New Samsung Chromebooks announced at CES

Jan 5, 2017 09:24 GMT  ·  By

Chromebooks have long been considered potential alternatives to Windows devices, but due to the lack of features and support for desktop software, adoption has always been fairly limited.

Samsung, however, thinks that the recent updates to Chrome OS (including access to Google Play Store apps) make Chromebooks substantially more powerful, so the company attended this year’s CES in Las Vegas with two new models.

Simply called Chromebook Plus and Chromebook Pro, the new devices are manufactured in collaboration with Google and come with a bunch of new features that indeed give customers a new reason to consider stepping away from a Windows ecosystem.

First and foremost, the two Chromebooks are nearly identical, with just one exception: the processor. The Plus comes with an OP1 chip specifically built for Chromebooks, hexa-core (Dual A72, Quad A53), while the Pro sibling features an Intel Core M3 processor 6Y30 (0.90 GHz up to 2.20 GHz, 4 MB L3 Cache).

Both models come with a 12.3-inch LED display with a resolution of 2400x1600 pixels, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 32GB storage, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, stereo speakers, a 720p HD camera, a headphone jack, 2 USB Type-C ports, and a microSD card reader.

First Chromebook with pen support

But what’s also super-important to note is that the two Chromebooks come with a touchscreen and support not only the typical touch input but also a pen. And Samsung wanted to make the most of this feature, so it’s also offering a stylus, which is essentially the Samsung Galaxy Note5 stylus without a side button.

This means that the Chromebook finally offers features that you typically find on Microsoft’s Surface lineup and other Windows 10 devices. Google itself praised the Samsung pen and said that it’s even more responsive than Microsoft’s Surface Pen.

“Since launching our first Chromebook over five years ago, we have continued to improve the product, developing a computer that not only fits into consumers’ lifestyles, but makes their lives easier, more mobile and more productive,” said Alanna Cotton, vice president of product marketing at Samsung Electronics America.

“With the Chromebook Plus and Pro, we’re partnering with Google to pair a sleek design with supreme flexibility, encouraging users to experience more with Google Play and Android apps, while continuing to provide simplicity, top-rated security and shareability inherent in Chromebooks.”

The Chromebook Plus will go on sale in February for $499, while the Pro version is projected to hit the shelves later this year at a price that’s yet to be announced.

These are the first Chromebooks coming with pen support
These are the first Chromebooks coming with pen support

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The Chomebooks come with a 12.3-inch screen
These are the first Chromebooks coming with pen support
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