Samsung Chromebook Pro review

Research Center:
Samsung Chromebook Pro

We’ve long been a fan of Chromebooks for several reasons. They’re simple to use, minimalist, lightweight, and best of all, inexpensive. Spend less than $500 on a Windows laptop and you’re bound to be disappointed. Spend $500 on a Chromebook, and you’ve got your pick of the best Chrome OS devices on the market.

Samsung’s Chromebook Pro and Plus for 2017 are the next evolution in that effort. The team at Samsung has paired up with Google’s engineers to produce Chromebooks specifically designed to run apps from the Google Play Store, with motion controls, and a multi-touch compatible display.

More: Asus Chromebook Flip C302CA review

That doesn’t mean it isn’t a fully-featured Chromebook, too. The Samsung Chromebook Pro sports an Intel Core M processor, 2,560 x 1,600 panel, and multiple Thunderbolt 3 ports. At $549, though, the Chromebook Pro is one of the more expensive Chrome OS options on the market. Is it worth the price of admission, or still half-baked?

The hinged wonder

As far as Chromebooks go, Samsung’s offering is on the high-end. The magnesium alloy chassis feels sturdy to the touch. It’s important to note that there are two models of Samsung Chromebook, the Pro and Plus, but the only differences between the two are CPU and color.

Display quality is the best reason to consider the Samsung Chromebook Pro.

Our review model was the Pro, which features an Intel Core M processor. Our was silver, but that will actually be the color for the Plus, with the hexa-core ARM processor. The final version of the Pro will be a darker shade. In any case, the Pro is a simple but elegant machine. It’s not eye-catching, but also inoffensive.

The hinge is sturdy, and find the balance 360-degree hinges often lose. If you’re trying to tilt the screen, it’s easy to do so, and it will hold the panel in place wherever you need it to. That allows it work splendidly in both tent and laid-back modes.

Fold it all the way around, and it’s essentially an Android tablet, although it’s not quite that simple. The power and volume buttons fall on the keyboard unit, so they’re behind the tablet portion when flipped all the way around. It’s not the easiest to use as a dedicated tablet, but it’s far from the most awkward. The device’s small size and light weight make it easy to handle. We also love the screen – more on that in a moment.

A pair of Thunderbolt ports, and not much else

The Samsung Chromebook Plus has limited wired connectivity, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise considering its size or intended use case. There’s a Thunderbolt 3 port on each side of the system, with headphones and a MicroSD slot tucked away on the left side, plus a 3.5mm headphone jack.

While that might seem limiting to a lot of users, one or two Type-C ports are quickly becoming the standard for compact, lightweight systems. For most of the situations you’ll find yourself in with a Chromebook, wired video out ports are a luxury, or completely unnecessary. Still, if you often need to present from a projector or stream to a TV without a Chromecast, you’ll need an adapter.

Cramped, but enjoyable

Of the two most important keyboard qualities, size and key-feel, the Samsung nails just the latter. Each key on the Chromebook Plus is responsive, sturdy, and clicks satisfyingly, providing deep travel not usually found on such small systems.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

However, the keyboard layout feels cramped, and will feel doubly so to people making the move from larger Windows and Mac laptops. Important keys like backspace and tab are too narrow, which is not an uncommon issue on smaller Chromebooks. There’s also no backlighting, which seems like a notable absence for the price point.

The trackpad is somehow even more disappointing. It’s small, particularly compared to the sprawling glass touchpads we’ve seen on systems like the XPS 13 and Apple’s MacBook line. As such, some of the Chrome OS gestures can feel a little cramped. Thanks to the touchscreen, you can simply drag around the screen if it grows frustrating, but users sitting at a desk will want to look for an external mouse.

Samsung is the only manufacturer to offer a digitizer stylus with its Chromebook. It slips away into the back-right corner on the base of the laptop, popping out with a clicking button on its exposed end. Removing it will trigger a pop-up context menu that allows the user choose its functionality. Apart from standard touch and handwriting modes, there’s also a laser pointer mode, magnifying glass, and a selection mode for capturing screenshots.

More: Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 review

It may not be useful in all situations, especially in Chrome web apps, but it can help with precise touches in Android apps. It also has handwriting recognition through Google Keep, which allows you to quickly jot down notes and even search them, assisted by Google’s deep learning. It isn’t the most well-supported feature at the moment, but frequent note-takers may find themselves reaching for the stylus on a regular basis.

Samsung Chromebook Pro Compared To

Asus Chromebook Flip C302CA

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1

Acer Spin 7

Lenovo Yoga Book

Lenovo ThinkPad 13 Chromebook

Acer Switch Alpha 12

Huawei Matebook

Acer Chromebook 14 CB3-431-C5FM

Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro

Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro

Dell XPS 12 (2013)

Lenovo ThinkPad Helix

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13

Samsung Series 5 Chromebook

A lovely display

For this high-end Chromebook, Samsung reached for a 2,400 x 1,600 display, which boasts a pleasantly high 235 PPI. The Asus Chromebook Flip C302CA only packs in a 1080p screen, while the HP Chromebook 13 does bumps the resolution up to 3,200 x 1,800.

