CONCLUSION
WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM ALL THIS? Well, we won’t be making
the switch to Chromebooks anytime soon, but then again we
aren’t the target audience. When you spend your work hours
drooling over high-performance hardware, Google’s sensibly-
priced, security-focused laptops aren’t exactly a turn-on. But
Chromebook design has come a long way from its origins (check
out that Acer AC700, for instance!). Modern Chromebooks can
match mid-range laptops for aesthetics; the Asus Chromebook
Flip CX5 is the perfect example, combining thin-and-light
design requirements with a clean, refined look. While older
Chromebooks looked most at home in the IT rooms of elementary
schools, cash-strapped university students no longer need to
feel ashamed by their hardware if they opt for Chrome.
If you’re on a tight budget or looking for ‘Baby’s First
Laptop’, Chromebooks just make sense. They won’t break any
performance records, but ChromeOS is so well-optimized
for low-end hardware at this point that these laptops can do a
lot with a little, covering all the bases from surfing the net to
watching Netflix. Gaming still remains out of reach for most
Chromebooks, but that’s largely alright considering that PC
gaming is still more the domain of over-18s (a 2020 study by the
ESA found that children are more likely to play games on a home
console, handheld, or smartphone). App games via the Play Store
are still an option too, and with mobile gaming booming, those
games are genuinely improving in quality. There are still plenty
of low-quality, microtransaction-riddled cash-grabs, but indie
PC hits such as Slay the Spire and 80 Days mean that fine gaming
experiences are definitely not in short supply on ChromeOS.
Beyond the Play Store, we did a bit of software gymnastics to
get Steam running on these Chromebooks, just to see what our
options were. This can be done in two ways; the first is simple,using Valve’s Steam Link app to turn your laptop into a streaming
platform. This requires a separate PC from which to stream your
games, so you’ll need a gaming PC at home for this. Steam Link is
a functional (if occasionally buggy) tool, but it pales in comparison
to proper game-streaming services such as Google Stadia and
Nvidia’s GeForce Now.
The other option is more complicated. By using the beta
developer tools available in the current version of ChromeOS,
you can install a Linux environment on your Chromebook, which
allows you to run Steam locally without the need for Steam
Link. This uses the Chromebook’s own hardware, which has
drawbacks. Stardew Valley and Terraria ran fine, but games
with 3D graphics aren’t really an option; we tried testing XCOM
2 without much luck. We managed to get Portal 2 running on the
Asus Flip CX5 with a dismal framerate, but it refused to boot at all
on the other Chromebooks.
Of course, plenty of games available on Steam aren’t set upAND ALL THE REST
There were plenty of
Chromebooks we would
have loved to feature in
this article but couldn’t
due to time constraints or
hardware availability. The
big one was Google’s own
Pixelbook Go, a premium
Chromebook that offers
the best of what the
platform can do. The Go
features a sturdy but thin
design, stellar battery
life, and one of the best
keyboards found on any
notebook laptop. Higher-
spec models also offer a
1080p webcam and even a
4K touch display.
We’d also point the
ChromeOS curious towards
Lenovo’s IdeaPad Duet,
a Chromebook with a
detachable keyboard fora true tablet experience. The
Duet’s hardware specs are
modest (4GB of RAM and a
MediaTek ARM processor) but
given its sub-$300 price tag,
we can’t be too critical.
HP’s Chromebook x2
11 also uses a detachable
keyboard but ramps up
the quality with a 1440p
touchscreen and fingerprint
scanner built into the power
button. It’s powered by the
same new Snapdragon 7c
processor from Qualcomm
that we saw in the Acer Spin
513, which feels more at home
in a tablet than a regular
laptop. We should be getting
one soon, so keep an eye on
our reviews section.
Another affordable option
is Acer’s 515, which snubs the
convertible design of mostcurrent Chromebooks for a
180-degree hinge that keeps
things simple. No bells and
whistles here; no stylus,
no IR camera, just reliable
performance and a powerful
battery for all-day use. Its all-aluminum exterior ensures
durability, and it’s bundled
with a mouse so you don’t
have to use the basic
trackpad. In other words,
it’s a laptop for people who
don’t like laptops.Google’s own Pixelbook Go is an Intel-powered Chromebook
that showcases the best of what the platform can do.The Acer AC700 Chromebook won’t win any beauty contests.rise of the chromebook
34 MAXIMU MPC APR 2022