Google’s (GOOG, GOOGL)
Chromebooks are, by and large, excellent, low-cost alternatives to more
expensive Windows PCs and Apple’s MacBooks. They get you online and let
you stream movies and music. You can even play a few games on your
Chromebook.
And now, with the Samsung Chromebook Plus,
available Feb. 12, and Pro, available this April, Chromebooks let you
run any of the millions of Android apps available through the Google
Play Store right out of the box.
To be sure, the Chromebook Plus and Pro aren’t the first Chromebooks to offer Android app compatibility; three older Chromebooks can already run Android apps via software updates. But these are the first Chromebooks purpose-built with Android apps in mind.
The
Plus and Pro aren’t perfect, though. There are still some kinks to work
out when it comes to running Android apps on a 12-inch laptop. And
they’ve got some stiff competition in the form of Apple’s iPad Pro.
Still, for the first time, I’m genuinely considering buying a Chromebook.
Plus and Pro: The same, but different
Let’s
get one thing out of the way before I dive into this review: the
difference between the Plus and the Pro. In general, the systems are
identical. They share the same design, though the Plus is silver and the
Pro is black; the have the same 12.3-inch screen and they both included
styluses. Styli? Stylusses? You know what? Let’s just say they both
have pens.
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The main difference between the Samsung Chromebook Plus and Pro is on the inside.
The
main difference between these systems is their processors. The
Chromebook Plus runs on an ARM processor and costs $449, while the
Chromebook Pro gets a more powerful Intel chip and costs $549.
How
do you decide between the two? Easy. The Plus is meant for basic web
browsing and gaming. Think people who check their email or use Google
Drive often. The Pro, on the other hand, is for folks who tend to browse
the web with 20 tabs open, while streaming music through Spotify and
perusing Twitter and Facebook.
Handsome hardware
The
Plus and Pro are thin and lightweight at just 0.55 inches thick and 2.4
pounds, respectively. I packed the Chromebook Plus into my backpack
along with my regular MacBook Air 13-inch and hardly noticed the added weight.
Unlike
most Chromebooks, the Plus and Pro also double as tablets thanks to
their 360-degree-hinged, 12.3-inch, 2,400 x 1,600 resolution displays. I
watched some movies and browsed the web and found the Pro’s display to
be crisp and colorful.
Apple’s
12.9-inch and 9.7-inch iPad Pros are both thinner, lighter and have
higher resolution screens than Samsung’s Chromebooks. But Apple’s
offerings are also far more expensive. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro starts at $599, while the 12.9-inch model starts at $799. And that’s without the added cost of a keyboard and stylus.
Styling stylus
Speaking
of styluses, the Chromebook Plus and Pro’s each have small ports built
into their sides to store the pens when not in use. The iPad Pro does
not.
Writing
with the stylus feels incredibly natural thanks to a bit of added
resistance provided by its tip and Google’s machine learning magic.
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The Chromebook Plus and Pro use Google’s machine learning software to cut down on lag when writing with the stylus.
See,
Google has programmed the Plus and Pro to understand how most people
write. As a result, the Chromebooks are able to predict how fast you’re
jotting something down, and all but eliminate the kind of lag that makes
writing with a stylus feel unnatural. The Plus and Pro’s displays are
also pressure sensitive — so if you press hard while writing, you’ll see
a wider, darker pen stroke.
Keyboard problems
The
Plus and Pro are well-built machines, but they do have some problems.
Compared to the full-size keyboard on my MacBook Air, the Chromebooks’
keyboards feel cramped, leading me to strike the wrong keys on occasion.
What’s
more, the Chromebook Plus and Pro only feature USB C ports, so you’ll
need to purchase a separate adapter if you want to connect legacy
devices like printers. On the flip side, though, the Plus and Pro is a
microSD card slot and headphone jack.
As
far as battery life goes, I spent the majority of my day typing away on
the Chromebook Pro and didn’t need to plug it in until I got home at
night.
Android goes Chrome
It’s
great that the Plus and Pro are well-built, but the biggest reason
you’d by these Chrome OS-powered machines is that they run Android apps.
Core
Google apps like Gmail, YouTube and Calendar all run in Chrome
browser-style windows, while a handful of others like Maps and the Play
Store run in their own independent, resizable Windows. But third-party
apps need a bit more polish.
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Samsung’s Chromebook Plus and Pro are the first Chromebooks purpose-built for using Android apps.
Twitter (TWTR), Facebook (FB), Netflix (NFLX)
and Spotify all run as enlarged versions of their smartphone or tablet
versions. Spotify in particular is difficult to navigate, due to the
app’s confusing and stretched interface. Hulu also proved bothersome, as
the Chrome OS toolbar cut off subtitles.
I
also noticed that I couldn’t watch videos in Netflix while browsing the
web in Chrome, which was a major pain, especially when I was trying to
stream “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” at the office while
pretending to do work. Apple’s iPad Pro, on the other hand, lets you
stream Netflix and Hulu while browsing the web via picture-in-picture
mode.
But again, you’re going to pay a lot more money for that privilege compared to Samsung’s Chromebooks.
Should you buy it?
Sure,
you’re not going to get the kind of performance out of a Chromebook
that you would out of a more powerful Windows PC or MacBook, but the
Plus and Pro will prove to be more than enough for the majority of
users.
In other words, if you want a low-cost alternative to your PC, Mac or even iPad Pro, go for the Chromebook Plus or Pro.
