Chromebook | The VergeThe Verge is about technology and how it makes us feel. Founded in 2011, we offer our audience everything from breaking news to reviews to award-winning features and investigations, on our site, in video, and in podcasts.2026-02-03T20:07:26+00:00https://www.theverge.com/rss/chromebook/index.xmlhttps://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/verge-rss-large_80b47e.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1Sean Hollister<![CDATA[Aluminium: Why Google’s Android for PC launch may be messy and controversial]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8696592026-02-03T15:07:26-05:002026-02-03T08:00:00-05:00
"Finally." That was my first reaction when I heard Google would combine Android and ChromeOS into a single operating system. Android has long struggled on tablets, and ChromeOS always felt like too much of a stripped-down alternative to tempt me away from Windows and Mac. So last week, it was exciting to see a leaked first glimpse at Google's Aluminium OS, and hear it may already be slated for an Intel Panther Lake laptop dubbed "Ruby" and a "Sapphire" high-end tablet.
But the future may not be coming as fast as you'd think, and it might be messy when it gets here. According to previously unreported court documents in the Google search anti …
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Dominic Preston<![CDATA[Google just leaked a first look at Android for PC in action]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8691422026-01-28T04:26:01-05:002026-01-28T04:26:01-05:00
Aluminium OS looks like exactly what it is: a hybrid of Android and ChromeOS.
We've been waiting months for our first look at Android running on a PC in Google's upcoming ChromeOS / Android hybrid platform, codenamed Aluminium OS. Now we've seen it in action, and have Google to thank for the leak.
9to5Google spotted a bug report related to Chrome Incognito tabs published to the Google Issue Tracker yesterday, including two screen recordings taken from a device running Aluminium OS. Google has now restricted access to the report, but 9to5Google managed to pull the videos first. The site also reports that the bug tracker mentioned an ALOS software version - already confirmed to be the initialism for Aluminium OS - and …
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Antonio G. Di Benedetto<![CDATA[Our favorite laptops from Apple, Razer, HP, and others are over $500 for Cyber Monday]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8286172025-11-30T20:32:43-05:002025-11-30T18:43:02-05:00
The M5-powered MacBook Pro is slightly cheaper than it was on Black Friday.
Cyber Monday might be a great opportunity to pick up a new TV, but it’s also one of the best chances you’ll have all year to save on one of the biggest tech purchases we’re all likely to make: a new laptop. A new generation of laptops is always around the corner at CES in January, but they’re still months away from release. In the here and now, you can get big discounts on excellent current-gen Windows laptops, MacBooks, and Chromebooks.
There are hundreds of dollars to be saved on laptops from Apple, Microsoft, HP, Lenovo, Asus, and more. And there’s a mix of options, whether you prefer a thin-and-light model for work and easy travel, a workstation for content creation, or a gaming laptop for graphical performance above all else. There are even some Chromebook deals if you’re shopping for a student or someone who wants a minimal-fuss solution for mostly browsing the web.
We’re also compiling some worthwhile deals on laptop peripherals and accessories, like cases, cables, and hubs we like. Here are our top picks among laptop and laptop-related deals for this Cyber Monday.
The best MacBook deals
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2025, M4)
Apple’s latest MacBook Air doesn’t mix things up very much from the previous M3 generation, but it’s got an M4 chip, more RAM, and a lower starting price. Read our review.
The 15-inch MacBook Air with M4 is $949 ($250 off) at Best Buy and Amazon — the same discount as the 13-inch. It’s much the same excellent computer as the 13-inch version, just with a bigger screen, more battery life, and better speakers. Read our review.
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2025, M5)
The M5-equipped MacBook Pro is mostly a chip bump from the M4 model of 2024. But it remains an excellent choice for beginners and students in creative fields. Read our review.
If you need to sizable step up in power for a Mac laptop, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro processor is $1,749 ($250 off) at Amazon. It has a 12-core CPU and 16-core GPU, 512GB SSD like the base M5 model, but 24GB of RAM and faster Thunderbolt 5 ports. You can also step up to a bigger and beefier 16-inch version with a 14-core / 20-core M4 Pro chip, 48GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD for $2,499.99 ($400 off) at Best Buy and Amazon.
