Chromebook Vs. Laptop Showdown: Why Chromebooks Are Ideal for Users of All Needs

Top 7 Advantages: How Chromebooks Outshine Traditional Laptops for Everyday Use – Insights

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

Whenever people are looking for a new laptop, their minds almost immediately go to Windows laptops or MacBooks, but there is a third classification that should be considered: Chromebooks.

Chromebooks get a bad rap. People still think of ChromeOS -- the Chromebook operating system – as too simplistic for most use cases. Well, I have news for you: What was originally scoffed at as nothing more than a laptop with a web browser has evolved into something much greater. Chromebooks have grown into user-friendly laptops that you can productively use for both personal and business workflows.

Since most of our work now happens within web browsers, Chromebooks offer a perfect marriage of simplicity and usability.

Also: Google’s new Chromebook Plus AI features could give Windows Copilot a run for its money

The thing is, many Windows and MacOS users still dismiss Chromebooks as little more than a toy with a limited operating system. Little do they know!

I’ve been a tech journalist for 30 years and a tech aficionado for even longer. I’ve tried every operating system and hardware platform, from the ones you’ve heard of to many you haven’t. I added Chromebooks into the mix when the first device was released, so I’ve experienced ChromeOS in all its iterations.

Based on all my experience, here’s why Chromebooks are the perfect laptops for most people.

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links

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1. Chromebooks are cheap

The first reason is beyond dispute. Given the economy’s rather crushing effect on many of our budgets, finding an inexpensive piece of hardware can be a big plus for anyone looking to stay productive. That’s not to say every Chromebook is cheap. I once paid a premium for a Chromebook Pixel , and it remains one of my favorites. (The display and keyboard were the best in class back then.) The HP Elite Dragonfly, for example, sells for around $2,177 .

Also: The best Chromebooks for students in 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

That said, you can purchase a very respectable Chromebook, such as the ASUS Chromebook Flip C433 2 in 1 for $368. It houses an Intel Core m3-8100Y, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of eMMC storage. If you want something even cheaper, Acer is selling its Chromebook Plus 514 for $328 on Amazon. The laptop has an Intel Core i3-N305, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD for storage.

Yes, you can buy a cheap Windows laptop , but a similarly specced sub-$400 laptop powered by Microsoft’s operating system will not perform nearly as well as a Chromebook at the same price. Plus, given that the cheapest Apple laptop is the MacBook Air , starting at $999, there’s simply no comparison regarding price.

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2. Chromebooks are user-proof

No other laptop operating system on the planet can claim to be as user-proof as ChromeOS . Some would argue that’s because there’s so little you can do with a Chromebook, but that’s false, especially considering your Chromebook can run both Android and Linux apps.

It doesn’t matter if Microsoft or Apple likes to tout how user-friendly their operating systems are because neither one can justifiably state that they are as easy to use as ChromeOS. ChromeOS’ ease of use is light years ahead of the competition. No matter your experience level, you can sit down with a Chromebook and put it to use immediately. OS upgrades are something even grandparents can handle.

Also: A new ChromeOS update brings a touch of Windows 11 to Chromebooks

I’ve known users – hello, family, are you listening? – who’ve suffered to no end using either Windows or macOS. The second they land on ChromeOS, the problems melt away.

I’ve watched users continually break Windows and MacOS laptops (and come to me for help). The number of times I’ve had a Chromebook user do the same thing is… nil. Sure, a couple of times, people have asked me, “How do I get this thing connected to a printer?” That’s about it.

3. Chromebooks are fast

Take two laptops with basically the same hardware configuration. Load one with Windows 11 and one with ChromeOS, and see which performs better. In every instance, you’ll find ChromeOS to be exponentially faster.

Also: 5 ChromeOS settings you should change for a more secure Chromebook - here’s how

It’s not just about how quickly Android or Linux apps open (see above) but also how fast the machines boot. ChromeOS boots in a fraction of the time it takes any other operating system to boot. If you want a fast laptop at a reasonable price, get a Chromebook.

4. Chromebooks are reliable

In the 10 years since I’ve been using Chromebooks, I’ve only had one device with problems, and that was the original Pixelbook, which suffered from Bluetooth and networking issues. Beyond that, I’ve never had a problem with a Chromebook. It just doesn’t happen. Yes, that’s partly because ChromeOS is “mostly” a web browser masquerading as an OS, but even with Linux and Android app support enabled, I’ve never had a problem.

Also: 5 things CHromeOS needs to rival MacOS

Even when using the non-stable ChromeOS channel , I’ve found the operating system exponentially more reliable than Windows. Anyone who argues this point hasn’t used ChromeOS enough.

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5. Chromebooks are flexible

Work done on a Chromebook is automatically saved onto Google’s cloud servers. This leaves your on-device storage space free for whatever you want. For this reason, Chromebooks tend to have small SSDs – Google figures everything will be saved on its servers.

Having your important files and photos safe on servers is great if you ever decide to upgrade your laptop. You won’t have to transfer files to the new machine. There is a catch: accessing files on the cloud requires constant internet access. So if you’re in a place without Wi-Fi, you’re out of luck – at least on older models.

Review: This HP Chromebook made living without Windows easier than I expected

Chromebook Plus laptops have solved this with the File Sync feature, which gives you offline access to your Google Drive accounts. You can do your work while away from a connection, and when you return home, the files are automatically uploaded to the cloud.

6. Chromebooks are secure

Reliability isn’t just about stability – it’s also about security, and thanks to the Linux kernel, ChromeOS is a very secure option. Chromebooks are also secured with verification at boot, a read-only OS that blocks executables, data encryption, sandboxing, and more.

Also: 5 ChromeOS settings you should change for an even more secure Chromebook

Thanks to ChromeOS’ built-in security, even older, out-of-support Chromebooks are safer than a newer MacOS or Windows laptop. Skeptical? In Chromebook’s 10-year history, only 57 ChromeOS security exploits have been documented.

You won’t need antivirus or anti-malware. Just make sure to apply all updates when they become available, avoid suspicious websites, and only install extensions from the official Google Chrome Store.

7. Chromebooks can be easily restored

Speaking of reliability, should you wind up having a problem with ChromeOS misbehaving (extremely unlikely; see above), you can simply do a “powerwash” (a factory reset) and log back into your Google account. You’ll find everything there, minus whatever problem you were experiencing (and anything you’d previously saved to the Downloads folder).

Also: I revived three ancient computers with ChromeOS Flex, and you can too

No other operating system can compete with ChromeOS’ ability to factory reset and return you to a pristine working state without losing your data, bookmarks, and apps. I’ve never once worried about doing anything with a Chromebook, simply because I know I can do a quick power wash and be back working in minutes.

Bottom line

Chromebooks may not be the ideal solution for everyone. Attempt any serious video editing or audio recording on a Chromebook, and you’ll quickly be frustrated. For the average user, though, a Chromebook is one of the cheapest, best options on the market.

If you do most of your work and entertainment in a web browser, you owe it to yourself to switch to a Chromebook. Your life will be simpler, and you’ll be more efficient and effective.

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Chromebook Vs. Laptop Showdown: Why Chromebooks Are Ideal for Users of All Needs | DigitalEdge