Are Chromebooks Good Laptops for Students?
There’s a lot to love about Chromebooks. They are economical, have many options, and are powerful enough to get the job done. If you’re a student buying a laptop for school, it can be quite attractive. For some students, a Chromebook is a smart buy, but for others, it’s a nightmare that’s waiting in the wings. Let’s see where you fall.
First, understand what you get with Chrome OS
In most cases, Chromebooks are just laptops. Sure, their specs are slightly different from those of your traditional Intel-based production laptop, but the main feature that sets them apart is Chrome OS .
Chrome OS is essentially the Chrome browser in the form of an operating system. It is designed to use your Google account to centralize as much of your work as possible and store it in the cloud. Most of the applications you will be using are web applications and almost all of them will store their data online. That’s the beauty of Chrome OS: if something happens to your laptop, ideally you can quickly get back to work by simply logging in on another.
This is great when it comes to backup and security, but it also means that Chromebooks have serious limitations. Because they are designed as “terminals” and not like your main computer, they don’t have powerful graphics cards, they usually don’t offer tons of memory, and often use low power processors. Some may have high quality screens and keyboards, but they still have disadvantages over traditional laptops. The previously mentioned Chromebook comparison site can help you navigate the specs of Chromebooks and see what is “okay” compared to other laptops.
This means that whatever your school’s recommended specs are, as we mentioned in our guide to choosing a laptop for school , you may have to reduce them slightly to reflect the fact that Chromebooks do most of their work on the Internet. It also means that you need to be comfortable with everything you do online, in the cloud, and you need to trust Google in everything (which is a difficult task for many). But if that’s okay. with you they can be great little cars.
Who are Chromebooks for?
Thus, a Chromebook is ideal for more students than you might think. They’re generally affordable, and while Chrome OS isn’t exactly a flexible operating system, it’s mature and reliable enough that you can do almost anything you need to do, especially if your world revolves around the Internet. Here are some students who might find a Chromebook useful:
- Students Who Do Everything Online : For most of us, most of the tools and services we work with are on the Internet, or have great web applications that we could use instead of locally installed programs. We all have Google accounts, we use Gmail, we use web lockers for our photos (like Google Photos or Flickr), we work with free online office suites like Google Docs, we use Facebook and Twitter, we listen to streaming music from Spotify or Google Music and stream movies on Netflix or Hulu. Even if you swear that you can’t find a replacement for your favorite app on Chrome or on the web, chances are there is something that will do the job . If most of your work is done online (or maybe online), a Chromebook will let you do just about anything you need to do.
- Students with reliable Internet access . While Chrome OS has some offline capabilities and applications, most of its capabilities are always connected. Your data and changes are automatically saved and backed up to your Google account. Of course, all of this means that reliable internet access is a must to get the most out of your Chromebook. However, if your school is covered in a cozy blanket of high-speed Wi-Fi and tons of Ethernet ports, you will be in good shape.
- Students who need one computer on the go and another for their home : The great thing about a Chromebook is that it’s actually affordable. A good one can cost you a couple hundred dollars compared to the thousands you would spend on a more powerful laptop. This means it might actually be cheaper to buy two computers : a Chromebook for work on the go and a regular desktop for the home. So, if you want a personalized desktop for gaming or video editing, but still want something better than a tablet for taking notes or borrowing to the library and writing articles, Chromebooks are a solid option that won’t save you money (or drain your budget. assembly of your PC). Plus, it’s always running and always backed up means you can even retrieve your notes and documents from your Chromebook on another PC whenever you need them.
- Students who don’t play video games (or don’t play, just not on their Chromebook) : To a large extent, you can’t play on a Chromebook, unless the games you play are primarily web games. As we mentioned, don’t expect high-quality graphics on Chromebooks, or even platforms like Steam, unless you choose to install Linux . However, PC gamers can use a Chromebook for work and then continue to play on a gaming PC as we mentioned above, or on a console if you like. Chromebooks help you get things done and productive when you’re on the go. But when you’re at home, it’s free for everyone.
