are gaming machines that absolutely destroy this Chromebook on graphics, but they're also heavier, hotter, and running Windows. If you're committed to ChromeOS, this Lenovo is one of the better options out there. If you're not, the Surface Laptop 7th Edition is the smarter buy.

The price spread here is wild, USD 829 to USD 1,100 depending on where you look. At the low end, this is a solid deal for a Chromebook with these specs. At the high end, you're dangerously close to real Windows laptop territory, and that's a harder sell. If you're buying in the US, hunt for the USD 829 listing and don't pay a cent more. The CAD 1,151 and GBP 1,465 prices feel steep for what you're getting.

This is a Chromebook that thinks it's a real laptop, and honestly, it mostly gets away with it. The Lenovo 14" 2-in-1 Chromebook Plus packs an Intel Core 5 220U, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD into a convertible chassis, which is way more horsepower than ChromeOS typically needs. The one thing to know? You're getting desktop-class specs in a machine that's still fundamentally limited by its operating system.

If you're looking for a gaming laptop, this isn't it. The integrated Intel graphics score an 8.1 out of 100 for gaming, which is basically a polite way of saying 'don't even try.' Go get an ASUS ROG Strix G16 or HP OMEN Transcend 14 instead. And if you need more than 256GB of local storage without juggling microSD cards, look elsewhere too.

This is a Chromebook for people who want Chromebook simplicity but are tired of Chromebook performance. The Core 5 220U and 16GB of RAM make this thing feel snappy in a way that budget Chromebooks just don't. But the cramped storage and mediocre display hold it back from being a true standout. If you can find it at the USD 829 price point and you're all-in on ChromeOS, this is a solid buy. If you're paying more than that, get a Windows laptop instead.