For example, you can install the Netflix app and save videos for offline watching. The quality varies widely, but it means you can do more with a Chromebook beyond just web-based apps. Google has also added support for Android apps on Chromebooks, which greatly expands the amount of software available. Unless I need to edit photos for a review, I can do my entire job on a Chromebook.

But there are also plenty of people who do the majority of their work in a browser. Not being able to install native software can be a dealbreaker if you’re a video editor or software developer. Of course, the simplicity is also a major drawback for some users. There’s no bloatware or unwanted apps to uninstall like you often get on Windows laptops, it boots up in seconds, and you can completely reset to factory settings almost as quickly. Chrome OS is based on Google’s Chrome browser, which means most of the programs you can run are web based. For me, the simple and clean nature of Chrome OS is a big selling point. There are plenty of inexpensive Windows laptops on the market, so why bother with Chrome OS? Glad you asked. That’s probably the number one question about Chromebooks.

What is Chrome OS, and why would I use it over Windows?

2021 lenovo flex 3 chromebook