A few weeks ago I sold an old 2016 MacBook Pro that I did not use much. I replaced it with a MacBook Air powered by Apple’s M1 processor that I bought for $ 899 after a student discount. Although I mainly use a Chromebook, I use different devices and operating systems to keep perspective on the overall market. And after using the M1 MacBook Air, I’m convinced more than ever that Google should design a custom ARM processor for Chromebooks.
Let me elaborate on two important points why I think so.
The M1 blows away Intel-powered devices in browser standards
First is the overall response that the M1 offers. Although I can not compare apples to apples between devices running Chrome OS and macOS, I can share some important performance metrics.
For example, look at this Octane benchmark using the ARM version of the Chrome browser on the MacBook Air:
I’ve met this benchmark on dozens of Chromebooks over the years, and the highest score I’ve ever seen is about 45,000 points. And that was on a recent Intel Core i5 processor. Granted, a Core i7 Chromebook is likely to offer an even larger number, but probably a few thousand more. In other words, it will not be a jump of 20,000 points.
By the way, I should note that Google quickly did a great job of optimizing Chrome for MacOS to work naturally on the Apple M1 laptops. The company quickly offered a build that improved the performance of the existing x86 build for Intel-powered Macs. And for the morbidly curious, Apple’s own Safari browser on the MacBook Air has achieved almost as much as Chrome:
Why does Octane (or any other browser measure) matter?
Obviously, there is more than just browsing capabilities on any modern computer device. And the M1 handles all the ones I need equally fast.
However, for Chromebook users, browser performance is the most important factor. Why? Because the whole user experience is built around the browser. Of course, there are other usage cases like Android apps and the Linux experience. But for all but an average user, a Chromebook is commonly used for web browsing and web applications.
I can not comment on how well a chip similar to the Apple M1 Android or Linux will handle. I can say that it performs excellently with iOS and iPadOS apps, but while it is similar to Android apps, it is a very different framework and coding approach. I would take a good idea that a custom ARM processor built like the M1 would do well.
What’s different about the M1 and current ARM options for Chromebooks
This is the second part of my reasoning, which will require a little deeper into the M1 slide itself. This is because it is different from any ARM chip designed by MediaTek, Qualcomm, Samsung and others that can (or have) their silicone in a Chromebook.
Simply put, Apple has found a way to increase the performance of the M1 processor cores, far above that of any competitor.
There are four “big” cores and four “small” cores, which is similar to the way other slide designers today architecture their products. But none of the designers achieve the clock speed of the M1 in a power-efficient way. Note that I make the observation based on the clock speed and power requirements of the currently available chips. But even if you look at a sample of recently announced or upcoming ARM chips, you can see how Apple outperforms the field when it comes to raw performance potential.
Here is an overview to illustrate:
| Apple M1 | MediaTek Helio G95 | Snapdragon 888 | Exynos 990 | |
| Large cores | 4 x 3.2 GHz | 2 x 2.05 GHz | 1 x 2.84 GHz, 3 x 2.42 GHz | 2 x 2.7 GHz, 2 x 2.5 GHz |
| Small core | 4 x 2 GHz | 6 x 2 GHz | 4 x 1.8 GHz | 4 x 2 GHz |
| Large core TDP | 13.8W | TBD | TBD | Reported 9W |
| Small core TDP | 1.3W | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Also keep in mind that a 10th generation Intel Core i5, like the one found in the Acer Chromebook Spin 713, has only four cores. It can scale from 1.6 GHz to 4.2 GHz, but not for long. At that point, the TDP is up to 15W and the disk set starts. I have not seen the M1 throttle to lower speeds due to heat during the test during the past few weeks.
Here also plays another factor: the system memory.
Whether you have a Chromebook with an ARM or x86 (Intel / AMD) processor, you have the system memory somewhere away from the chip itself. This means that the memory consumption for reading and writing moves through some system bus. The M1 has 8 or 16 GB of memory directly in the disk drive. It is much more efficient, which means more memory is put through.
Continuing on the Intel Core i5 example, Intel claims that the maximum memory bandwidth is 45.8 GB / s. It’s fast! But compared to the M1 chipset? This is not so impressive: the narrower RAM means that the M1 can read memory at 68.25 GB / s.
In essence, a chipset similar to the M1 in a Chromebook can offer better performance than one with a current Core i5, if not Core i7.
Wait, I do not need a faster Chromebook
When I raised the question and the benefits of a custom Chromebook chip similar to Apple’s M1, I saw a general reaction. “For most users, the current Chromebooks are fast enough” is the general atmosphere. And I understand the sentiment.
But it’s not just about speed, though a faster browser certainly leads to a better Chromebook experience. By increasing the speed in a more efficient way, a solution like this can also increase the battery life. And this without increasing the size of a battery.
The MacBook Air I bought, for example, has a 49.9 WHr battery. The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 has slightly less capacity at 48 WR. The screen sizes are almost the same for both. I can get about 8 hours of use time on the Chromebook with a brightness of about 50%. Same scenario for the MacBook Air with M1? Sixteen hours used at a cost is the lowest I saw. I usually go for almost 18 hours before I have to join.
There is also the cost factor, although we do not know how much a similar custom ARM chip will cost for Chromebooks. However, when you upgrade the Intel Core series to the i5 and i7 series, you start to see that the chipset increases the cost of the device by $ 200 to $ 400. And you still would not get the battery life or performance of a chipset like the M1 if you could design a Chromebook for it.
So I get the mantra for “we don’t need speed anymore”. This does not mean that we have to discount the other benefits.
All in all, anything that can enhance the Chromebook experience – be it its performance, battery life or even cheaper devices with cheaper prices, is a victory in my book.