2021 Chromebooks to watch out for

We at Selectel are very fond of all sorts of gadgets, which, perhaps, can be understood from many posts – we

we disassemble the superserver

, then

remember old phones

… Among other things, one of the weaknesses is the Chromebooks that many of our colleagues work with.

Several models have appeared this year, which are worth paying attention to. There are relatively powerful ones, there are – with a very beautiful design, and there are those that combine both. In general, under the cut is a list of Chromebooks that are really worth paying attention to this year or next. By the way, write in the comments – what tasks do you use chromebooks for.

Asus Chromebook Detachable CM3

This Chromebook is quite unusual – it combines the features of a tablet and a laptop. In the laptop world, this is a fairly common form factor, but it is relatively rare among Chromebooks.

The display, which contains all the “stuffing” necessary for the operation of the device, can be easily separated from the keyboard and can serve as a tablet. By the way, it also relies on a stylus, so for designers, architects, artists this is what you need.

The device, by the way, strongly resembles the Chromebook Duet, which appeared last year. Here are the specifications of the device:

  • Display dimensions and resolution: 10.5-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 dots, touch.
  • Processor: 2GHz MediaTek 8183.
  • RAM: 4GB 2400MHz LPDDR4X.
  • Graphics: Arm Mali-G72 MP3.
  • Memory: 128GB eMMC.
  • Wireless: 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2.
  • Connectors and ports: USB 2.0 Type-C, 3.5mm audio.
  • OS: Chrome / Android 9.0.

Its disadvantage can be considered a small display – but for some users this is just an advantage. The device can be used as an auxiliary device, take it with you on business trips and on vacation. The battery lasts about 10 hours.

This pleasure costs about $ 400.

Acer Chromebook Spin 713

This is a Chromebook, which is positioned by the company as a premium device. The model is part of the Intel Project Athena program. One of the hallmarks of this very “premium class” is probably the aluminum body. According to the developers, thanks to him, the device can withstand a drop from a height of up to 122 cm and a pressure of a load of up to 60 kg. That is, if your weight is less, you can probably sit on the device without consequences for it and your wallet. Well, if there is more, then you should take care of the device and do not put it in dangerous places.

As for the mass of the device, it is small, only 1.37 kg. The device received a 10th generation Intel processor (different processors in different models). The device also supports up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 256GB SSD. In terms of screen size, it is 13.5 inches with a resolution of 2256 x 1504 and an aspect ratio of 3: 2. The screen is covered with Gorilla Glass.

Another plus of the device – its screen is fixed on hinges that allow you to put the display at any angle. That is, the device can turn into a tablet and return to its original position.

The manufacturer promises 10 hours of battery life, according to this indicator, the device is not inferior to the previous device on our list. However, the cost of the device is much higher – $ 629 for the base model and $ 1099 for the Enterprise version.

Chromebooks are a very interesting topic, but we have other articles, check it out – we are talking about:
Small “raspberries” in a large data center
→ Dynamic UPSs in data centers: how we installed Piller CPM300 double conversion
→ Disassembly of a rare beast from Nvidia – DGX A100

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2

Chromebooks are really getting more and more advanced. For example, this model from Samsung is equipped with a QLED screen. The manufacturer claims that this is the world’s first Chromebook with a display of this type.

Lovers of red can be happy – Samsung has a completely red model (except for the keyboard). There is, however, a dark gray option – for those who do not need such a catchy-looking device. The display diagonal of the device is 13.3 inches. He, like the previous contenders for the title of the best Chromebook, is touch-sensitive. The screen resolution is 1920 × 1080.

This model has several options. The most budgetary, if you can call it a device for $ 550, is based on a 15-watt Intel Celeron 5205U (2 cores / 2 threads, 1.9 GHz) with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of flash memory. For around $ 150 USD, you can get an Intel Core i3 10110U (2 cores / 4 threads, 2.1 / 4.1 GHz), 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of flash.

There is also a slot for memory cards, wireless communication modules Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 and a battery that provides 14 hours of battery life.

Google Pixelbook Go

In a selection of Chromebooks, it is impossible to do without a device from Google, the creator of the platform itself. It is a 13.3-inch device with a metal body. There are several varieties of the model, here are the characteristics of the average version:

  • Processor: Intel Core i5-8220Y 1.3 GHz (2-core, 4 MB cache, up to 3.9 GHz);
  • Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 615 (300 MHz);
  • RAM: 8GB LPDDR3;
  • Screen: 13.3-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080, 166 PPI) touchscreen LCD (16: 9);
  • Built-in memory: 128GB eMMC;
  • Ports: x2 USB-C 3.1 (charging and signal to screen), 3.5mm;
  • Connection: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac, 2 x 2 MIMO Duo), Bluetooth 4.2;
  • Cameras: Duo Cam 1080p (2 MP, 60 FPS);
  • Weight: 1061g;
  • Size: 311 x 206.3 x 13.4mm (W x D x H)

The price of the Chromebook is probably its main and almost only drawback. The fact is that it costs from $ 849 to $ 1399, depending on the model.

For the same money, you can take a non-budget laptop with excellent characteristics, including the MacBook Air 2019 with 16 GB of RAM.

The device weighs only 1 kg, so it is almost ideal for travel / business trips. If, of course, the user is close to the concept of Chromebooks. Another positive point is the keyboard of the device, it is called one of the best among all Chromebooks. It was not in vain that a huge amount of man-hours was spent on its development.

The battery of the device lasts about 12 hours, which is very good.

Lenovo C13 Yoga Chromebook

Well, what about this review without a representative of the Yoga family from Lenovo. This model is equipped with a fairly powerful chip, a decent keyboard and an excellent touch screen. The keyboard here, by the way, is only slightly different in terms of the usability of the Chromebook from Google.

As for the screen, one of the variants of the model has a 4K OLED. The more inexpensive representatives of the lineup have an IPS panel with a resolution of 1920 x 1080.

As for the chip, the AMD Ryzen Mobile 3000 C-series is installed here, which was released relatively recently.

The device also has problems. First, its battery life is minimal compared to many other Chromebooks. Only 6 hours, and after all, models with 12 and 14 hours of autonomy were presented above. The second problem is price. Initially, the base model with just 4GB of RAM and 32GB of main memory sold for $ 909. Now, however, the price has dropped – you can find it on sale for $ 500. But it is still expensive for such a configuration. There is, however, a variant with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of main memory, which is sold for $ 700- $ 800.

But the design, screen, keyboard are still very good. Therefore, if the price is not the main factor, then the device can be recommended.

In general, there are quite a few interesting Chromebooks this year, so I would like to hear your opinion – who uses which model and why.

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