Chromebook 2023 Pros and Cons — Can you use a Chromebook for creative work, writing, freelancing, and remote work? Also, ADHD
My Chromebook ($150, mid-2022): HP Chromebook 14 G6, Celeron N4020 / 1.1 GHz, Chrome OS 64, 8GB RAM, 32GB EMMC, 14" 1366 X 768 (HD) UHD Graphics 600
Who is a Chromebook right for?
People who don’t need the processing power of a laptop or PC, who do most tasks in-browser, and who are patient whenever you click on something.
Additional consideration if you have *ADHD:
These [cheaper] Chromebooks might be a bad choice, concerning focused productivity unless the objective is to sit and write or browse simple websites.
*more on ADHD in the second half of this article.
One Year Review
It’s a good coffee shop tablet-with-a-keyboard style device, without being a tablet or a proper laptop. Although, it wears the laptop facade pretty well in-browser.
The Chromebook is a great tool for simple browsing and dedicated writing sessions.
When I say writing, I mean writing, not tackling research rabbit trails or worldbuilding in a personal database-style platform such as Evernote or WorldAnvil. A Chromebook can handle it but I tend to hit the processing efficiency barrier in a matter of minutes, if I get carried away, and tend to not get anything done.
Less-than-stellar processing power is a big factor that paints my review in a potentially negative sounding light, but the price point is impossible to ignore.
I have (mostly) enjoyed using a Chromebook every day, for the most part.
In fact, I bought my Chromebook when my old MacBook’s battery became too unreliable for places without predictable outlet availability. It was cheap and had a clear purpose: writing while not at home.
Are there faster Chromebooks? Absolutely!
However, if you want to pay $150–250 for a usable device then a Chromebook is the only option worth considering.
The cheapest “real” laptop I’d even consider, if I needed one in a pinch for some reason, is $380 (at the time of writing): Gateway 14 Ultra Slim: Intel i5, 16GB RAM, 256 SSD
Pros and Cons of a Chromebook
PROS
1. Affordable — easy to replace if it breaks or gets stolen
2. Lightweight — great in a backpack
3. Long Battery Life — I’ve never brought my charger with me
4. Silent — no fan and the keyboard is pleasant
5. Aesthetically pleasing (usually) — mine is a sleek textured graphite grey
6. Good enough for Writing, Canva, YouTube, Spotify, Shopify, Notion, Netflix, and ZoomCONS
1. Limited out-of-browser software capabilities
2. Click, wait… click, wait… enough said
3. Limited [offline] memory storage
Chrome OS Apps vs Software vs Browser-based
Chrome OS Apps
The Play Store has tons of apps for a Chromebook!
However, I find running most apps to be annoying. Apps make it feel more like a tablet because, for the most part, it defaults to running mobile versions of apps. In contrast, in-browser products feel more like a laptop experience.
After using mine as a daily laptop for a full year, my Chromebook is clean of apps aside from Google Drive, Docs, Calendar, Gmail, Netflix, Discord, and Spotify.
Software
Forget using real software of creative or processing value on a Chromebook.
Microsoft Office and Adobe have mobile apps or browser-based offerings, which can blur the line a bit, but they don’t feel quite the same as the real software.
There are people who swear by GIMP in lieu of Photoshop, and it’s arguably the best free option available, along with other third-party products Chromebook-using friends get by with, which are useful if you want to put up with them. Thankfully I also have a PC, so I don’t have to.
Browser-based
I regularly use Canva, Notion, WorldAnvil, Brightspace (online college), and Google Drive.
Yes, I only use Google Drive in-browser and not the app! The Google Drive app is decidedly slower, in my experience than using Drive in-browser. I am also a big fan of having a split screen, with a Doc on one side and a browser on the other. The Drive app can do this but it doesn’t have the readily accessible Chrome browser access, while also still being slower. I’m unsure why that is the case.
Chromebook Hardware
Webcam
The webcam is totally acceptable for Zoom calls, but it is not pretty and the dynamic range is underwhelming.
