Report: Google’s New “Chromebook X” Branding Could Shake Up the Ecosystem

Google is reportedly working on a new “Chromebook X” brand that will designate Chromebooks with better-than-average specs. 9to5Google reports that Chromebook X laptops and tablets could launch before the end of the year, and these devices may support some exclusive Chrome OS features.

“Chromebook X” is visible on various code repositories spotted by 9to5Google, and one of them indicates that Chromebook X features will be available on devices running Chrome OS version 115 or newer. That version of ChromeOS is currently available in Beta and it should ship to all ChromeOS users next month.

“The Chromebook X brand, which could change before launch, will appear somewhere on a laptop/tablet’s chassis, with a mark that could be as simple as an “X” next to the usual “Chromebook” logo. There should also be a special boot screen instead of the standard “chromeOS” logo that’s shown on all machines today,” the report reads.

9to5Google also discovered that Chromebook X devices may require specific hardware. So far, the list of requirements may include AMD Zen 2+, Zen 3, or Intel Core 12th gen CPUs, as well as good-quality cameras that support exclusive video conferencing features such as live captions, a background blur effect, and voice isolation.

The report also mentions that Chromebook X devices may come with exclusive dynamic wallpapers and screensavers that change throughout the day. Google is also reportedly working on the ability to pin files from Google Drive to make them always available offline.

There are no signs yet that Google is preparing its own flagship Chromebook X device. The company gave up on making Chromebooks after shipping its Pixelbook in October 2017. That device was priced at $999, which was a lot to ask for a Chromebook even though Google did receive praise for the hardware quality.

Chromebooks remain popular in the US Education market where they still give good competition to cheap Windows laptops. Google teamed up with Microsoft on a Microsoft 365 integration on Chrome OS, and the platform now has a built-in video editor and virtual desk support. There’s probably an audience for better Chromebook hardware, though Chrome OS still remains quite limited compared to Windows or popular Linux distributions.