The Samsung has an advantage with its unusual 3:2 aspect ratio, which we’ve seen become more common on touchscreen devices. The ratio makes the display far closer to a square than most, when in turn makes the system feel more tablet-like, and gives Android apps plenty of room to run in both landscape or portrait mode. It’s an important detail that even most Android tablets don’t get right.

The keyboard layout feels cramped.

When discussing display quality, we often reach for our Spyder5Elite, a calibration tool that runs a gamut of tests while measuring the effective output of the display. We don’t have that luxury on our Chromebook because Chrome OS is not compatible with the test software, so we’ll have to rely on subjective impressions.

We came away impressed with not just the contrast and color accuracy, but with general screen quality. Colors had a full, vivid quality to them, while avoiding the neon-tinted blues and greens that often come along with that. Black levels were satisfyingly deep, giving bright spots a chance to truly shine.

That’s good news for the Samsung, particularly in a category where displays aren’t necessarily taken as seriously as they are in other laptops. Here, the Samsung’s panel can shine even brighter than it might otherwise. Its closest competitor, the Asus Chromebook Flip C302CA, doesn’t have as high-resolution a panel, and we weren’t as enthused by its brightness or white point. The screen is the best reason to consider the Samsung Chromebook Pro.

Turn it down

The Samsung Chromebook Pro suffers from a problem that many smaller systems share — audio quality. With a pair of downward-facing speakers, it was immediately clear the Chromebook wasn’t going to offer up anything besides basic sound reproduction.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

On the other hand, we found the speakers were more than loud enough to fill a small room with sound. Not that you’d want them to run at that volume, where they cracked and sputtered audibly. Instead, at half-mast, the volume was comfortable enough to show off a Youtube video to a small group without it sounding like the speakers were stuffed in a tin can.

Usually fast enough, but the Intel chip has limits

Our review unit, the Samsung Chromebook Pro, was powered by an Intel Core m3-6Y30, a dual-core chip with a 900MHz base clock, 2.2GHz Turbo Boost, and Hyper-Threading. It’s a well-equipped, if low-power, option for a higher-end Chromebook. It’s the same chip found in the Asus C302CA, and just shy of the Core m5 found in the HP Chromebook 13.

More: The best cheap laptop you can buy

The other version of this system, the Samsung Chromebook Plus, is powered by an ARM-based, hexa-core OP1 CPU. That’s a forward-looking move that will also save you $100 off the sticker price, but without spending time with the machine, it’s hard to say how performance will compare.

Our Chromebook testing process doesn’t have many actual performance benchmarks to lean back on, due to compatibility issues with most benchmarks. That said, we found the performance to be more than adequate for most users, and in most daily use cases. The system occasionally stuttered or hung for a few moments, but only if there were a lot of tabs open. In fact, we most often saw the gears slip a bit when we were switching back and forth between Google Play apps and Chrome-based software.

Android apps are one of the stronger performance points on the Chromebook Pro. The Core m3 chip is faster than basically anything you’d find in a standard Android tablet, so even the most demanding Google Play apps run smoothly at the highest setting and resolution. We did find there was a bit of a break-in time for games like Asphalt 8 and Fallout Shelter. We saw that performance often started out rocky and smoothed out over time. After playing a full game, Hearthstone ran as well as it does on any Android tablet or laptop.

Time to play

Often, the software section in our laptop reviews sticks to any bundled software, or lack thereof. In the Samsung’s case, it’s a big piece of the puzzle. The Chromebook Pro and Plus are the first systems designed with Chrome OS and Google Play in mind, with accelerometer and gyroscopes for tilting and steering in games, and a digitizer touch pen for quick notes.

It’s a solution that feels a little rushed, even if it is still in its beta stages. Android apps work as expected, and the fact that Android already supports mouse emulation to a basic degree helps smooth the transition. That said, tablet mode is clearly the ideal setup for Google Play apps, and trying to use some of them in laptop mode can cause odd frustrations.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

For example, the back button is commonly used on Android phones and tablets, but you’ll have to reach up to the back arrow in the upper left corner of your keyboard, or on the screen, to use it. Similarly, messaging apps don’t often use the “enter” key on an Android keyboard, so you’ll have to reach out to the screen and tap send.

Ultimately, if something is already working well in the browser on Chrome OS, you’re better off sticking with that instead of switching to the Android version. For us, that meant Google Play apps were often relegated to niche status – playing games like Fallout Shelter or Hearthstone, and the Netflix app lets you download some TV shows and movies, a feature laptops can’t claim.

Portable enough

At just .55 inches thick, Samsung’s Chromebook Pro fits in right alongside the thinnest systems we’ve tested. Its compact size shouldn’t be a problem for anyone, even those with small work bags. It’s also about a third of a pound lighter than the Asus, although neither is light enough for long-term tablet use.

As far as battery life goes, the Samsung doesn’t impress as much as we’d hoped going in. Its 39-watt hour battery isn’t large by modern standards, but it seems large for a small, efficient Chrome OS laptop.

It’s not the easiest to use as a tablet, but also far from the most awkward.

