Samsung unveiled two Chromebooks at CES 2017 earlier this year that caused a bit of excitement by merged tablet and regular Chromebook functionality – mostly by bringing the combination of 360-degree rotating touchscreens along with stylus support to Google’s Chrome OS.
And, as promised at CES, the cheaper half of that duo – the Chromebook Plus – is available from multiple US retailers like Amazon, Newegg and Best Buy.
Chromebooks have become a popular low-cost laptop option across the globe, providing formidable functionality at budget price points, and if you’ve been considering getting yourself a Chromebook, then Samsung’s offering might be a tempting one.
- This is the best laptops for students to use in 2017
Priced at US$449 (about £360, AU$585) on Amazon, it’s one of the more costly Chromebooks available on the market, but it’s arguably worth the extra money, given the quality of the hardware. No release date has been set for the Chromebook Pro, but the company announced in January that it was set for a March release.
The two Chromebooks are essentially identical except for their processors – the Chromebook Plus features Samsung’s own ARM-based hexa-core OP1 CPU while the Pro version houses an Intel Core M3.
The Plus model features a slim, all-metal build with a 12.3-inch display. There’s limited wired connectivity on the Chromebook Plus too, with a Thunderbolt 3 port on either side of the device, a 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD reader.
It looks to be popular so far, too: the new Chromebook is currently listed as ‘out of stock’ on Amazon and Newegg has an option to notify when you’ll be able to get the device. However, Samsung’s online store has it in stock, but it is worth noting that the UK and Australian Samsung stores don’t have it listed just yet. Aussies who’d like to try out the new Chromebook can have it shipped via Amazon.
- If you’d like to consider more Chromebook options, TechRadar has ranked the six best models available today.
