Google finally did something that could have been awesome. They sent out a release of Chrome OS named Chrome OS Flex that now supports all computers, not just chromebooks that come preinstalled with it.
This could have been revolutionizing, being able to install Chrome OS on your powerful laptop with an actual GPU in it and run games, render videos in video editors and speeding up the computer as a whole.
Linus Tech tips even stated its running very good on even older hardware.
But then, Google states the following:
Google Play and Android apps: ChromeOS Flex does not support Android apps or Google Play.
They came this close! And messed up big time again. Whats the point of having Chrome os ONLY for browsing. It’s severely limiting the usage of the OS that could finally potentially be competitor to Windows.
There are of course other options out there like Fyde OS and Bliss OS. Those are quite good and work well with Android app support. But they are still third party and a potential security risk. Having vanilla Chrome OS with Play Store support out of the box would have been the best.
These are the minimum hardware requirements to run Chrome OS Flex
- Architecture: Intel or AMD x86-64-bit compatible device
- RAM: 4 GB
- Internal storage: 16 GB
- Bootable from USB drive
- BIOS: Full administrator access. You’ll need to boot from the ChromeOS Flex USB installer and make some adjustments in the BIOS if you run into issues.
- Processor and graphics: Components made before 2010 might result in a poor experience.
Note: Intel GMA 500, 600, 3600, and 3650 graphics hardware do not meet ChromeOS Flex performance standards.