Even so, we saw a modest five hours and 14 minutes in the Peacekeeper browser benchmark loop — easily the most demanding battery test in our arsenal. The Asus stayed alive an hour less, but we weren’t keen on its battery life either. Some Chromebooks we’ve tested, like the Acer Chromebook 15, Lenovo IdeaPad 100S, and Acer Chromebook R11, have hit six and half to seven hours.

The Samsung Chromebook Pro lasted a respectable but not outstanding nine hours and 37 minutes in our video loop test, which loops a 1080p video file. That’s better than the Asus Chromebook C302CA, which lasted eight hours and five minutes. However, the best Windows laptops can last longer, with many hitting 10 hours of endurance or more.

We had hope the Chromebook Pro might last longer, given its premium position – but to be fair, it does defeat other high-end Chromebooks, and represents the upper end of endurance in Chrome OS systems.

Warranty

Like almost every laptop under the sun, the Samsung Chromebook Pro comes with a 12-month warranty. That’s standard, even for the low-cost Chromebook category.

Our Take

Samsung’s Chromebook Pro is a premium, ambitious system, with a lot going for it when it comes to design and feature set. There’s some awkwardness associated with Google Play’s recent introduction to Chrome OS, but the problems are minor, and potentially solvable in software. It carries a premium price for the category, but still comes in well under even the most budget-friendly Windows machines.

Is there a better alternative?

There are several other Chromebooks at the high-end price point for the category. The most immediately comparable system is Asus’ Chromebook Flip C302CA. It packs a similar form factor and high-end design, but we didn’t like the screen or keyboard as much.

HP’s Chromebook 13 shoots a bit more straight down the middle, with a 3,200 x 1,800 panel, backlit keyboard, and core m5 CPU. It lacks the 360-degree hinge, but may be a more appropriate fit if you don’t see yourself playing a lot of games or already have an Android tablet.

The DT Accessory Pack

Dell Dock WD15

$131

HP Pavilion 22cwa 21.5-inch IPS LED backlit monitor

$100

Das Keyboard 4 Professional mechanical keyboard

$162

Logitech MX Master wireless mouse

$70

You could also spend far less on a Chromebook, but you’d have to compromise with lower-end CPU options, less RAM, and likely a 1,336 x 768 panel. You’d save a couple hundred dollars, but the day-to-day experience would be critically wounded compared to the Samsung. And you can forget about fancy features like stylus support, an accelerometer, or possibly even Google Play support. Not all Chromebooks will receive the update to enable it.

How long will it last?

Samsung’s Chromebook Pro represents the next major step for Chromebooks. It’s already built with some of the newest hardware available, and a rich feature set that you can expect to define the category for years to come. At launch, the Samsung Chromebook Pro and Plus are better equipped than any other Chromebook on the market to accept new features and software.

Should you buy it?

Yes. Samsung’s new Chromebooks represent the bleeding edge of development for Chrome OS, and are likely to support features we won’t see on other systems for quite some time. It also nails some of the fundamental elements of a high-end Chrome OS device, including a high-resolution display.

The Chromebook Pro has a few rough edges, and more traditional or less expensive Chromebooks could be the better pick for users who just want a very simple, intuitive laptop. Those who care about Chrome OS, though, will adore the Chromebook Pro’s advanced features.

How to hide photos on your Android phone and keep those saucy snaps private

We’re a snap-happy bunch nowadays, collectively sharing more than two billion photos every day on Facebook alone. But there are some photos and videos that you don’t want to share. Maybe you prefer to keep pictures of your kids private, you don’t want anyone seeing that video of you on the dance floor, or you have some saucy snaps. We’re not here to judge, but we advise you to take some precautions to protect your privacy. Here’s how to hide photos on your Android device.

More: How to share photos on Android (and our favorite apps to use)

How to hide photos on your Android phone using built-in features

Sadly, there’s no secure function for hiding photos on a stock Android device. However, many Android device manufacturers offer built-in privacy features that help you to hide your photos and other files easily.

Hiding photos on a Samsung Android phone

If you have a Samsung phone, like the S7 Edge, then you’re in luck because there’s a robust, secure mode to keep your private photos and videos private.

• Go to Settings > Privacy and safety > Private mode.
• Choose your Private mode access type. You can choose Pattern, PIN, or Password with Fingerprints as an alternative.
• When Private mode is toggled on, you’ll be able to see private content. When it’s toggled off, you won’t. Every time you toggle it on, you’ll be prompted to enter your PIN, use your fingerprint, or whatever access type you chose. There’s a small padlock icon in the notification bar when Private mode is on, alerting you to the fact that private content is accessible.
• We advise turning on Auto disable in Private mode, too, so that your private content is automatically hidden when your screen turns off.

Once Private mode is turned on, you can add content from the Gallery app, Voice Recorder, or My Files. Here’s how:

• Open the Gallery app and find a photo you want to hide.
• Tap on it and tap More at the top right.
• Choose Move to Private from the drop down list.

If you ever want to unhide it, simply tap More and choose Remove from Private and you’ll be asked to select a folder for the photo to be restored to.

