Thursday, March 28, 2024

Make your Chromebook better with these accessories

Share

Lightweight and dependable, Chromebooks are pretty awesome all on their own, but if you want to elevate yours to the next level, there are a lot of accessories out there that can help whether you’re using yours on the road or making it more comfortable at home. From mice and USB hubs to carrying cases and cleaning supplies, we’ve got it all covered for you!

Compact 45W charger

RAVPower PD Pioneer 45W GaN Wall Charger

Staff pick

ravpower-pd-pioneer-45w-gan-wall-charger

Most Chromebooks max charge rate is 45W, and this one of the smallest 45W chargers on the market today, roughly the size of a credit card and half an inch thick. I leave the charger brick my Chromebook came with at home and carry this pocket-friendly charger instead.

From $40 at Amazon

Charging on the road

Anker Powerline+ C to C 2.0 Cable (6ft)

anker-powerline-plus-c-to-c-red-uncroppe

This is the USB-C cable I carry most often in my gear bag because it can charge a Chromebook at full speed and comes with a handy magnetic and velcro carrying wrap. This cable is flexible without just swinging everywhere and won’t fall out willy-nilly.

$16 at Amazon

Pocket-friendly and powerful

Uni 6-in-1 and 8-in-1 USB-C Hubs

uni-usb-c-hub-render-vertical.jpg?itok=n

Uni’s first USB-C hubs have been my favorites to use this year thanks to their drop-resistant covers, removable USB-C cables, and ultra-compact size. The 6-in-1 is the size of a credit card, and the 8-in-1 isn’t much larger if you need Ethernet for good speeds in your dorm room.

From $30 at Amazon

Go beyond the trackpad

Logitech M535 Compact Bluetooth Mouse

logitech_bluetooth-mouse.png?itok=ynWDmo

While touchscreens are the norm these days on Chromebooks, sometimes touchscreens and touchpads can’t replace a good mouse, and this is a great one. With an ergonomic, compact form that’s easy to slip into a laptop bag or backpack, this a Bluetooth mouse to rely on.

$23 at Amazon

Use it with everything

Logitech K380 Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard

logitech-bt-keyboard.png?itok=B10a71ej

The Logitech K380 is our long-standing favorite Chrome OS replacement keyboard: it’s compatible with just about everything, and the ability to switch back and forth between three devices quickly is awesome, especially during live-tweeting sessions! The battery life’s great, too.

$30 at Amazon

Our favorite keyboard ever

Aukey KM-G3 Mechanical Keyboard

aukey-km-g3-keyboard-best-store.jpg?itok

This shiny, clicky mechanical keyboard is the favorite of not one but two of our editors, standing up to years of use and abuse with Otemu Blue switches and RGB lighting that doesn’t need any specialized software to control it.

$58 at Amazon

Easy carry-all

ProCase Laptop Bag

procase-laptop-bag-navy-render.jpg?itok=

This sleeve puts the zipper to the shorter side rather than across the entire bottom, making it less likely to fail when you’re carrying your Chromebook across campus, and the pocket on the front is big enough for a charger, mouse and even a small notebook.

$20 at Amazon

Separate and smooth

MOSISO Water Repellent Neoprene Laptop Sleeve with Small Case

mosiso-laptop-sleeve-with-cable-case-tea

While having pockets attached to a laptop sleeve can be nice, I much prefer to have the laptop sleeve be laptop-only while using a detached case for my charging cable and accessories. This one is available 22 colors and 6 size configurations, so you can get the perfect fit.

$14 at Amazon

So many styles

Dakine Garden Backpack

dakine-garden-backpack-cloud-break.jpg?i

Dakine makes some durable bags — I have a satchel from them I’ve used for almost a decade now — and the Garden comes with enough style and color options to satisfy even the pickiest of users. The laptop sleeve in the main compartment fits up to a 15-inch Chromebook.

