Originally designed as internet-only laptops, Chromebooks are lightweight, affordable and have long battery life. Some can even be used as tablets with a dedicated stylus pen, and are popular with students or for working remotely. They are also a solid choice for businesses using Google apps for work like Docs, Sheets and Gmail. However, they are less well suited to more intensive applications such as Adobe Photoshop or the latest computer games, which require more powerful processors and graphics cards.
Nevertheless, they are great value for money and work particularly well with other Google products, such as the G Suite of office software programs or YouTube. In fact, it is difficult to find a cheaper way to use these suites of tools and many Chromebooks are now on sale this Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
The cheap price of a Chromebook also makes them an attractive option for business buyers. They can be customised with a corporate or school logo on the lid and come with a slot for a business card, in case it is lost or stolen. They also have excellent battery life compared to most other laptops and often run at lower CPU speeds, which helps reduce noise levels too.
However, a downside to Chromebooks is that they don't receive automatic updates after a certain period of time, which can leave them exposed to new security risks. This is less of a problem for desktop computers, which tend to be supported for years after they are sold.