Is a chrome book right for me?

[A900ss]

From the start, I’ll state I'm an Apple man. (Watch, phones, iPad, MacBook)

I want something for when I’m in my campervan. I have a 10.2 iPad and the screen is just a little too small for watching movies on.

Whatever I get , it’ll be used for social media, browsing but mostly streaming movies (Netflix, iPlayer, Prime, Apple and Sky Go). I’ve looked at Apple alternatives and I’m being drawn to a 12.9 IPad Pro but that seems really excessive processing power for what I’ll be using it for.

Would a 13 inch Chromebook be ok for what I want? Want a really good screen and decent speakers.

Any recommendations?

(Does Sky Go work on Chromebook as I’m reading conflicting things?)

Thank all.

[e-honda]

Yes sky go works, I've just installed it on the one i am using, its a hp chromebook 13, and older uncommon non touch screen model, if it works on that i suspect it will work on anything, it doesn't work well on a non touchscreen just because the way the UI works.

[Captain_Morgan]

Why not buy a tv of the suitable size & a lightening to hdmi connector & use the iPad?

Or a tv & Apple TV &stay within the eco system you’re used to?

[A900ss]

Captain_Morgan said:

Why not buy a tv of the suitable size & a lightening to hdmi connector & use the iPad?

Or a tv & Apple TV &stay within the eco system you’re used to?

I’ve got a TV in the van but I can’t see it from the bed, only the lounge.

1. firstworldproblem

[Captain_Morgan]

A900ss said:

Captain_Morgan said:

Why not buy a tv of the suitable size & a lightening to hdmi connector & use the iPad?

Or a tv & Apple TV &stay within the eco system you’re used to?

I’ve got a TV in the van but I can’t see it from the bed, only the lounge.

1. firstworldproblem

Then the obvious answer is buy a bigger van with a tv in both lounge & master bedroom... ;-)

[parabolica]

Considered the new (5th gen) iPad Air? 11" with a great screen and speakers; get a portfolio case with an integrated keyboard and you're onto a winner.

I considered moving from a normal (i.e. nothing special) laptop to a CB a few months ago before I moved overseas, in an effort to simplify things. I ended up with an iPad Air and couldn't be happier tbh; yes they cost a bit more than a typical CB but the screen and speakers on them are pretty impressive, and by the time you're looking at a high-end CB with the spec you want, you're already into that kind of budget anyway.

[A900ss]

e-honda said:

Yes sky go works, I've just installed it on the one i am using, its a hp chromebook 13, and older uncommon non touch screen model, if it works on that i suspect it will work on anything, it doesn't work well on a non touchscreen just because the way the UI works.

So, I’ll look for a touchscreen version.

Any recommendations for a 13/14 inch with good screen and speakers?

Thanks

[Bikerjon]

I'm a big fan of the chromebook concept, but coming from Apple equipment I suspect when you see the screen quality of an average chromebook you might be disappointed. They're not in the same league (or price point) as Apple, although to be fair they may have improved a bit since the last time I looked.

[deckster]

Bikerjon said:

I'm a big fan of the chromebook concept, but coming from Apple equipment I suspect when you see the screen quality of an average chromebook you might be disappointed. They're not in the same league (or price point) as Apple, although to be fair they may have improved a bit since the last time I looked.

This, largely speaking. There are Chromebooks with comparable screens but they are £££ (the top-spec Pixelbook has a 13" 4k screen which is lovely, but will also set you back well over a grand). The cheapest ones might only come with a 720p display, so you really do need to be careful when buying at the bottom end of the market.

I'm a big Chromebook fan but for your needs I'd be getting the highest-spec iPad my budget will allow for.

[dontfollowme]

I recently picked up an Acer Chromebook with a 1080 screen which I'm happy with. I only use when travelling or sat on the sofa so don't mind its limitations e.g. no touch screen or way of easily connecting an external display.

I'm not bothered about its poor speakers either as I just connect to a blu tooth speaker when watching a film or tv.

I got an A1 refurb for a bargain price. Model is:

Acer 314 MT8183 4GB 64GB SSD 14" FHD Chromebook

I bought from Laptops Direct.

[A900ss]

deckster said:

Bikerjon said:

I'm a big fan of the chromebook concept, but coming from Apple equipment I suspect when you see the screen quality of an average chromebook you might be disappointed. They're not in the same league (or price point) as Apple, although to be fair they may have improved a bit since the last time I looked.

This, largely speaking. There are Chromebooks with comparable screens but they are £££ (the top-spec Pixelbook has a 13" 4k screen which is lovely, but will also set you back well over a grand). The cheapest ones might only come with a 720p display, so you really do need to be careful when buying at the bottom end of the market.

I'm a big Chromebook fan but for your needs I'd be getting the highest-spec iPad my budget will allow for.

That’s interesting.

Maybe a trip to Currys to have a looksie.

Thanks for the feedback.

[Bearings]

1 thing to be aware of is that Chromebooks have a very specific lifecycle for updates - typically 6 years from when the model started being sold, not when you buy the device.

Check the below links for the model you are thinking of buying to see how much support / updates you will get from Google?
https://www.makeuseof.com/how-to-check-how-long-ch...
https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366...


You may be able to extend the hardware's life by installing Linux after official support stops from Google but YMMV.

I picked a HP 14 G1 (I think!) with a FHD display for about 120 quid on eBay and I'm happy with it. It struggles sometimes on startup to open everything but once it settles down - it's perfectly fine.