Summary
If you’ve decided to buy a Chromebook, you may wonder whether you should buy a standard Chromebook or a Chromebook Plus. As with any other computer, what you intend to do with it will determine which flavor of Chromebook is best for you.
Heavy Gemini Users, Remote Workers, College Students: Chromebook Plus
Google seems determined to promote its Gemini AI engine, and the company isroping in the Chromebook Plus to help. Google has released a promotional video touting the integration of Gemini into the Chromebook Plus line featuring people looking for recipes and finding the right phrasing to say an upcoming wedding is kid-free politely.
If you use Gemini a lot, then a Chromebook Plus could be an option.
Chromebook Plus machines will likely appeal to remote workers who make lots of video calls and college students who need more power than the basic Chromebooks that are now ubiquitous in K-12 schools. Chromebook Plus laptops have more powerful processors, more storage, more RAM, 1080p cameras, and sharper screens than regular Chromebooks, as well as better build quality.
Chromebook Plus laptops are also cheaper than other Windows business laptops and much cheaper than Macs. The lightweight experience of ChromeOS is why it’s the premier alternative to Windows over macOS and desktop Linux (ChromeOS runs Linux under the hood).
K-12 Students, Casual Users: Regular Chromebook
Chromebooks have displaced Macs as the most popular computer for primary and secondary education. Many K-12 schools buy them for their students because the low-end models are cheap enough to be disposable. If a kid loses or breaks one, the school can set them up with a new Chromebook quickly. If you have to buy a laptop for your child, a regular Chromebook is a good choice for the same reason.
Grown-ups can use them too. A lot of people who came of age before the rise of mobile devices still prefer to use a real web browser on a real computer to make a household budget on a spreadsheet, check their email, book plane tickets, or shop online. I happen to be one of those people. I find my Chromebook perfect for small productivity tasks that need a real keyboard but aren’t worth waking up a PC or Mac for. Theextended security updateswill prolong its working life too, so it’s a good value proposition.
Gamers, Creative Users: Something Else for Now
There are a couple of uses that you’ll still want a standard Windows or Mac machine.
Creative professionals who rely on software like Adobe Photoshop will also want to stay on standard laptops. While Adobe offers a web-based version of Photoshop, the desktop versions are more flexible. You’ll need a more powerful machine than you can find among the range of Chromebooks.