Hiding photos on an LG Android phone

If you have an LG phone, like the LG G5, then you can also take advantage of a built-in privacy feature.

• Go to Settings > Fingerprints & security > Content lock.
• Choose the lock type you want to use – Pattern or Password. You can also toggle on Fingerprints.

With Content lock set up, it’s easy to hide photos.

• Open the Gallery app and choose the photo you want to hide.
• Tap the three dots at the top right, then More > Lock. You can do this with multiple photos or you can create a folder and lock the entire folder.
• To view locked photos, tap the three-dot icon in the Gallery app and select Show locked files. You’ll be prompted to enter your Password, Pattern, or use your Fingerprints to view the locked photos.

NOTE: Remember that if you have an automatic cloud backup service turned on, your photos may be uploaded automatically before you’ve hidden them.

Best app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

Everyone likes apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers make paid apps free for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up while you have the chance. Here are the latest and greatest apps on sale in the iOS App Store.

These apps normally cost money and this sale lasts for a limited time only. If you go to the App Store and it says the app costs money, that means the deal has expired and you will be charged. 

More: 200 Awesome iPhone Apps | The best Android apps for almost any occasion

Cut Me Out

Cut out sections of an image in any shape and paste it to selected background photo with Cut Me Out Pro. Erase backgrounds, add funny stickers, and more, then share on social.

Available on:

iOS

Control

The Control app provides one central mobile experience for your Stripe and PayPal alerts, analytics, and customer data that can be accessed anytime, anywhere.

Available on:

iOS

Calc Swift

Get more time with Calc Swift. It’s designed to let you zip through your daily math in your own unique style!

Available on:

iOS

StockBeat

StockWatch aims to be the best apps for tracking stocks news and data. It features an aggregated news stream from leading providers: Yahoo, Seeking Alpha, NASDAQ, Google Finance, Business Insider, and more.

Available on:

iOS

007’s Vidicon

007’s Vidicon — Spy Video Camera can record video by concealment. Now you can record video without looking like a paparazzo.

Available on:

iOS

Barcode Collector

With this app, you can easily collect bar codes for various purposes and send them off via email.

Available on:

iOS

Check out 25 of the best iPhone 7 cases and covers for your shiny new phone

All eyes were on the iPhone 7 as it strutted down Apple’s California-based catwalk. This is a beautiful smartphone with an elegant design, but it’s a fragile beauty that needs to be protected. If you expose your iPhone to the world, there’s a significant chance it’s going to get damaged. All it takes is a single slip and you can end up with a ding, scuff, or crack that will likely spoil those good looks. Thankfully, the right case will provide your iPhone 7 with the style and protection it needs. Check out a few of our current favorites below.

More: The best iPhone 7 screen protectors to keep to keep your phone’s display in one piece

Utomic Edge Corner Protectors ($35)

The most annoying thing about most iPhone 7 cases is that they cover up Apple’s gorgeous design. Thankfully, Utomic has a minimalist alternative that still provides some protection in the form of corner protectors. These are small, flexible bumpers with adhesive that takes 24 hours to properly set. They stick to each corner of your iPhone, and extend from front to back to prevent your phone from touching down on flat surfaces. You also get wipes and an installation sleeve, allowing for the perfect fit. They come in an array of colors, too, and provide decent protection against falls of up to four feet, provided your phone doesn’t land on an uneven surface.

Buy one now from:

Utomic

Snakehive Vintage Leather Wallet ($24)

Snakehive’s leather folio cases are an absolute steal. The leather has a fine grain on the outside, which makes you want to stroke it, and a traditional leather finish on the inside for protection and longevity. We love the black and navy color scheme here, but it’s available in other colors too. Your phone fits perfectly inside, and there’s a very handy magnetic clasp to keep the cover closed. It doubles as a stand for your phone as well.

Buy one now from:

Snakehive

Mous iPhone 7 Case ($50)

A super-successful Indiegogo campaign launched these slick cases, available in wood, marble, bamboo, leather, or Kevlar finishes. Prices vary, and pre-orders for some styles are sold out, but keep an eye on the site for when orders open up again in the future. The cases look great, with the protective Airo-Shock interior keeping the phone safe even when dropped from a great height. Yet the cases have style and class, rather than the rugged toughness usually associated with such protection.

Buy one now from:

Mous

Vesel Wood Series Case ($140)

There’s no denying that these bumper-style cases from Vesel are very expensive, but they’re also beautifully crafted. The combination of aluminum and wood is seriously stylish. You can mix and match gold, rose, black, or silver aluminum with oak, walnut, maple, or pear wood to get the exact look you want. The premium packaging also includes a wee screwdriver, so you can fit the bumper securely around your phone. The button covers work well and there’s a generous opening for the your phone’s Lightning port. The case extends from the front to the back to safeguard your iPhone 7, though you may want to pair it with a screen protector for some additional peace of mind.

