+1 for a Chromebook refresh
Chromebook prices have been going up, with premium options inching closer to the cost of the former Framework 13 Chromebook Edition.
- The 2025 Lenovo Chromebook 14 Plus $799, nearly the price of a low-spec M4 Macbook Air.
- The 2024 Asus ExpertBook CX54 Chromebook Plus, costing $649, which is as much as an low spec Macbook Air on sale.
- The 2023 HP Elite Dragonfly 13.5 Chromebook, costing a staggering $2000 for all-around premium quality features.
Chromebook prices are going up because Google has schools and businesses purchasing these in bulk. They’re going for Chromebooks for ease of managability and because ChromeOS has never been ransomware’d. The push for premium Chromebooks is also driven by the hardware refresh necessary for neural compute units powering the latest AI features.
None of those existing premium Chromebook options are repairable. They’re all going to become e-waste just like the Chromebooks that have come before them. If Framework had a Chromebook refresh, then it would be insane for an enterprise not to buy it.
It wouldn’t necessarily have to be the Framework 13, however, the 13 would be an excellent choice.
RAM is the biggest limiting factor on ChromeOS devices, so the ability to upgrade it on Framework hardware would be a value proposition that no other Chromebook competes with.