Google's long-running project to separate ChromeOS and its Chrome browser is currently in beta and is expected to be released to the stable channel later this month. The flags that enable the feature by default identified by Kevin Tofel of About Chromebook.
Ars Technica he says:
The project is called "Lacros" which Google says comes from the initials of "Linux And ChRome os". Its goal is to separate the ChromeOS Linux operating system from the Chrome browser, allowing Google to update each independently.
Google's documentation for the project he says:
“On Chrome OS, the system user interface (ash window manager, login screen, etc.) and the browser are the same binary. Lacros separates this functionality into two binaries, which will henceforth be known as ash-chrome (system UI) and lacros-chrome (browser).”
Part of the project includes the development of the ChromeOS OS, and Google says, "Think of Lacros as 'Linux chrome with more Wayland support.'
On the browser side, ChromeOS will stop using the custom Chrome Browser for ChromeOS and instead use the Chrome Browser for Linux.
The same browser you have in Ubuntu will be there in ChromeOS.
Lacross has been in development for about two years and can be activated via the Chrome flag. Tofel mentions that the 116 build no longer has this flag to enable since it is enabled by default.
Google hasn't officially confirmed any of this, but so far, the code suggests it's moving in that direction.
I have installed chrome os flex on an old computer (with i5-3..) and enabled the experiments (flags) that update Lacros. It is indeed now separated from the system but I haven't tried changing the channel yet.
It is noted that I am on the stable chrome os channel and so for there to be the possibility of Lacross operation it means that it will come officially soon.
Before this was done if I wanted to change channels (eg Canary, Dev, Betta) I had to change the os version, with all that entails, while now I will only play ball with the browser.