Premium is a word which isn’t normally associated with Chromebook, but after Google’s Pixelbook i7 and Acer going heavy, Samsung has now decided to step into the “premium” Chromebook game too. While anything more than a $400 for Chromebook seems expensive but Samsung justifies that decision by offering an exquisite machine.

The Samsung updated its Chromebook Plus and arguably stands at the top of the premium Chromebook line. Spending $500 on this Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 might seem extravagant, but what you are getting is good build quality, better design, and exclusive features.

Not only this but the Chromebook Plus V2 is a convertible Chromebook: It can be used as both a laptop or a tablet courtesy its 360-degree hinges. On top of this, the tend mode allows the machine to be specifically used for video chats. In case you are up for some movie time or want to give a presentation, feel free to set it up as a kiosk. Thus, this Chromebook isn’t like any other out there.

There are targeted apps for the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 available in both the Google Play Stores, as well as Chrome’s own Web Store. For this very purpose i.e. app handling which requires a good processor, Samsung ditched its previous ARM processor found in last year’s Chromebook in favor of an Intel Celeron 3965Y CPU. It is still an entry-level CPU, but nevertheless, it is still a lot better than an ARM-based architecture.

The RAM is an acceptable 4 GB which just might be enough for your everyday needs, but you would want to avoid opening multiple tabs simultaneously. In addition to this, instead of hampering the battery life, Samsung’s decision for an Intel Based CPU turned out in favor of them. The battery life stands now at 9 hours and 33 minutes, while continuously streaming a video. This is more than enough to last you a whole work day.

The panel is a 12.2 inch one, with a full HD screen resolution. Offering 300 nits of brightness, you are assured of vibrant colors.

As far as the webcam is concerned, the Chromebook houses a 1 Megapixel front-facing camera at the top bezel. Not only this, but there is an additional 13-megapixel camera with f1.9 as well, just above the keyboard. Since this camera also supports Auto-focus, you can take quick photos in a jiffy and looks like you won’t need an external webcam for video conferencing after all.

On top of this, the Chromebook supports a digital pen as well, which can put safely in the side of the laptop chassis. Through the pen you can do a lot with photos, for instance, you can easily mark them up, and share them across various social networking sites easily. Furthermore, signing documents becomes a piece of cake, and you can pretty easily draw or write anything you want on the screen.

Furthermore, the updated Chromebook by Samsung boasts two USB Type-C ports, through which you can charge the Chromebook as well. There is also the familiar USB 3.0 port as well so that you can avoid the hassle of adapters and all which is also avoided by offering a microSD card slot too. The Chromebook hasn’t yet ditched the 3.5mm headphone and mic jack either. Moreover, there are dedicated volume buttons too on the side, which makes them easier to use even in tablet mode.

Perhaps, the only downside of our “premium” Chromebook would be its keyboard and trackpad. The keyboard isn’t that large and doesn’t have backlighting even in this era. The good thing though is that the keyboard is resistant to minor spills and that there is still a premium feel to it. The touchpad though isn’t spacious enough either.

Configuration

The Chromebook shall be offered for $500 and shall be available from 24^th June. The Chromebook shall house a 12.2-inches touchscreen display with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080. The 1.5GHz Intel Celeron 3965Y shall power the Chromebook aided by 4 GB of RAM. The storage though stands at 32 GB which is low for “premium” Chromebooks.

As for the graphics, there is an integrated Intel HD 615 graphics card. We would have expected the Chromebook to boast Bluetooth 5.0, but sadly Samsung opted for Bluetooth 4.2 instead. The Wi-Fi adapter is a Dual-band 802.11ac, which is good. Since it is a Chromebook, you would expect it to run Chrome OS (no shit, Sherlock).