Should Anyone Buy Chromebooks in India?
Chromebooks have disrupted the budget productivity tool market with a slew of products that are very capable yet cheap. India however somehow got itself left out and doesn’t get these amazing products that are now mainstream in the west. We are still stuck with poorly made plastic laptops with i3 costing Rs 40,000. Most Chromebooks do not make it to India, some that do are priced excessively that makes buying them dumb since they are not as powerful as windows counterparts for a similar price.
However, if anyone decides to buy one, here is the list of best Chromebooks among the ones that are available in India.
HP Chromebook 14a
This is the cheapest Chromebook that’s currently available in India. Its price doesn’t skyrocket while shipping to Indian like other Chromebooks. This Chromebook is priced at $289 in the US and in India, you can get it for Rs 29,990 which seems expensive for an Intel Celeron processor with 4GB of RAM but the next Chromebooks on the list will make even this one seem worthwhile.
HP Chromebook X360
HP Chromebook X360 is a 12-inch Chromebook with Intel Celeron mated to a 4GB RAM. The build quality is slightly better than the one listed above. It could be bought for Rs 34, 000 from amazon.
Google PixelBook
If you want the best Chromebook and money isn’t a limiting factor for you, just go ahead and buy a Google Pixelbook Go i7. It has all the bells and whistles of a Chromebook and isn’t limited by a substandard processor. This one comes with an Intel i7 and 16 GB of RAM. The price is a migraine-inducing Rs 1, 67, 000 from Amazon.
Is there any hope for Chromebooks in India
There are other great Chromebooks that are very good when priced respective to their capabilities. Unavailability in India, however, makes them a crime to be suggested. Chromebooks like the new Lenovo Duet, Samsung Galaxy Chromebook and the Asus Flip series are all good alternatives to Windows and Mac devices when priced right. These are either not available in the country or cost an arm and a leg to buy. At a similar price, you could buy a Vivobook from Asus or Ideapad from Lenovo which are far more powerful devices and better build quality.
We might have to just wait for when something similar to smartphone happens with Chromebooks pricing. Until then it is criminal for someone to suggest a Chromebook in India.
