New Gemini smarts aren’t the only reason I’m excited for Google’s latest Chromebook Plus laptops

Google has just kicked its Chromebook Plus program into high gear, courtesy of all-new MediaTek silicon that promises to bring some of Gemini’s AI smarts out of the cloud and onto your lap.

First in line is the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14, which launches today from $599/£599 – and after seeing one in the metal at a pre-launch preview, I’m going to need to rethink what it means to be a budget laptop.

Each new Chromebook Plus notebook I’ve seen has somehow managed to feel more and more premium; Lenovo’s effort goes even better, with a largely metal build that’s barely 16mm at its thickest point. The silver finish really helps it play the part of a pricier device, and I like the subtle Chromebook badging on the lid.

There’s still room at the sides for two USB-C ports – one on the left next to a single Type-A port, and one on the right with the 3.5mm headphone port. It’s great to see a fingerprint reader underneath the keyboard, too; using an Android phone with Smart Lock is a slick way to skip the ChromeOS lock screen, but this is even quicker. The 5MP webcam promises clear video calls, with Google’s usual on-device background blur and appearance effects on offer if you need ’em.

Weighing a paltry 1.15kg, this laptop looks ideal for on-the-go working, and it’s also completely fanless. That means silent running, whether you’re replying to work emails or getting your game on via the Play Store.

A 1920×1200 OLED screen further sets this machine apart from lesser Chromebooks. Perfect blacks, impeccable contrast and vibrant colours were all on display during my demo, along with excellent viewing angles. 400 nits brightness is promised, along with 100% DCI-P3 colour coverage for creative types. It’ll be available as a touchscreen, too.

Dolby Atmos sound is then Chromebook first, with two woofers and two tweeters delivering down- and up-firing audio to match the luscious visuals.

It should eat up anything you can throw at it, thanks to the MediaTek Kompanio Ultra chipset. Eight ARM cores apparently deliver 18% better CPU muscle and 40% better GPU performance than the Intel Core Ultra 5 125U found in a handful of current Chromebooks. 50% less power consumption, too – so much that Lenovo reckons you’ll see up to 17 hours of battery life from a single charge. It’s paired with either 12GB or 16GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage.

AI processing sees the biggest gains, with a dedicated NPU delivering as much as 50 TOPs of processing grunt. On-device Gemini Nano processing should be 32% faster than previous-gen Chromebook Plus laptops, but also 44% more efficient.

That’s handy, as Google has moved even more of Gemini’s AI processing onto the Chromebook itself for 2025. The image gallery can now intelligently cut out subjects from their backgrounds, or expand them if you’ve cropped in too tightly. Cloud-based image generation can now be found in the Quick Insert menu (accessed with the Caps Lock key), and the 12 Months of Google AI Pro Plan you get free with purchase includes Google’s eerily clever Veo 3 video generation tool.

Smart Grouping is exclusive to the Chromebook Plus 14, taking related apps and windows to a new virtual desktop to save you from a nightmare of alt+tab swapping.

Select to Search with Lens is the laptop equivalent of your phone’s Circle to Search. Tap and hold – or press a shortcut key combo – and you can drag a box around any onscreen text. A window then pops up from the corner of the screen with relevant info, without taking you away from your current app, and contextual tools appear based on what you’ve selected. Highlight a party invitation image and it’ll offer to add the event to your calendar; highlight a photo of spreadsheet and it’ll let you import the lot into Google Sheets, formatting and all.

The non-exclusive features will make their way to existing Chromebook Plus laptops, but you’ll need to pick up the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 to get AI image editing in the gallery app and smart grouping. It’s on sale right now, with prices starting from $599/£599.

• Related: Laptop or tablet – which is best for you?