The time has finally arrived. The world has officially bid a not-so-fond farewell to the year that was 2021. We’ll save the solemn reminiscing for another day because, despite the negative, there has been a lot to be thankful for this year. I recently shared the Top 10 articles of 2021 from Chrome Unboxed and now, it’s time to take a look at the top-performing YouTube videos of the year.

As with our Top 10 posts, this is going to be a rundown of our Top 5 YouTube videos of 2021 based solely on the number of views. Also like our article roundup, there are some honorable mentions for videos that made it into the Top 5 but weren’t actually produced in 2021. They’ll get some love but won’t grace the official list. Kicking off the list at number 5 is, not surprisingly, a little video about Google’s latest flagship phones – the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The Tensor-powered flagships have made the Best of lists of many tech sites and YouTube channels and for good reason. Google has a hit on its hands and the Pixel 6 gives us hope that Google has finally become a true smartphone competitor. Our #5 YouTube video of 2021 is the unboxing and impressions of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.

#5: Pixel 6 & Pixel 6 Pro Unboxing

Coming in at number 4, the first 11th Gen Tiger Lake Chromebook to hit the market came in the form of a 15.6″ convertible from ASUS. This Chromebook was not only a solid overall device, it was a complete 180 from ASUS’ recent offerings that were drastically overpriced and well below our idea of what a premium Chromebook should be. Since then, ASUS continued to bring the hits with two more ultra-premium devices that both made our Best of 2021 list for all the right reasons. The number 4 video of 2021: The ASUS Chromebook CX5500 review.

#4: ASUS Chromebook CX5 Review: Fastest Chromebook Yet

Some of our most popular video content seems to regularly revolve around budget-minded devices. The number three video of 2021 happens to be just that. We’ve seen a slew of MediaTek-powered Chromebooks hit shelves over the past 12 months and many of the “cheap” models can be had for well under $200. In this video, Robby breaks down whether or not it’s worth spending your hard-earned money on the HP Chromebook 11a that is frequently on sale for $179 or less.

#3: Is The Sub-$200 HP Chromebook 11a Worth It?

The explosion of Android apps on Chrome OS, USI pens, and tablet form-factors has led to the accelerated advancement of all sorts of handwriting and drawing applications designed to work well on Chromebooks. Google has taken some of the technology amassed over the years and released an in-house note-taking app called Cursive. It was a bit of a rocky start but over time, Cursive has become a decent little tool in the Chrome OS arsenal. The number two video of 2021 is a quick hands-on of Google’s Cursive app.

#2: Hands-on With Cursive

Honorable Mention

As promised, we have an honorable mention on the list. There were a few videos that made it into the top 10 that weren’t published in 2021 but this is, hands-down, the number one video of the year, and it was produced way back in 2018. This video just keeps on chugging and it has garnered just shy of 2 million views to date. At the time, the idea seemed simple. It was right after Christmas and we figured that it would be a good idea to do a little video on how to familiarize yourself with your new Chromebook as many people were converting to the platform. Since then, it continues to be one of the most searched how-tos on the web in the Chrome OS space and it makes this one of our top-performing videos of all time. So, the honorable mention goes to Got A New Chromebook? 10 Things You Need To Know.

Got A New Chromebook? 10 Things You Need To Know

And now we have arrived at number one. While we got our start with unboxings and hardware reviews, Chrome Unboxed has branched out into a wide range of areas that cover Google-related products. Some of our most popular content revolves around software and services. Chrome OS is not an exception to that rule. Whenever a major update to Chrome OS is released, users are extremely interested in hearing about new features and secret tricks that help make the most out of a Chromebook. From Phone Hub to the new Tote and everything in between, Chrome OS 89 was chock full of new features and Robby’s highlight video quickly caught fire and took off. It is officially the number one Chrome Unboxed YouTube video of 2021 and we’re pretty proud of this little guy.

#1: Chrome OS 89: All The Best New Features

Welp, that’s a wrap. 2021 was a big year for us here at Chrome Unboxed but we’re just getting started. 2022 is going to be monumental for the Chromebook space and we will be churning out more content than ever before. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for supporting us and allowing us to be a part of your every day. I can’t imaging doing anything else and I think I speak for the entire team when I say that we are excited to see where the coming year takes us. We hope that you will join us for the ride.