Are Chromebooks Any Good?
If you are looking for a new laptop on a budget, then you might be wondering if a Chromebook is a good alternative to consider. Chromebooks have been around for quite some time, but it’s only in the past few years that they’ve hit more mainstream success. Chromebooks are laptops that run on ChromeOS, a lightweight operating system that is less demanding compared to Windows 10 or macOS. It mostly relies on the Chrome browser and internet connectivity in order to perform tasks. Over time, ChromeOS has expanded its capabilities to support apps that allow you to do more while offline including creative and productivity related tasks, playing games, and consuming media.
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Choosing the Right Chromebook
It’s important to understand that just like any laptop, not all Chromebooks are created equal. Before going ahead and investing in a Chromebook laptop for yourself, it’s a good idea to consider the features, capabilities and price tags on offer. Some Chromebooks are more feature-rich, and others are more powerful compared to certain models. You can get Chromebooks with 2-in-1 features, touchscreens, expandable storage and more, while lower-end ones are more likely to only have basic features.
Chromebook Software
The ChromeOS operating system is the main difference between Chromebooks and other laptops. Instead of coming with the traditional Windows or macOS operating system, these laptops come with Google Chrome OS. Compared to the other laptop operating systems, it works more like a smartphone operating system and is only able to run apps from the Google Play Store or the Chrome Web Store, along with relying heavily on the Chrome browser for running most tasks. The good news is that even though this sounds quite restrictive, there are thousands of different apps to choose from and you should have no issues finding the ones that you want.
Chromebook Touch Screens
You can usually find two types of Chromebooks. These are either traditional, basic laptops or two-in-one Chromebooks that you can use as either a laptop or a tablet. Many Chromebooks come with a touchscreen, which may be worth investing more in as those that don’t have a touchscreen often don’t work as well with some apps that are downloaded from the Google Play Store, since the apps are usually mainly designed to use on smartphones or tablets.
Other Chromebook Hardware
Chrome OS is able to run on less powerful hardware compared to macOS or Windows 10, which often makes these laptops more affordable in comparison to others. This makes them ideal for a student budget or for small business owners who are just starting out and need a small, affordable laptop for work. Bear in mind, however, that cheaper Chromebooks tend to have less storage space – usually you can find around 32GB or 64GB on offer. This might not be an issue if you’re mainly storing documents in the cloud or streaming videos, but may be a problem if you want to store large files.
If you are looking for a budget laptop that works well for everyday use, a Chromebook might be an ideal choice for you.