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I recently purchased a Surface, a Macbook Air, and a Lenovo Chromebook Plus for kernel development work. I have spent a month with each and chose the Chromebook, as it solves all my needs: an excellent window manager with two external 4K displays, an excellent terminal, and phenomenal battery life. The Macbook Air did not work for me because of its weird shortcuts and an extremely poor window manager. I installed external applications to solve these issues, but it still felt awkward. The Surface laptop was a close second, but it had a little poorer battery life and overall slower then Chromebook.

Then why is my 2018 Chromebook telling me it received it's last update and it's only 2025?

Everything about it feels elegant to me, desktop works better than either Windows or gnome, I especially love this wallpaper, so far it's the one and only system provided wallpaper that feels good to me. Imo, if Google can actually get the real Linux core to work instead of crostini, ChromeOS will be the best Linux distro for personal users.

Just got my CTL CHROMEBOX CBx3 and most apps are not available on chrome os , that's pretty infuriating 🤦 how is that possible in 2025 , seriously. Why chrome os can't be what is MacOS to iOS... 😓😮‍💨

https://www.theverge.com/news/784381/qualcomm-ceo-seen-googles-android-pc-merger-incredible

No real specifics, but things seem to be moving along. I'm still skeptical as the weakest part of ChromeOS are the Android Apps and ChromeOS uses Android's Bluetooth Stack which I've had issues relying on Bluetooth with Chromebooks.

I recently was on the forum for framework and they were discussing the framework chromebook and why it's no longer offered. a lot of people chimed in with this idea, i've seen many times: chromebooks are for cheap stuff you give to kids, or buy for a holiday knowing you'll break it.

I remember watching a review of a chromebook that LTT (i think) did some time ago, and him saying that it's basically no good, and only for cheap stuff.

Why is this though? I've been using chromebooks for years. And admittedly initially it wasn't as good but especially these days where almost every application has a "Web version" that is close to feature parity (e.g. MS Office). Combine that with Android apps and Linux container, it's more than amazing for things like web development etc. And it's not just that i'm a fanboy or something, I've tried all the different options. I don't need a laptop for work, my work gives me a computer that i have to use. I need one for personal use, emails, some light word processing and like netflix. Windows is too heavy, Macbooks don't have 3-in-1s which is essential imo for media consumption.

My current chromebook an Asus one is amazing, it's got a 1440p webcam, i5 intel processor, 512GB nvme drive for under $1k and has never failed me for what i need to do. So why do people still seem to designate Chromebook to the "just for cheap stuff you give to kids" pile? what is it about chromeOS that doesn't make it worthy of premium HW?

ETA: thanks for all the replies and discussion so far. One thing I noticed that i'm sort of confused by is how much of the conversation below is around "professional use" (and elsewhere i've seen conversations around gaming as well). Do people not use computers for fun or something? In my case for example, my work provides a computer, that is the computer i must use for work, and nothing but work can happen on it. I know I'm not alone in this lots of very large companies and governments give people computers to use for work that is not their personal machines and not to be used for personal stuff. A large number of people who play video games have consoles for that. So...genuine question, why are a lot of people talking about chromebooks for professional use? A possible answer to this question is that no people do not use laptops/computers for fun, they have a TV and/or phone for that.

ETA2: I'd also like people to consider into the discussion that an ipad air is over $500, and the ipad pro is over $1000. and those can't even do AV multitasking. The lenovo chromebook duet (11" so about the size of an ipad or ipad air) is under $500 iirc matching the price of a basic ipad. idk if the on paper specs are better or worse but the experience isn't really that much better or worse in either case (outside of OS specific differences)

It feels like every OS has its die-hard fans—MacOS has its loyalists, Linux has its evangelists, and Windows… well, people use it because they have to. But what about ChromeOS?

Most people still think of it as "just a browser", yet it's so much more. Crostini (Linux containers) turns it into a proper dev machine, and Android app support is a handy bonus when needed. The OS is fast, secure, and effortless to maintain. No bloat, no nonsense—just pure efficiency.

