Chromebook Vs Laptop - Which Should You Choose? By Smart Family Money

As people have been looking to be more productive at home, I've gotten a lot of questions about whether you should choose a Chromebook or a laptop. I wanted to take some time today to explain the difference between the two. Hi. I'm Cindy from Smart Family Money. I help you learn how to shop smarter, save money, and save time, so you can get back to changing the world. So when you're looking at whether you should choose a Chromebook or a laptop, it really comes down to what do you need to use it for and what's the best way to spend your money to get what you need? So the first question is: What is a Chromebook? Well, a Chromebook looks like a laptop computer but the difference is that it runs ChromeOS instead of Windows or MacOS.

So what are some advantages of choosing a Chromebook over a laptop? Well, first they're very easy to set up easy to get running, get online. Really simple. They also tend to start up faster than a laptop. Most Chromebooks are also able to run android apps, which can be really handy and when it comes to maintenance, the updates on a Chromebook are automatic and you don't have to worry about them. Also, on Chromebooks, you don't have to worry about getting antivirus software.

It's really unnecessary. If something does go wrong on a Chromebook, though, they have recovery mode which makes it really easy to get reset and get everything working again. So what are some advantages of choosing a laptop over a Chromebook? In general, they offer a little more flexibility with how you can use them. There are also laptops available that are much more powerful than what you can get in a Chromebook. You also might want to think about what sorts of accessories you need to run including things like printers.

Some printers are not able to be used with Chromebooks and others require a little more technical setup to get them working with a Chromebook. Laptops do also tend to be more accepted for business use, especially in situations where there is some sort of software that you need to use to be compliant with your business or to do your job. Also some business IT departments will only support certain types of devices so if your business IT department only supports Windows or Mac computers you're going to want to stay away from a Chromebook. Some other advantages of a laptop are, they offer more memory and storage options. And you're also possibly going to have a more useful device if you do not have an internet connection available.

Now let's talk about the cost differences between Chromebooks and laptops. Many Chromebooks are available under $300 but do keep in mind that those inexpensive Chromebooks are almost all with an 11 inch screen. That can be an advantage because they're light and easy to carry around but some people think of it as a disadvantage if they'd rather have a larger device. There are some larger Chromebooks available but of course you're gonna increase cost if you go with a larger one. When you're looking at windows laptops, there are some out there starting as low as $350 but those tend to be really low quality and very limited.

When you're looking at higher-quality Windows laptops, they're going to start at about $700 and go up from there. So who do I think should choose a Chromebook? I think if your main purposes for a device are that you need to surf the internet, check email, and use web apps, things like Google Docs or Google Classroom, then Chromebook's going to be a really good option for you and you're going to be able to save some money over a typical laptop. So who do I think should choose a laptop? If you want a little bit more flexibility with how you use your device, a laptop is going to be the better choice and some of those situations might include if you need specific software, specific accessories, or if you're trying to get into serious gaming. Which sort of device would I recommend if you're looking for something for school? Well, first I think you need to look at what is your school using. If your school is using mostly Chromebooks in the school or if you use Google Classroom for a lot of your school work, then a Chromebook is going to be a great choice.

If your school happens to be one that has a lot of Apple devices you might actually be better off with an ipad with a keyboard case instead of a Chromebook or a laptop. Now if you're a student pursuing certain creative professions or science and technical things, you're probably going to require software that is not available on a Chromebook, so you'd be much better off with a Windows or Mac laptop. Overall, I do think Chromebooks are really good option for a lot of people if you're mainly doing things like web browsing, email, and using these various web apps then a Chromebook is a great option and it's easy to use, lightweight, and low cost for what you're getting. I would recommend a laptop over a Chromebook if you need specialized software or if you have a variety of purposes you need to use your device for. They're going to cost a little bit more money and they're going to require more maintenance over time but they do offer more flexibility with what you can do with it.

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Source : Smart Family Money