Chromebooks are well-established devices that have managed to gain traction in a wide variety of spaces. Whether you’re picking one up for entertainment purposes or simply a student looking for a piece of tech to suit your on-the-fly lifestyle, Chrome OS is the perfect pick for a plethora of use-cases.
However, it’s easy for people to get confused when choosing a Chromebook tablet or any other Android tablet, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8, given the differences in the operating system. Take it from us. A Chromebook tablet boasts several benefits over its counterparts.
There’s a good rationale for choosing Chrome OS in its tablet form for its unrivaled speed, security, and simplicity. Considering just that, let us now go over 5 of the best reasons to buy Chromebook tablets instead of Android tablets. Time to get straight into this guide.
- Recommended from Chrome Ready: 9 reasons schools use Chromebooks instead of laptops.
Why pick Android tablets when you’ve got Chromebook tablets?
The following is our curated round-up of the best reasons you should opt for a Chromebook tablet rather than an Android tablet.
1. Chromebook tablets are more secure
Chrome OS boasts top-of-the-line security, higher than rival operating systems. It features a sandboxed environment to contain viruses, provided that they manage to invade the device in the first place. That’s because you cannot download all sorts of software on your Chromebook from the internet. These machines lack the resources to make that happen.
Many people see this as a shortcoming, but those who realize the true essence of security know that the seemingly lackluster facet of Chrome OS in question is indeed a blessing. While there are always ways of maximizing your Chromebook’s safety, the base state of the operating system is enough to keep malicious content at bay.
One functionality that’s famously effective for consolidating the security of Chromebooks is “Verified Boot.” This specialized feature is one of the best tricks of Chrome OS to keep itself secure and protected. Every time you turn on your Chromebook, it performs a self-check to check for potential risks, breaches, and malware.
Once done, it begins to wipe the system clean from danger. Thus, your computer is still protected, and the malware that tried to invade your Chromebook’s infrastructure is duly dealt with. In summary, whenever you reboot Chrome OS, it appears as if you’re performing a mere restart. On the contrary, that very restart is a proper self-check from the side of the system.
While Android tablets from the top-ranking manufacturers of our time are pretty secure, nothing comes close to Chrome OS in this regard. After all, we’re talking about an operating system that has never been afflicted with ransomware before, so there you have this added proof of authenticity.
- Related read: Can Chromebooks get viruses? Are they secure?
2. Chromebooks tablets use a simplified operating system
The operating system is one of the best advantages that push us to recommend Chromebook tablets over Android tablets. Chrome OS is a boon for productivity-focused individuals whose work revolves around the Chrome browser. There are slivers of simplicity scattered across Chrome OS to talk about the user interface.
You have a Launcher at your disposal that’s easy to access and highly organized. It allows you to sift through your installed applications and access important files at a glance. Next comes the shelf of Chromebooks, similar to the Taskbar in Windows PCs. This interface element comprises your most-used apps and lets you launch them without breaking a sweat.
Lastly, we have the Status Tray to cast a lens on. This is the control center of your device, allowing you to look at and adjust important system features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Nearby Share, and more. Everything you’ll need to take control of your Chromebook will be present in this small-scale section. It’s easy to access and works like a charm to boot. Nifty little features are also quite ubiquitous on Chrome OS.
For instance, switching from tablet to desktop mode on a Chromebook is fast and painless, and there’s usually a seamless animation during the process that affirms this transition. All in all, Chrome OS is synonymous with simplicity, and there’s no other Android tablet out there that can match the user-friendliness and ease of use of a Chromebook tablet.
3. Chromebook tablets let you relish the Chrome browser in full
This subtitle states one of the most important reasons you should go for a Chromebook tablet instead of an Android tablet. Android tablets are mainly used for entertainment and recreational purposes like e-reading, television streaming, and enjoying games with a sprinkle of some productivity-focused use-case. Many can also be hooked up with a detachable keyboard, allowing more robust typing.
However, in the other corner of the ring, a Chromebook tablet becomes more versatile. It allows individuals to experience the best Google Play Store applications around and lets them utilize the Chrome browser at its total capacity. That is to say; all Chromebook tablets can transition into a highly specialized desktop mode that mirrors the functioning of a good Chromebook with a standard form factor.