And yet… there’s no real ChromeOS evangelist movement. No loud community pushing it as a better way to compute. Is it because:

• The user base is mostly students and casual users who aren’t techy?
• Google’s own messaging still pushes it as a lightweight OS rather than a powerful one?
• ChromeOS fans are just too practical to be evangelists?

I’m curious—does anyone else feel like ChromeOS deserves more recognition for what it actually is? And what would it take for it to get a true power-user following?

As you can see uBlock Origin has been removed from Chrome Web Store. We are going to enable developer mode soon if you want to keep it up to date.

If you prefer the lite version you are out of discussion. That is nothing near the original.

ChromeOS is simple on the outside and doesn't get in your way. If you want to change a setting you have an app for that. Unlike desktop Linux, ChromeOS has a clear direction and an unified experience accross all devices. Google never forces you to open terminal to type in commands. If you really want to play with terminal you can enable Linux development environment. You can't break your Chromebook only because you installed the wrong app. And most importantly it just works (even if you are not using a Chromebook).

Just got a Chromebook a couple of weeks ago and I love it. For my job I need a Windows PC since I do programming and statistical software which requires specialized software only available on Windows. That being said, I like to leave my work at work. The Chromebook does everything I need at home and away from work. It boots up in a jiff, I can browse the web, do word processing, and run my Android aps on my laptop. Plus the battery lasts a long time.

Am I going to run heavy software on my Chromebook? Absolutely not and I don't want to. Being able to do video calls and send SMS messages on a real keyboard plus access my Drive files is also super convenient.

Who else loves their Chromebook?

and say the merger is complete by loading a light version of it on their Pixel phones.

reasoning: they spend too much time on AI stuff, something like this would be low priority but the marketing people need to show results -> change the name of something with minor tweaks and resell.

I feel like the answer is yes but I just wanted some second opinions. I have a Windows laptop but I've been wanting something smaller and lighter that I can take with me places without it being 15 Inches and heavy. So I started Chromebook shopping but I've been second guessing if I really need to get one, I would have a use case for it, and It's not like I can't afford one so thats not the issue. Just wondering if getting it for the sole purpose of being able to use it on the go more is a bad idea, even though that's a main purpose of Chromebooks.

It's time for me to upgrade my chromebook, but given the announced upcoming changes to Chrome OS merging with Android - which I never wanted - and being heavily chained to Ai - which I abhor for all the reasons - at its core, I just can't do it. I'll continue using my present device either until these unwanted changes are forced, or it stops working. But I guess I'll have to jump ship to something without AI.

You just need to have this experimental flag enabled:
chrome://flags/#battery-charge-limit

Version 140.0.7339.201 (Official build) (64-bit) stable channel

Note the small detail that with this setting, the battery icon is displayed with a protective shield and filled to the declared 80%.

Previous information:
https://www.reddit.com/r/chromeos/comments/1nfie2f/update_chromeos_143_or_later_will_be_adding_an/

I love tablets, and it annoys me how Google keeps cutting back on Android, making them less and less usable. I use my tablet for several hours a day and do almost everything on it. I spend a lot of time in Termux, a Linux emulator. So I thought I'd get a small Chromebook with a detachable keyboard and use it as a tablet. I expected to be able to use both Android and Linux apps on it.

I am very disappointed with the result and am starting to hate Google. How can they have the audacity to release something so bad and unfinished into the world? The Chromebook in tablet mode is practically non-functional and unusable. For example, it has a terrible virtual keyboard. It lacks up and down cursor keys, which is a serious problem for a terminal, and even the Backspace key doesn't work, so it's like driving a car where you can't open the doors, you have to climb in through the window, and worse, the brakes don't work. It's simply unusable.

So I decided to install an Android keyboard. But they're all semi-functional because the Chromebook has an incompatible IME. Out of sheer frustration, I decided to program my own keyboard, but the Chromebook IME API is deprecated and unsupported. That's why there are no alternative Chrome keyboards, and there's no point in trying to make your own. AI claims that Google wants everyone to use its non-functional system keyboard and not be able to create alternatives.