More people fall into these categories than you think. After all, every year students spend thousands of dollars on laptops just for Facebook, Google Docs, Netflix, and Spotify. These students can get the same or better experience on a more affordable Chromebook. Plus, they don’t have to worry so much about backups and security issues like malware or adware. (We’re not saying you have nothing to worry about at all, just less.)
Who’s Better with a Traditional Windows Laptop or Mac
Of course, while Chromebooks are great for many, there are others for which they just aren’t the best option. Maybe you just need power, or maybe you need something specific from your laptop. Here are some people who might want to buy another laptop:
- Students with special school or application requirements : If your school or specialty expects you to use very specific tools or a specific operating system for your lessons, your professors won’t like Chromebooks. Instead, you have to overcome an obstacle. If everyone else in your class is using some kind of dedicated CAD software, or your design professor is teaching everyone how to use Photoshop, and you are using Pixlr, you are at a disadvantage and trust us, no one will be interested in helping. you will get through it.
- Students who need ports, computing power, or can’t find web applications to do their job : Likewise, if you can’t find a web application equivalent for your favorite desktop program or what you do, it usually takes a lot of local processing power (games, video editing, audio encoding, etc.), the Chromebook might not be for you. Likewise, if you need to connect a ton of devices or need dedicated ports like Thunderbolt, good luck. You might fall into the “two computers are better than one” camp above, but if you want one general purpose computer, a Chromebook is probably not the right fit for your use case.
- Students looking to swap their tech purchases for regular updates : It depends a bit on what you buy, but given the price point of most Chromebooks, you shouldn’t expect them to have a lot of resale value. You’re not going to flip your Chromebook every year to get the latest model, and if you do, you might see yourself spending more money than you’d like. Even high-end Chromebooks like the latest Chromebook Pixel are good, but not great . Even older Chromebooks are struggling to justify their price tag . All of this means that the resale market is likely to be full of deals and low prices that you will have to compete with if you want to sell. Even so, low start-up costs translate into higher value in the long run if you use them in the long run. You get the ability to store your devices for longer, repurpose them for easier work later, or transfer them without feeling like you’re losing a significant investment.
- Students accustomed to Windows or OS X feel uncomfortable without them : Chrome OS isn’t for everyone. Don’t get me wrong, it is optimized and well designed, but still not for everyone. There will still be some students – especially if they don’t know what they are getting themselves into – who will download executables or .app files and wonder why they can’t use them. These same people will inevitably call their campus IT support and hear, “Oh, do you have a Chromebook? We really can’t help you, ”and feel like they’ve wasted their money. They will wonder why they can’t download the same apps that everyone else is using. They will have smartphones that they cannot connect to, and they will read about a myriad of new applications that they cannot install. They’ll be looking at how iPhones and iOS fit together with OS X and Apple computers, and they’ll want that experience instead, or they’ll miss out on Windows. After all, Chrome OS is more or less Linux, and if you’re not prepared for the hassle that comes with using and troubleshooting Linux (no command line, since there is very little of that on Chrome OS), you might be disappointed.
If any of them are like you, you may be more suitable for a traditional Ultrabook or Macbook . This does not mean that this is an impossible option; As we said, some people can use a Chromebook as a mobile computer and then return to their comfortable relationship with OS X or Windows when they return to their room. People who don’t care about resale value don’t care if there is a secondary market for Chromebook Pixel. However, if you just want to buy one technology that does everything you need to do and you already understand that, Chromebooks might not be the best choice.
However, if you’re stranded, don’t forget that you can “test drive” Chrome OS on the laptop you already own if you want. With a little elbow grease, you can try this ahead of time, decide if you need the experience (or if you can get used to it), and then make a smarter buying decision. This can, if you like what you see, even get rid of the last point above entirely.
After all, they shouldn’t hold you back if they are not like you. Chromebooks are a great option for more people than they might think. They will save you money, centralize your computing, make it easier to back up and move between computers, and they are very easy to use once you get used to them. However, this does not mean that they are for everyone. Just remember to include them when thinking about your next laptop purchase.