The Chromebook Pixel (2015) Review
by Brandon Chester on March 16, 2015 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
- Chrome OS
- Chromebook
- Chromebook Pixel
Final Words
Despite its limitations, it's really hard to not like the Chromebook Pixel. Google has clearly put a lot of thought and effort into designing it, and what it does do it does really well. I think the move to USB Type-C is forward thinking, and makes the Pixel very versatile when it comes to connecting to both current and future displays and peripherals. The little details like tapping the top to see the remaining battery capacity, and the ability to charge on either side also help make it a very lovable laptop.
The Pixel's hardware is top notch. The build quality is every bit as good as what you'll get on a MacBook Retina, and both the keyboard and touchpad are comfortable to use. The CPU and RAM are completely overkill for running Chrome OS, but given that the Pixel has absolutely stellar battery life I'm not complaining about the additional hardware power. I think Google could have done more to calibrate the display, but in all honesty I doubt any users who buy the Pixel will be bothered by it, and it is still incredibly sharp.
The only big criticism I can really throw at the Pixel is the fact that its software is limited. But that is the entire point of how Chrome OS has been designed, and I do not know if it really makes sense to complain about something doing exactly what it was intended to do just because you wish it could do more. Chrome OS is definitely not the OS for everyone though, and although you can run other versions of Linux overtop, it's not exactly a real solution to the problem.
The final question is obviously whether or not someone interested in the Pixel should buy one. The answer is more complicated than a yes or a no. For anyone who wants to develop with Chrome OS in mind, the Pixel is the laptop to buy if it is within their budget. Other Chromebooks are definitely more affordable, but the Pixel is just so much nicer than any other Chromebook. I think that the Pixel can also be an appealing device for any user who can work within the limitations of Chrome OS, although I heavily stress that buyers make sure they know exactly what those limitations are before they spend $1000 on a laptop.
Google clearly doesn't intend for the Pixel to be a mass market item. It's quite expensive, it runs Chrome OS, and it's only sold in the US and the UK. There's clearly a small market for people that want a laptop like the Pixel though, and those are the people that Google are targeting. I am not one of them, and I do not know many people who are, but they do exist. In the end I find myself wishing that the Pixel could do more, because it's a genuinely nice laptop. I really like the Chromebook Pixel, but I personally just couldn't justify buying it.
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steven75 - Wednesday, March 18, 2015 - link
The problem is this is a barely-higher-than Corolla quality device at a non-Corolla price.whatsa - Monday, March 16, 2015 - link
A chrome os dev would be smarter to buy the cheap one to do performamnce testing.sorten - Tuesday, March 17, 2015 - link
Exactly. This would be the worst choice for dev or testing. For dev you want a real OS and a CPU with a larger TDP envelope for quick builds and for testing you want a piece of crap for testing the worst case scenario.jabber - Wednesday, March 18, 2015 - link
If you are a serious ChromeOS developer and can buy the Pixel then you can afford $250 for a standard Chromebook for testing too. To be honest development is a business of sorts. If you can't afford a couple of thousand dollars for hardware/software costs then maybe look to do something else. Annoys me when people setup in business or run a business and then baulk at spending say $200 on software that will enable them to potentially make $200000.NeatOman - Monday, March 16, 2015 - link
The only thing that seperates this from another $1000+ laptop is storage which google doesn't want you to have because they want these type of machines to be cloud/service driven as this is the pinnacle of an internet driven OS. A lot of people bought the first Chrome Pixel and simply replaced the ssd with a much larger one.tyger11 - Monday, March 16, 2015 - link
I thought the original Chrome Pixel had its SSD soldered in, so I doubt 'many' - or even ANY - replaced the SSD.retrospooty - Monday, March 16, 2015 - link
Yeah, I never got this product. The Chromebook, by definition is a low end internet appliance. This is a high end low end well-speced device with no need or use for it's specs. Core i7 and 16gb RAM on the high end ? WHY?More importantly you are spending $1000+ on a laptop , why on earth would you buy a chromebook?
BrandonVillatuya - Tuesday, September 15, 2015 - link
Oh sure the specs aren't the highest specs. But the point IS that it's a chromebook. It gets no viruses, it will outperform anything with the same specs including macbooks when it comes to the web, it has the fastest bootup times of any computer etc. The battery life is also hours better than similar priced macbooks and PCs. You are paying for what you aren't getting. For people who don't do much but surf the web, type documents, or any of the basic functions, it becomes worth the money as a long term investment. On top of that chrome os is growing in functionality at an extremely fast rate. I have a PC laptop, but I don't do heavy photo or video editing. Literally when I don't have WiFi my laptop is just as useless to me as a chromebook.damianrobertjones - Monday, March 16, 2015 - link
"and the rest of its specs were also impressive."32Gb of storage space. There's a limit to what we'll believe.
lilmoe - Monday, March 16, 2015 - link
32GB on a laptop this expensive is just..................offensive.Side note: Microsoft needs to make a Surface Laptop. I'd be all over that. Surface Pro3 is the best tablet ever, yes, but it isn't as practical in most of MY use cases.
A Surface Laptop (with a touch screen) and a Galaxy S6 running Windows 10 would be reallllly nice.