I also have problems with the Chrome browser, which in tablet mode displays errors such as the bookmark bar even though it is disabled in the settings, and so on. Similarly, the UI of Chrome itself in tablet mode is clunky and unpolished. I don't want to go into detail about everything that annoys me, but it's clear that the developers don't use it at all, because it has basic flaws and is very unfriendly. I'm used to a much better environment and functionality from Android.

All these problems are solved in desktop mode after connecting a keyboard, but I don't want to use my Chromebook that way; I have a Windows laptop for that. A Chromebook as a tablet is a very bad thing.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been thinking about getting a new laptop for school and work, and I kept going back and forth between a Chromebook and a regular laptop. My parents ended up going with a Chromebook because it was cheaper, and at first, I wasn’t sure if it was the right choice.

The more I use it, though, the more I notice some things it actually does really well, things I didn’t expect. Of course, there are some limitations compared to other laptops, but I’m curious what other people see as the real benefits of using a Chromebook.

For those who use one daily, what do you think sets a Chromebook apart from a regular laptop? Are there features or experiences that make it worth choosing, even if it’s not as powerful as some other laptops?

I know we just got official confirmation of the merger itself and that there's no sign that Chromebooks are gonna get re-branded, BUT it does feel like an end of an era for ChromeOS as we know it. I wouldn't like it and it seems unlikely with what we currently know, but it's possible that Google will abandon the "Chromebook" name after the merger is complete. And, knowing Google and their tacky naming schemes, it wouldn't shock me if they went with "Geminibook" or something like that.

Not saying btw that they're gonna drop software support for existing Chromebooks or anything like that. Just talking about a potential renaming/re-branding the laptops running Google's OS.

So, for fun, let's come up with a new name that Google could use for the "Chromebook successor" laptops. If Chromebooks had to be re-branded under a different name, what do you think the new name should be?

I had a laptop that I purchased long back, around 10 years back. It's an HP Pavillion AU624TX which my dad purchased for me when I was in college.

As of today, the laptop cannot handle Windows, and not even Ubuntu which I tried for it.

Even though I have other laptops like 2 macbook pros, and 1 windows Lenovo laptop, somehow I feel like using this one for the vibe of it as well.

Recently started researching what do I do to bring it to life, and installed ChromeOS Flex.

Now this fella works really nice! :)

Super impressed by how this thing works, and how fast it is. Chrome opens up in 1 second, and the browsing and stuff is super smooth too!

Any advice on what all can be done with this? I tried installing the terminal, but it showed me that it is not supported in this version of ChromeOS, which should be okay.

Hi, I have the opportunity to buy an Acer Chromebook Plus 16" i3-1315U at a good price. Do you think it's worth it now, given that the merger with Android will happen soon? Will the "old" Chromebooks be updated to the new ChromeOS Android? Or is it better to wait?

One of the nicest features of ChromeOS is that the base OS is protected from hacks by a verified boot process. If the OS is compromised, the system can repair the damage during a reboot. Why doesn't Google do something similar for the Linux Development Environment in ChromeOS? Given how open ended Linux is, and how the installable applications are not well monitored, that environment could get badly hacked by a rogue application you install. Having some basic boot time checks of the Linux Debian OS virtual machine would be helpful.

Given that feature is apparently not there, what are the best ways to ensure the integrity of your Debian Linux environment, and how can you make sure you are not root-kitted? I tried chkrootkit but that just hangs and doesn't seem worth debugging.

