Google Pixelbook

Samsung upped the ante in the world of Chrome-OS powered convertibles last year when it launched the sleek Galaxy Chromebook rocking a gorgeous 4K OLED panel. This year, however, Samsung is dialing things down a notch with the Galaxy Chromebook 2 and has also slashed the price by a huge margin. However, if you’ve been unable to get the sexy Google Pixelbook off your mind, here’s a quick comparison between the two devices to help you pick the right one for your web-based computing needs:

Design and build quality

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 — Image: Samsung

This one is going to be a tough choice. The Google Pixelbook is arguably one of the most beautiful convertibles out there, flaunting a solid metallic two-done build with sharp lines and a lightweight profile. The Galaxy Chromebook, on the other hand, goes for a uniform anodized metallic look but comes in an eye-catching red color option as well.

	Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2	Google Pixelbook
Dimensions	304.9 x 203.2 x 13.9mm	290.4 x 220.8 x 10.3mm
Weight	1.23kg	1.11 kg
Display	13.3-inch QLED FHD (1920 x 1080) with Touchscreen	12.3-inch Quad HD (2400×1600 pixels)
OS	Chrome OS	Chrome OS
CPU	10th Gen Intel Core i3-10110U Intel Celeron 5205U	7th Gen Intel Core i5-7Y57 7th Gen Intel Core i7-7Y75
Graphic	Intel UHD Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics
Memory	4GB / 8GB (LPDDR3)	8GB / 16GB
Storage	64GB, 128GB	128GB / 256GB / 512GB NVMe SSD
Camera	720P HD (1MP)	720p HD webcam
Audio	Stereo Speakers (Max 5Wx 2) with Smart AMP	Dual speakers
Pen	USI Pen support (sold separately)	Pixelbook Pen support
Keyboard	Backlit	Backlit
WLAN	Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+), 802.11 ax 2×2 Bluetooth v5.0	Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 4.2
Battery	45.5Wh (Typical)	41 Whr battery
Ports	2x USB-C 1x Headphone/Mic 1x MicroSD slot	2x USB-C 1x Headphone/Mic

Pixelbook is slimmer and lighter, but the Samsung device offers a microSD slot

The Google Pixelbook, however, is almost 40% slimmer compared to the Galaxy Chromebook 2 with a thickness of just around 10.3mm, and is also lighter, tipping the scales at 1.11kg. Both the devices pack dual speakers, but there is one difference here – the Galaxy Chromebook 2 offers a MicroSD slot for storage expansion.

Display – Google Pixelbook takes the crown here!

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy Chromebook 2 with a 13.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080 pixels) QLED display with a traditional 16:9 aspect ratio. Google Pixelbook, on the other hand, packs a smaller but more pixel-dense 12.3-inch QuadHD (2400×1600 pixels) display with 400 nits of peak brightness. You’ll have to choose between screen size here, and how much pixel-peeping you’re going to do for tasks like image editing and viewing high-resolution videos.

Internals: How much firepower do you want?

The Galaxy Chromebook can be configured with up to 10th Gen Intel Core i3 processor ticking alongside 8 gigs of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage. The Google Pixelbook, on the other hand, packs the much older 7th Gen Intel Core i5-7Y57 and Core i7-7Y75 processors with double the RAM capacity at 16GB and faster NVMe SSD of up to 512GB capacity.

Google Pixelbook's display is better suited for media consumption and work too

Needless to say, if you need more firepower to handle demanding tasks, the Google Pixelbook is the better choice. However, for tasks that Chromebooks are primarily made for, the Core i3 silicon inside the Galaxy Chromebook 2 will be more than enough.

A key area where the Samsung offering reigns supreme is the connectivity suite as if offers support for Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.0, while the Google Pixelbook is stuck on Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 ac) and Bluetooth 4.2. However, both the devices miss out on cellular connectivity and lack a fingerprint sensor too. On the positive side, the Samsung and Google machines come equipped with a TPM chip for better on-device security.