Buy one now from:

Vesel Case

Inateck Ultra-Thin Case ($9)

You’d never guess this was a $10 case, at least not on first glance. Two removable, metallic sections on the top and bottom of the case flank its slim shell, each of which catches the eye and make the case easy easy to fit around your device. There are also generous cut-outs for your phone’s camera, port, switch, and Apple logo. It’s a hard case made from polycarbonate, with a soft-touch finish that makes it comfortable to hold. The button covers even sport the same metallic finish in gold, and you can get the body of the case in black, gold, or rose gold. We can’t see it offering much in the way of real drop protection, but it looks fantastic and will guard against the occasional scuff.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

WhatsApp rolls out two-step verification to all 1.2 billion users

Two-step verification comes to 1.2 billion WhatsApp users.

WhatsApp introduced two-step verification for beta users back in November, and the messaging platform is now rolling out the feature to all 1.2 billion users starting today. The feature brings an added layer of security to the service, and allows you to secure your account with a six-digit passcode.

How to enable two-step verification on WhatsApp

You can set up two-step verification by heading to Settings -> Account -> Two-step verification -> Enable. Once you set up the passcode, WhatsApp will send you periodic reminders to ensure you don’t forget it. There’s also the option of adding an email address that can be used to reset the passcode.

Telegram’s secure messaging app is now available on Android Wear 2.0

Telegram’s messaging app lands on Android Wear 2.0.

Google introduced Android Wear 2.0 earlier this week, bringing a laundry list of improvements and new functionality to the watch operating system. One of the key changes in Android Wear 2.0 is the ability to install apps directly to the watch, with the OS now offering access to the Play Store.

Secure messaging platform Telegram is taking advantage of the changes with its new watch app. Telegram for Android Wear 2.0 lets you browse through chats and reply to messages with your voice, text, emoji, or stickers. The new OS offers new input methods in the form of a keyboard (you can even install third-party keyboard apps), handwriting recognition, and emoji. You can also create groups from the watch, view contacts, and select themes to customize the user interface.

You’ll be able to install the app by searching for Telegram on the Play Store from your watch. The first watches to be based on Android Wear 2.0 are the LG Watch Style and the LG Watch Sport, which are now available for $249 and $349 respectively.

Samsung Chromebook Pro review: Finally a great option from Samsung

Samsung made this Chromebook, but there’s a ton of Google influence throughout.

If you haven’t noticed by now, Chromebooks are definitely A Thing™. Unfortunately, until about the last year they have typically been low-end machines that didn’t offer much to get excited about in terms of component quality or features. Models like the Dell Chromebook 13, Acer Chromebook R13 and ASUS C302 are changing that, and the latest in the line of “dang that’s a nice looking laptop” category of Chromebook is the new Samsung Chromebook Pro.

The new model — and its lower-end variant the Chromebook Plus — was developed closely with Google to provide hardware closely tailored for the ideal Chrome OS experience, and the result is a laptop that will hit all of the big points for most people. A thin-and-light body, brilliant QHD display, powerful internals, USB-C ports and the addition of a fantastic stylus brought over from the Galaxy Note line of phones and tablets.

Google and Samsung are extremely excited to bring this new Chromebook to the market, and we’re just as excited to tell you about it. Read on for our complete Samsung Chromebook Pro review.

About this review

I (Andrew Martonik) am writing this review after 12 days using a pre-production version of the Samsung Chromebook Pro. The laptop was received running the Beta channel of Chrome OS, and was updated several times throughout the review. It was provided to Android Central for review by Google.

Worth the money

Samsung Chromebook Pro Hardware and display

Modern mid-range Chromebooks have all started to boil down to a similar set of hardware features. They’re relatively thin and light, have a fully rotating hinge to put them in a “tablet” mode (and therefore have touch screens), and they charge over USB-C. Those are all super useful features that people are looking for, and the Chromebook Pro executes on the combination swiftly.

Note: Because this is a pre-production model, the silver color you see here is actually the color for the cheaper Chromebook Plus model — the production Chromebook Pro will have a darker finish.

See Samsung Chromebook Plus at Amazon

The magnesium-alloy body lacks outstanding visual flourishes and may not be particularly eye catching at first, but its solid build and well-sculpted corners are definitely worthy of a laptop of this price. It’s impressively thin at just a little over half an inch (roughly 14 mm), and it does so without any sort of “wedge” design, but instead being the same thickness throughout.

The Chromebook Pro is also impressively light for a laptop of its size, coming in at just 2.38 pounds. I set my standard for an acceptable weight of a laptop in this class at 3 pounds, and much of the competition has pushed over that mark. Not only is the light weight important for daily usability and portability, it’s a requirement if you’re going to be flipping around this screen and holding it up in your hands.

One of the best indications that the Chromebook Pro was worked on closely with Google is its 3:2 aspect ratio display. This extra-tall display format was used on both of its Chromebook Pixels and also its Pixel C tablet to confusion at first, but has since converted many to love it. In general I’m a big fan of the taller display, as it simply gives you more vertical room to read and work online with less scrolling and page zooming.

I’m a big fan of 3:2 displays, and this one’s great.

