14 DAY TRIAL // Even though Chromebooks have failed to become as popular as Google wanted them, Samsung doesn’t have any plans to give up on Chrome OS devices and will soon expand its product lineup with a nettop PC running Google’s browser-based operating system.
The Series 3 Chromebox, as this device is called, has been showcased for the first time at this year’s CES fair, but now Netbook News has managed to dig out some additional information about this small PC.
According to the publication, Samsung’s Series 3 Chromebox is running an Intel dual-core Celeron processor paired together with 2GB of system memory and a 16GB solid state drive, a configuration that closely resembles that of the next-gen Series 5 Samsung Chromebooks.
Furthermore, the nettop will also sport six USB ports, headphone jack, an Ethernet port, as well as DVI out and two Display Link ports for connecting an external monitor.
The Series 3 Chromebox will sport a $400 (307 EUR) price tag, which seems a bit too high for such a device, especially when considering the rather limited internal storage space provided by Samsung’s compact PC.
Availability is scheduled for the second quarter of this year, but no specific release date has been made public by the Korean company.
During the same quarter, Samsung will also release its second-generation Series 5 Chromebooks that sport a similar Celeron processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB SSD.
Two Chromebook models will be made available, one with WiFi and the other with WiFi plus 3G connectivity, and both of these include a 12.1-inch diagonal screen and should be able to deliver about 8 hours of running time.
Pricing will be set at the same $449 and $399 (353 and 313 EUR), respectively, as the current Series 5 Chromebook models, and the 3G version comes with a pay-as-you-go data plan from Verizon.