Chromebooks have now been around for more than a decade. While they may look exactly like any other laptop on the outside, they are poles apart when it comes to the internals. Chromebooks are laptops that run on the lighter, Linux-based Chrome OS. As the name suggests, these laptops mostly rely on Google’s cloud services rather than on offline storage and processing. For the same reason, these devices don’t require larger RAMs, storages and CPUs, effectively making them much more affordable than other laptops like Windows or Macbooks.

When they were newly launched, all of them were much alike and were perceived to be useless without an internet connection. However, times have changed as manufacturers tend to produce distinguishable devices and their offline capabilities have also been drastically improved over time. For now, let us get discussing how they are distinct from other laptops in several niches like OS, security, application support and battery performance etc.

Operating System (OS)

Chrome OS, the operating system of all Chromebooks, uses Google Chrome browser as its primary user interface. It is based on the “internet first” principle, making it very fast, undemanding and secure. The interface uses minimum screen space with its combination of webpages and apps in a single strip and its secondary tasks portrayed by floating panels. The OS uses the phenomenon of HTML5’s offline modes and it can also handle split screens. Chrome OS mostly relies on Google’s online services such as Gmail, YouTube, Photos, Docs and Drive etc. Lately, it has developed support for Android and Linux applications.

Since Chrome OS is mostly a cloud based system, it relies more on the quality of the internet connection for better performance rather than on the system components like the RAM and CPU. This never implies that such components are useless in a Chromebook. Instead, they are used to power the devices’ recently introduced offline capabilities.

Contrary to the Chrome OS, Microsoft’s Windows and Apple’s MacOS are primarily offline systems. This iterates that their performance is substantially dependent on the laptop’s processing powers. They have efficient GUIs and allow multitasking as well.

Application Support

Initially, Chromebooks only supported Google’s online applications. This was a drawback as users were unable to access third party software. Gradually, Google offered the Progressive Web Apps(PWAs) which are application software offered online. They served as alternatives to common applications like photo/video editors to Chromebook users. Later, Chromebooks started supporting all Android applications available on the Google Play Store. More recently, support for Linux applications has also been included in Chromebooks.

The Chrome OS does not support Microsoft Office. However, Chromebook users can enjoy the Microsoft 365, the cloud based version of the famous suite. Earlier, Chromebooks were deemed unfit for gaming but with the advent of Google Stadia, enthusiasts can play their favorite games on powerful Chromebooks.

Other operating systems like Windows support all third party software. Users can install any software that specifically meet their needs from both official and unofficial sources. Since these OS’s support all types of applications, they are largely preferred by programmers and testers.

Storage

All the data of a Chromebook is automatically updated to Google Drive. Google provides 100 GB free cloud storage to every Chromebook buyer which can always be expanded by additional payments. Since Chromebooks are cloud-based, they offer very minimal offline storage. Contrary to this, other laptops have no limitations with regards to offline storage. Users can install any amount of physical storage to their laptops.

Battery

The fact that Chromebooks have a very light OS and that they don’t require intensive hardware makes them very energy-efficient. Therefore, a user can carry around a Chromebook whole day long without even worrying for battery power. The scenario is pretty different for other laptops. They have power intensive hardware and operating systems and also support heavy computing like editing and gaming, draining the battery really quick. The latest batteries tend to be power-efficient and can minimize this problem. However, the battery life is still not as good as that of a Chromebook, even for normal day to day tasks.

Security

Chrome OS is a very secure operating system. All data is handled by Google’s servers, effectively securing it from malware without a dedicated antivirus program. The other operating systems are comparatively more vulnerable to malware. As their popularity increases, newer malware is also evolved and the built-in protection often fails to combat it. Therefore, it is always advised to have a dedicated antivirus software installed.

Conclusion

Chromebooks are very efficient devices and they can help save a considerable amount of money. However, the decision to buy a Chromebook shouldn’t solely base on budget but also on the utility. Chromebooks are very practical laptops for online education. They are also recommended to people who have lighter workloads and are frequently on the go. The users who have heavy workloads which involves editing, gaming or the users who have to use third party software professionally are advised to look for laptops based on other operating systems.

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