Key Takeaways Chromebook Plus laptops are great for heavy Gemini users, remote workers, and college students. Regular Chromebooks are ideal for K-12 students and casual users due to their affordability and durability. For gamers and creative professionals, standard Windows or Mac machines are preferable for power and flexibility.

If you've decided to buy a Chromebook, you may wonder whether you should buy a standard Chromebook or a Chromebook Plus. As with any other computer, what you intend to do with it will determine which flavor of Chromebook is best for you.

Heavy Gemini Users, Remote Workers, College Students: Chromebook Plus

Google seems determined to promote its Gemini AI engine, and the company is roping in the Chromebook Plus to help. Google has released a promotional video touting the integration of Gemini into the Chromebook Plus line featuring people looking for recipes and finding the right phrasing to say an upcoming wedding is kid-free politely.

If you use Gemini a lot, then a Chromebook Plus could be an option.

Chromebook Plus machines will likely appeal to remote workers who make lots of video calls and college students who need more power than the basic Chromebooks that are now ubiquitous in K-12 schools. Chromebook Plus laptops have more powerful processors, more storage, more RAM, 1080p cameras, and sharper screens than regular Chromebooks, as well as better build quality.

Chromebook Plus laptops are also cheaper than other Windows business laptops and much cheaper than Macs. The lightweight experience of ChromeOS is why it's the premier alternative to Windows over macOS and desktop Linux (ChromeOS runs Linux under the hood).

K-12 Students, Casual Users: Regular Chromebook

Chromebooks have displaced Macs as the most popular computer for primary and secondary education. Many K-12 schools buy them for their students because the low-end models are cheap enough to be disposable. If a kid loses or breaks one, the school can set them up with a new Chromebook quickly. If you have to buy a laptop for your child, a regular Chromebook is a good choice for the same reason.

Grown-ups can use them too. A lot of people who came of age before the rise of mobile devices still prefer to use a real web browser on a real computer to make a household budget on a spreadsheet, check their email, book plane tickets, or shop online. I happen to be one of those people. I find my Chromebook perfect for small productivity tasks that need a real keyboard but aren't worth waking up a PC or Mac for. The extended security updates will prolong its working life too, so it's a good value proposition.

Gamers, Creative Users: Something Else for Now

There are a couple of uses that you'll still want a standard Windows or Mac machine.

Heavy AAA gamers, despite Google's push for Chromebooks in gaming on its website, will be better off with Windows for now. Windows rules PC gaming and that seems unlikely to change, despite Steam coming to the Chromebook. Chromebooks, even the Plus models, are still underpowered for gaming. If you're willing to sign up for a cloud gaming service, you could still consider a Chromebook.

Creative professionals who rely on software like Adobe Photoshop will also want to stay on standard laptops. While Adobe offers a web-based version of Photoshop, the desktop versions are more flexible. You'll need a more powerful machine than you can find among the range of Chromebooks.