In the market for a new computer? You might be wondering whether a Chromebook or a laptop is the right choice for you. Let’s take a look at some quick pros and cons of each option to help you decide.
Chromebooks are known for being lightweight and affordable and having long battery life. They’re perfect for students or anyone who needs a computer for basic tasks like browsing the web, checking email, and working on documents.
However, Chromebooks are limited in terms of storage and don’t have the same processing power as laptops. They also can’t run certain types of software, like Photoshop.
Laptops, on the other hand, are more versatile. They can be used for tasks like gaming, video editing, and graphic design. They also have more storage than Chromebooks. However, laptops are more expensive and have shorter battery life.
So, which is the right choice for you? It depends on your needs. If you need a computer for basic tasks and don’t mind the limitations of a Chromebook, then a Chromebook might be the right choice for you. If you need a more versatile computer with more storage and processing power, then a laptop is the better choice.
In this article, I will compare Chromebooks and laptops in terms of performance, portability, and battery life to help you decide which might be a better choice.
What is a Chromebook?
After a bit of surfing on the web, I found out that a Chromebook isn’t so different from any other laptop, at least on the surface. The real difference is what goes on underneath the hood. A Chromebook is a laptop that runs the Google Chrome operating system as its primary OS.
It was designed by Google in conjunction with a lot of laptop manufacturers. The idea was to create a simple operating system that anyone could use. There aren’t any specifications that a Chromebook is supposed to come with. So, that’s why they always come in so many different shapes and sizes.
Chromebook Features
Although, a Chromebook does come with a few generalised features that make them distinct from other laptops.
Design and body; Most Chromebooks aren’t large; they usually are in the range of 12-14 inches, they usually don’t weigh more than 2.5kg, and they are usually not more than 2mm thick. It also has a webcam, and it usually doesn’t have more than one or two USB ports.
Long Battery life; Most Chromebooks have a very long battery life because they can leverage the fact that the Chrome OS is a lightweight, low power consumption Software.
Also, a Chromebook doesn’t usually come with a lot of high processing power, so it is rare to find ones that come with a Core i5 or higher. However, they do exist, but they are a lot more expensive for some reason.
Oh, and that’s another key feature of Chromebooks because they are so easy to build, and they make use of chrome OS; then, they aren’t as expensive as powerful laptops with higher operating systems. So you can find them for prices ranging from $150-$350.
Chrome OS; This is a pure productivity OS that integrates the google ecosystem. It makes use of google drive, all the accompanying google docs, and an integrated google antivirus software.
These all make it lightweight as it usually depends on cloud storage to operate and does not require large ram and large storage space. It also comes built-in with some parental control tools that easily allow you to control what your children have access to. It has a timer for apps, it helps sensor some sites on the browser, it also has a setup feature designed for kids, and thanks to cloud storage it also allows parents to access their children’s browser history and generally monitor what their kids are doing. Since the OS is designed by Google it can also run android apps.
What Is A Laptop
As any dictionary will tell you, a laptop is a generalisation term used to describe a whole range of different portable computers used for a variety of tasks. So as a generalised term used to describe different types of portable computers. It would be easier to describe the main variations on different kinds of laptops available.
Chromebook; A Chromebook is a laptop that runs the Google Chrome operating system as its primary OS.
Ultrabook; So an ultrabook is a purposefully built ultra-thin and light laptop that could handle all the tasks of a desktop replacement but with less weight and an improved battery. Although most laptops being made nowadays are Ultrabooks.
Desktop replacements; These are the chunky all-purpose laptops that were designed with the initial idea of replacing desktops.
A notebook; Is a smaller, less powerful laptop design with the idea of being as small as a notebook and could easily fit into any bag. However, to achieve such a size, many sacrifices were made like battery life, keyboard size, and internal drives.
Can a Chromebook play games;
Now, if you’re expecting it to handle console-level games, then you’re better off buying a console because most Chromebooks are built to be lightweight and consume less power, and additional cores and graphics cards are not made available, and it doesn’t make use of large RAM so it doesn’t compensate. However, because it’s built on chrome OS, it can handle android games.
Chromebook Pros and Cons
Pros
- Portability
- Long-lasting battery life
- Google workspace ecosystem
- Cost-effective and easy to manufacture.
Cons
- Not designed to handle heavy-duty tasks like programming, gaming, and video editing.
- Usually small storage space
- No thunderbolt charging as well as no type C charger
- Very low processing power, and the ones with higher processing power are rather expensive and are still not as good as the other laptops within that price range.
- Chrome OS; this is a funny one, but the chrome OS doesn’t handle as many tasks as the laptops using Windows and Mac. It also is hindered by its design as it is designed to be easy to use, and it doesn’t handle complicated tasks.
Which Is Better: A Chromebook Or A Laptop
A Chromebook is a good laptop design, but it is limited in its capabilities; as I had said, Chrome OS is a Linux-based OS, and it was initially built as an Android.
It also doesn’t handle very complicated tasks, and most Chromebooks are severely limited, so there isn’t much use for them outside of simple tasks. So, in short, a laptop would be the better option as it’s built to handle more tasks, and the other operating systems are constructed to handle a variety of tasks.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both Chromebooks and laptops have their own set of pros and cons. It really depends on your needs as to which one would be better for you.
If you need a device mainly for browsing the internet and doing some light productivity work, then a Chromebook would be a great choice. They’re cheaper, lighter, and have great battery life. If you need a more powerful device for things like gaming or video editing, then a laptop would be a better option.
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