At the top of Apple’s MacBook range, the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Max chip, 36GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD is $2,999 ($500 off) at Amazon. It’s a lot of computer for those who need a laptop with about as much power and speed as you can get. Read our review.
The Mac Mini isn’t a laptop, but it’s one of the best bargains for a lot of computing power in a wildly small desktop. The base M4 model is $479 ($120 off) at Best Buy and Amazon, while the more powerful M4 Pro version is $1,249 ($150 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo. If you already have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, there’s no better deal for this kind of power.
The best Windows laptop deals
Microsoft Surface Laptop, 13-inch
Microsoft’s slightly smaller, entry-level Surface Laptop trims some of the size and a few features from its bigger 13.8-inch counterpart, but it maintains excellent battery life and solid performance. Read our review.
In addition to the base-model 13-inch Surface Laptop hitting a new low of $549.99 ($350 off) at Best Buy and direct from Microsoft, the same model with 512GB storage is $729.99 ($270 off) at Amazon.
If you want a Surface with a slightly bigger, nicer display and a higher-end Snapdragon X Elite processor, the Surface Laptop 7th Edition (13.8-inch) from 2024 is on sale for $899.99 ($500 off) at Best Buy and Amazon. It’s still a great machine if you prioritize battery life on Windows and want a nice screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and 2304 x 1536 resolution. Read our review.
Microsoft Surface Pro 12-inch
Microsoft’s latest Surface Pro is smaller, with a new design and updated keyboard. It’s powered by Qualcomm’s Arm64 Snapdragon X Plus chip. Read our review.
Microsoft’s flagship 13-inch Surface Pro is also on a big discount, selling for as low as $749.99 ($450 off) at Microsoft with a 10-core Snapdragon X Plus chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD. It’s quite a deal, though the keyboard and stylus are sold separately. The convertible tablet has great battery life and solid performance. It’s much more useful as a full 2-in-1 laptop once you get the keyboard and stylus, which are available at Best Buy for $319.99 ($80 off). The Flex version of the keyboard with Bluetooth is particularly handy, especially if you use the Surface Pro with an external monitor.
I’m currently testing the 14-inch HP OmniBook 5 and liking it, especially for the value it offers. It’s very affordable for a laptop with an OLED display and marathon battery life, and it’s just $529.99 ($170 off MSRP) at Amazon or direct from HP. Its base Snapdragon X1 Plus chip isn’t very speedy, but it’s manageable if you’re not going too wild on multitasking. But the star of the show is this nice 1920 x 1200 OLED panel for such a low, low price.
The best gaming laptop deals
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025)
Asus’ ROG Zephyrus G14 is the go-to choice for a portable gaming machine that’s great at regular laptop duties. It’s got a lovely OLED display, great keyboard and trackpad, and solid battery life. The base model with RTX 5060 graphics is fairly thin at around 0.63 inches, while the highest-end model with RTX 5070 Ti is a little thicker.
The larger Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor and RTX 5070 Ti GPU is $2,179.99 ($450 off) at Best Buy. The 16-inch, like its smaller counterpart, offers a lovely OLED display, good graphics performance for its size and thickness, and battery life that gets you through most of a busy day. All this, in a gaming laptop with a large display that travels quite easily.
The base Asus ROG Strix G16 gaming laptop with a last-gen Intel Raptor Lake 14650HX CPU, RTX 5060 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD is $1,199.99 ($300 off) at Amazon. For a higher-end model that doesn’t skyrocket in price, the Strix G16 with AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX and RTX 5070 Ti is $1,599.99 ($400 off) at Best Buy. Strix models are much chunkier than their ROG Zephyrus cousins, but they’re a better deal if you prioritize performance over portability.
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (16-inch, Intel)
Lenovo’s Legion Pro 7i is a well built gaming laptop with a lovely 2.5K OLED display and a powerful RTX 5080 GPU, enough to handle 4K gaming on an external monitor. Its only major downsides are a lack of face or fingerprint unlocking and Lenovo’s tendency to pre-load some annoying bloatware.
The Lenovo Legion 7i above is one of my preferred gaming laptops if you like a beefy boy with high-end RTX 5080 graphics, but a solid alternative for less is the similarly-specced HP Omen Max 16. The Omen Max 16 with RTX 5080 graphics, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD is just $1,899.99 ($1,400 off) direct from HP. It’s also at Best Buy with a 2TB SSD for $2,559.99 ($600 off), but the one at HP is the screaming deal that you should nab before it’s gone (you can always do your own SSD upgrade later).
