Best 11-inch Chromebooks 2015 – The netbook is still alive and kicking

Samuel J Tan Laptops, Mobile Devices 0

Many of us would use our laptops mainly to browse the internet, check email, carry out a touch of document processing (word, spreadsheet & presentation), check and update our social statuses, listen to music and watch video. And, if this is all you do on your laptop, look no further.

The Chromebook is your quick and cheap solution for everyday computing; slim, lightweight and efficient with battery life that last all day between charge it has what your typical tablets do not have, a full size keyboard and track pad. Not we are not suggesting for a second that you ought to consider this over a tablet, but for those who type more than they tap, Chromebook is your best bet.

Table of Contents

Best 11-inch Chromebooks 2015

Samsung, HP and Acer are all offering their second generation Chromebooks while Asus being the new coming has a solid offering. Dell on the other hand has just announced its second generation Dell Chromebook 11 (2015).

A quick look at the line-up [IN OUR COMPARISON]:

Samsung Chromebook 2 11.6-inch – SUPER LIGHT, FASTEST CPU
HP Chromebook 11 G2 11.6-inch – SUPER LIGHT
Asus C200MA 11.6-inch Chromebook – GOOD BATTERY LIFE, LIGHTEST
Acer Aspire CB3-111 11.6-inch Chromebook – BEST BATTERY LIFE, SUPER LIGHT
Dell Chromebook 11.6-inch – GOOD BATTERY LIFE

Others

Samsung Chromebook XE303 11.6-inch
Lenovo N20p 11.6-inch Chromebook with Touchscreen – TOUCHSCREEN, DOUBLE MEMORY

1. Samsung Chromebook 2 11.6-inch

First to the market with a Chromebook in the shape of the successful Samsung Chromebook XE303, the new generation Samsung Chromebook 2 is now out. The much improved successor has a lot to show for starting with its premium design and reinforced metal frame. The cover now spots a leather-like look complete with texture and stitched edge while maintaining its slim and sleek body. It is also available in two screen sizes, with the 11.6-inch spotting the Intel Celeron N2840 2.16GHz (turbo boost to 2.58GHz) processor or the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5420 1.9GHz processor (1.9GHz Quad A15 / 1.3GHz Quad A7). The 13.3-inch version favors the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5800 2.0GHz processor, see Top 5 Best 13-inch Chromebooks 2015.

Intel Celeron N2840 2.16GHz processor turbo (Turbo Boost to 2.58GHz) – FASTEST CPU
11.6-inches 16:9 (1366 x 768) HD resolution anti-reflective display
2GB RAM, 16GB Flash Hard Drive. microSD card reader
Dimensions & Weight: 11.40″ x 8.06″ x 0.66″, 2.65 lb. 1.2kg – SUPER LIGHT
Battery Life: 9 hour
Ports: HDMI, 1 x USB2.0, 1 x USB3.0, Headphone/Microphone combo socket, 1 x micro SD card slot

2. HP Chromebook 11 G2 11.6-inch

The second generation HP Chromebook 11 G2 is now in a grown-up anodized silver finish with snow white cover. Much like the first generation plastic Apple iBook turned silver MacBook, the first generation HP Chromebook 11 spots a cool plastic white body with different colour accents. The new generation is HP’s smallest and lightest Chromebook with the next size up at 14-inch seen in Top 5 Best 13-inch Chromebooks 2015.

Exynos 5250 1.7GHz Dual Core ARM Processor – ARM
11.6-inches 1366 x 768 HD resolution display
2GB RAM DDR2L SDRAM, 16GB eMMC Flash Hard Drive – NO SD EXPANSION
Battery Life: 7 hours
Dimensions & Weight: 30 x 20.57 x 2.04 cm and 1.22 kg – SUPER LIGHT
Ports: 2 x USB2.0, 1 headphone/microphone combo socket, SlimPort and micro-USB which also provides charging for mobile devices.

3. Asus C200MA 11.6-inch Chromebook

Asus, the pioneer of netbooks and the Transformer series (Android tablets with detachable keyboards) is a late comer to the Chromebook arena. Their offerings, the Asus C200 and C300 are very strong Chromebooks with 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch display respectively. Apart from the screen, physical dimension and weight, everything else, specification wise is identical. For the C200 11.6-inch variety, retailers are carrying the dual core processor Intel Celeron N2830 running at 2.16GHz with a burst speed of 2.41GHz with 2GB of RAM memory and 16GB of storage.

