Need a new Chromebook that won't break the bank? Let us help!

Chromebooks are a great alternative to traditional Windows or Mac laptops, and here at AC, we make it our mission to test out as many as we can to give you the best Chromebook buying advice possible.

Lenovo Chromebook C330

Light and bright

$272 from Amazon

Pros

• Prettier and peppier
• 64GB of storage
• 10-hour battery life
• Bright screen
• Less expensive

Cons

• No durability certifications
• Shorter support life

Lenovo took an existing Chromebook platform and made it into an attractive little beater Chromebook that's ready to work all day and all night. It may not be rated for durability, but if it can stand four months in my bag, it's as rugged as it needs to be.

ASUS Chromebook Flip C213

Rugged and reliable

$329 at Amazon

Pros

• More USB ports
• 12-hour battery life
• Longer support life
• MIL-spec ruggedness
• Spill-resistant keyboard

Cons

• Half the storage space
• Older, slower processor
• More expensive
• Just replaced by C214

Lenovo's education-focused variant of the Chromebook Flip has just been replaced by a new model to replace the aging C213, but if you need that water-resistant keyboard, try to catch the C213 on sale.

These two Chromebooks are close in price and relatively close in specs on paper, but the differences become more apparent once you dig into long-term performance and where these laptops are in their lifespan.

Battle of the workhorse Chromebooks

Let's start with the obvious: these are both 11.6-inch 2-in-1s with 1366x768 touchscreens and 4 GB of RAM that use USB-C to charge and weigh less than three pounds. The Lenovo Chromebook C330 uses a quad-core MediaTek processor while the older ASUS Chromebook Flip C213 uses a dual-core Intel Apollo Lake processor, giving the Lenovo a performance edge, especially when combined with 64GB of storage as opposed to the 32GB on the C213.

Both feature microSD card slots to expand the storage of your Chromebook — and 100GB of Google Drive storage for two years — but there's no replacement for having more internal storage to start with. Port configuration swings things back in the C213's favor, as it has a USB-C and USB-A port on both sides while the C330 only has one of each. The C330 comes with an HDMI port, but USB-C supports video-out on both Chromebooks, making it a bit superfluous unless you prefer to not rely on dongles.

Category	Lenovo Chromebook C330	ASUS Chromebook Flip C213
Operating System	Chrome OS	Chrome OS
Display	11.6 inches 1366 x 768 10-point IPS touchscreen 250 nits brightness	11.6 inches 1366 x 768 LED-backlit touchscreen 200 nits brightness
Processor	MediaTek MT8173C	Intel Apollo Lake N3350
Memory	4GB	4GB
Storage	64GB eMMC	32 eMMC
Expandable Storage	microSD card	microSD card
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11ac Bluetooth 4.1	Wi-Fi 802.11ac Bluetooth 4.0
Web cams	720p Front	1MP Front 5MP Rear
Ports	1x USB-C USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 2 1x USB-A USB 3.1 Gen 1 HDMI 1.4 1x Audio combo jack	2x USB-C USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1 2x USB-A USB 3.1 Gen 1 1x Audio combo jack
Battery	Li-Ion 45Wh (10 hours) 45W USB-C AC adapter	Li-Ion 46Wh (12 hours) 45W USB-C AC adapter
Durability Certifications	❌	Mil-STD 810G
Dimensions	292 x 215 x 19.6 mm (11.50" x 8.46" x 0.77")	307 x 199 x 20.65 mm (12.08" x 7.83" x 0.81")
Weight	2.64 lbs (1.2kg)	2.75 lbs (1.25kg)
Auto Update Expiration Date	June 2022	Nov 2023

The C330's screen can get brighter, which is a boon when I'm using it outside in the Florida shade. Even at medium-high brightness, I still tend to get 8-11 hours of battery life, with the C213 averaging 10-12 hours due to its slightly larger battery and less powerful processor.

The C213's other advantage is in its rugged certifications, rubberized body, and spill-resistant keyboard. If you need a klutz-proof Chromebook, the C213 is the winner there, but I've been dragging a C330 about Walt Disney World and cross-country flights for four months and it's held up like a champ, even without rubberized edges and ratings. That also allows the Blizzard White C330 to look ten times better in person than the C213, something that won't matter to everyone but definitely matters to me.

If you're considering the C213, know that ASUS released the C214 to replace it in April, and while it's still mostly available in education channels, it is starting to become available in consumer retailers like Amazon. This should help bring the C213's price down, as the ASUS Chromebook Flip C214 is $350 and well worth the extra $20 for the updated version.

Lenovo Chromebook C330

Light and bright

$272 from Amazon

Shiner, faster, and more affordable to boot

This bright little Chromebook can handle direct sun, long days with no charger in sight, and despite not having any fancy ruggedness ratings, the C330 handles the wear and tear of me dragging it around Walt Disney World every day with style and grace.

ASUS Chromebook Flip C213

Rugged and reliable

$329 at Amazon

An aging Chromebook crafted for classrooms.

The C213 is still one of the better education-focused Chromebooks out there — at least until the C214 is widely available — and if you absolutely need a rugged Chromebook, the C213 is ready to work all day.