IMAGE: ROB SCHULTZ

Compared side by side, the 2015 (left) and 2013 (right) Chromebook pixels look almost identical. The 2015 model is slightly lighter and thinner. 

Google's New Chromebook Pixel: Dangerously Close To Buyable

The laptop you’re about to see is as much an idea as it is a machine. Google’s new Chromebook Pixel is designed to be the world’s best Chromebook—and it is, without even trying hard, by a yawning margin. That’s the machine part.

Now for the idea part. Two years ago, when Google introduced the original Chromebook Pixel, you could argue it was too early. Chrome OS was young. There wasn’t enough to do with all the processing power, and with an early-gen mobile CPU, battery life was disappointing. It was all dressed up with nowhere to go, and it was also crazy-expensive, with a base price of $1299 and a higher-end model that cost $1449.

Also, people looked at the Chromebook Pixel and asked, “Why build such a powerful laptop ‘just’ to run browser-based applications?” But they were asking the wrong question. Google made the Chromebook Pixel—the old one and the new one—to answer a different question: “Why not?”

Why not have a flagship for the fledgling Chrome OS that can stand with the best from Apple or any major PC vendor? Whether you thought the Pixel was awesome or ridiculous, Google was simply expressing its ambition to compete head-on with those two platforms.

The new Chromebook Pixel starts at $999 and has an “LS” model with a faster CPU for $1299. It’s still expensive—just a little less than before. But if the new 12-inch MacBookcan get 4-out-of-5 stars for pedestrian performance and a tyrannical, single USB-C port, the Chromebook Pixel must earn more than that for delivering significantly better speed and battery life than its predecessor, plus significantly more generous and versatile connectivity.

It can hold its head up among the flagships of other platforms for beauty and features. Oh, and it’s the best Chromebook available by far, as I’m about to show you.

Built to be the best

IMAGE: GOOGLE

The Pixel’s exterior is both luxurious and strong, with subtle finish to the aluminum chassis and a piano-style hinge. 

Let’s be honest: It’s not hard to be the best Chromebook when the market remains largely one of small, inexpensive, underpowered machines. But the masses clearly don’t mind, because Chromebooks were the top sellers among laptops during the last holiday season, and they’re big in education, too.

The Pixel, by contrast, exudes excellence, starting with its aluminum chassis whose subtle texture almost feels soft. Google paid attention to details, giving the Pixel crisply tailored edges and an extremely sturdy hinge.

GOOGLE

The lightbar on the lid of the Google Chromebook Pixel glows rainbow colors when it opens and closes, and it also shows battery capacity as a green or yellow bar.

A slender LED lightbar near the edge of the lid flashes Google’s rainbow colors and also shows battery life. Compared to its predecessor, this new Pixel is slightly lighter than before (3.3 pounds compared to 3.35 pounds) and even a scant millimeter thinner (15.3 compared to 16.2).

On the sides, you’ll find a lot more connectivity than we’ve seen on some other new models lately (*cough* MacBook *cough*), including right and left USB-C ports. The ports can be used with the included power adapter from either side—a nice convenience. Google sells a bunch of USB-C adapters: USB-C to HDMI ($40), DisplayPort ($40), or USB-A (adapter or cable, both $13). The new Pixel also has two USB 3.1 ports, an SD card slot, and an audio jack.

IMAGE: ROB S

Google’s new Chromebook Pixel for 2015 has two USB 3.1 ports and an audio jack on its left side, plus a USB-C port for power and other connectivity.

Open the Pixel, and there it is: That gorgeous, 12.85-inch touchscreen display with a 2560x1700-pixel resolution and 400-nit brightness. Take that, Retina. Of the machines we’ve seen, only Dell’s XPS 13 has better bragging rights, with its 3200x1800 display option.

According to Google, the new Pixel’s display has a wider color gamut. We set the same wallpaper and same display settings on both Pixels, and you can see that the new Pixel (at right in the photo) has richer colors. Just look at the richer blue details in the surf and sky, and the red-tinted crags on the sandy cliff.

MELISSA RIOFRIO

The original Google Chromebook Pixel (left) and the second-generation model (right) have the same screen resolution, but the newer model has a broader color gamut, subtly visible in this side-by-side comparison.

The full-size, island-style keyboard is firm without being harsh (I’ve banged on a lot of crappy Chromebook keyboards, so believe me, I know). The trackpad on the Pixel is bigger, and it’s also supposed to be more responsive than its predecessor. I enjoyed using both for long periods.

Like I said, it wasn’t hard for this to be the best-designed Chromebook. But it’s also hard to find a feature set this great on any other premium laptop.

No Like

This is not a super portable laptop. At over three pounds, the Chromebook Pixel feels pretty damn heavy. This is no razor-thin MacBook.

It only runs Chrome! When you're looking at a $200-$400 machine, it's easy to see that as a trade-off or a compromise (although less so than ever with things like HP's lovely little Stream laptop). But when you're buying a $1,000 laptop with great specs, it's just a choice. A limiting choice, with no upsides beyond access to this primo machine.

Should You Buy It

No. But I mean like, maaaaaaaaaaaybe? Nah. But then again...

As wildly premium as it is (in the greater world of Chromebooks) the Pixel is designed to raise a big question: Is a browser enough? Is it time to pay $1,000 for a browser machine? Has ChromeOS grown up enough that it's not just a budget option? If you put a gun to my head, I'd say the answer is still no, but it's a tougher call than it's ever been before. The $1,300 original Pixel was sort of laughable. This $1,000 second-gen? Waaaay less so. Especially with a battery life that flirts with lasting all day, this is a near perfect machine for web-workers, and professional internet-surfers (like myself).

For a purely web-browsing and typing machine, the Chromebook Pixel is one of the best out there and certainly one of the best designed. The bulky function-over-form approach makes it an interesting and attractive counterpart to something like the slim new MacBook-which opts for a more powerful operating system, but a chip that could ultimately leave it less capable.

Still, Google's still got a bit of a ways to go to prove that Chrome-something that already lives on every other laptop out there-is worth picking to the exclusion of something like Windows or OS X. For now, it's still not. But if you were keen to buy a new Chromebook Pixel anyway, I wouldn't try to talk you out of it.

This flagship premium Chromebook has come a long way from its fantastic-but-laughable beginnings. If ChromeOS had a killer app, some killer exclusive feature, the Pixel could become a really solid choice for everyone.