Beyond the aspect ratio, the panel itself is magnificent. With a 2400×1600 resolution and 400 nits of brightness it is quite easily the best I’ve seen on a Chromebook, and pushes toward the quality I look at daily on my 2016 MacBook Pro. Lines are super crisp, colors are great and viewing angles are solid as well. The screen is incredibly responsive to both touch and pen input.

The only downside I experienced that has a direct correlation to the screen size was using the Chromebook Pro on an airplane. If you’re stuck in a less-than-forgiving economy seat and the person in front decides to recline, that tall screen will immediately take away your ability to work on a tray table despite the diagonal size of the screen being a relatively small 12.3 inches. A small trade-off, really, but worth noting if you were capable of sliding a smaller 16:9 laptop on a tray table to work in flight.

Some cost cutting

Samsung Chromebook Pro Keyboard and trackpad

In order to fit high-end specs, a great case and brilliant display into a laptop for just $550, something else had to give. In this case, it was the quality of the keyboard and trackpad.

The keyboard gets the job done, and I really don’t feel like my accuracy or speed have taken a massive hit compared to other laptops, but the feel and feedback of the keys is well below my threshold for actually enjoying using the keyboard. Despite being a full-sized laptop, the individual keys are a bit on the small side and therefore tougher to hit accurately (particularly if you have larger hands like myself). Bigger of an issue is the key travel, which is plenty long but mushy with no clear or satisfying “click” at the end of the travel to know you’ve registered a press. You can also quite easily press down on the side of a key and not get full travel, which is less than ideal.

The keyboard and trackpad are clear areas of cost savings.

The keyboard also isn’t backlit, which is a feature that is definitely desired by those who are paying $500+ for a laptop but is hardly a given. It’s a shame to not have it, but then again there are bigger keyboard issues to fix here first.

By the same formula, the trackpad is serviceable but far from ideal. It’s about the minimum size I’d want to use on a modern laptop, particularly in terms of its height for being able to scroll vertically with two fingers. The surface is a smooth plastic that just doesn’t have the right friction for precise mousing — there’s too much drag for when you just want to move your cursor a little bit. I know Chrome OS can absolutely handle high-end precision trackpads and offer a great experience with the right hardware, and so this really comes down to the hardware itself.

The touch screen of course helps alleviate some of the trackpad issues as it can often be quicker to just lift up a hand and poke the screen, but I don’t ever want the inclusion of a touch screen to mean I have to put up with a subpar trackpad for a majority of my interaction with the laptop.

Top-notch

Samsung Chromebook Pro Daily use

One of the great features about Chromebooks is that any modern model will operate in exactly the same way in terms of software, leaving the differences in hardware to be the only experience differentiators.

Display	12.3-inch 2400×1600 (3:2) LCD
Processor	Intel Core m3-6y30Intel HD Graphics 515
Memory	4GB LPDDR3
Storage	32GB
Audio/Video	720p webcamStereo 1.5W speakers
Ports	USB-C (2), headphone/mic, microSD card
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11ac dual-band, Bluetooth 4.0Accelerometer, gyroscope
Input	Touch screenPressure-sensitive stylusKeyboard, trackpad
Battery	39 Wh (5140 mAh)USB-C charging
Dimensions	280.8 x 221.6 x 13.9 mm2.38 pounds

Plenty of performance for any Chromebook buyer.

The internals do a great job of pushing around Chrome OS on this high-res display, and performance was just fine even for my generally high-demand workload of a dozen Chrome tabs and a couple other apps. Aside from a few hiccups the Chromebook Pro handled everything I threw at it. I’m not going to tell you this can go toe-to-toe with higher-end laptops, but it’ll perform right on par with other thin-and-light models in this price range. There’s more than enough power here for anyone who is looking at a Chromebook.

Android apps continue to feel like a work in progress.

You get complete Google Play access right out of the box here, and it continues to be a mixed bag of experiences. A vast majority of the time I get excited about using a “proper” app just to be disappointed by the experience and simply go back to the website instead. Google Docs, Gmail, Slack, Authy, Hangouts and the like are all better handled in the browser still — I still have yet to find an app that can have its window dynamically resized, and there are often issues translating the touch-designed interface to a mouse and keyboard. More involved apps like photo editors, games and specific utilities are the area where Android apps are a must-have on Chrome OS — the only issue is they’re just not optimized for this platform yet.

The only difference internally with the $100-cheaper Chromebook Plus model is the processor, which steps down to a Samsung-made Exynos OP1 hexa-core. Samsung is making the same claims on battery life, and the rest of the laptop is identical, but without evaluating how that processor performs I can only make definitive claims about the Chromebook Pro here. That being said, if the Exynos processor can hold its own, $450 for the Chromebook Plus is a great deal for this level of hardware.

The first Chromebook with a stylus

So yes, there’s a stylus here … and it’s an S Pen in all but name. The same size, features and technology are at play here as they were in the Galaxy Note 7, straight down to the push-button release to pop the pen out of its silo on the side of the laptop. It has pressure sensitivity, though the pen itself doesn’t have to be recharged, as the screen’s digitizer layer takes care of all the heavy lifting.

