The Chromebook Pixel launched in 2013 as the premium Chrome OS laptop and was followed by a successor in 2015. Following a two-year cadence, Google today unveiled the expensive “Pixelbook” convertible laptop with optional stylus.
With the new name comes a new design language that is more in line with the Pixel phones. This is primarily expressed on the laptop’s lid with a glass shade up top that — in a departure from the first two Chromebook Pixels — features a Google logo in the top-left corner. The tiny ‘G’ is gray in color and matches the rest of the laptop’s metal body, while the edge-to-edge glass window is white.
The Pixelbook is 10.3 mm thin and weights 1.1 kilograms.
Other design changes feature silver keys (rather than black) as well as a new hinge mechanism to accommodate the laptop’s convertible design with 4 positions. The trackpad is quite large, with the top reaching the keyboard, while the bottom ends on the edge. Meanwhile, the keys are soft-touch and backlit.
Charging over USB-C, there is fast charging with a charge providing 10 hours of usage.
The Pixelbook sports a 2560 x 1440 touchscreen with black edges and can be flipped to become a tablet, as well as other positions in between. The screen works in conjunction with a $99 ‘Pen’ accessory that adopts a similar two-tone Pixel design. Partnering with Wacom, there is 10 milliseconds of latency and over 2000 levels of pressure sensitivity.
There is a single button near the top of the cylindrical stylus that works with Assistant. On the pen, Assistant can be used to highlight images on images websites to perform a search, while there is also a dedicated Assistant key that lets users type to Google. Lastly, “Ok Google” can be used just like on phones and tablets.
Like the original devices, the Pixelbook is quite expensive. There are three storage variants: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. Either an Intel Core i5 or i7 powers the device, with 8GB or 16GB of RAM. Prices start at $999, which is lower than rumored.
The Google Pixelbook will begin shipping on October 31st, with pre-orders starting today from the Google Store.
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