Android or iPadOS were yesterday. A few Chromebook tablets have been on the market for a few years. This comparison shows which tablets with Chrome OS are worthwhile.
A good ten years ago, Google brought a breath of fresh air to the landscape of mobile computers with its Chrome OS operating system. In the meantime, the devices have arrived in the mass market. Computers with the Google operating system and running Windows are particularly popular in the North American education sector
Usually the devices are similar to regular laptops. But that doesn’t have to be the case, because there are also birds of paradise among Chromebooks that can only be operated with a touchscreen if required. That makes sense, too, because Chrome OS runs many Android apps that are optimized for tablets and smartphones.
However, many of these “Chromebook tablets” are not available in Germany. But if you’ve had enough of Android and iPadOS and want to get to know Chrome OS better, you should take a closer look at the devices. By the way: If you want to find out beforehand whether Chrome OS is something for you, then you can download Chrome OS Flex, use it to create a bootable USB stick and install it on an old computer.
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook
If you’re looking for a Chromebook that offers decent power for a reasonable price, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 could be something for you. At 13.3 inches (33.8 centimeters), it is the largest Chromebook tablet in comparison. Again, Lenovo ships it with an external keyboard that you detach if you need to.
Incidentally, buyers of the IdeaPad Duet 5 will be able to enjoy software updates until June 2029, because it was only launched in 2021. The Snapdragon 7c Gen2 processor that Lenovo installs in the tablet offers correspondingly good performance. Nice: It even has 4 gigabytes of RAM and 128 gigabytes of main memory. Enough documents and photos can be stored on it so that the Chromebook tablet can also be used for work – and for several years.
The display resolves in Full HD and thus in 1920 x 1080 pixels. It also offers two USB-C interfaces. You are therefore somewhat more flexible when you plug peripheral devices such as USB sticks into the tablet. Overall, the IdeaPad Duet 5 is worthwhile for buyers who want to enjoy the Chromebook a little longer and are not afraid of the high price compared to other tablets.
Acer Chromebook Tab 10 D651N-K0PN
Before you decide to buy the Acer Chromebook Tab 10, you should be aware that the tablet will only receive updates from Google until August 2023. This is because 2019 Chromebooks only get four years of updates, and 2020 Chromebooks get eight years.
If that doesn’t put you off, the price should give you food for thought. It still costs around 300 euros. And that’s too expensive for a Chromebook tablet that only offers 32 gigabytes of storage and 4 gigabytes of memory. The Rockchip RK3399 processor doesn’t make up for the shortcomings either. Only the 9.7 inch display with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels is convincing.
You should stay away from the Acer Chromebook Tab 10 because the update support is only available for a short time. The only exception: You get your hands on an unbeatable deal, which from our point of view should be less than 100 euros.
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook
The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook makes the start. Lenovo ships it with a keyboard that you can detach from the tablet if necessary. The 10.1-inch display has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels, which corresponds to a Full HD resolution given the display diagonal. The memory is not particularly large at 64 gigabytes. You don’t save a lot of photos and videos on it. The MediaTek Helio P60T processor has eight cores. He is assisted by 4 gigabytes of RAM.
If you just want to do some web browsing and stream series, the IdeaPad Duet Chromebook is a solid and affordable companion. If you buy a tablet pen, the Chromebook tablet is of course also suitable for writing notes. The supplied keyboard is more suitable for short texts. The tablet’s performance is not sufficient for editing videos. But with a memory of 64 gigabytes, such work is hardly possible anyway. Too bad: the tablet only has a USB-C port.
HP Chromebook x2 11-da0050ng
The HP Chromebook x2 11-da0050ng is also a Chromebook tablet from the higher price segment. The central processing unit is the same as the IdeaPad Duet 5: HP also relies on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c. Unfortunately, the manufacturer only equips its Chromebook with 4 gigabytes of RAM. The main memory is the same size at 128 gigabytes.
What makes the HP Chromebook special is its display: Although it is a bit smaller at 11 inches, it has a much sharper resolution of 2160 x 1440 pixels. Of course, the HP Chromebook tablet also has a keyboard that you can remove if necessary. Incidentally, the scope of delivery also includes a stylus with which you can operate the tablet. Nice: Google will offer updates for the Chromebook until 2029.
The HP Chromebook should be preferred to the IdeaPad Duet 5 by buyers in particular if they want to stream and listen to music on it. Simple reason: the built-in speakers. HP relies on Bang’s expertise here
Chromebook-Tablet: Asus CM3000DVA
The Asus CM3 is a particularly affordable Chromebook tablet with support until 2028. Anyone who only intends to use the tablet to surf and watch series will be safe with this tablet. However, the MediaTek 8183 processor is too weak for complex calculations. It is assisted by 4 gigabytes of RAM and the 10.5-inch display has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. The internal memory is 64 gigabytes, which is okay for a Chromebook in this price range. Unfortunately, it only offers a USB-C port. At least Asus includes a stylus and a keyboard with its CM3.
Chrome OS: You have to consider this with the Google operating system
If you’re buying a Chromebook, then it should be out by 2020 at the latest. This is important because from 2020 Google’s long-term support for its operating system has changed. The tech giant is guaranteed to supply devices from 2020 with updates until 2028, i.e. eight years. Chromebooks released before that only get four years of updates. By the way, Google reveals on its support page whether the Chromebook you want will receive the long support.
Why you shouldn’t spend more than $600 on a Chromebook
One thing to keep in mind with Chromebooks is that Chrome OS is both their greatest strength and greatest weakness. But how can the operating system be both at the same time? Well, that’s because Chrome OS (like Android) is based on the Linux multiuser operating system. What makes Chrome OS particularly strong is that it works particularly resource-efficiently compared to Windows. So you don’t need that powerful hardware to work properly with Chrome OS.
However, the associated inflexibility of Chrome OS compared to Windows is particularly weak. Programs like the Microsoft Office Suite, for example, only run on Chrome OS under certain conditions. For this you need somewhat more powerful hardware on the one hand and virtualization software like Parallels on the other. Then a Chromebook package can cost 600 euros and more and it makes more sense to buy a Windows laptop.
Note: This article was first published in February 2022.
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