Whether you love the presence of Microsoft Copilot in Windows 11 or absolutely hate it, you have to give Microsoft credit for being the first to develop a clear and consistent brand for its artificial intelligence features. Google, by comparison, pivoted its AI branding strategy numerous times over the past year. The company's AI chatbot started out as Bard, then became Gemini, and later the Gemini name encompassed an assortment of features beyond just the chatbot. But if we solely focus on Microsoft and Google's desktop AI brands — Copilot+ and Chromebook Plus — it's clear that Google has the one more appealing to end users.

For starters, we don't really know what Copilot+ is or how end users will benefit from having it. Of course, we know about the neural processing unit (NPU) requirements and the feature set. However, it's still unclear whether features like Live Captions, Cocreator, and Auto Super Resolution will meaningfully impact the way you use your laptop day to day. I have yet to see anyone be truly impressed by these features; if anything, people like Copilot+ laptops because they're powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X platform, which means you get great performance and killer battery life.

Google takes the opposite approach with Chromebook Plus. Everything runs in the cloud, unlike Copilot+, and that means the AI features are available on ultra-cheap devices. Plus, they're actually useful, thanks to the inclusion of Gemini for Workspace tools and more. Let's break down all the reasons Chromebook Plus could be the AI brand that beats Microsoft Copilot+.

5 Chromebook Plus is a better brand

People already know what Chromebook, Google Workspace, and Gemini are all about

For the average consumer, who may not be comparing facts and features closely, branding matters. Evaluating the effectiveness of the Chromebook Plus and Copilot+ brands is a tricky endeavor, because neither one is perfect. Chromebook Plus uses the Chromebook name, which has a lot of recognition power. However, it may be the wrong kind of brand recognition. People typically think of Chomebooks as cheap, low-powered laptops with bad build quality, and this connotation could hurt the Chromebook Plus brand. By comparison, Copilot+ starts with a fairly clean state, but it only works if consumers feel like learning more about it.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure even Microsoft knows what Copilot represents. The name is used in at least three different ways, representing an AI chatbot, a subscription service, and a laptop brand. Copilot is the chatbot, Copilot Pro is the subscription, and Copilot+ is for laptops. This confusing and convoluted AI branding lineup might make it hard for consumers to dissect what it all means. In the end, customers might feel more familiar with the Copilot Plus name, despite its somewhat negative public perception.

Plus, Google's strategy is more about pushing the features offered by the brand than the brand itself. Whenever you see Chromebook Plus branding out in the wild, you'll see popular services like Gemini, Google Workspace, and Google photos right there with it. That can only help strengthen and elevate Chromebook Plus' position among consumers.

4 Everything's included for the first year

Google AI is available free-of-charge for 12 months when you buy a Chromebook Plus device

A valid criticism of Chromebook Plus offerings is that the best AI features aren't actually included with your laptop forever. There are some features that everyone can use for free, forever, like Gemini and basic Help me write tools in Google Workspace. However, some of the most appealing Google AI features are restricted to subscribers of the Google One AI Premium plan. It costs $20 per month, but you get 12 months free with the purchase of a Chromebook Plus device.

Normally, I'd consider this to be a knock against Google. In this specific case, the fact that everything is included with Chromebook Plus for the first year is actually a big benefit to buying one of the laptops. You see, Google One AI Premium extends far beyond just your computing devices. You'll see the benefits of the plan on your smartphone, in the cloud, and on all your other devices. Meanwhile, to take advantage of all the Microsoft 365 AI features on a Copilot+ laptop, you may need a Copilot Pro subscription ($20/month) and a Microsoft 365 subscription ($7/month).

3 Google AI has better features

People know how they'll use Gemini in Google Workspace, but how will they use Copilot+?

Copilot+ laptops have a few exclusive features, like Cocreator, Auto Super Resolution, and Live Captions. The flagship feature, Microsoft Recall, was delayed indefinitely before the laptops even shipped. There's nothing about Copilot+ and its feature set that will be a game-changer for the workflows of most people. In theory, the on-device AI processing should be excellent thanks to the NPU requirements, but not many apps are actually taking advantage of that performance now.

