There are two more requirements I’d love to see in Chromebook Plus

When Chromebook Plus launched in October of 2023, I was really hopeful that this new segment of Chromebooks would solve some of the long-standing issues that tend to plague mid-range Chromebooks. In many ways, that hope was realized and for the most part here in the early parts of 2024, if you want a solid Chromebook experience and buy a Chromebook Plus model, you’re getting exactly that.

If you somehow missed the last 3 months of Chromebook Plus news, the idea here is quite simple: put some hardware guidelines in place to give consumers a bit more confidence and simplicity when shopping for a new Chromebook. Chromebook Plus guarantees a few things that really do enhance the overall user experience, including a minimum of 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, 12th-gen Intel Core i3 or better, 1080p screens or better, and 1080p webcams or better.

It’s really been a fantastic start and each new Chromebook Plus model I’ve tested performs surprisingly well. I’ve been in the review process on one of the least-expensive models – the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 – and though I have a few gripes here and there, the overall experience has been pretty great. And that has been the case with each and every Chromebook Plus model so far. So, in many ways, mission accomplished, right?

Yeah. I’d say Chromebook Plus has thus far accomplished the goal it was intended for. But I also think there are a couple very simple, easy-to-define guidelines Chromebook Plus could add moving forward. How they go about doing this will be tricky, obviously, since new guidelines wouldn’t be applicable to older devices. There will come a time, however, when all of these guidelines will need adjusting, so I’m sure they have a mechanism in place to address that down the road.

Google needs to address screen brightness with Chromebook Plus

As far as my recommendations go, however, I’d first love to see a screen quality requirement. Of all the issues I’ve had with the current Chromebook Plus lineup, screen quality is a consistent gripe. Don’t get me wrong; some of these Chromebooks have great screens. The Lenovo Slim 3i and ASUS CM34 come to mind as devices that get this right with punchy IPS displays that hit at least 300 nits.

Devices that miss in this category, however, really hurt the Chromebook Plus name. 250 nit screens simply feel cheap and at this stage, there’s just no reason for them in a device with ‘Plus’ in the name. As I type this on the otherwise-great Acer Chromebook Plus 515, I can’t help but see the screen as a strike against a device that is pretty great to use when connected to my external monitor.

There are certainly other factors in screen quality like color accuracy, refresh rates, and viewing angles, but I don’t think Chromebook Plus has to focus on those things. Instead, a simple baseline of IPS and 300 nits should more than suffice for cleaning up an area that shouldn’t be a gripe in 2024.

Google needs to address build quality with Chromebook Plus

The second thing I’m hopeful for could simply be an internal testing rubric that Google could use to measure a device’s feel and overall deflection. Simply put, you can make a Chromebook Plus out of all plastic if you want, but it should feel nice around the seams and shouldn’t bend enough under its own weight to click the trackpad. This is completely doable.

I pick up the excellent Lenovo Slim 3i Chromebook Plus and am constantly reminded that you don’t have to use metal to make a Chromebook feel great and be rigid. The Slim 3i totally pulls this off, and it’s not wildly expensive. Other manufacturers need to look at what Lenovo did with this Chromebook and do likewise. Flimsy chassis feel cheap, and though Chromebook Plus is aimed at the mid-range segment, I don’t think this is an area Google should continue letting manufacturers cut corners.

I look at the crop of new Chromebook Plus models and constantly think to myself, “If all of these devices were firm in the hand and had good (not amazing or game-changing) screens, there’s not much more I’d ask for in this price bracket.” But for now, that isn’t the case. When I first realized the Slim 3i would be a Chromebook Plus, I really thought Google had put in some restrictions that would guide manufacturers in these two areas across the board, but that isn’t yet the case. I’m hopeful it will be one day, because once these changes do become part of the Chromebook Plus story, these devices will be simply impossible to deny.