The 6 Best-Selling Chromebook Brands In Q3 2017

Chromebooks To Consider

The competition in the Chromebook market is heating up, judging by Chromebook sales through technology distributors and resellers in the third quarter of the year. Second-place Lenovo fell just short of No. 1 finisher HP Inc. during the third quarter, thanks to strong sales of recently introduced Lenovo Chromebook models, according to the latest data from The NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y.-based market research firm. Meanwhile, Dell also gained ground in the Chromebook market while Acer's market share slipped during the quarter.

The NPD Group tracks monthly technology sales-out information from the largest IT distributors and commercial resellers (incl. CDW, Insight, PCM, Zones and others) in North America, down to the item level and with overlap removed.

6. Samsung

Even after launching two innovative Chromebooks earlier this year, the Chromebook Pro and Chromebook Plus, Samsung's Chromebook market share slipped during the third quarter, in terms of sales through the channel. The NPD Group reports that the South Korean electronics giant took just 3 percent of the Chromebook market during the third quarter, down from 4.8 percent in the year-ago quarter.

5. Asus

Taiwan-based Asus essentially held steady on its share of Chromebook sales through the channel during the third quarter of the year, The NPD Group reported. Asus' market share came in at 5.7 percent during the third quarter, compared with 5.8 percent a year earlier. The company's best-seller during the quarter was its 11.6-inch Chromebook (C202SA YS02), according to The NPD Group.

4. Dell

Round Rock, Texas-based Dell was among the growth stories in the Chromebook market during the third quarter, with sales through distributors and commercial resellers rising to give Dell a market share of 8.5 percent. That's up from 7.6 percent during the third quarter of 2016. Dell's best-seller was the Chromebook 3180, which features an 11.6-inch display and durability features such as a spill-resistant keyboard.

3. Acer

Taiwan-based Acer took a significant hit to its share of the Chromebook market during the third quarter, with its share of sales through distributors and commercial resellers falling to 15.7 percent. That's down from 18.4 percent during the year-ago quarter. The company's two best-sellers in the third quarter were the Acer Chromebook C740 and the Acer Chromebook 11, which both feature 11.6-inch displays and student-oriented durability features.

2. Lenovo

The biggest growth during the third quarter came at China-based Lenovo, which increased its share of Chromebook sales to 33 percent during the quarter. That's up from 28.9 percent during the same period of 2016 -- and got Lenovo very close to the No. 1 player in the market.

Spurring the growth were two models that Lenovo released this year: The N23 Chromebook -- which was the No. 1 Chromebook through distributors and commercial resellers during the third quarter -- and a convertible version, the N23 Yoga Chromebook. The 11.6-inch Chromebooks feature strong durability thanks to mechanically anchored keys and reinforced hinges, and the N23 Yoga is the first Lenovo Chromebook to run apps from the Google Play Store.

1. HP

Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP Inc. narrowly beat out Lenovo during the third quarter in terms of Chromebook sales according to The NPD Group, with a 34 percent share of the market. That's down slightly from the same period a year earlier, when HP's market share was 34.3 percent. The company's best-seller during the third quarter was the Chromebook 11 -- which sports an 11.6-inch display, rubberized edges for drop protection, and a fanless design.