As soon as you plug that keyboard in, you’ll visualize the user interface making strides to switch to desktop mode and let users use the Chrome browser. However, the significant benefit is the availability of desktop keyboard shortcuts on a Chromebook tablet, thereby giving you double the value and offering a twin-turbo experience compared to an Android tablet.
Some of the most common and helpful keyboard shortcuts for the Chrome browser revolve around copying, pasting, selecting the URL bar, opening a new Chrome tab, closing a tab, shutting down the whole window, refreshing the page, and opening your browsing history. You can do all of this on a Chromebook tablet, but not an Android tablet. Pretty substantial bang for your buck, isn’t it?
4. Chromebook tablets are affordable
If you need more reason to start gravitating toward a tablet that runs Chrome OS, look at the price it’s coming for. For instance, let us take the Lenovo Chromebook Duet into account. This is one of the best budget-range Chromebooks with a 2-in-1 detachable form factor, a magnetic keyboard, and unrivaled flexibility that’s second to none.
As for its technical specifications, this machine features a MediaTek Helio P60T processor and a 10.1″ FHD (1920 x 1200) IPS display. In addition, it’s got 4 GBs of internal memory and a 64 GB hard drive size, adequate for most use-cases, considering you plan on using the best cloud-storage options available for Chrome OS. So, what would a device like this cost? A dollar short of $230. Check out the product on the official Lenovo website for a sliver of proof.
And this isn’t it—plenty of other manufacturers, such as Asus with its Chromebook Detachable CM3, are offering their services in the same light. The value you’re getting here without paying top dollar is something to marvel at, and it’s only in the domain of Chrome OS where you’ll find such offerings.
5. Chromebook tablets boast a more extended update period
Another tip-top reason that should entice you even more is the update period of most modern-day tablets that run Chrome OS. All those Chromebook tablets that have been launched in 2020 and after will continue to get system and security updates for 8 years or 8 and a half for some higher-end devices. You’ll be all set with your brand-new Chromebook tablet purchase for almost one whole decade. Isn’t that something?
On the other hand, we have Android tablets. These falter significantly when it comes to a direct comparison between them and Chromebook tablets with the longest update period. One of the industry giants, Samsung, provides its tablets with automatic updates for up to four years and not a day over. Other manufacturers are doing an even poorer job in this regard, so you should look out for what you’re getting into.
The Lenovo mentioned above Chromebook Duet launched in 2020 will continue to run officially until June 2028. The Duet’s bigger, better sibling, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5, came out last year and will hold its ground until June 2029. Google has kept a whole support page on this matter that you can check out using this link. It displays the Auto Update Expiration (AUE) date of all listed Chromebooks, including Chromebook tablets, so do refer to it for a notion of integrity.
- A must-read: What to do with a Chromebook’s end of life?
The cherry on top – Effortless access to experimental features
We must warn you: fiddling around with volatile features without prior knowledge doesn’t always bode well for the operating system, especially if you’re not ingrained with the technical aspects of your Chromebook tablet. However, if you’re a power user who knows what they’re doing, the Chrome OS developer mode will be fun for you to try out. That is to say, Chromebooks make it a cakewalk to switch back and forth between the stable and the developer update channel.
In doing so, you can try out some genuinely fascinating experimental features to catch a glance at what could arrive next for the operating system or, on the other hand, miss out on making it to the stable update channel. Either way, it’s a gateway for you to test thrilling new forms of functionality and try them out on the device ahead of time.
For instance, the brand-new Productivity Launcher for Chromebooks and Chromebook tablets was initially experimental but was made to get included in the stable release channel after a considerable while. Therefore, this was a bonus reason for picking up a Chromebook tablet instead of an Android tablet for your days ahead. Nothing is boring with embracing change, even for a moment, and getting out of your comfort zone with Chrome OS.
Conclusion
Chromebooks are measuring up to boast a brighter future than ever as we cross the mid of 2022. The relatively recent Chrome OS I/O taking place in the middle of May has given us more than a sneak peeks of what to expect from the times to come. In this guide, we have talked about the space of Chromebook tablets and how effective they are at proving their versatility to a wide range of audiences.
The five reasons discussed above are bound to clarify what sets Chrome OS as an operating system apart from other ones, thereby making it easy to get a Chromebook tablet instead of an Android tablet. We prefer speed, simplicity, and security over all other device features. Chrome OS is quite adept at providing users with all of these. Let us know what you think of Chromebook tablets in the comments section.