Google did a much better job at not only making great features for Chromebook Plus devices, but also communicating those features to users. When you navigate to the Chromebook Plus website, you'll see a ton of useful AI features. Help me write will make it easy to use generative AI to refine text and writing, Magic Editor helps you tweak images and photos, and Video call tools use AI to enhance video meetings with generative backgrounds and more. Arguably the best part is that you can get access to Google AI built right into Chromebook Plus laptops while also using generative AI in Copilot, Microsoft 365, and Adobe Creative Cloud apps too.

Windows 11 laptops can match or beat Chromebook Plus laptops in some of these areas, but it's not that simple. For starters, the only comparable feature to the three I've listed from Google AI that Microsoft offers in Copilot+ is the generative backgrounds in video calls. Everything else requires a Microsoft 365 or Copilot Pro subscription, or simply isn't available from Microsoft at all. The appeal of Chromebook Plus and Google AI is not just the great feature set — it's also the all-inclusive pricing model for the first year.

2 Excellent pricing

Even the best Chromebook Plus devices are cheaper than Copilot+ laptops

Speaking of pricing, Chromebook Plus retains the affordability factor of past Chromebooks. The cheapest Chromebook you can buy under the Chromebook Plus brand is only $250. For perspective, a year of Google One AI Premium costs $240, and it's included with the purchase of the laptop. If you were going to subscribe anyway, you can get a full-fledged Chromebook for only $10 more than you would've paid for the subscription. There are also more premium options if you're willing to spend — select Chromebook Plus models can reach $700 for a better experience.

Unfortunately, the cheapest Copilot+ laptops start at $1,000, so they're not nearly as accessible. You also have to consider that to match the Chromebook Plus experience, you might need to pay monthly for Copilot Pro and Microsoft 365.

1 Superior marketing

When you walk into a store, it's the Chromebook Plus demo station that stands out

The main reason I think that Chromebook Plus has a chance to upset Copilot+ is due to Google's superior marketing. For you to understand what I'm talking about, I need to set the scene a bit. If you're reading XDA, chances are, you might comb through the spec sheets, read or watch reviews, and perhaps even try to go hands-on with a laptop before you buy it. However, that's not how the majority of consumers go out and buy laptops. Many people buy devices based on word-of-mouth recommendations, or simply walk into a big box store undecided and walk out with a new device.

It's that last category of buyers that Chromebook Plus appeals to, and I'm convinced of that after spending hours in multiple Best Buy stores following the Copilot+ launch. Copilot+ branding is everywhere in Best Buy — even on banners and doors on the exterior of stores — but it's still lackluster. The marketing signs tell you that Copilot+ is here, but not what it does. Here's what Google's demo station looks like, by comparison:

Google doesn't just show off the Chromebook Plus brand, tell us that it's here, or tell us that it's a breakthrough. Instead, the company tells buyers what they can do with Chromebook Plus laptops. You can use Help me write, Gemini in Gmail, Magic Eraser, Generative AI backgrounds, and many more features. That's all displayed right on the Chromebook Plus signage for prospective buyers to easily discover them.

Simply by walking into a Best Buy store and looking around, consumers can walk in knowing nothing about Chromebook Plus and walk out knowing exactly what it's about — and how it'll change their workflow. That's impressive, considering many of us are still trying to wrap our head around what Copilot, Copilot Pro, and Copilot+ are all about.

What does this mean for Chromebook Plus and Copilot+?

I have absolutely no doubt that Microsoft, Qualcomm, and their partner OEMs will sell a lot of Copilot+ PCs. In fact, if I was in the market for a Windows laptop today, I'd buy a Copilot+ laptop. However, I'm almost certain that people buying those devices are doing so for the other benefits — such as battery life and performance — rather than Copilot+ features.

If the average person is looking to buy a great AI PC, they'll likely connect more to Chromebook Plus than Copilot+. Google has the branding, the feature set, the marketing, and the price tag just right. Microsoft needs to clearly and decisively explain to users why they need a Copilot+ PC if it wants the brand to be a real selling point for new laptops.