After a couple of years during which Chrome OS powered mostly low-priced notebooks and the occasional premium 2-in-1, things are starting to look up for Chromebook buyers. A new wave of laptops is arriving over the next several months that promise to be more well-made, innovative, and powerful.
DESIGN
Google has kicked off this new wave with their high-end Pixelbook, which starts at around $750 on sale. The Google Pixelbook aims for a premium look and feel. It’s blend of metal, plastic, and glass that stands out as well thanks to a design that essentially mimics the company’s Pixel smartphones. The same sort of glass cutout adorns the upper quarter of the chassis’ backside, identifying the Pixelbook as a member of Google’s lineup while simultaneously improving wireless connectivity.
The 2-in-1 sports bezels that are a little larger than usual, which makes it more comfortable to hold onto in tablet mode. It also has a great keyboard and touchpad for traditional input and control, along with a responsive touch display and an active pen.
PERFORMANCE
The Pixelbook is super powerful, with low-power 7th-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 CPUs, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of very fast NVMe solid-state drives (SSD) storage. That’s fast enough for Windows 10, and handles Chrome OS like a walk in the park.
The Google Pixelbook also has a 12.3-inch IPS displays running at 2,400 x 1,600 (235 PPI) resolution in the 3:2 productivity-friendly aspect ratio. The display is bright, offers excellent contrast and colors, and is a joy to use for both working and consuming media.
The Google Pixelbook is blazing fast, hands-down the fastest Chromebook on the market today. Google stacked the deck when it comes to performance, and there isn’t a Chromebook out yet that can keep up.
PORTABILITY
The Pixelbook has a small 41 watt-hour battery, which nevertheless manages to power the 2-in-1 for a very good over 4-hours. The Pixelbook is 0.40 inches thick and weighs 2.4 pounds, meaning it’s easy to carry around. It’s also a highly portable 2-in-1 that can last a long time without being plugged in.
AVAILABILITY
The Google Pixelbook with the i7 processor is available on Verizon for $1000. It’s the first laptop with the Google Assistant built in, it has 4-in-1 design – laptop, tablet, tent and entertainment modes, and it instantly tethers using your Pixel’s data connection.