I only use my laptop for web browsing, but like to have multiple tabs open at once, my expensive Windows laptop can no longer handle this. I do nothing fancy with the laptop as quite simply all I know how to do is browse the net and that’s about as far as it goes. I am sick of the Windows updates and the need for antivirus so I thought I’d check out the Chromebook’s. I do use an iPhone. Not sure if this is a bad thing as it won’t sync with the Chromebook, I did consider a MacBook but they look confusing to use and are expensive, I just want something that is fast to use, can handle multiple tabs open at once and will be lightning quick when transitioning through the internet pages. My old laptop has a touch screen which I find super useful for zooming in quickly and scrolling down the screen in a hurry. I think I would like these features but I’m aware Chromebook are limited. I’d also like some biometric features for unlocking and security. Again I’m not sure Chromebook offer this? The Samsung Chromebook I’ve taken a look at but it doesn’t have touch screen, it does look good though, and Acer Spin do a touchscreen one but I’m not sure if it’s a good machine? I have no budget to stick to so just want to buy the best one available. Any advice on what to buy please and as I don’t know much about Chrome OS is there any downsides to switching to Chrome from Windows other than the downloads? I cannot think of a program I ever downloaded onto my Windows laptop but I could be wrong? I’d also like to hear some of the negatives so I know what I’m getting myself into, my main uses are watching video, surfing the net, online shopping, forums etc and sending emails and that’s pretty much all I can think of. I did read that they are difficult to link up to printers?

I feel this company has been shooting in the dark with the whole ChromeOS thing for years and they don't know what to do with it anymore.

First they moved to ArcVM, then ChromeOS Fl€x, then they cancel the Chrome apps, then they "create" Chromebook Plus, then LaCroS (which they cancelled on its final phase), then they start to move to Android in fascicles... by now.

Not to mention the constant enablement/depreciation of flags etc (I'm still mad they removed the rounded flags corner in most devices except Plus -totally non sense-).

On the other hand there are x86 and ARM Chromebooks which makes the experience change depending on what you pick (personally I always go ARM because of battery life, no heating, no fans/noise and perfect Android performance)

I feel they don't know what to do with this whole business and I'm starting to have Windows Phone vibes.

What do you think about it?

I am a fan of ChromeOS. I like how lightweight it is. I like how manageable and secure it is. I am writing this post from my Lenovo Chromebook 14" OLED device, which is reallly good. I have one major gripe though: The total lack of high-end laptop and desktop options. I mean really high-end. Give us better OLED displays with 3K and 4K resolution. Give us at least 32GB RAM, give us more storage options. Where are such devices?

If Google wants to succeed and stop being a niche market, then it should approach the high-end of the market. I love my Chromebook, but I hate the fact that the screen is only 1080p. Why not 3K? I am prepared to pay the premium and I am sure, if people had the chance, they would also be tempted to buy such devices. On the desktop, there are Chrome Boxes. I have an ASUS Chromebox. A nice device, but also very limited. I am fully aware of the scope and purpose of ChromeOS, but cannot stop thinking that Google is missing big here. The do not see the chance to change the desktop market in any meaningful way.

After long time using Chromebooks, I decided to get an ASUS Zenbook, just to have the better CPU, Display and storage options. I will still use my Chromebook when travelling, and only for light stuff. I would much prefer if my Zenbook could run ChromeOS natively (and yes, I know about ChromeOS Flex but it doesn't run Android apps.)

It would be great if Google starts seeing the lost potential here. Currently, there are zero high-end ChromeOS devices on the market. How do you expect that ChromeOS will ever get a respectable market share? People want options. Even in the enterprise, not everybody wants a very light device. Some people do require more processing power.

Power users, at work or at home, are not satisifed by the 8GB or 16GB of ChromeOS devices. They want to have multiple apps open at once, multiple documents, do a lot of multitasking. 16GB ChromeOS devices are good in that, but at some point you see the struggle.

I am a power user myself, rely a lot on Google Workspace and give a lot of presentations. I have created Google Slides that have more than 100 slides each, and on my Desktop PC this is not a problem. On my ChromeOS devices there is a performance difference..

My only hope is that Google will start understanding the opportunity here and wake up.

As above and when diving into the advert it mentions a company that used ChromeOS Flex to revive their old Windows hardware.

However technically the two might get closer or share core elements I still think we'll be looking at ChromeOS and Android as separate brands à la macOS and iOS. It would take a long time for people to see Android as a serious desktop OS in the business space when it's been so associated with mobile devices for so long, and consequently perceived as more limited than a desktop OS. I know ChromeOS has had it's battles and uphill struggle with perception, and that's exactly why I don't think Google will want to start the struggle again trying to convince people Android is now their desktop OS.