Intel Celeron N2830 2.16GHz Dual Core Processor (Turbo Boost to 2.41GHz) / Intel Celeron N2930 1.83GHz (Turbo Boost 2.16GHz) Quad Core Processor
11.6″ 16:9 HD/GL/LED (1366×768) HD display
2GB / 4GB DDR3 SDRAM with 16GB/32GB eMMC Flash Hard Drive, SD Card Reader – MORE RAM & STORAGE OPTIONS
Battery Life: 11 hours – GOOD BATTERY LIFE
Dimensions and Weight: 304.3 x 200 x 19.8 mm (WxDxH) 1.15 kg – LIGHTEST
Ports: HDMI, USB3.0, USB2.0, SD Slot, Headphone/Microphone combo socket.

4. Acer Aspire CB3-111 11.6-inch Chromebook

This second generation Chromebook from Acer is jazzed up in the design department with a white slimline body but still sticking to Intel’s processor. It’s a different story with the 13.3-inch version we will be seeing later as that seems to favour the new NVIDIA Tegra K1 CD570M-A1 Quad Core Processor.

Intel Celeron N2830 2.16GHz Dual Core processor
11.6-inches (1366 x 768) HD display
2GB RAM, 16GB Flash Hard Drive, SD Card Reader
Dimensions and Weight: 299 x 202 x 18.65 mm 1.2kg – SUPER LIGHT
Battery Life: 13 hours – BEST BATTERY LIFE
Ports: HDMI, 1 x USB3.0, 1 x USB2.0, SD Slot, Headphone, Microphone, Webcam.

5. Dell Chromebook 11 with 11.6-inch

I can still remember how the Dell Chromebook 11 was such a hit when it first came out. There were not as many Chromebooks in the market then. Fast forward to today, more manufacturers are offering their version of the Chromebook, some in its second iterations. Now due a refresh, the Dell Chromebook 11 still spots the previous generation Intel Celeron 2955U dual core processor clocking at 1.4GHz.

It has however, found a niche to hone in on, the education sector. Dell’s introduction of the Chromebook was to cater mainly as an education solution meeting the needs of schools looking to build a digital learning environment. Earlier this year, Dell launched its Chromebook replacement. With 11.6-inch screen at HD or Full HD display and touch screen option, the hinge on the laptop allows it to fold flat, not all the way around like some hybrids. A fancy feature is the hands-up app that works with a multi-coloured LED light on the cover that shows red when active to flag to your teacher that you have a question or blue if you have none.

Intel Celeron 2955U 1.4GHz Dual Core processor
11.6-inches (1366 x 768) HD resolution display
2GB RAM, 16GB Flash Hard Drive
Dimensions & Weight: , 1.3kg
Battery Life: 10 hour – GOOD BATTERY LIFE

OTHERS

Samsung Chromebook XE303 11.6-inch

The previous generation Samsung ARM Series 3 Chromebook, the XE303C12 is based on the proven slim line design with plenty of ports, (USB2.0, USB3.0, SD Card Slot, Microphone and Audio combo socket) in a lightweight package that has everything you would want on a Chromebook.

Processor: Exynos 5250 (1.7GHz, 1MB L2 Cache) Dual Core ARM Processor
Display: 11.6″ HD LED Display (1366 x 768)
Memory & Storage: 2GB DDR3L System Memory at 800MHz (on BD 2GB) with 16GB e.MMC iNAND™ Embedded Flash Drive
Dimensions & Weight: 289.6 x 208.5 x 17.5 ~ 17.5mm (11.4″ x 8.2″ x 0.68″ ~ 0.68″) at 1.1kg (2.42 lbs) – LIGHTEST
Camera(s): Integrated Web Cam
Connectivity: 802.11abg/n (2 x 2), 3G HSPA+, EU (3G model), Novatel E396UC, 3-in-1 (SD, SDHC, SDXC)
Battery Life: Up to 7 hours

Also available Samsung Chromebook XE303 11.6-inch with 3G

Lenovo N20p 11.6-inch Chromebook – TOUCH SCREEN

In the true Yoga tradition, Lenovo’s line of convertible laptops that lets you fold the screen back beyond 180 degrees, the Lenovo N20p offers the same muli-mode operation. You can use the chromebook in the conventional laptop mode using the keyboard or flip the screen 300 degrees to enter Stand mode to focus on touch applications, video calls, films or video. The durable hinge is strong enough to support the screen even when folded and the keyboard doubles as stand with its keys hidden away.

Intel Celeron N2830 2.16GHz processor
11.6-inches (1366 x 768) HD resolution display with 10 point Touchscreen
4GB RAM, 16GB Flash Hard Drive – DOUBLE MEMORY
Dimensions & Weight: 1.4 kg
Battery Life: 8 hours
Ports: USB 3.0, USB 2.0, Audio combo jack (headphone/mic), mini HDMI, 2-in-1 card reader (SD/MMC)