The 6 Best-Selling Chromebook Brands In Q2 2017

Chromebooks To Consider

Two vendors are dominating the Chromebook market in terms of sales through sales through technology distributors and commercial resellers -- and growing their positions, too. That's according to the latest data from The NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y.-based market research firm. The vendors, HP and Lenovo, led the way in sales of Chromebooks through distributors during the second quarter of 2017, The NPD Group reports.

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

6. Samsung

Despite the recent introduction of two new Chromebook models, the Chromebook Plus and Chromebook Pro, Samsung's share of the Chromebook market dipped during the second quarter, in terms of sales through technology distributors and commercial resellers. The NPD Group reports that the South Korean firm captured a 2.9 percent share of the market during the second quarter, down from 5 percent during the same period a year earlier.

5. Asus

Taiwan-based Asus also saw its share of Chromebook sales through distributors and commercial resellers decline during the second quarter of the year, according to The NPD Group. Asus' share of the market dipped to 4.6 percent during the second quarter, from 6 percent the year before. The company's top-selling model through distributors during the quarter was its 11.6-inch Chromebook (C202SA YS02), The NPD Group reports.

4. Dell

Round Rock, Texas-based Dell saw a modest gain in its share of the Chromebook market in the second quarter, in terms of sales through technology distributors and commercial resellers. The company's market share grew to 9.4 percent during the quarter, up from 9 percent during the same period of 2016. Dell's best-selling Chromebook model through distributors during the second quarter was the Chromebook 3180, which has an 11.6-inch display and durability features such as a spill-resistant keyboard.

3. Acer

Taiwan-based Acer slipped during the second quarter in terms of its Chromebook market share via distributors and commercial resellers, with 17.8 percent of that market during the second quarter compared with 20 percent the year before. The company's two Chromebooks that saw the highest sales through distributors during the second quarter were the Acer Chromebook C740 and the Acer Chromebook 11, both of which come with 11.6-inch displays and student-ready durability features.

2. Lenovo

While a number of other Chromebook vendors lost market share during the second quarter, China-based Lenovo was among the gainers. The company saw its share of Chromebook sales through distributors and commercial resellers rise to 30.4 percent during the second quarter, up from 27 percent during the same period a year earlier. Helping to drive the growth were two recently released models, the N23 Chromebook -- the top-selling Chromebook through distributors during the quarter -- and a convertible version, the N23 Yoga Chromebook. The 11.6-inch laptops come with durability features such as reinforced hinges and mechanically anchored keys, and the N23 Yoga is Lenovo's first Chromebook that can run Google Play Store apps.

1. HP

Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP Inc. cemented its No. 1 position by growing its share of Chromebook sales through distributors and commercial resellers to 35.1 percent in the second quarter. That's compared with 32 percent during the same period of 2016. Strong sales of HP's Chromebook 11 -- featuring an 11.6-inch display, a fanless design and rubberized edges for drop protection -- helped to fuel the results. The fourth-gen Chromebook 11 (Education Edition) came in as the No. 2 best-seller through distributors during the quarter while the fifth-gen Chromebook 11 came in at No. 3, The NPD Group reported.