From $38 at Amazon

Easy storage expansion

SanDisk Ultra

sandisk-ultra-200gb-microsd-card.jpg?ito

Chromebooks tend to have less internal storage than traditional computers, and so long as there are super-affordable microSD cards like the SanDisk Ultra, I’m fine with that. Available in sizes up to 512GB, you can expand your storage as much as you want with a reliable UHS-1 card.

From $8 at Amazon

A clean screen is a happy screen

ZEISS Mobile Screen Wipes

zeiss-mobile-screen-wipes-60-count.jpg?i

Touchscreens get oily and grimy — and they get greasy twice as fast sitting against your keyboard when the lid is closed — so pick up these wipes to give your screen a quick wipedown every now and then. One wipe can clean your Chromebook and phone screens.

$11 at Amazon

You never know when you need one

homEdge Stylus Pen (20 Pack)

homedge-stylus-pen-20-pack-render.jpg?it

Touchscreen interaction with a Chromebook is magical and amazing, but even with my petite hands, I fat-finger things at times, which is why I keep at least one or two styluses hidden around my workspace. They’re especially useful when you’ve got like 20 tabs to manage.

$9 at Amazon

Adaptable Stereo Sound

Logitech MX Sound 2.0 Multi Device Stereo Speakers

logitech-mx-sound-2-speakers-render.jpg?

Most Chromebooks — well, most laptops in general — are decent enough to listen to while you’re on the go, but if you intend to watch a lot of videos on your computer, spring for these speakers. They can be used wired or via Bluetooth so that you don’t have to plug in every time.

$80 at Amazon

Stylish, sturdy, and USB-C charging

Urbanears Pampas

urbanears-pampas-cropped.png?itok=4olLbB

$150 at Urbanears

The sound quality on these over-the-ear Bluetooth headphones is solid and the one-button control nob is as unique as it is intuitive. They charge over USB-C, but you can also plug them in with the 3.5mm cable to use like regular wired headphones. The best of all worlds!

Backup earbuds

Panasonic ErgoFit Headphones

panasonic-ergofit-earbuds-purple.jpg?ito

Need a backup pair of headphones in case you need to listen to a lecture in the computer lab (or YouTube video in a crowded cafe)? Panasonic’s earbuds are compact, comfortable, and so affordable you can get them in three or four colors to match your wardrobe.

$12 at Amazon

Make your Chromebook a home

chromebook-accessories-aukey-keyboard-ra

When I’m using my Chromebook at home, I plug it into a Uni 8-in-1 USB-C Hub so that I can use my trusy AUKEY Mechanical Keyboard and rock-solid Ethernet connection, along with my trusty old trackball (because trackball mice are awesome).

Because all of my Chromebooks have been touchscreen, I tend to set them in stand mode — with the keyboard lying flat against my makeshift riser and the screen bent back at a slight angle for easy tapping — and the Uni hub allows me to keep the hub back and out of the way, keeping my cables organized and consolidated. The ZEISS Mobile Screen Wipes sit next to my Chromebook to wipe off smudges so that they don’t build up and make the screen icky.

Chromebook travel kit

lenovo-yoga-chromebook-c330-peeking-out-

Chromebooks are great at home, but with long battery life and durable construction, they’re even better to use out in the big, bad world. Whether you’re just going to the cafe or off to a day at EPCOT, you need to carry your Chromebook in a sleeve of some kind. If your backpack has an integrated laptop sleeve, like the Dakine Garden, that’s great, but you should alwys keep a laptop sleeve in reserve for those times when you’re carrying your laptop outside your normal gear bag, like the handy, handled ProCase Laptop Bag which can act as a sleeve or as a dedicated Chromebook bag.

For charging on the go, there’s no real beating the dynamic duo of the ultra-thin RAVPower 45W PD Charger and the carry-wrap included Anker Powerline+, which I carry on every excursion because I can use it with the RAVPower for charging my Chromebook or a power bank for recharging my phone.

Read more

More News