Saturday 14 October 2017

Google's $999 Pixelbook: Is it worth the price?

Google Pixelbook

Google had a lot of ground to cover at their event a couple of weeks ago, announcing a bounty of new hardware. While many were anxiously awaiting the announcement of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, some were equally – and perhaps more – eager to see if Google would announce a new Chromebook Pixel device. Spoiler: They did, but it’s not called the Chromebook Pixel anymore; it is now known as the Pixelbook.

The announcement went better than expected, in all honesty. The Chromebook Pixel/Pixelbook had always had a premium price tag associated with it, but this year it was expected to be even higher than previous years, rumored to start at around $1,200 for the base model. When they announced that it would cost $999 – the same starting price as the Chromebook Pixel 2015 – I felt a little relieved. Well, as relieved as you can be when talking about a Chromebook that’s priced at nearly $1,000, which goes against the typical narrative that Chromebooks are cheap alternative operating systems.

For most people, the Pixelbook isn’t worth the money for what they need to get done. I’ve been through a few Chromebooks now (ASUS C202SA; Dell Chromebook 13; Acer Chromebook 14) and all of them have more or less shared the same experience: smooth, easy operation and long battery life. For most people, this is all they’re looking for in a Chromebook and can easily find it for as cheap as $200-$300. Now, the Pixelbook has a few aspects that give it an advantage: powerful specs, 4-in-1 design, and support for the Pixel Pen, which is sold separately for an additional $99. It also has a stunning aluminum design that sells the premium look.

But while the Pixelbook looks nice and has some cool specs and features, it’s ultimately not going to be worth the expensive price for most people, especially when there’s significantly cheaper alternatives on the market.

The Pixelbook packs a punch with 8GB of RAM, 7th gen Intel i5 processor, and 128GB of internal storage. It offers even more functionality if you have a Pixel smartphone to pair with it . However, it’s overkill for what a Chromebook needs to operate well. My ASUS C202SA, which featured 4GB of RAM and a dual-core Intel Celeron N3060 processor, worked exceptionally well under what I would consider a heavy workload (which equals a boatload of tabs). It had a few hiccups here and there, but overall it was pleasant. The Dell Chromebook 13, on the other hand, was incredible with its 4GB of RAM and dual-core Intel Celeron 3215U. I was, and still am blown away by how useful Chromebooks were when I took the time to use one. (The Acer 14 Chromebook only had 2GB of RAM and had noticeably more trouble than the other two, so I wouldn’t recommend them unless it’s for very light usage).

Clearly there’s big jump between what I purchased and the Pixelbook, but there’s a middle ground for Chromebooks that exist as well. The Samsung Chromebook Pro, for example, features 4GB of RAM, an Intel Core m3 processor, 64GB of RAM, built-in stylus and 360-degree rotating display, and costs $549. For a little less power and $100 cheaper, there’s the Samsung Chromebook Pro. If a stylus isn’t important but the powerful specs are, there’s the Acer R13 for $459. That’s just scratching the surface of the sheer number of Chromebooks on the market, which come in all sizes, specs, and prices.

I can see where Google would want to get in on this whole premium “book” fad. There’s the long-established Apple MacBook; Microsoft has the Surface Book; and Google has the Pixelbook. But while the Pixelbook’s specs make it look as if it can directly compete with a similar computer running macOS or Windows, Chrome OS isn’t quite $1,000 there yet in my opinion. Even with the addition of Android apps, which are hit or miss on whether they’ll work properly or not, I still need to supplement my Chromebook time with another operating system from time to time. Not frequently, mind you, but frequently enough to where I would have a problem paying that price.

I think that the Pixelbook is very pretty and powerful, but way overpriced for what most people could reasonably expect out of Chrome OS. There is a surprising amount of work that can be done with it, but it’s still not as fleshed out as other operating systems. So, unless you’re really into finagling with your computer (many Chromebook enthusiasts enjoy using Linux, and the specs work well for that) and/or $1,000 means very little to you at the end of the day, then there are cheaper alternatives out there that would serve the intended purpose just as well. Or just hold off until used and refurbished models hit the market for a steep discount.



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