HP Victus 15 (2025, RTX 4050)
The Victus 15 is a popular, budget-friendly gaming laptop that now comes with RTX 4050 graphics, more RAM, and an improved 144Hz screen.
Razer’s latest and greatest version of its Blade 16 laptop returns to a thinner, more travel-friendly chassis. It comes with RTX 50-series GPU options but each configuration features an excellent OLED display. Read our review.
The closest competitor to the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14, which is on sale for a new low of $599.99 ($50 off) direct from Lenovo. It’s the base model with a non-touch OLED display, 12GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and the power-sipping MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 processor. The higher-end $749 model with a touchscreen that I tested in my review is slightly better, but these kinds of Chromebooks rarely go on sale.
The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus is selling for $549.99 ($200 off) at Best Buy. I prefer the above Lenovo and Acer above, but the Samsung is still a solid Chromebook with a lovely OLED display and a number pad (if that’s important to you). But its display is an outdated 16:9 aspect ratio that’s better for consuming video content than viewing more on screen as you get work done.
The best deals on laptop accessories
Anker Laptop Power Bank
Anker’s 25,000mAh power bank sports two built-in USB-C cables (one of which is retractable), plus one USB-C and USB-A port. It tops out at 165W when charging two devices simultaneously, or 130W when charging three or four.
Cable Matters’ 3.3-ft Thunderbolt 4 cable is $23.99 ($8 off) at Amazon for Prime members. If your laptop supports Thunderbolt 4 these can ensure you get that peak throughput. And, conveniently, they’re labeled with the Thunderbolt 4 branding and power output so you don’t get them mixed up with lesser cables. An even faster Thunderbolt 5 version of the same length from Cable Matters is just a few bucks more at $26.39 (around $7 off) — also at Amazon.
Keychron is discounting various models of its keyboards on its site and on Amazon, and if you spend $300 or more at Keychron’s site you get an additional $30 off. There are myriad options of mechanical keyboards from Keychron, including different layouts and switch types. For a good starter board filled with features, check out the Keychron V1 Max that’s currently $91.99 ($23 off) at Amazon and direct from Keychron. Read our buying guide on affordable mechanical keyboards.
For an absolute steal of a mechanical keyboard with a hefty metal chassis, check out the Epomaker P75 with Wisteria linear switches for just $63.99 ($12 off) at Amazon. It’s got a bold, crisp, and slightly loud typing sound but it can be music to the ears of someone who likes a louder clack to their keys. Plus, it supports wired, Bluetooth, and 2.4GHz wireless modes, complete with a little magnetic garage to house the USB dongle when not in use.
Elgato Stream Deck MK. 2
The MK.2 version of the standard Stream Deck comes with 15 programmable buttons, a swappable faceplate, and a detachable stand.
The Epomaker x Aula F75 mechanical keyboard with Leobog Reaper switches is just $53.59 (around $26 off) at Amazon. This is a banger of a budget keyboard that sounds satisfyingly creamy with every key stroke. There’s a reason TikTok is kind of obsessed with it.
One of my favorite mice, the Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2, is $129.99 ($50 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. It’s the perfect mouse if you want something lightweight and sensitive enough for competitive gaming while still being comfy and low-key looking for even long hours at the office. It also has a satisfying and unique click sound that’s slightly deeper than most mice. Read our hands-on.
For a comfy ergonomic mouse, check out the Logitech MX Vertical that’s on sale for around $97.49 ($22 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. It supports both Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless via an included USB receiver, and its upright 57 degree angle keeps your wrist at a comfy handshake-like position. Read our impressions.
CalDigit TS4
CalDigit’s last-gen Thunderbolt 4-powered TS4 provides nearly any port you could desire, plus it can keep your laptop charged up while you use it. Read our review.
The Insta360 Link 2 offers the same auto-swiveling design as its excellent predecessor, only in a smaller form factor. It also offers a slate of new features, including group tracking and no-follow zones.
For a much more affordable mouse that handles great and goes a little harder on the gamer aesthetic, the wired Razer Basilisk V3 is just $29.44 (about $41 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. Even at that price, you get 11 programmable buttons, a 26,000 DPI sensor, and loads of RGB lighting.
