Samsung Chromebook 2 is laced in faux leather with hints of Galaxy S5

Samsung Chromebook 2
Chromebook 2 sports a new skin

Turns out, Samsung really does love faux-leather.

The company has slathered it atop its refreshed Chromebook 2 series, an update to its Chrome OS line of laptops. Think Galaxy Note 3 comes to Chromebook.

The Chromebook 2s are comprised of an 11.6- and 13.3-inch pair, both with displays that jump ahead of the previous generation. The 11.6 incher runs with a 1366 x 768 resolution and the larger one a Full HD 1920 x 1080 screen.

Both ship with 4GB of RAM and 16GB of on-board storage. A microSD slot is there to widen the memory landscape.

More Chromebook 2 specs

Samsung has equipped the Chromebooks with an otco-core processor, akin to the one found in the Galaxy S5. However, just because it has eight cores doesn't mean all are kicking all the time.

The 13.3-inch Chromebook 2 processor hums at a slightly higher 2.1GHz, just above the smaller version's 1.9GHz.

The 11.6-inch model is said to have up to 8 hours of battery life, while the 13.3-inch model can last half an hour longer. Users will find an HDMI port and USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 slots, plus an upgrade to Bluetooth 4.0 from 3.0.

The Chromebook 2 line is on the thinner and lighter laptop side; the smaller version weights 2.43 pounds and its bigger sibling a still-measly 3.09 lbs.

Samsung has thrown in AirDroid Premium service plus Wunderlist Pro, and these are, on paper, the first Google Hangout certified Chromebooks.

Look for the pair in April for $319.99 (about £191/AU$358) and $399.99 (about £239/AU$448), respectively. Display specs and price aren't the only variables between the two; the 11-inch version will be available in either black or white while the 13-inch flavor is coated in "Titan Gray."

Via Android Community

Michelle Fitzsimmons

Michelle was previously a news editor at TechRadar, leading consumer tech news and reviews. Michelle is now a Content Strategist at Facebook.  A versatile, highly effective content writer and skilled editor with a keen eye for detail, Michelle is a collaborative problem solver and covered everything from smartwatches and microprocessors to VR and self-driving cars.