Key Takeaways
- Chromebooks are cost-effective, perfect for web-based tasks, and very suitable for office work.
- Chromebooks are generally not suitable for advanced creative work due to the lackluster hardware available on the market.
- Google’s ChromeOS Flex platform lets you turn any old laptop into a Chromebook for free.
The world of laptop computing is vast, with plenty of options available. Choices range from the latest and greatest Copilot+ PCs running Windows 11, to Apple’s MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lineups, to a wide variety of Chromebooks.
If you’re in the market for a new laptop, you might already be intrigued by the affordability of Chromebook devices. If you’re thinking about switching to ChromeOS, here’s everything you need to consider.
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Can a Chromebook replace my aging laptop?
Yes, it depends on your personal computing workflow
Chromebooks run the ChromeOS operating system, Google’s desktop equivalent to Microsoft’s Windows and Apple’s macOS. ChromeOS doesn’t have the decades-long history of competing platforms, which is arguably both a good and bad thing.
Windows-based laptops and MacBooks have a backlog of native software programs and applications that stretch back a long way. Meanwhile, ChromeOS, conceived as a web-first OS, relies on web apps to get the job done. In reality, if your computing workflow relies on specific legacy software that’s only available on a Mac or Windows PC, you might not be able to get the job done on a Chromebook.
You won’t have to deal with bloated legacy code that can slow down your Windows laptop.
Fortunately, software is becoming increasingly cross-platform, and a significant number of programs and services are now available over the web. If your workflow involves office tasks such as word processing, working with spreadsheets, creating email or calendars, or creating presentations, it’s easier than ever to get your work done using services that are available directly from your web browser.
Plus, as an added benefit, you won’t have to deal with bloated legacy code that can sometimes slow down your Windows laptop.
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Can a Chromebook be used for creative work?
A Windows laptop or MacBook is probably still the best choice.
Peter Stumpf/Unsplash
If your workflow consists of photo editing, video editing, or heavy CAD work, a Chromebook may not provide the best experience.
The main reason is hardware: Most Chromebook devices ship with low specs, as they are primarily targeted at the education sector. More intensive workflows require more processing power to back them up, but most high-end consumer laptops run either Windows or macOS.
Given enough time, it’s entirely possible that higher-end Chromebook hardware could see a surge in popularity.
The ability of ChromeOS to run Android software from the Google Play Store means that you can now run a variety of creative apps on your Chromebook. For example, you can download and install the popular Android LumaFusion video editor on your system, though you may be somewhat limited by its mobile-centric interface design approach and the relative lack of processing power it can leverage.
If ChromeOS continues to gain market share with consumers and more creative apps are introduced to the platform, it’s entirely possible that, given enough time, we could see a surge in popularity for high-end Chromebook hardware.
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It ticks many of the boxes that are important for a Chromebook, including port options.
You can also turn your old laptop into a Chromebook without upgrading your hardware.
Google’s ChromeOS Flex is a free download
If you’re not ready to give up your existing PC or Mac laptop, but you feel like your system is becoming excessively slow, consider downloading ChromeOS Flex from Google’s website.
ChromeOS Flex is essentially the same operating system that ships with new Chromebook hardware, except it’s designed to be downloaded and installed on older PC hardware — specifically, as a convenient alternative for systems running slower, older operating systems.
ChromeOS Flex is a great way to test out the user interface and desktop environment that is native to Chromebook hardware.
Because ChromeOS is lightweight and free of legacy software code, switching an older laptop to Google’s Chromebook-compatible solution is likely to see a big speed boost, and Google describes ChromeOS Flex as a way to “update the devices you already own for free with a modern, secure, and easy-to-manage cloud-based operating system.”
If you don’t mind Google’s aggressive data collection techniques, installing ChromeOS Flex is a great way to test out the user interface and desktop environment that’s native to your Chromebook hardware.
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