Samsung Announces Second-Generation Chromebook Plus

Samsung today announced its second-generation Chromebook Plus, again offering a convertible design with touch and smartpen support.

“Today’s consumers want to be able to maximize their communication while also expressing their creativity wherever they are, and the new Samsung Chromebook Plus fulfills that need,” Samsung’s Alanna Cotton writes. “For those who choose Chrome OS, we wanted to give them a lot of reasons to choose the new Samsung Chromebook Plus, as it is designed especially for people who never stop moving, to match their pace and magnify their creativity.”

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As you may recall, Samsung announced the original Chromebook Plus—along with the physically identical Chromebook Pro—about a year and a half ago. (The Plus utilized an ARM processor, while the late-to-market Pro used a low-powered Intel chip.)

For the second-generation Chromebook Plus, Samsung is retaining the basic design of its predecessor: it’s a premium 2-in-1 Chromebook with a 12.2-inch Full HD display. But now it’s based on an Intel Celeron 3965Y processor, making it more of an upgrade of the old Pro. And it comes with 4 GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage, and dual cameras. Power is provided over USB-C—there are two ports—and the device also provides a single full-sized USB 3.0 port and a microSD card reader. I assume the keyboard is backlit; it wasn’t originally on the first-generation devices but Samsung later corrected that.

The new Samsung Chromebook Plus will cost $499, $50 more than its predecessor. You will be able to purchase it at Best Buy starting on June 24.

 

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Conversation 26 comments

  • mclark2112

    Premium Member
    14 June, 2018 - 12:05 pm

    <p>I feel like I need to own one of these, just to try out the technology. But I don't think I would really use it in reality.</p>

  • wunderbar

    Premium Member
    14 June, 2018 - 12:08 pm

    <p>Screen is a huge downgrade. The first version was a beautiful 3:2 panel that was good/better than the Surface's. Now they've reverted to a 16:10 panel and I'm really sad about that.</p>

    • beckerrt

      Premium Member
      14 June, 2018 - 4:09 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#284145">In reply to wunderbar:</a></em></blockquote><p>Saw that too. Wonder why? Was really hoping those 3:2 screens would slowly become more widely available. </p>

  • Martin Pelletier

    Premium Member
    14 June, 2018 - 12:39 pm

    <p>I hope Samsung is better at updating the Chrome OS compared to the Samsung phones. Still waiting for my may update on my S9+. They are bad.</p>

    • wunderbar

      Premium Member
      14 June, 2018 - 12:46 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#284152"><em>In reply to MartinusV2:</em></a></blockquote><p>Chrome OS updates having nothing to do with Samsung. Those are pushed by google.</p>

    • Nicholas Kathrein

      14 June, 2018 - 4:51 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#284152"><em>In reply to MartinusV2:</em></a></blockquote><p>Google updates Chrome OS every 6 weeks. This is like an iOS update. ChromeOS is the gold standard for updating. This being Samsung branded changes nothing.</p>

    • summersk59

      14 June, 2018 - 5:28 pm

      <p>I hope Samsung is better at updating the Chrome OS compared to the Samsung phones. Still waiting for my may update on my S9+. They are bad.</p><p><br></p><p>I hear you! Waiting for Samsung to update their phones is like waiting for trump to drop dead. (hopefully the later happens soon…LMAO)</p>

  • skane2600

    14 June, 2018 - 12:42 pm

    <p>I wonder how much value the USB ports have for an OS that doesn't allow you to download drivers. Or do USB standards guarantee compatibility?</p>

    • MikeCerm

      14 June, 2018 - 1:04 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#284156"><em>In reply to skane2600:</em></a></blockquote><p>External storage devices would work fine. Certain things that rely on generic device drivers like keyboards, mice, and USB-C headsets might work. Everything else, probably not. But the USB-C ports are also for charging. </p>

    • Michael Goff

      14 June, 2018 - 1:25 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#284156"><em>In reply to skane2600:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>One for charging, the other for a USB C Dock to plug in a mouse, ethernet, and external storage?</p>

    • summersk59

      14 June, 2018 - 5:35 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#284156"><em>In reply to skane2600:</em></a></blockquote><blockquote><em>I use a Yubico Key on my current OLD Toshiba Chromebook, so having that ability is good.</em></blockquote><blockquote><br></blockquote><p><br></p>

  • MikeCerm

    14 June, 2018 - 1:19 pm

    <p>Interesting that Samsung, who manufactures their own high-end ARM processors as well as the Snapdragon 845 has decided to go with Intel here. The CPU is actually a bit of a downgrade in terms of multi-core performance, Single-core performance is a bit better, but you'll easily be able to bog this thing down by doing any kind of multitasking. The screen is also a big downgrade, though it appears that they're used the change in aspect ratio to fix the weird, truncated keys that were an annoyance on the old Chromebook Plus. Unless you really love the stylus, the screen was really the only selling point. Now, I don't know why anyone would choose this over last year's Asus Chromebook Flip, which you can easily find for well under $499 these days.</p>

  • Albatross

    14 June, 2018 - 1:51 pm

    <p>Coincidentally I just bought the original CB Plus used for $270. Love the 3:2 screen and the Android app integration make it a real winner. This device will replace my aging Surface 3 (not Pro). </p>

