Chrome OS gets a flat Material Design makeover

Chrome OS Material Design

With Google tying Android ever more closely with Chrome OS, it was inevitable that Material Design would bleed into Chromebooks and now a designer has revealed all with screenshots no less.

Google designer Sebastien Gabriel wrote a blog post on Dribble detailing how the next version of Chrome OS will include a complete revamp of the core interface. The overall look of the browser and menus is flatter, shaper and follows a much lighter tone as well. Some more minute changes include sharper corners on windows and reshaped tabs.

Just like Material Design on Android, users will see more lively animations such as rippling and morphing buttons states. In the most dramatic shift windows will transition into a new dark when they activate Incognito browsing.

Chrome OS Material Design

Chrome OS Material Design

Alternatively, Google has also added a new "hybrid mode" made specially for touchscreen enabled Chromebooks. When activated, the interface becomes more touch friendly by enlarging virtual buttons on the screen.

The new design will rollout to Chromebooks as part of the latest update, coincidentally celebrating the big version 50 milestone.

The Material Design makeover is also coming to Chrome OS on Windows and Mac. And if you want to start using it now, simply download Chrome Canary and turn on "Material design in about:flags – though Gabriel warns that it's still a work in progress.

Via The Verge

Image Credit: Sebastien Gabriel

Kevin Lee

Kevin Lee was a former computing reporter at TechRadar. Kevin is now the SEO Updates Editor at IGN based in New York. He handles all of the best of tech buying guides while also dipping his hand in the entertainment and games evergreen content. Kevin has over eight years of experience in the tech and games publications with previous bylines at Polygon, PC World, and more. Outside of work, Kevin is major movie buff of cult and bad films. He also regularly plays flight & space sim and racing games. IRL he's a fan of archery, axe throwing, and board games.