I pre-ordered the Google Pixelbook and received it yesterday. It's a convertible 2 in 1 and here are a few initial thoughts on it after one day of use.
The version I got is the i5 / 8GB RAM / 128GB SSD. The price was $999 and here are the basic specs.
Intel Core i5
8GB RAM
128 GB SSD
Display: 12.3-inch, 2400x1600, 235ppi LCD touchscreen
Chassis: Aluminum unibody with 360-degree hinge, in one color, Silver
Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
Weight: 2.4 pounds
Ports: Two USB-C for charging and 4K display support
720p webcam
Battery life of up to 10 hours
The machine is extremely well built. It's sold, beautiful and has no flex whatsoever. I really dig the soft palm rest on each side of the trackpad.
The screen is gorgeous and I am happy they stuck with the 3:2 aspect ratio.
The keyboard is solid and has decent key travel. Less travel than the previous Chromebook Pixels but it's still a nice and comfortable typing experience.
The new keys (app drawer, assistant, hamburger menu) are a welcomed add and I find myself using them quite a bit. The backlighting on the KB is nice with little to no light bleed from the keys.
The trackpad is stellar. It's smooth, responsive and accurate.
Sound from the speakers is okay, not great. Nothing to jump up and down over and nothing to criticize. It's fine for the most part.
Performance is top notch. This thing flat out screams through ChromeOS and does not break a sweat no matter what I've thrown at it so far, which is admittedly limited at this point. The machine is fanless but I've not noticed any heat from it thus far.
Minor bummers are the lack of SD card slot and no USB A. I kinda understand the no USB A since the machine is so thin but it will make us all dependent on dongles for the foreseeable future. The lack of an SD card slot is a bit of a head scratcher though.
I do plan on swapping over to Dev mode and adding Crouton at some point, maybe next week.
Overall, after one day of use, I am happy with the purchase. I do not have the pen as I doubt I'd use it on a consistent basis but I may pick one up at some point.
Photos:
The version I got is the i5 / 8GB RAM / 128GB SSD. The price was $999 and here are the basic specs.
Intel Core i5
8GB RAM
128 GB SSD
Display: 12.3-inch, 2400x1600, 235ppi LCD touchscreen
Chassis: Aluminum unibody with 360-degree hinge, in one color, Silver
Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
Weight: 2.4 pounds
Ports: Two USB-C for charging and 4K display support
720p webcam
Battery life of up to 10 hours
The machine is extremely well built. It's sold, beautiful and has no flex whatsoever. I really dig the soft palm rest on each side of the trackpad.
The screen is gorgeous and I am happy they stuck with the 3:2 aspect ratio.
The keyboard is solid and has decent key travel. Less travel than the previous Chromebook Pixels but it's still a nice and comfortable typing experience.
The new keys (app drawer, assistant, hamburger menu) are a welcomed add and I find myself using them quite a bit. The backlighting on the KB is nice with little to no light bleed from the keys.
The trackpad is stellar. It's smooth, responsive and accurate.
Sound from the speakers is okay, not great. Nothing to jump up and down over and nothing to criticize. It's fine for the most part.
Performance is top notch. This thing flat out screams through ChromeOS and does not break a sweat no matter what I've thrown at it so far, which is admittedly limited at this point. The machine is fanless but I've not noticed any heat from it thus far.
Minor bummers are the lack of SD card slot and no USB A. I kinda understand the no USB A since the machine is so thin but it will make us all dependent on dongles for the foreseeable future. The lack of an SD card slot is a bit of a head scratcher though.
I do plan on swapping over to Dev mode and adding Crouton at some point, maybe next week.
Overall, after one day of use, I am happy with the purchase. I do not have the pen as I doubt I'd use it on a consistent basis but I may pick one up at some point.
Photos: