Survey: Should Chromebooks have better audio?

When we unbox a new Chromebook to start the review process, one of the first things we check is the quality of the speakers. Why? Well, because we use our Chrome OS laptops as our primary devices and having decent speakers is a big deal. Unfortunately, premium audio in a Chromebook is the exception, not the rule. Apart from a handful of devices, the bar for Chromebook speakers has been set relatively low and that’s a shame. Even devices with “branded” audio consistently disappoint but that doesn’t mean that this has to be the expected experience when you buy a new Chromebook and this is your chance to help mold the future of Chrome OS audio.

With the recent explosion of “work from home” and remote learning users, Chrome OS has seen an industry-wide adoption unlike any other time in the platform’s ten-year history. The more time we spend in front of our laptops, the more important the audio quality of a device becomes. Like many, you may opt to use external speakers or earbuds when attending a virtual meeting or consuming media content. What if your Chromebook’s audio experience was more than capable of handling these tasks without any help from external devices? What if you had more granular control over your device’s audio?

These are the very types of questions that OEMs are looking to answer when it comes to creating laptops for the next generation. Since you, the consumer, are the very people that benefit from innovation, we want to hear from you about how you use your device and what is most important to you in the area of laptop audio. This is your chance to voice your opinion and possibly even catch the attention of the powers that be.

Below, you will find a quick, seven-question survey about how you leverage the audio on your Chrome OS device and what changes, if any, you would suggest. We want to hear how you use your audio on a daily basis in various settings and what you think Chrome OS manufacturers can do to improve this experience. Your answers are completely anonymous and we’ll share the results of the poll in a follow-up post next week. Thanks in advance for your input.

Audio Survey