The stylus performs exactly as it does on Samsung’s Note line of products, including its full palm rejection and smooth tracing of your movements. Google claims the operating system is doing some clever algorithmic work to help keep the line as close to the physical stylus tip as possible, and to my less-than-discerning eye I was happy with how it tracked.

The core of the experience is a small system tray icon that holds a “stylus tools” menu — you can tap it at any time to reveal its options, or it’ll auto-expand when the stylus is removed from the laptop. It gives you quick shortcuts to take screenshots, take notes, use a laser pointer mode (for when you’re projecting or Casting your screen) or use the stylus as a magnifying glass.

A stylus that will have Note fans feeling all warm and fuzzy.

Notes are instantly opened in Google Keep (there’s that Google integration) and synced to all of your other devices. The individual notes that include drawing aren’t in any way proprietary, either — you can continue to write and draw on other devices with your mouse pointer or finger. Google Keep includes a handful of basic brush types and a variety of colors to work with, and also uses optical character recognition so you can search and find notes even if they only have hand-written words in them. Google also keeps a list of good stylus-enabled Android apps that all work on the Chromebook Pro.

The inclusion of the pen is a great combination of work from both Samsung and Google, as Samsung provided its pen technology and digitizing layer in the screen while Google made sure the core Chrome OS stylus support was up to speed for the task. The result is a stylus that works across the entire operating system in a seamless fashion, meaning other companies could easily add a stylus to their Chromebooks in the future without extra software work.

Battery life

A 39 Wh (that works out to 5140 mAh) battery is the power plant for this laptop, which is comparable to the competition while subsequently coming in at a lighter overall weight. With the Chromebook Pro having a more power-hungry Core m3 processor with the same battery size as the Chromebook Plus I was initially worried about battery life, but there isn’t too much to be concerned about here.

You’ll get a solid 8 hours of battery out of the Chromebook Pro.

As is typically the case there’s far more to the battery life story than just the processor and battery size — how bright you set your screen and just what you’re doing on the laptop can be just as big of influences. Samsung doesn’t actually make any claims on its website about battery life, so I can simply tell you it’s averaged out to about 8 hours per charge in my nearly two weeks using it daily. If I just tooled around with a couple Chrome tabs and didn’t do much else I could push 10 hours, or if I really hit it hard I could drain it in just 5.

Samsung includes a compact 30W charger that plugs directly into the wall without an extension cable, though the charge cable itself is six feet long. The cable is integrated into the brick so you’re stuck with that six feet of cable, but it’s probably enough for most people.

Thankfully the glory of the USB-C interface is you can use other chargers with the Chromebook Pro, as I often did. I used my MacBook Pro’s charger, my Pixel XL’s power brick and cable, and even just plugged it in to a multi-port charging hub on my desk. The chargers all provide different outputs and therefore have an influence on the charge rate of the laptop (and it’ll even tell you it’s charging slowly on sub-30W chargers), but I far prefer the flexibility over being locked into a single charger.

What a Chromebook should be

Samsung Chromebook Pro Bottom line

2017 is shaping up to be a very strong year for Chromebooks, and not just in the low-end and education-focused markets. Alongside the Acer Chromebook R13 and ASUS Chromebook C302, the Samsung Chromebook Pro is another fantastic choice for those who are willing to spend a bit more to get a solid laptop with the features, hardware quality and performance you expect out of a nice laptop.

Sure the keyboard and trackpad could improve, but of course there are always shortcomings on laptops in this price range. I can also go on and on about how Android apps just aren’t quite there on Chrome OS, but that isn’t something specific to the Chromebook Pro.

This is far and away the best Chromebook Samsung has ever made relative to the competition at the time, and considering how strong the market has become that’s an extra bit of praise. It’s extremely thin and light without feeling cheap, has an excellent display and plenty of power for any Chromebook user while hitting a reasonable price point of $550. It also has the added bonus of a stylus that performs just as well as Samsung’s Note line of phones and tablets.

The only question for me is whether or not the Chromebook Pro’s Intel Core m3 processor is worth the $100 bump in price over the Chromebook Plus model with an Exynos chip. Assuming that performance holds up on the Plus, this hardware is even more enticing at just $450. Either way, this line is an excellent one-two punch that brings Samsung back into the conversation of lust-worthy Chromebooks while also diversifying Google’s overall Chromebook market with two more great choices.

Chromebooks

• The best Chromebooks
• Should you buy a Chromebook?
• Google Play is coming to Chromebooks
• Acer Chromebook 14 review
• Join our Chromebook forums

Save an extra 70% on all eLearning courses during our annual ‘Dream Big’ sale

We’ve had some great deals on online tech courses already this year, but if you’ve been holding out for a deep discount, you’ll be happy to know our annual “Dream Big” sale is here. Any online courses already on sale will have an extra 70% taken off when you use the code LEARN70 at checkout.

Get an additional 70% off these courses when you use the code LEARN70 at checkout! Learn more

There are a ton of courses on offer here, but there are three that really stand out for their popularity, practicality, and price.

