Dual-touchscreen Chromebook reportedly prototyped

Jul 19, 2020 07:15 GMT  ·  By

The world of dual-screen devices will definitely expand beyond Android and Windows, and of course, Apple will certainly join this evolving trend at some point in the near future.

Undoubtedly, Google doesn’t want to be left behind either, so the Mountain View-based search giant has already started the work on a dual-screen Chromebook, according to a recent report.

Featuring two separate touchscreens, this Chromebook prototype is codenamed “Palkia” and is supposed to be a direct rival to dual-screen Windows devices, including Microsoft’s very own Surface Neo powered by Windows 10X.

On the other hand, Palkia is still in its very early days, and for the time being, it’s just a concept with very small chances to make it behind this stage.

Limited clamshell-based approach

For now, however, there’s a lot we don’t know about this mysterious Google Chromebook. As per the cited source, the device has two touchscreens and a trackpad, but on the other hand, it features a conventional laptop form factor and can’t be used as a convertible or a tablet.

This is rather odd, especially since the two touchscreens, when working together, could significantly improve the available screen estate. This is an approach that Microsoft will use on the Surface Neo and which others have already implemented on their dual-screen devices.

By the looks of things, what Google does right now is experiment with various ideas before actually finalizing hardware support for this new form factor in Chrome OS. Developers involved in the project indicate that the existing prototype has no OEM support, which means that Google hasn’t yet discussed the possibility of mass-producing such a device, which is another indication that the whole thing is still in its very early days.

Certainly, it’ll take more time until Google readies a dual-screen Chromebook, but the good news is that it’ll still happen at some point in one way or another.

Of course, don’t expect the search giant to publicly discuss the project, so more information will most likely make its way online through unofficial channels.