  • david.thunderbird

    14 June, 2018 - 3:17 pm

    <p>I had a <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Celeron once, NEVER again.</span></p>

    • PeteB

      14 June, 2018 - 3:57 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#284216"><em>In reply to david.thunderbird:</em></a></blockquote><p>You probably had it running bloated windows. ChromeOS is much lighter since it doesn't have 3 decades of spaghetti code and endless Windows updates and virus scanning.</p>

      • skane2600

        14 June, 2018 - 5:46 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#284227"><em>In reply to PeteB:</em></a></blockquote><p>When you read Windows' source code what parts did you find to be "spaghetti"? You'd have to read the source for any program to be able to evaluate its structure, right?</p>

      • VancouverNinja

        Premium Member
        14 June, 2018 - 8:22 pm

        <p><a href="#284227"><em>In reply to PeteB:</em></a></p><p><br></p><p>Every post you make shows you know nothing about these technologies. Keep trying to pump an OS that little kids use through grade five and then have replaced by Windows in grade 6 on.</p>

        • kufdhh

          15 June, 2018 - 1:28 pm

          <blockquote><a href="#284349"><em>In reply to VancouverNinja:</em></a></blockquote><p>If your kids ride the short bus then yeah, they will probably be using Windows. </p>

  • Eric Rasmussen

    Premium Member
    14 June, 2018 - 4:26 pm

    <p>I think Microsoft is in trouble. I bought a Chromebook (a PixelBook on the recent sale) and things have improved dramatically since the first one I bought three years ago. A lot of the games I play these days are social games on Android, and a lot of the work I do is with .NET Core online, which the Chromebook is perfect for. Running an Android game in a window next to an Atom editor that has support for C# is a surreal experience. Once we get Linux application support, there is literally zero reason for me to run Windows anymore. This is coming from a 40-something Windows enthusiast who has been developing DOS and Windows applications for 30 years. I'm tired of the forced updates and things randomly breaking every other month.</p>

    • innitrichie

      14 June, 2018 - 7:26 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#284245"><em>In reply to Eric_Rasmussen:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>What Linux applications are you craving on your Chromebook? One of the biggest weaknesses of Linux for decades has been a lack of useful applications to do anything. The problem remains the same when you install a Linux instance today – the apps are largely all the same crap that was shipping with Red Hat Linux all those years ago when it was given away for free.</p>

  • jrickel96

    14 June, 2018 - 6:32 pm

    <p>Google is also preparing the PixelBook to get certified to run Windows 10, so I guess ChromeOS also has a bit of a ding. Not sure if Paul will write an article about how Windows running on PixelBook is a "clear and present danger" to ChromeOS.</p><p><br></p><p>If Microsoft and Apple make strong headway in schools, ChromeOS will be gone sooner rather than later. It's not enough for PixelBook and if you've got to dual boot Windows, doesn't that betray the point?</p><p><br></p><p>Will OEMs bail when Google starts allowing Windows on their own product?</p>

    • VancouverNinja

      Premium Member
      14 June, 2018 - 8:25 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#284332"><em>In reply to jrickel96:</em></a></blockquote><p>This is most likely Google’s last kick at keeping OEMs making Chromebooks. At least the OEMs can still sell the unsold inventory as Windows systems. It’s getting embarrassing for Google now.</p><p><br></p><p>Plus Google will try to claim the ones running Windows as ChromeOS sales. Pathetic.</p>

      • jrickel96

        15 June, 2018 - 10:11 am

        <blockquote><a href="#284350"><em>In reply to VancouverNinja:</em></a></blockquote><p>I think the only thing keeping ChromeOS afloat right now is the school sales in the US. Google offers such a cheap option that they've been able to make a ding there, but Apple and Microsoft are now more aggressively pushing options for schools – and Google still has the underlying privacy concerns. </p><p><br></p><p>I suspect we'll see the ChromeOS in education numbers go down over time and then ChromeOS will be gone completely. </p><p><br></p><p>I also wonder if Google will pull the plug on the whole Pixel line. They likely aren't making money there and companies like OnePlus do a much better job than they do – and other OEMs are now providing cleaner versions of Android. Google Fi's lineup is expanding. So I could see Google exiting hardware completely outside of Home in a year or so. Nest is also taking a bath, so have to wonder how long they'll stick it out there.</p>

  • wshwe

    14 June, 2018 - 7:37 pm

    <p>I don't think this Chromebook has a backlit keyboard. If that's the case Samsung wiffed.</p>

  • melinau

    Premium Member
    15 June, 2018 - 8:35 am

    <p>I'm tempted to give it a try, though the Publicity Puff is pretty off-putting…..</p>

  • UbelhorJ

    Premium Member
    16 June, 2018 - 12:09 am

    <p>I have the first Chromebook Plus. I'm not sure what Samsung is going for here. The screen is worse (in resolution and aspect ratio), it's thicker, heaver, it can't be charged from both sides, no storage or RAM upgrade, and it's more expensive. They got rid of everything that stand out from all the other Chromebooks.</p>

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