I attempted switching to a Chromebook. Here is what shocked me

I’m a longtime Home windows person, however ChromeOS has at all times piqued my curiosity instead. Not like MacOS, which does lots of the identical issues as Home windows, ChromeOS gives one thing fully completely different. It’s light-weight, environment friendly, and ships with the power to run nearly any Android app.

I not too long ago got here off reviewing an HP Chromebase All-in-One 22, and in my assessment interval, I spent lots of time enjoying with ChromeOS. However along with the Chromebase, I even have an unique Samsung Galaxy Chromebook that I often solely go to for beta testing new ChromeOS options like Screencast.

Since I appreciated the Chromebase a lot, I spent an additional few days within the post-review interval with my Chromebook as my principal machine, delaying my return to Home windows. In that week, I actually discovered loads about Chrome OS, and there have been lots of surprises alongside the way in which.

The great

One of many first issues I used to be reminded of when spending some further time in ChromeOS was effectivity. I’ve grown keen on Microsoft Edge when on my Floor machine, however I rapidly observed that Chrome works nice as an internet browser on Chromebooks. Each Edge and Chrome are primarily based on Chromium, so it was not a shock that ChromeOS actually tackled my workflows nicely.

Even with the Android model of Groups open, in addition to seven Chrome tabs and a Groups progressive internet app (PWA), ChromeOS chugged alongside properly on my {hardware} (an Intel Core i5-10210U with 8GB RAM.) RAM utilization didn’t peg too excessive, and neither did the CPU, in keeping with the system standing app, COG. Years of coping with Home windows laptops have skilled me to anticipate excessive utilization from Chrome, however ChromeOS shocked me.

One other good factor? A number of the apps I would like for work from my Floor can be found on ChromeOS. I even put in Microsoft Edge as a Linux app, which was a shock.

For different apps, I used PWA variations of Phrase and Excel. I additionally used a PWA model of Groups, because it has a desktop interface.

I additionally love the way in which that Android apps are built-in with ChromeOS. You get apps that may be totally resized, both right into a pill type or a telephone type. Some apps even allow you to resize them right into a windowed mode. This jogs my memory of what’s been completed with Android apps in Home windows 11, but it surely’s nice to see that this works natively in Chrome OS with out additional downloads. Issues like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Subway Surfers all run very nicely on my Chromebook, with Cloud Gaming feeling the identical as it will on Home windows.

That’s as a result of, on Home windows, you must set up the Amazon App Retailer, and also you don’t have entry to the Google Play Retailer. ChromeOS undoubtedly does Android higher because of this. It even performs good with Android telephones, too. My Pixel 6 Professional’s open Chrome tabs, pictures, and LTE community have been out there for sharing on my Chromebook by way of Telephone Hub. It jogs my memory lots of Telephone Hyperlink on Home windows 11.

Different nice issues I observed about my Chromebook come all the way down to battery life, velocity when booting up and putting in updates, and the general simplicity of settings and utilizing printers. My power-hungry Floor Laptop computer Studio barely pushes 4 hours of battery life, however my Chromebook acquired me by a full day of labor. Booting up my Chromebook, in the meantime, is nearly immediate, however on a Home windows machine, I’ve to attend close to 30 seconds at some factors.

In fact, that is an apples-to-apples comparability throughout each machine in these two working techniques, however averaged out, Chromebooks have at all times excelled in effectivity and battery life — and that continues to be true at present.

The unhealthy

App compatibility has at all times been a wrestle with ChromeOS, particularly for those who’re accustomed to a standard working system like Home windows 11. The largest hiccup I bumped into was round Microsoft Workplace apps, that are part of my each day workflow. For some cause, ChromeOS gained’t let me obtain the Android variations of Microsoft Workplace apps. As an alternative, I’m redirected to make use of the PWA variations.

That is most likely a Microsoft factor, and never Google’s fault. Nonetheless, I couldn’t assist however be pissed off by the limitation. I really feel as if utilizing my Galaxy Chromebook as an Android pill can be simpler if I might simply use Android variations of Workplace. It’s a disgrace, because the PWAs for Workplace aren’t out there for offline use.

Another smaller issues that aggravated me embody the shortage of the date and time and a calendar within the system tray, not having a Caps Lock key, and the brand new launcher that’s primarily based on the left facet of the display. I very a lot appreciated the outdated interface higher, because it simply is sensible for a touchscreen Chromebook. The smaller Begin Menu-like hub in ChromeOS Canary doesn’t appear fairly as environment friendly.

And yet one more factor that sucks? The Information supervisor. I’ve complained about what the Home windows File Explorer seems like, however the ChromeOS File Supervisor is even worse. It doesn’t totally combine with OneDrive, for instance, and file previews are horrible round icons. There’s not even a “Paperwork” folder, and every little thing is saved to Downloads by default. I actually hope this modifications sooner or later.

The ugly

Alright, so now it’s time for the ugly elements of switching to a Chromebook for every week. There’s one huge, unhealthy factor that held me again, and it’s the lack of a real video editor.

Now, I did attempt to use Clipchamp as a video editor for ChromeOS, however it is a largely web-based interface, and it wasn’t as environment friendly as a devoted editor on Home windows like Wondershare Filmora. Encoding occasions have been sluggish, and lots of issues like slicing out audio weren’t environment friendly for me. I truly had to return to Home windows for enhancing my weekly podcast.

All hope is just not misplaced although. Google did affirm that it’s working to convey the LumaFusion video editor to ChromeOS. So, in a couple of extra months, video enhancing is likely to be potential on high-end Chromebooks.

That’s not a shock. ChromeOS has grown to date past its early days, and even with the problems I’ve skilled, I’m extra assured than ever that Google goes to proceed to hone the ChromeOS expertise into one thing actually nice. As a lot as I loved returning to the consolation and familiarity of Home windows 11, I can’t say I didn’t surprise at occasions if I’d sometime persuade myself to decide to ChromeOS for the lengthy haul. Perhaps sometime.

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