Chromebooks are approaching the level of popularity that netbooks hit during their prime before the tablet takeover but manufacturers are hoping they won't see the same steep drop-off in sales. To make sure that doesn't happen, these notebook alternatives will need new and innovative features that won't drive prices up.
Samsung believes they have the winning formula with their latest Chromebooks, aptly named Chromebook 2. Available in 11.6-inch and 13-inch screen sizes, both machines feature a lid covered in the same stitched faux leather found on the back of the Note 3. Both measure about 0.65 inches thick with the smaller weighing 2.5 pounds and the larger coming in around three pounds.
Under the hood is a Samsung Exynos 5 Octa processor, 4GB of RAM and just 16GB of onboard storage. It's clear that Samsung and others are urging users to move to the cloud. Expect around eight hours of battery life from the Exynos chip and some enhanced productivity courtesy of select baked-in software, Samsung promises.
As CNET recently pointed out during some hands-on time, the 13-inch model features a full 1,920 x 1,080 display. The 11-inch unit will be available in black or white while the bigger 13 incher will ship in grey only.
Pricing starts at $319 for the 11.6-inch Chromebook 2 and goes up to $399 for the 13-inch with full HD display. Both models will begin shipping next month.