Samsung will soon be following Google down the high-end Chromebook path with the launch of the Chromebook Pro, a premium portable that's expected to arrive later this month.
The Chromebook Pro was prematurely posted on a couple of retailers' websites and even had its own landing page on Samsung's site before admins became aware of the error. Fortunately, the crew over at Chrome Unboxed managed to get the skinny on the system's specs before those pages disappeared.
Codenamed Kevin, the Chromebook Pro features a 12.3-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 2,400 x 1,600 (234 PPI, 400 nits, 3:2 ratio) that can also be rotated 360 degrees. It'll be powered by a 2GHz hexa-core ARM processor and 4GB of RAM with 32GB of local flash storage on tap.
The all-aluminum chassis looks absolutely gorgeous with curved edges akin to what you'd find on a flagship smartphone. At just 2.38 pounds and 13.9mm at its thickest point, Samsung's latest is plenty portable. Battery life checks in at up to 10 hours and interestingly enough, the system includes a stylus for taking full advantage of the sea of Android apps out there - an oversized Galaxy Note, if you will.
If leaks prove accurate, Samsung's Chromebook Pro will go on sale October 24 priced at $499. That's a bit more than something like Acer's excellent Chromebook 14 yet far cheaper than Google's overpriced Chromebook Pixel. Given the hardware and aesthetics, it is likely well worth the asking price.