The Complete Android N Developer Course – Build 17 apps

• Regular discount price: $17
• Today’s price: $5.10
• Best for learning a to code a great Android app

Ever have an idea for an Android app that you’d love to see but have no idea how to turn that into a reality? Whether you want to make something simple or complex, this great developer course is something you’ll definitely want to check out. $5 is the cost of many existing apps, so to think that you could invest that into your own app that could make money at some point is a no-brainer decision.

Make your own Android app Learn more

The Complete Web Development Course

• Regular discount price: $29
• Today’s price: $8.70
• Best for understanding web development

So much of our time is spent on the internet these days, and that means there is a ton of opportunity there. From designing websites to coming up with the next big social network, it all requires an understanding of web development to get started. This great course will help you get started with the basics and pick up some of the needed skills to put you on your way to launching a site of your own.

Discover the beauty of web development Learn more

Become a Professional Python Programmer

• Regular discount price: $39
• Today’s price: $11.70
• Best for learning a versatile programming language from scratch

Python is a programming language that will get you into the world of web development, data analytics, and game development; it is truly versatile. To cover everything you need to know, this course has 291 lectures and 34.5 hours of content, including everything from the absolute basics all the way up to developing your own flappy bird clone. At only $11.70, there’s really no better time to get started with Python.

Take the next step on your way to a lucrative programming career with Python! Learn more

LG Watch Sport vs. LG Watch Style: What’s the difference?

There will be plenty of Android Wear watches in 2017, but LG has the latest crop to look at.

Lots of people are getting excited about Android Wear 2.0, and that means answering the next inevitable question: do I want the LG Watch Sport, or the LG Watch Style? Though both watches run the new software and launched at the same time, they are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of size, hardware and capabilities.

For those who are trying to get acquainted with the two new watches from LG, and perhaps make a decision between the two, we have all of the information you need.

Size and design

It doesn’t take long to see the design differences between these two watches. The Watch Sport is big and … well, sporty. The Watch Style is sleek, compact and unassuming. Before looking at any of the features, a majority of people will have a better feel about the Watch Style just in terms of how it will fit on their wrist. When it comes to the Watch Sport, and its over 14 mm thickness, fewer people will feel comfortable with such a hunk of metal at the end of their arm.

More: LG Watch Sport specs

The Watch Sport’s display sits larger at 1.38-inches across to the Watch Style’s 1.2-inches, but also has a larger case around including protruding lugs with integrated bands that can’t be replaced. It should also be noted that the Watch Style’s three color options — silver, titanium and rose gold — offer far more choices in terms of looks, particularly once you factor in being able to replace the bands with any you choose.

More: LG Watch Style specs

All of that aside, the base internals are near identical. Both watches run on the latest Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, and though the Watch Sport technically has more RAM at 768MB to the Watch Style’s 512MB, the extra overhead needed for the cellular radio takes up much of that extra room. The displays have different resolutions, but are the same great quality P-OLED panel and both offer automatic brightness without a “flat tire” at the bottom.

Hardware and features

Beyond just the looks, there are clear feature differences between the two smartwatches. The LG Watch Sport is filled with far more, including LTE, GPS, NFC for Android Pay, a speaker and a full-fledged heart rate sensor. The LG Watch Style doesn’t have any of that. The smaller watch doesn’t have the room for all of the extra frills, and even misses out on the extra customizable hardware buttons that the Sport has — all you get is the rotating crown that doubles as a button.

More: LG Watch Sport review

Aside from hardware-dependent features, though, you do get the complete core Android Wear 2.0 experience on the Watch Style that you find on the Watch Sport. Thanks to the similarities in hardware and display, software and apps will look great and operate with the same speed on either one.

More: LG Watch Style review

Finally, the watches use different types of chargers that match their overall size. The LG Watch Style uses a small magnetic charger puck that’s roughly the size of its case and snaps on the back, while the Watch Sport uses a large charging cradle to accommodate its fixed bands. This may not be a huge deal, but if you travel a lot it could be of concern to you.

Which one is for you?

As you can tell, there isn’t a whole lot of overlap in terms of the markets for these two watches. There’s a core of smartwatch fans — or extra-active people — who will appreciate the extra features of the LG Watch Sport, but most who want something that looks and feels great while offering all of the basics will prefer the LG Watch Style.

Android Wear

• Everything you need to know about Android Wear 2.0
• LG Watch Sport review
• LG Watch Style review
• These watches will get Android Wear 2.0
• Discuss Android Wear in the forums!

HTC is offering up to $250 off during its ‘Seven Days of Sappiness’ sale

HTC is currently discounting a number of its phones and accessories as part of a ‘Seven Days of Sappiness’ sale. Whether you are looking for a new phone, a set of USB-C headphones or some accessories to match your new phone, HTC has got you covered here. You can score $150 off the HTC 10, $200 off the HTC One A9, and $250 off the HTC One M9 for a limited time. The JBL headphones plug right into your USB-C port, and right now they are just $99.

The phones are all available in a variety of colors so you can find the right one for your needs, and of course HTC includes its UH OH Protection and free shipping with all purchases. This deal is a limited time offer so if there is something you want, be sure to grab it before the stock sells out.

See at HTC

For more deals on tech, gadgets, home good and more, be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!