Chromebooks are cheap, light laptops that keep turning up in the shops, and people often ask whether one is worth buying. The honest answer is: it depends entirely on what you do.
A Chromebook runs Google's ChromeOS instead of Windows or macOS. In practice it is built around the Chrome web browser and Google's apps. It starts up fast, stays fairly secure, and the batteries tend to last a long time.
Browsing, email, YouTube, Google Docs and Sheets, video calls and general everyday use. For a student, a second machine, or someone who mostly lives in a web browser, a Chromebook does the job cheaply and without much fuss.
They will not run full Windows programs like the desktop version of Office, most accounting software, or PC games. They lean on an internet connection for a lot of things. If you need specific Windows or Mac software, a Chromebook will frustrate you.
Buy one if you want a cheap, simple machine for web and email. Avoid one if you rely on particular desktop software. If you are not sure which way to go, we offer an independent laptop buying service and can match a machine to what you actually do.