However, even with a quality screen, chassis, and feel, it lacks in some key areas.
Ive enjoyed many of the new features introduced to Chromebooks in the last two years.
But are these devices now the true AI laptops, thanks to Googles Gemini?
© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
No, of course not.
With its enterprise-level chassis, this machine costs as much as the Asus ExpertBook CX54 Chromebook Plus.
The quick access to Gemini AI certainly isnt worth the extra cost, so what is?
© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
It has a solid battery life that lasts a little more than 10 hours after periodic use.
The Samsung-brand Chromebook also packs a quality near-16-inch AMOLED display that feels luxuriously wide.
At the same time, it has a minimum of 8GB of RAM to qualify for Chromebook Plus status.
© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
You cant get much better if you want a solid Chromebook and dont care about cost.
Yes, its light, damn light, but better than that, it still feels solid.
See Galaxy Chromebook Plus at Samsung
The keyboard and trackpad feel just about right.
© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
The thin keys arent too stiff, though they still have a clacky feeling without being squishy.
The clickpad-key in trackpad has a smooth texture, although not as fine as a glass surface.
Overall, its just very standard, especially since you dont get a touchscreen on this model.
After that, its all down to the ChromeOS software.
Easily, my favorite part of the latest updates is the Welcome Recap.
Thats plenty useful for the memelords, but not much else.
After using it for a week, I loved the new Focus features.
you’re free to set it to time out your focus tasks, reducing pop-ups and other distractions.
I only wish you had more control over every playlist and that there were more to choose from.
Google also integrated Google Tasks directly into the taskbar above the calendar function.
The sound quality is impressive, particularly when using headphones.
Its a nice size, and the 1080p resolution is good enough for streaming YouTube or Netflix.
Yes, it looks great, but its panel has a refresh rate of only 60Hz.
At this price point, Id want a 120Hz panel like theAcer Chromebook 516 GE.
Unfortunately, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus doesnt sound as good as it looks.
Its an entry-level chip, but its good at that level.
However, it doesnt have the battery life of these most recent $1,000-plus laptops.
I never noticed any instances where the heat impacted performance.
Samsung promises 13 hours of battery life, though that was based on the Chromebook power load test.
I found I could get between six and seven hours before I needed to recharge.
Its not bad, and I used it with too many open tabs, as I usually do.
It just wont be a multi-day laptop.
The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus is the first of its kind to get this addition.
This has a few benefits.
However, its main raison detre is to give you immediate access to AI writing capabilities.
However, I have serious doubts about whether anyone should use this for anything beyond outlining or brainstorming.
It will confidently lie about things it does not have the correct information about, and thats a problem.
Even the proofread function is less helpful than it should be.
It doesnt tell you what parts of a highlighted paragraph will change.
And, of course, theres Gemini Advanced.
To be succinct, its gift ideas absolutely sucked.
Its best idea was to give a gift card or a shirt to a local game shop.
Dont buy this or any other new Chromebook because of its AI capabilities.
Its the Chromebook I could see someone replacing their laptop with.
I would want a Chromebook without compromise for the price youre paying.
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