Tablet or 2 in 1 chrome book?

[TPMB12]

9yo son had cracked his tablet screen and I'm not sure it's worth fixing bent a Samsung A 5 or 6 version. As some of you may know a tablet is often one of a few ways to get peace with kids these days such that I think we want to replace it more than he does! 😆

I've got a Samsung A7 10 point something inch tablet with sim slot I haven't used yet. 32gb memory that always seems full or nearly full. I don't want to give it to him without something for me.

So do I reset it for him to use and get something for me or just buy him a tablet, in which case which tablet?

I've noticed there's a few 2 in 1 chrome books with more memory than tablets costing the same even £100 more. Would a £149 2 in 1 chromebook with 64gb eMMC and 4gb RAM? I assume touchscreen or no point in 2 in 1. I've never had a touchscreen laptop or chromebook. What are they like and are they a good alternative for a tablet? How heavy is a 11" one?

The chromebook would be for me with my tablet for son. Alternatively I keep my tablet and just replace his.  Or I give him mine and get another for me. We're big users of tablets in this house.  Everything from Internet, email,  videos,  ebooks, shopping and streaming, plus beaming to TV. Tablets I'm used to but what are chromebooks like?  Can you use apps like an android tablet? Can you use the same apps and games?

What do you guys think? Any advice or suggestions?

[MikeFromLFE]

I'm not sure I can give a definitive answer but here goes:
I'm a very happy Chromebook user, and have ditched my tablet (but I do have a phone with a good sized screen and a Kobo ereader).

Play Store apps are a very mixed bag - a lot are just not optimised for Chromebook and either run in part of the screen or just look horrible. There's no way of knowing in advance. Some apps are not available for Chromebooks.
On the other hand some apps work extremely well and look great.
To run apps I'd say you need more than the 4mb Ram you are looking at, but others may have a different opinion.

It takes a while to realise that the best way of using a Chromebook is to use it as intended! That's to say you need to run as much as possible in the Chrome browser. You can disguise this using 'Web Apps' and they work extremely well.

Internal memory will be mainly for your apps (and if you use the Linux shell) - document storage etc can be seamless through Google Drive (and several other cloud drives if you want)

I occasionally use a Chromecast dongle and that just works.
Browsing etc works very well, security is through Chrome (make of that what you will).
Other browsers can be used but never seem satisfactory to me (I have Opera, Edge and Brave installed).

I use a couple of Linux programs as well, and these work extremely well.

I rarely use the touchscreen, but it's not a 2 in 1 but a traditional laptop. For *ME* the touchscreen is a PITA.

[Andy64]

Love my HP 2 in 1 Chromebook (HP 14-da0000na 14). Had it 2 1/2 years, but it cost £475 IIRC.
There's been a couple of games that aren't available for it, but the vast majority of phone apps/games work.
It runs in landscape or portrait when I flip the keyboard over, and the touchscreen works just like any good phone.
It still runs like it did when new, so I can only see me replacing it with another one when the updates run out

[lissotriton]

There's a few models with detachable keyboards. They are probably the lightest weight option, if you mostly want to use it as a tablet.
eg Lenovo Ideapad Duet 10.1". Without the keyboard it is 450g, similar to most 10" tablets.

[TPMB12]

I've been looking at chromebook reviews and it looks like you'll need £300+ to get a decent one. That makes a tablet replacement with extras not as cheap as a tad only option,  we've got windows laptops so I think it looks a cheaper option to just keep the differentiation in use with tablets and windows laptops. For us that is. Perhaps if they get better integration with android apps they might work out better for us but they're not there yet.

[TPMB12]

What is the chromebook designed to replace or compete with? Are they more windows laptop use or tablet use? Or halfway between? Could they be a phone/ tablet user's toe into laptops or laptop user's step into tablet territory?

[Kim]

What is the chromebook designed to replace or compete with?

It's designed as a cheap alternative to proper computers, for people who use their computer as a web-browsing appliance.  (As such, it's hard not to consider them a spiritual successor to the Amstrad E-m@iler.)

If you already have a proper laptop, then the main advantage of a Chromebook is mostly battery life and the low maintenance / reliability inherent in a functionally-limited OS.

If you already have a fondleslab, then the main advantage of a Chromebook is a decent keyboard.

In practice, they're frequently a minimum-viable-computer for children to do the sort of boring adult-approved things that children are supposed to use computers for.

[TPMB12]

Most of my laptops ended with issues.  Network adapter issues and batteries. I've been very unlucky with laptops I reckon but the last one just about OK but after a week or so without using our on m charge and its flat. Doesn't hold charge even when turned completely off, really don't know why.

[De Sisti]

If you already have a fondleslab,

What??

[MikeFromLFE]

What is the chromebook designed to replace or compete with?

It's designed as a cheap alternative to proper computers, for people who use their computer as a web-browsing appliance.  (As such, it's hard not to consider them a spiritual successor to the Amstrad E-m@iler.)

I don't doubt that's what many /most end up being used for, and in the 21st century that's not a bad thing because a 'proper computer' is grossly over-spec'd for that. Case in point : my adult daughter uses hers for Zoom / Teams, Netflix & emails.

However, particularly if you enable the Linux shell they are much more capable. I use mine with a couple of complex spreadsheets (household finances mainly), word processing (I flip between Google docs and OnlyOffice in Linux) and I use it to look after my collection of crap analogue photos, and the associated mountain of crap cameras on it. And, yes, emails, Zoom / Teams. It sits next to my Amateur Radio set up as an SDR monitor when I'm in that frame of mind.

The only Linux programs I regularly use are VLC (the android & Web versions are pants) and KMyMoney.


I see from Another Place that the OP is minded to get one, so it'll be interesting to hear how they get on.

[Kim]

If you already have a fondleslab,

What??

A Larringtonism for tablet.

[Kim]

However, particularly if you enable the Linux shell they are much more capable.

Our attempts at doing this on barakta's were thwarted by an insufficiency of storage.  It's an old low-end model, bought mainly on the basis of the barakta-friendly keyboard.

[Mr Larrington]

If you already have a fondleslab,

What??

A LarringtonRegisterism for tablet.

FTFY…. Dates from November 2010.