 If you want a cheap laptop for just doing the basics, you should look seriously at a Chromebook. For a lot of people it might be better than a Mac or a PC, but there are plenty of options with that multicolored Chrome logo in the corner. So how do you pick the perfect one? Chromebooks are always cheap and they always run the exact same software. So when you're looking for one, you should really pay attention to a few other things. Battery life is key and it varies wildly among different models. So does performance, depending on the processor you get. And even for $300 you should still expect a good keyboard and trackpad, and good and sturdy industrial design. After all, you do have to use the thing, even if it's cheap. There is no perfect Chromebook yet, no wonderful mix of everything that I want. But Dell's Chromebook 11 comes the closest. It's an 11.6 inch laptop for $299 with all the bells and whistles a good Chromebook needs. An Intel processor helps it run fast, as does 4 gigs of RAM. Having an Intel chip is really important in a Chromebook. It's really nicely designed, a matte gray box that weighs just under 3 pounds and seems to take a travel-induced beating pretty well. It has a good keyboard and trackpad despite the smaller size, and the best thing about it is it'll last you an entire workday or more. Good performance, good design, good battery. Virtually no other Chromebook can claim to have all three. Fair warning though, the Chromebook 11 does have the same problem most other Chromebooks do. Its screen isn't particularly impressive. It's 11.6 inches, 1366 by 768, with a giant bezel and a lot of reflections, but it does get the job done. And if you're going to sacrifice something to get this price, getting only an average display actually is better than settling for subpar performance or a frustrating keyboard and trackpad. I'm still waiting on the perfect Chromebook, the one that does everything exceptionally well and still costs $300. But until that exists, the Dell Chromebook 11 is the best one you can buy. The Samsung Chromebook 2 is the next best thing though, and it's this close to being the right thing. The 13-inch model has a high-res 1080p screen that is, frankly, still a tiny bit washed out and muted, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a better display on a $399 laptop anywhere. And the Chromebook 2 has a good keyboard and trackpad, plus a really beautiful design, that curved wedge you'll also find on Samsung's high-end Ativ laptops. Its body is a little plasticky, and it has this faux-stitched leather that I'm not wild about. But it's light and thin and sturdy, and looks more thoughtfully designed than just about any other Chromebook. Its battery also easily lasts all day. But the Chromebook 2 runs a Samsung Exynos processor, the same one you'll find in some of Samsung's tablets. That means it works like, well, a tablet. It's good enough, as long as you're only doing one thing at a time, but as soon as you even try to load a couple of browser tabs simultaneously, the thing really starts to chug. As soon as you pick up any other laptop, the Chromebook 2 just starts to feel slow. Too slow. There's a smaller Chromebook 2 as well, an 11-inch model, but it's not worth buying. It's only slightly cheaper than the 13-inch model, only slightly lighter, only slightly smaller, and it has a much worse 1366x768 display, and a more cramped keyboard and trackpad. The size and price savings just aren't worth the sacrifice, especially when it still comes with exactly the same performance problems. Among the larger screen Chromebooks out there, the Toshiba Chromebook is one of the best. It's good-looking, almost like a MacBook Air, though it's a bit deceiving. It's a little flimsy and not as well made as I'd like it to be. It has solid performance thanks to Intel's Haswell processors. I really can't stress enough how important those are in a Chromebook. And it has decent battery life, too. But it has a big, low-res display that is average at best and pixely and frustrating at worst. It's a decent option, especially at $299, but you can do better. Same goes for the HP Chromebook 14, which has the odd distinction of being the largest Chromebook on the market. It comes in cool colors, has solid performance, it also has good battery life and a nice keyboard and trackpad. But it has one of the worst displays you'll find on a Chromebook, and it's both heavy and a little bit cheaply made. Chromebooks are made to be portable, to go everywhere with you. And this is not that machine. That focus on portability is why most Chromebooks have 11.6-inch screens. Of those, the Acer C720p is one of the best. It's not exactly attractive, at all, but it has everything else going for it. Good battery, good performance, decent touchscreen, usable and portable. If it weren't for the Dell Chromebook 11, this might be the choice, but Dell gives all that plus a design that doesn't look like it was hacked together in five minutes out of spare parts. There's also the Acer C720, which is the exact same thing but without a touchscreen. It's cheaper and gets slightly longer battery life, but it's basically the same proposition. I still hate the design, but if you want a dirt-cheap Chromebook that works, this is probably the one to get. The HP Chromebook 11 is sort of the default Chromebook. Google likes to talk about it. But it's not very good. It's cheap and plasticky and slow. I like its super vibrant display, which proves 1366x768 doesn't have to be a bad thing. And I love the fact that it charges with a USB cable. But this looks, feels, and operates like the cheapest Chromebook on the market. And it isn't. So don't buy it. And then there's the Chromebook Pixel. This is the gold standard, what all other Chromebooks are supposed to aspire to. With an incredible 12.5 inch, 2560x1700 touchscreen, a fast processor, an outrageously beautiful design that's as nice as any laptop on the planet, and a great keyboard and trackpad. Oh, except that it's $1299, more expensive than basically all of these other Chromebooks combined. It's a wonderful idea and a totally ridiculous thing to spend your money on. It's really amazing how far Chromebooks have come in the last few years. They used to be just a web browser, but now for a lot of people they're fully capable of replacing your PC. They're getting better all the time, and companies are still looking for that perfect balance of performance and quality and price. But these are finally real, viable options for everyone. And if you're in the market, you can't do any better right now than the Dell Chromebook 11. It does everything right, and it only costs $299. That's pretty hard to beat.