Chromebooks vs Laptops: which is best for students?
>
Best for: affordability and ease of use
A Chromebook is a laptop that runs Google’s Chrome OS operating system and is designed to use cloud computing to do many of the same things you do with a traditional laptop while not using as many resources or requiring powerful hardware to work. This helps keep the cost of the device down, but it comes at the cost of slightly less functionality than a traditional laptop
Choose one:
The best Chromebooks
In front of
- Very affordable
- Good battery life
- Easy in use
- An increasingly large app ecosystem
Against
- Substandard hardware
- May not have your favorite apps
- Generally made of cheaper materials
Best for: functionality and performance
Although a Chromebook is also a laptop, when you talk about laptops we almost always mean a Windows or macOS device. These devices can run all (or at least most) of your favorite apps, and thanks to much more powerful hardware, laptop apps are more robust and functional than most of what you’ll find on a Chromebook.
Choose one:
The best laptops
In front of
- More robust operating system
- Fully functional
- Great for gaming and creative work
- Wide range of prices
Against
- Generally more expensive
- Requires more powerful hardware
- Can be complicated to use optimally
Each new school year brings parents and senior students to the all-important decision of whether to purchase a Chromebook or a more traditional laptop. Chromebooks have only been around for a decade, which means many parents have little to no experience with them and may even be confused by the difference between a Chromebook and a laptop.
However, to figure out the best student laptops or the best thin and light laptops, it’s important to first understand the differences between a Chromebook and a laptop. We’ve spent years reviewing PCs and can find the best laptop on the market with our unique expertise.
If you need help figuring out what to look for when comparing the best Chromebook vs the best Windows laptop, this guide will break down the differences between the two and then help you decide which is best for your needs.
What is a Chromebook?
Chromebook pros and cons
Advantages:
Affordable
Portable
Good battery life
Easy to use
Cons:
Can feel/look cheap
Not very robust
Substandard hardware
The first is the first. You probably already know what a laptop is. However, before delving down the rabbit hole between Chromebooks and laptops, you should first understand what a Chromebook is and how it differs from a traditional laptop. Let’s start there.
A Chromebook is a laptop that runs on Google’s Chrome OS, a lightweight operating system that largely relies on the Chrome browser as its main user interface. This means that anything you can do with the Chrome browser, you can do on a Chromebook.
That doesn’t mean you can only use a Chromebook if there’s an internet connection. Google designed Chrome OS to run apps from the Chrome webshop or the Google Play Store on which there are thousands to choose from to cover all the basics – from word processors and spreadsheets to quick photo editing and light gaming. And many of these apps work even if a Chromebook doesn’t have an internet connection.
What’s the difference between Chromebooks and laptops?
To the untrained eye, a Chromebook and a laptop might look the same. After all, a Chromebook is technically a laptop, just with a different operating system. Both are notebooks with a keyboard, a camera, a built-in screen and a trackpad. And, like laptops, many Chromebooks are clamshells, while quite a few others have touchscreen displays and a 2-in-1 form factor.
Internally, however, the two couldn’t be more different. If you compare Chromebooks to laptops in terms of power, a strong case is made for laptops. That’s because they typically have more powerful microprocessors — usually from Intel or AMD — and more robust integrated or discrete graphics powering them.
On the other hand, Chromebooks tend to have lower performing chips and graphics, although a handful of premium Chromebooks are known to run on Intel Core chips. The reason for this is twofold: the Chrome OS is light enough that it really doesn’t need a powerful chip to run, and it keeps the cost of Chromebooks low.
Traditional laptops run on much more robust operating systems Windows 11, macOS and Linux, an open source operating system. The best Windows laptops and the best MacBook and Macs usually need powerful CPUs and GPUs, as well as faster memory, which means they usually cost more. The advantage is that students can use the same computer to both write a thesis and play the best PC games when they are done and need a break from homework.
Windows laptops also tend to have plenty of local storage, starting at 128GB on the low end – after all, those apps and files take up a lot more space. Chromebooks usually contain much less storage space, sometimes as little as 32 GB. This is because Chrome OS and the apps it runs don’t require as much storage space as Windows and are designed to store your documents in the cloud.
Chromebooks vs Laptops: Which is Better for Schoolwork?
Laptop pros and cons
Advantages:
Fully functional
Versatile
Wide variety of models for every budget
Cons:
More expensive
More complicated
A Chromebook is a good choice for a student who primarily uses the computer for web browsing, word processing, or streaming video and audio. Storage isn’t an issue if Google-focused students can store their files with Drive. They can also use SD cards and USB drives to store their documents.
A Chromebook is also a great budget option, with prices as low as $100 / £120 / AU$140 for the low-end models during the holiday season. However, the price of a Chromebook can skyrocket to $1,000 / £1,000 / AU$1,400 if you opt for a business or luxury option like the Google Pixelbook.
For schoolwork, the Chromebook is a winner because it’s so feature-packed. Without extra games or many applications, the Chromebook becomes a homework powerhouse, allowing students to access their classes online with few distractions.
Students can write their paper using Google Docs and share their work with their teacher or parent directly from the Chromebook, no printing required. The Microsoft Office suite is also available online so that students can easily create Word documents.
The Chromebook is also just a tough device to break. If your student is prone to installing programs with viruses, the Chromebook can simply be wiped and reset. If the child isn’t particularly tech-savvy, there are few confusing features: the Chromebook is a plug-in-and-play device. Some of the newer Chromebooks are a bit more physically fragile, but most can take a beating since many parts are made of plastic.
As for a Windows laptop, it’s more of an investment, but it offers a lot of versatility and convenience. You have the ability to create almost anything on a laptop and also store files on it.
A laptop also has many of the drawbacks of owning a full-fledged computer. It will take a while to start up, require updates, and may even experience the occasional “blue screen of death”. Chromebooks very rarely crash, and when they do, a simple reboot is an easy fix.
However, there are some tasks that are just easier on a Windows device. Chromebooks have traditionally struggled with direct printing, while laptops make quick work of printing documents. Opening and organizing files can also be a bit tricky on the Chromebook, but there are workarounds.
However, somehow the versatility of a Windows laptop is a weak point as more features are available for hackers to attack a laptop. PCs need regular maintenance to keep them safe, even if it’s just to keep up with scheduled software updates.
Chromebooks require much less maintenance, and Google has developed Chromebooks with safety and security in mind, and there are defense mechanisms that work behind the scenes to keep you protected while you browse the web.
How should you decide?
One way to determine the right option for you is to give a Chromebook a test drive. You can use Google Chrome exclusively as your browser on your desktop computer for a few days and determine if your learner needs more features than the browser can provide. Only use Chrome extensions and use online apps like Google Docs.
However, Windows offers a much more complete computing experience, but Google OS is a much cheaper, smaller alternative that may be just what your student needs in the classroom.
Whether or not you know which one you want, you can always check out the latest back to school sales currently going on to better assess your options if you decide now is the time to buy.