Pluggable’s 16-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 dock is $215.96 ($64 off) at Amazon. The chunky hub has a plethora of ports and support for dual 4K displays (HDMI and DisplayPort) as well as 100W USB-C charging.
The Shure MV7 Plus is a popular plug-and-play mic for high quality live streaming and podcasting, and it’s $269.95 ($50 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. It shares a lot in common with the legendary SM7b it’s based on, but it’s got both XLR and simple USB connections for a no-fuss setup.
Peak Design is running a Black Friday / Cyber Monday sale with up to 30 percent off everything it makes, and that includes its Everyday Backpack (now $223.96 instead of $279.95) and Everyday Messenger bags (now $199.96 instead of $249.95). They’re some of my favorite laptop / commuter bags if you’re the type to carry photo or video equipment. I use and alternate between the original 30L Everyday Backpack and smaller 15L Everyday Backpack Zip (now $159.96 instead of $199.95) — depending on what I need to carry.
Nuphy Air75 V2 mechanical keyboard
Nuphy’s last-gen version of its Air mechanical keyboard is outstanding. This one omits a numpad but still includes arrow keys and a full row of function keys that double as media keys. It comes in black, gray, and white, with a few different switch options, and it’s both wired and wireless. It also supports both Windows and macOS.
8BitDo’s second-gen Ultimate 2 Wireless Controller boasts additional buttons over its first-gen counterpart, along with interactive LED lighting and tunneling magneto-resistance (TMR) joysticks that are more durable than the drift-resistant Hall effect sticks we’ve become accustomed to seeing.
If you’re in need of DeleteMe’s services for cleaning up your past digital footprint, you can save 30 percent now through December 5th with the coupon code BFCM30OFF25 — dropping an annual plan for one user to $90.30 ($38.70 off). I know it’s not laptop hardware, but DeleteMe relates to a lot of things we do on the internet via our laptops, and it’s a useful service for scrubbing old personal data from the web.
The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are $149.99 ($50 off) at Amazon. If you’re a laptop gamer, these noise-canceling earbuds are excellent for their ability to quickly switch between your laptop (via low-latency USB-C receiver) and your phone (via Bluetooth). Read our review.
Anker 341 USB-C Hub (7-in-1)
Snagging a USB-C hub for your laptop (or even a handheld gaming PC) doesn’t need to be a pricey endeavor. This one has video-out support, passthrough charging, microSD and SD card slots, and more.
Why settle for a flimsy USB-C cable that can only charge a single gadget when you can opt for a braided one designed to charge two at once? Anker’s two-headed cable supports charging speeds of up to 140W split between two gadgets.
Moft is offering a variety of discounts on Amazon, covering much of its line of origami-style folding accessories for phones, tablets, and laptops. This includes the Moft 2-in-1 Laptop Carry Sleeve, selling for $51.96 ($12.99 off). It’s a sleek case for protecting your laptop as you tote it around, and it opens to an impromptu angled laptop stand for comfier ergonomics. It comes in larger sizes to hold up to a 16-inch MacBook Pro, and in various color options.
Update, November 30th: Removed deals that are no longer available and added several new ones, including those for the Nuphy Air75 V2 and Insta360’s Link 2 webcam.
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Dominic Preston<![CDATA[Aluminium OS will be Google’s take on Android for PC]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8285952025-11-25T10:45:07-05:002025-11-25T08:23:20-05:00
We know a little more about Google's long-gestating plans to combine the best parts of Android and ChromeOS into a single OS thanks to a job listing for a product manager to work on "Aluminium OS." The job ad describes it as "a new operating system built with Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the core."
Android Authority first reported on the job listing, which is two months old, but wasn't spotted until recently and has now been taken offline. It gives a name - or more likely codename - to Google's new operating system for the first time, along with the initialism "ALOS." It specifically describes Aluminium as "Android-based," and says the c …
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Dominic Preston<![CDATA[New Chromebooks will come with a year of Nvidia’s cloud gaming ‘fast pass’]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8249402025-11-21T04:22:07-05:002025-11-20T12:00:00-05:00
Nvidia has partnered with Google to launch a new cloud gaming plan exclusive to Chromebooks. GeForce Now Fast Pass will allow Chromebook owners to stream over 2,000 games directly from an existing PC game library without ads, and new Chromebook purchases will include a year's membership for free.
