Any Chromebook users here? Any experiences to share?
I have just tried a Chromebook hands-on in a store and while it comes with an Intel Celeron processor and only 4GB RAM along with 64GB eMMC storage, I was quite impressed by how fast it would power on and perform in general. It was quite light-weigth (there were different models, though) and looked decent enough. ChromeOS comes over as simple and elegant, like a cheap version of MacBook perhaps. The app-store and simplicity certainly remind me of that (although Ubuntu/Debian also have an appstore ofc). Battery apparently is good enough and the display was fine, too. The tasks I’d use it for would probably be to work with Word/Office for Uni, code some, watch YouTube/Flix and perhaps take some notes. The PlayStore/Android-Like environment seems good enough for that.
I also tried using Divi WordPress Builder, editing WordPress sites, Canva and other SaaS tools and could work online without any noticeable lags/issues.
The price is really affordable, too (229€).
I do have a small Windows Tablet which is, technically, more performant. However, somehow I feel like this simplicity of a snappy laptop with ChromeOS could be something I’d really love.
The guy at the store mentioned it can only be used online , but googling this I found that it actually (as expected) also works offline. I assume what the dude meant was I can still use Word, Flix downloaded episodes or other offline supported apps, but some may not work? Does anyone know if Internet is required to start-up the Chromebook and login?
Seriously considering moving to a Chromebook when my currently laptop reaches EOL. When I think about my usecases, 99% of them are watching YouTube and reading forums like this. I’d probably just spin up a Windows 10 VM and use RDP for the rare occasions where I needed to use some sort of software that isn’t available on a Chromebook.
Sorry that I can’t help, but it would be cool if you could let me know how you get on if you bite the bullet and get a Chromebook
Certainly will let you know mate! Thing is, in Germany I haven’t had the chance to get hands-on experience on a Chromebook in a store yet (alwaxs not available or similar). Now being in Spain, I found a store with like 10 different ones and I picked one of the cheap ones (271€ in store, 229€ on Amazon; Acer CB314) and was amazed by its’ snappy performance. Elegant and clean design reminded me of a Macbook but at a way more affordable price (also not an Apple guy). I feel like it could boost my productivity and also shut out distractions and too many possibilities by focusing on the core features (Office, Browsing, YouTube, Flix, Spotify, Mails, Coding, Forums…). I have only heard good things about battery life and while my windows tablet after two years barely lasts 3 hours and cost me some 600€+, people have reported their Chromebooks to age fairly well being almost as snappy as on day 1, which also extends to their battery.
I’ve got myself a Chromebook roughly two years ago. It’s an ARM based device, one of the cheapest ones (I recall paying 199 € for it) and I’ve not touched my Windows laptop ever since. Chrome OS is amazing and you can run Linux if you chose to anyway. It suits my needs for watching a quick video, having a WhatsApp conversation, pop an SSH shell or order something online. It’s like a phone, but with a dedicated keyboard and a much bigger screen. I’d definitely recommend getting one if you’re looking for a simple device that has to be fast and ready for use in a split second! If you don’t use any Windows specific applications, definitely go for a chromebook! Can’t recommend it enough honestly, it’s amazing value.
Damn! That’s one hell of a recommendation right there. Happy to see so many chromebook users (hiding) among our communitie(s)
In Germany they are kinda non-existent in stores and among my friends afaik. Maybe in bigger cities, but definitely not very present. I guess it’s a bigger thing in the US-
I do not know a single person at my Uni that uses a Chromebook, but then again, that’s just my Uni. I think they are a really good (budget) option for uni. Definitely reassuring to hear
I have talked about the Chromebooks with my family the other day, now my dad is next in line to want to get one
I was looking at Chromebooks a few months ago when I replaced my laptop in the end didn’t get one.
The main reason that put me off was Celeron I was thinking it would be near junk performance on Windows it probably would be, I take Chrome is a lot less demanding than Windows.
I don’t know anyone with one and pc store near only have one on display last time when there so no real life experience on it.
This was what kept me from getting a Chromebook years back, too. Now that I was able to get hands-on experience, I could see for myself how performant it was with such low specs (Intel Celeron + 4GB RAM + eMMC storage)
@Solaire I often read Chromebook is kinda linked to GDrive. Does the whole Chromebook get synced to GDrive and thus occupy storage (OS+apps) or do only the Google Apps (Mail, Notes, Documents…) count towards GDrive storage, not the OS or local files? With 15GB free storage it would be instantly full, otherwhise.
Just mail, notes, documents, spreadsheets, etc. Basically, you have shortcuts on Chrome OS that point to Google drive (web) applications (like Documents, Spreadsheets) that allow you to draft these type of documents and store them on Google drive. No data is synced to Google drive automatically.
