I was delighted to see that the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 didn’t skimp on a crappy touchpad. That goes a long way toward improving the experiencing of actually using the laptop on a moment-by-moment basis. I wasn’t annoyed every time I had to click-and-drag or select a bit of text. This one’s biggest weakness is definitely the screen, which is true of just about every cheap Chromebook I’ve tested. The colors are ugly and desaturated, giving the whole thing a sickly green tint. It’s also not the sharpest in the world, as it’s stretching 1920 x 1200 pixels across a large, 16-inch screen. But in terms of usability and performance, the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 is a great value, combining an Intel Core i3 processor with 8 GB of RAM and a 128 GB of storage. For a Chromebook that’s often on sale for $350, it’s a steal.

While we’re here, let’s go even cheaper, shall we? Asus has two dirt-cheap Chromebooks that I tested last year that I was mildly impressed by. The Asus Chromebook CX14 and CX15. Notice in the name that these are not “Chromebook Plus” models, meaning they can be configured with less RAM and storage, and even use lower-powered processors. That’s exactly what you get on the cheaper configurations of the CX14 and CX15, which is how you sometimes get prices down to as low as $130. I definitely recommend the version with 8 GB of RAM, but regardless of which you choose, the both the CX14 and larger CX15 are mildly attractive laptops. You’d know that’s a big compliment if you’ve seen just how ugly Chromebooks of this price have been in the past.

With these, though, I appreciate the relatively thin bezels and chassis thickness, as well as the larger touchpad and comfortable keyboard. The CX15 even comes in a striking blue color. The touchpad isn’t great, nor is the display. Like the Acer Chromebook Plus 516, it suffers from poor color reproduction and only goes up to 250 nits of brightness. It only has a 720p webcam too, which makes video calls a bit rough. But that’s going to be true of nearly all the competition (and there isn’t much).

Of the two models, I definitely prefer the CX14 though, as it doesn’t have a numberpad and off-center touchpad, which I’ve always found to be awkward to use. Look—no one’s going to love using a computer that costs the less than $200, but if it’s what you can afford, the Asus Chromebook CX14 will at least get you by without too much frustration.

Whatever you do, don’t just head over to Amazon and buy whatever ancient Chromebook is selling for $100 for your kid. It’s worth the extra cash to get something with better battery life, a more modern look, and decent performance.

Other Good Chromebooks We’ve Tested

We’ve tested dozens and dozens of Chromebooks over the past years, having reviewed every major release across the spectrum of price. Unlike Macs and Windows laptops, Chromebooks tends to stick around a bit longer though, and aren’t refreshed as often. I stand by my picks above, but here are a few standouts from our testing that are still worth buying for the right person.

Two of Big Tech’s most influential billionaires, Sam Altman and Elon Musk, will go head-to-head in a highly anticipated trial beginning April 27. In Musk v. Altman, a judge, advised by a jury, will ultimately determine whether OpenAI has strayed from its founding mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits humanity, and the ruling could influence how the world’s leading AI developer controls and distributes its technology. For now, you can learn more about the trial here.

On the Panel

On May 8, a panel of WIRED experts will go live to answer your questions about this consequential case.

• Zoë Schiffer: WIRED’s director of business and industry, who oversees coverage of business and Silicon Valley.
• Maxwell Zeff: a senior writer at WIRED covering the business of artificial intelligence. He writes the weekly Model Behavior newsletter, which focuses on the people, communities, and companies behind Silicon Valley’s AI scene.
• Paresh Dave: a senior writer at WIRED covering the inner workings of Big Tech companies. He writes about how apps and gadgets are built and about their impacts while giving voice to the stories of the underappreciated and disadvantaged.

Ask a Question

Submit all your burning questions about this historic legal battle at WIRED’s next, subscriber-only livestream scheduled for May 8 at noon ET / 9 PT. To leave questions in advance as the trial unfolds, head to the comment section below.

Become a Subscriber

The event will be streamed right here. For subscribers who are not able to join, a replay of the livestream will be available after the event. Not a subscriber yet? Subscribe now to get access to this livestream, plus full access to WIRED.

In the meantime, check out past livestreams on Big Tech and the military, the future of electric vehicles, and more.

The UK government has declared its intention to modernise payment services regulation, updating it to support innovations in money and payments, according to an HM Treasury statement. It is also set to publish a consultation inviting feedback from the payments sector.

Lucy Rigby, economic secretary to the HM Treasury, said: “Fintech is a true British success story, and we are backing the industry to maintain its competitive edge and go even further and faster in driving growth.

Rigby will attend events during Fintech Week in London to promote the government’s efforts in maintaining the UK as the leading destination for fintechs to start, scale and succeed, said the Treasury.

“Today’s package is our latest stake in the ground as we build a payments ecosystem that is secure, competitive and fully equipped to harness the opportunities created by rapid technological change,” said Rigby.

Britain is a world-leading destination for fintech, second only to the US in global fintech investment rankings. More than 3,000 fintech firms operate in the country, which account for tens of thousands of jobs.

Revolut – a UK-headquartered fintech firm – reported a £23bn value jump last year, bringing the company to £57bn. The digital bank has since been called Britain’s “leading technology company” by The Finanser CEO Chris Skinner. But in 2025, fintech investment in the UK fell to its lowest level since 2020.

Now, during this week’s London Fintech Week, the government is announcing strategies to grow Britain’s fintech industry, keep pace with technological progress and protect consumers. As part of the announced plan, the government has committed to spending a additional £1m to fund the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT) from April to continue the centre’s work facilitating collaboration across the fintech sector.

The plan includes:

• Bringing the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) into the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA);
• Laying out a single framework for both traditional and tokenised payment;
• Setting guidelines on how payment service regulation should respond to AI agents conducting purchases for customers and businesses;
• And regulating stablecoins use while cutting administrative burdens for companies who want to provide stablecoins payments.

Alongside this, the government is appointing Chris Woolard CBE as wholesale digital market’s champion to make the country’s financial sector more competitive.

Woolard praised British investment in the sector, claiming the country offers “a thriving startup ecosystem, global banks and insurers, and leading universities”, as well as regulators who keep up with innovation to let firms “test, learn and scale responsibly”.

Ultimately, he called for open dialogue between the private and public sectors to create a tokenised wholesale financial markets ecosystem. To improve communication, the government will publish a consultation, asking the payment sector for feedback.

This isn’t the first step in Britain’s path to fintech leadership. A few months ago, the government decided to establish itself as globally competitive by creating a financial service regulatory regime for crypto assets. Recently, the FCA outlined its open finance plan for 2030, which set out a roadmap to giving consumers and businesses more control over their financial data.

In a press release, stakeholder Philip Belamant, co-founder and CEO of Zilch, said: “The UK has a real opportunity to lead globally in enabling agentic finance, helping consumers benefit from smarter, more efficient ways to manage their money.”