There are a few new Chromebooks I really hope to see this fall

Now that there’s an official Chromebook showcase on the books for September 24th, I figured it’s time I shared my hopes for the fall and Chromebook hardware in general. You see, these new events put on directly by Google (one last fall, one in May of this year, and now this third iteration in a couple weeks) are beginning to have an effect on release patterns for Chromebook manufacturers; and overall it’s probably a good thing for the market as a whole.

Instead of popcorn releases all throughout the year, we’ve now seen Chromebooks arriving generally around the same time as one another for the past year or so. We’ll surely see a few new devices at Google’s event in a couple weeks, but I’m wondering if this momentum of cooperated releases will continue or if we’ll begin once again seeing manufacturers dropping surprise releases as we go. I mean, I wouldn’t hate an excuse to go back to CES again.

We have no way of knowing what we’ll see at Google’s event, but we have to remember that this newly-centrified release pattern is far from the norm in the Chromebook world and has only been in effect for just short of a year at this point. Could we see a situation where we have two big Chromebook drops each year and that’s all? Sure, but we could also see things go back a bit to the way that they were prior to Google’s own hosted events, too, with big, important devices released at a Google-hosted events and other, less-notable Chromebooks rolling out at different times during the year.

Devices we feel confident are coming

The reason I say all of this is the fact that I only feel confident in a couple of Chromebooks being ready to release at Google’s event. Based on years and years of data up until this point, I’d wager other manufacturers are prepping Chromebooks as well, but I don’t have firm leads on any of them yet.

So, let’s rehash what we feel will be at the event: Lenovo’s new Duet tablet with the MediaTek Kompanio 828 inside, and Samsung’s new Galaxy Chromebook Plus (our naming of it for now). We’ve talked extensively about both, and I’d simply point you to the wealth of info about each one that exists on this site if you want to know more. You can run a search for ‘Xol’ (the new Samsung Chromebook) or ‘Ciri’ (the new Lenovo Duet) and see everything we know in pretty quick order.

The quick version goes like this: Lenovo has a new Duet Chromebook with an 11-inch screen, a much faster MediaTek processor inside, a fun new kickstand, and hopefully a slightly improved keyboard case. It should come with some big-time camera improvements over previous Chromebooks, too.

On Samsung’s end, they have ‘Xol’ – or what we’re calling the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus – on the way. It’s a bigger device – likely 16-inches based on Samsung’s current laptop lineup – and it has a bunch of interesting additions like a dedicated Assistant key, dictation button, OLED screen, and more. Again, you can search for ‘Xol’ or ‘Ciri’ here on the site and get caught up if you need.

Devices I’m hoping for at some point before year’s end

Outside of those two very notable, very important devices, we don’t have firm leads on anything else. That’s not usually the case and there are plenty of devices in development; I just haven’t been able to marry up code names to particular manufacturers or specific hardware lately. Maybe manufacturers are getting a bit more wise to our game of sniffing things out around here.

Still, I know there are a lot of 12th, 13th, and 14th-gen Intel-powered Chromebooks in development and have been for quite some time. Some of those devices are destined to land on store shelves sooner than later, and regardless of whether or not they make it to this next Chromebook showcase, I feel like we could still see a few of them arrive before the holidays. Here are the one’s I’m most anticipating.

HP Chromebook Plus x360 14c

For years and years at this point, we’ve had a new x360 14c from HP going into the fall. Sure, they released a few new x360 Chromebook Plus models in the spring, but those are the 14b series (when you look a bit more closely) and they feel like it.

I’m looking forward to a new, higher-end 14c device that fixes the few issues the Chromebook Plus model had. Namely, if HP would go back to the sturdy chassis they used to use and put a 300-400 nit screen on it, the existing 14c with updated internals could quickly become the nicest Chromebook you can buy.

Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus

Another fan favorite and a device that has been updated basically every year since it’s initial release in 2020 is the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus. This device simply gets a lot right every time around, is easy on the budget, and has only gotten better year over year.

Similar to the HP x360 14c, Lenovo simply needs to fix a few small things and re-release this Chromebook. I’d love to see a bit more firmness in the bottom half of the chassis (and I know they can do this well based on the build quality of their other Chromebooks), a bit of a keyboard upgrade (the key caps are just a bit loose), and that’s about all I’d ask for.

Lenovo Slim 3i Chromebook Plus

When Chromebook Plus was introduced this time last year, my favorite of the bunch was the Slim 3i from Lenovo. I still love a lot about that Chromebook, and I think a few small tweaks could make for another smash hit again this year.

I really think the only thing to add here would be a bit of a faster chip inside – maybe the Core i3 versus the N305 – and improved speakers. The screen was great on the first one, and at 300 nits, I wouldn’t mind a tad more brightness, but if they left it unchanged it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe a move to a 16:10 screen would seal the deal to make this once again one of the best all around Chromebooks you can buy. Oh, and get it in Best Buy or Walmart so people can actually see and feel it!

ASUS Chromebook Plus CX34 or CM34 Flip

Finally, ASUS is overdue in giving us a proper replacement for the CM34 that was actually introduced prior to Chromebook Plus and then re-branded after. The CX34 Flip was a gaming-focused beast that was introduced at CES 2023 and it was a fantastic device all around – except for the webcam. That’s the only thing that keeps it from being Chromebook Plus certified.

I’d love to see ASUS combine what they did with the very-similar CM34 and build a new CX34 Flip that is Chromebook Plus, keeps all the good stuff between those two excellent Chromebooks (14-inch 16:10 screen with 300+ nits of brightness, solid backlit keyboard, firm build quality), and simply get the chassis trimmed down a tad. Both the CX34 Flip and CM34 Flip were on the thick/heavy side, so keeping all the good stuff and trimming the size could make for a fantastic overall experience.

So, there you have it! Those are the devices I’m still holding out hope that we’ll see this year. Again, I have no idea if they’ll be at the Chromebook showcase or not, but I’m digging and searching to find evidence of any of these devices on a daily basis. Regardless of when they arrive, I’m looking forward to seeing what these usually-solid offerings end up looking like in their latest iterations.