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Shopping for a laptop as a gift can be even more difficult than buying one for yourself. A lot of people will be hunting for reasonably priced laptops this Christmas, and many of the the best Chromebooks may fit the bill perfectly: easy to use, affordable and capable of handling all the daily tasks your giftee might want to do on a laptop.
If you’ve left your holiday shopping until late, you may feel overwhelmed by the options here. That’s why I’ve compiled this little Christmas Chromebook shopping checklist: a guide to help you narrow down the options and avoid any potential pitfalls when it comes to buying a new laptop. If you follow these steps, you’ll be sure to end up with a gift-wrapped Chromebook that will delight whoever you buy it for this holiday season.
Beware of underpowered and outdated models
Google first introduced ChromeOS and the Chromebook laptop family (in collaboration with several laptop manufacturers) in 2011, so needless to say, there have been a few Chromebook versions over the years.
Which, unfortunately, means that when you shop online, you’re likely to find some rather outdated models – and unfortunately, some third-party sellers aren’t above fudging spec sheets and product lists to avoid giving the game This is more of a problem for Amazon than for individual retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, or Currys, but it’s something to keep in mind.
As a general rule, the best way to check if a Chromebook is underpowered or outdated is to look at the processor (sometimes listed as CPU). This chip probably isn’t as powerful as the ones you see in Windows laptops — that’s thanks to ChromeOS’s lower system hardware requirements — but ideally, you should be looking for a quad-core chip as the bare minimum. More hearts are always better, but four is enough for a budget Chromebook to perform well.
Once you’ve found the processor in the product listing, Google its name to learn more about it – the release date of the chip (rather than the Chromebook itself) can be quite relevant here, as and it really shouldn’t be. buy any laptop with a CPU that is more than four years old. If you are unable to find the exact name of the processor on the product listing, please let us know.. Some dealers will just say “Intel Celeron” or “Intel i3” without listing the full name of the processor – this is usually a sign that the chip in question is severely outdated, and they don’t want to know that.
Check app compatibility
ChromeOS is a fantastic operating systemwith an easy-to-navigate user interface and the ability to run well even on low-end hardware – but there’s a big problem with it, and that’s software compatibility.
Because ChromeOS uses a different software architecture than other systems such as Windows and macOS, there is no guarantee that software from these platforms will be available. Without wanting to get overly technical, the bottom line is here many popular Windows software are not available on Chromebooks (There is a workaround for this, but it’s a complicated process that generally isn’t worth the effort). If you know the person you’re buying for wants to use a specific app, find out if it’s available on ChromeOS.
This is most relevant for games – you won’t be able to play most PC games on a Chromebook, nor will you be able to use any specific Windows programs or file types. If you’re buying a laptop for a gamer, it probably shouldn’t be a Chromebook.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Chromebooks have access to a wide range of apps through the Google Play Store (the same you’ll find on an Android phone or tablet), and it can do basically everything you’d expect from a standard laptop: if it’s only going to be used for everyday tasks like answering emails, browsing the web and make Zoom Calls, a Chromebook will do just fine.
Don’t overspend…
Despite its inherently budget-friendly nature, it can be easy to spend a lot of money on a Chromebook. This is not to say that high-end premium models do not exist goodto be clear: after all, the HP Dragonfly Elite Chromebook and the Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition They were both highly rated by us even though they carry a high asking price. But those are pretty specific models; the average person has absolutely no reason to spend a thousand dollars on a Chromebook.
It doesn’t help that some “premium” Chromebooks out there are just a pretty average laptop with a coat of paint and a new name. If you want a really decent Chromebook that won’t break the bank, you should be looking in the $200-300 ballpark (or £200-300, for our UK readers). Be prepared to pay a bit more if you want a Chromebook with a 360-degree hinge and touchscreen for use in tablet mode, or a “Plus” Chromebook — Google’s official stamp of approval for more powerful and upcoming Chromebooks.
…but don’t spend it, either
If there’s an active sale while you’re shopping for a Chromebook, you might be tempted by some very low prices. We’ve seen Chromebooks sell for less than a hundred dollars, which is impressively cheap for any laptop — but be careful.
Generally, a laptop that goes for that kind of price will be a lot underpowered; Unless it’s been heavily discounted (think 50% off or more) to hit the $100 mark, there’s a good chance it’ll only provide lackluster performance.
ChromeOS being able to run on super-cheap hardware gives Chromebooks a bit more maneuverability than Windows laptops when it comes to budget products – but there’s still a limit. If a Chromebook is already selling for around $100/£100, chances are it’s a pretty weak device.
Don’t Get a “Gaming Chromebook”
Okay, that last one is more of a personal gripe, but I’ll say it anyway: don’t worry about a so-called “gaming Chromebook.” This short-lived initiative by Google and a few of its manufacturing partners to bring the PC gaming aesthetic to the Chromebook lineup was ultimately short-lived — mostly because no Chromebook is a true gaming device.
You see, these gaming Chromebooks don’t run games natively; they need you to take advantage of a game streaming service, like Nvidia GeForce Now o Amazon Luna (the last of which is included in Prime, although Amazon does not publish this fact very well). You’re not running the game on your Chromebook — instead, it’s running on a server somewhere and streamed directly to your device from the cloud.
Here’s the thing, though… when the only factor in performance is the strength of your Internet connection, any Chromebook can be a gaming Chromebook thanks to GeForce Now or Luna. It’s not much to pay extra for an RGB keyboard, and if you don’t want to pay a subscription for your games, you’ll be better off with one of the best gaming laptops.
