Winbooks vs Chromebooks: what’s the difference?
Thin and light agile devices are at the heart of collaborative classrooms and flexible learning environments. But with a variety of requirements and a huge range of choice available, it can be hard to decide which platform makes sense for the students in your school; Windows or Chrome?
Both Chromebook devices based on Google’s Chrome OS, and laptops that utilise Microsoft’s Windows 10 platform offer a range of benefits for education, students and staff alike. Often fairing equally on reliability, portability and durability on equivalent devices, many models are comparable on other features such as battery life and connectivity. However, there are some key differences.
Why might you choose a Winbook?
Processing power
Due to design, typically Winbooks will have faster clock speeds and higher memory which in turn helps them essentially do more at once without slowing down. This doesn’t mean Chromebooks are slow, it just means that often, Windows laptops can handle more intense workloads and are more efficient multi-taskers.
Versatility
With Windows 10, laptops have a fully functioning, dedicated operating system onboard meaning less reliance on external applications. Their flexibility is also enhanced with broader connectivity, more ports and compatibility options, whereas Chromebooks with a slightly more limited platform, tend to rely on more remote or online services.
Offline capability
Although the always-connected nature of Chromebooks does bring value, if user’s go out of range, their productivity can come to a halt. Windows laptops can keep students on task in and out the classroom even if they go offline and beyond the parameters their wireless network sets, extending the potential to do more wherever they are.
Why might you choose a Chromebook?
Speedy setup
Chromebooks tend to start up quicker than laptops, due to their speedy SSD storage and the cloud-based Chrome OS that’s optimised to only activate the very necessary functions to switch the device on. As the OS is stored in the cloud, less memory is used so more is freed up to speed up boot times. However, intelligent features in Windows 10 are helping bridge the gap in start-up times between the two.
Simple and light
With an OS that’s intentionally intuitive, simple and user-friendly, Chromebooks are created so tasks are easily started online, in one place. They also forgo bulky add-ons such as DVD drives, meaning they are often more lightweight and offer basic but reliable functionality. This means they may not be ideal for more intense tasks but can be great for school users.
Budget
Both Chromebooks and Windows devices come in at a range of affordable price points; but if your especially budget conscious, the price of the more simplistic Chrome devices start slightly lower. Although if you’re seeking more functionality or additional features, price differences between Chrome and Windows become negligible.
A multi-platform approach?
It’s not unusual to find a combination of both Windows and Chrome platforms, as users, requirements and general functionality required is inherently diverse within education. Whereas teaching staff may require a Windows device to utilise the apps in Office 365 that simplify back office tasks, young students may benefit from the compact and simple interface of Chromebooks.
Lenovo have a huge range of affordable Winbooks and Chromebooks purpose-built for education, to help you create flexible learning environments no matter which platform you choose. Reliable, versatile and built to last, Lenovo has a device to meet your every requirement with budget in mind.
We’re a proud Lenovo Platinum Partner, so we’re accredited to the highest level to have experience and expertise to consult on, supply and support the complete range Lenovo devices, complete with our extensive wrap-around solutions that add value and simplify deployment.
We’re also a Google Education Partner and Microsoft Gold Partner, so we can offer holistic advice to help you get the right equipment for your requirements, without pushing any one platform.
Contact us today to find out more or click here to find out more about Lenovo devices from Stone.