Mine has a manual lens blocker that I can slide over the lens when not in use — or if I don’t want the webcam to come on until I want it on! The camera connects to a call but it’s just a black screen on the other end.
Perfect for those group calls where you log on early and don’t need your camera on yet, or don’t want it to automatically turn on if you walk away.
Because of this, you can get all set up and connected, then ‘flip’ the screen is black, but you’re still connected with no fear of the camera seeing your awkward background.
Keyboard
The keyboard is exceedingly pleasant. Honestly, I really love this keyboard. It’s got a soft clatter, is never loud, and doesn’t feel chintzy.
It’s enjoyable when writing for hours on end.
Ports
The one USB-C and two USB 3 ports, headphone aux jack, standard HDMI port, and MicroSD card slot, make for a robust opportunity to connect stuff.
The new Macbook Pro I’m looking at only has two USB-C ports and a headphone jack.
We live in a wild time.
Connectivity
Wifi and Bluetooth have never let me down.
A caveat for the wifi is that it can be a bit hesitant to reconnect to the internet sometimes if I leave the Chromebook open and it goes to sleep. Small detail but I have to turn the wifi off and back on more often than I have had to with any other device.
Be that as it may, it’s never been a frustrating occurrence or unpredictable.
Sound
The output and clarity are enough for Netflix and Youtube, on par with my iPhone 14 Pro.
I prefer headphones over built-in speakers, in every situation, so maybe I’m biased.
Screen
The brightness adjustability is effective indoors, or outside. I actually tend to keep it around half and find that writing for long periods of time with the screen dimmed does not cause any strain.
The resolution feels sharp, crisp, and color-accurate enough for personal Canva content creation, web browsing, shopping with clothing colors in mind, and video consumption.
Chromebook’s Biggest Issue
The processing power. An underpowered device can quickly become less than ideal for creatives, especially those living with ADHD.
Why is a Chromebook bad if you have ADHD?
It’s not a matter of lacking patience, it’s the reality of having our focus reset by frequently stunted progress when our mind is spinning exponentially faster than the tool we’re using can seamlessly keep up with.
Obviously, technology and the world wide web — instantly sending unfathomable amounts of information to SPACE and back, with coding and de-coding processes along the way — can be expected to lag a bit, but if you know you know.
To sum this up, it is the near-constant…
“Click, wait. Click, wait. Click, long wait. Click again because sometimes it doesn’t register anyway — No! It applies that click to the page that hadn’t shown signs of loading yet, so I need to wait again, going ‘back’ to wait some more. When the previous page loads, I click and wait, again.”
Apply that to more than half the sessions of using a Chromebook and it adds up to a lot of wasted time for an ADHD brain.
This ‘click, wait’ provides countless opportunities for focus to break from the task, to see something shiny, to remember the laundry, to pick up the phone or open a new tab (which doesn’t help), and for productivity to fizzle entirely. It’s the opposite of a peaceful hyper-focus playlist.
Is this a Chromebook issue?
Using an old Macbook (2014), which requires constant power to limp along and takes an honest 5 minutes to boot up, using the same wifi, in either private or public settings, in tandem with my Chromebook (mid-2022) the decade-old Macbook wins every time, without debate.
Is this a processing capacity issue? Absolutely. That 1.1 Ghz isn’t helping anyone.
The Chromebook isn’t designed to be a powerhouse, by anyone’s standards.
I understand that fact but it’s amazing how weak the Chromebook feels on a daily basis, at least in my impatient picking-at-the-minutia sort of way.
In Conclusion
I think the Chromebook is a fantastic device for the $150–250. They’re basically tablets with a laptop form factor.
Chromebooks are fantastic for writers, bloggers, casual internet users, and classrooms. Perfect for anyone who has a PC or powerful laptop they want to leave at home while traveling or going to a coffee shop.
Chromebooks are not suited for creatives who need dedicated creative software or notably good processing power.