Fast Pass looks similar to GeForce Now's existing free plan, which includes the ability to stream more than 2,000 "Ready-to-Play" titles from a user's existing Steam, Epic, or Xbox libraries. Unlike that plan, the companies say Fast Pass "has no ads," and "allows you to skip the queue," compared to typical waits of two minutes or more to start play …
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Antonio G. Di Benedetto<![CDATA[Acer’s latest Spin 514 is so close to Chromebook greatness]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=7915322025-10-03T17:37:49-04:002025-10-04T08:00:00-04:00
Acer has made many Spin-series Chromebooks before, and despite flaws, this is one of its best yet.
I was cautiously optimistic about Acer's Chromebook Plus Spin 514 when I tested a preproduction model last month, but the final unit is here now and it sticks the landing. Well, mostly.
Acer's latest convertible Chromebook has zippy performance and oodles of battery life, along with a good touchscreen with stylus support. But crappy speakers and no fingerprint sensor make its $700 price tougher to swallow, and prevents it from dethroning the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14, our current favorite Chromebook.
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Dominic Preston<![CDATA[Google’s Android for PC: ‘I’ve seen it, it is incredible’]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=7843812025-09-24T09:42:44-04:002025-09-24T05:11:40-04:00
Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon spoke to Google’s Rick Osterloh at the Snapdragon Summit yesterday.
Google is continuing to slowly tease its rumored plans to bring Android to PCs, merging it with ChromeOS, and now Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon is getting in on the action. He says he's seen a version of the software, and that he "can't wait to have one."
Amon was speaking on stage with Google's head of platforms and devices, Rick Osterloh, during the opening keynote for Qualcomm's Snapdragon Summit, where later today the company will reveal its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. Before that though, the two execs teased Google and Qualcomm's future plans together, from automotive to consumer PCs.
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Antonio G. Di Benedetto<![CDATA[My brief hands-on with Acer’s new convertible Chromebook has me cautiously optimistic]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=7698342025-09-03T09:48:01-04:002025-09-03T05:00:00-04:00
I took the Spin 514 for an early spin, and I’m looking forward to testing it further.
Acer's new Chromebook Plus Spin 514, announced at IFA 2025 in Berlin, Germany, is the company's first laptop to use the Arm-based MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 processor. That chip was used in the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 that launched earlier this summer, and it was key to delivering excellent performance and marathon battery life in that fanless laptop. I dubbed the Lenovo "the new king of Chromebooks," and this $699.99 Acer, which launches this month, seems poised to be a solid alternative - especially if you prefer a touchscreen convertible and don't mind occasionally hearing a fan.
Acer sent me the new Chromebook Plus Spin 514 for early …
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Dominic Preston<![CDATA[Syncing desktops and better AI wallpapers are coming to ChromeOS]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=7136542025-07-25T06:18:26-04:002025-07-25T06:18:26-04:00
The improved AI wallpapers now let you prompt with anything you like.
Google has released a new version of ChromeOS that allows you to sync desktops between devices, ideal for anyone who works across more than one Chromebook. It also significantly improves the AI wallpapers available on Chromebook Plus laptops with a completely freeform prompting field.
Desk sync is designed to help you pick up where you left off when changing devices. It will sync your windows, tabs, and cookies so you can change devices without losing where you were. Google suggests it'll be particularly useful for workers in healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing who might share a pool of devices. It's optional, but can be enabled in t …
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Antonio G. Di Benedetto<![CDATA[Our biggest questions about ChromeOS and Android merging]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=7070412025-07-15T14:52:20-04:002025-07-15T13:43:48-04:00
The new Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 shows that Arm chips may be the future for ChromeOS and this potential merged platform with Android.
Sameer Samat, Google's head of Android ecosystems, recently confirmed that Android and ChromeOS will be merged into a single platform, reigniting a slew of questions about the future of the operating systems. Combining them makes sense. It made sense way back in 2013, and it was first supposed to happen back in 2015, but until recently, that mostly just amounted to Chromebooks being able to run Android apps. Last year, Google announced that ChromeOS would be built on the Android tech stack, including the Android kernel.
What is the point of merging ChromeOS and Android?
Android has an enormous app ecosystem, but many of those apps still st …
