Samsung announced the Chromebook 2 earlier in the month. This latest Chromebook brings the familiar faux leather back that we first saw introduced with the Galaxy Note 3. Perhaps a bit more interesting though, Samsung unveiled the Chromebook 2 in two sizes — an 11.6-inch and a 13.3-inch model. And nicely, that 13.3-inch model is sporting a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080.
Aside from the display size and resolution, the other difference between the two Samsung Chromebook 2 models are the color. The model we are taking a look at today, the 13.3-inch model, is going to be available in gray. Samsung has this one powered by an Exynos Octa processor clocking in at 2.1GHz. Users can also expect 16GB of SSD storage, 4GB of RAM, and a 720p webcam.
In terms of initial thoughts on performance, the Samsung Chromebook 2 seems a bit speedier as compared to the earlier Samsung Chromebooks. Needless to say, we’ll be spending more time with this model and will be doing some more comparisons. Just as we would expect from a Chromebook — this one wakes from sleep, and from an off-state in little time. A complete boot takes just seconds.
Samsung has the Chromebook 2 sitting in a plastic chassis, and as mentioned — with the faux leather on the lid. And to clarify, that faux leather lid comes complete with faux stitching around the borders. It does add a bit of grip to the Chromebook, but similar to the Galaxy Note 3, we suspect this will be a case of users either liking, or disliking, with little room left in the middle ground.
Otherwise, as you’ll notice from the images here in the post, Samsung has the Chromebook 2 equipped with HDMI, one USB 3.0, one USB 2.0, a combination headphone and microphone, and microSD memory card slot for expansion. We have yet to see any specific release date, however Samsung has said the Chromebook 2 will be arriving in April. This model will be $399.99 with the 11.6-inch model coming in at $319.99.
Why is everybody being so vague about performance? Is Google stopping you from talking specifics? How’s it perform compared to the Haswell based machines? On par? A little slower?
Agreed. Unfortunately, I think we have to wait for general release before users can do a proper Samsung 2 vs. Samsung 303 test.
This new Samsung is an Octa processors while other CB’s Intel are dual core. No benchmarks will give you an accurate comparison since you will compare pears and apples. 17 of 18 Octane 2.0 tests are mono core and showed the new Samsung is about 30% slower. For a fair comparison, run 1 to 8 concurrent Octane 2.0 benchmarks and see when the new Samsung take over the CB Intel dual core. I believe It will fit users with multiple tabs or active applications opened.
I like the style of the faux leather. I also like the price. I might consider getting one, but that 16GB of SSD is hurting my heart. I know…cloud…Google Drive. But still.
I believe you also get a microSD slot, so don’t worry.