Discover How This Budget-Friendly HP Chromebook Simplifies Life Without Windows: Enjoy a Sweet Deal with an Extra $136 Savings - Insights From ZDNet

Discover How Chromebooks Outshine Other Laptops with These 6 Compelling Benefits - Insights

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

With the return of the school year fast approaching, you might be faced with having to purchase new laptops for those returning to class. Here’s why you should add the Chromebook to your back-to-school shopping list.

Do you still think of ChromeOS -- Chromebook’s operating system – as too simplistic? 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 can be employed quite productively for both personal and business workflows.

Given that most of the work we all do now happens within a web browser, Chromebook offers a perfect marriage of simplicity and usability.

Also: How to pick a laptop for college: 4 big considerations (and 10 great options)

The thing is, a lot of Windows and MacOS users still shrug off Chromebooks as not much more than a toy with a limiting 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 the 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.

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1. Chromebooks are cheap

The first reason is beyond dispute. Given how the economy has had a rather crushing effect on so many of our budgets, finding an inexpensive piece of hardware can be a real 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 that laptop remains one of my favorites. (The display and keyboard were best in class at the time.)

There’s also the HP Dragonfly , which starts at around $939. Or the Dragonfly Elite , which sells for $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 with an Intel Core m3-8100Y, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of eMMC storage, for $379, or an even cheaper Lenovo Chromebook with an 8-core MediaTek Kompanio 520 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB eMMC storage for $228.

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.

Given that the cheapest Apple laptop is the MacBook Air , starting at $999, there’s simply no comparison when it comes to 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 patently false, especially considering that your Chromebook can run both Android and Linux apps.

No matter how user-friendly an operating system claims to be, none can justifiably state that they are as easy to use as ChromeOS. The ease of use found in ChromeOS 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 the grandparents can handle.

Also: ChromeOS finally steals a faster multitasking feature from Windows and MacOS

I’ve known users – hello, family, are you listening? – who’ve suffered to no end using either Windows or macOS. But 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 someone 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: This HP Chromebook made living without Windows easier than I expected

It’s not just about how quickly apps open (Android and Linux apps, 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 suffered from a problem.

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

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

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5. 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 . On top of that, Chromebooks are secured with verification at boot, a read-only OS that blocks executables, data encryption, sandboxing, and more.

Thanks to ChromeOS’s 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 45 ChromeOS security exploits have been documented

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

6. 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), log back into your Google account, and you’ll find everything there, minus whatever problem you were experiencing (and anything you’d previously saved to the Downloads folder).

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

No other operating system can compete with ChromeOS’s ability to factory reset and return you to a pristine working state without having lost your data, bookmarks, apps, and more. 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.) But for the average user, a Chromebook is one of the cheapest, best options on the market. If you find most of your work and entertainment is done within 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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