Category: Samsung Chromebook Pro

If there has been one almost universal complaint about the Samsung Chromebook Pro, it has been the lack of a backlit keyboard.  Many felt, me included, that for the price point of $599, it should have had this simple feature.  It would see that Samsung has listened.  Over the weekend, the product page for the Chromebook Pro on the Samsung site was updated and it highlights that it now comes with a backlit keyboard.

The price of this slightly updated Pro is $599, the same price as the original when its as released last year.  Based on the specifications listed on the product page, it appears to be exactly the same device as the first generation Chromebook Pro, just with the keyboard backlighting added.

As part of Black Friday sales, Amazon has discounted both the Samsung Chromebook Pro and the Chromebook Plus by $100 today.  These are new-for-2017 models that really set the tone for Chromebooks this year.

The Chromebook Plus is down to $349 today while the Chromebook Pro is down to $449.

The Chromebook Plus has a 12.3″ display rendering at 2400 x 1600.  It is also a touchscreen which makes using the included stylus or your finger for apps easier.  It has 4GB of RAM, 32GB of Storage and you can expand that storage thanks to the MicroSD slot.  It has dual-microphones, a 720p Webcam and, of course, Wi-Fi.  It only ways 2.4 lbs so it is designed for portability and with it being able to be be used as a laptop or a slate, you have a lot of flexibility in where and how you use this Chromebook.

The Samsung Chromebook Plus is powered by the OP1 ARM processor which is both battery efficient and powerful enough to get your daily work done.  The 39Wh battery is rated to give users up to 8 hours of life per charge and charging is done via a USB-C connector.  As you would expect, Android app support is also there for the Chromebook Plus.

After being announced at CES in January, the much anticipated Samsung Chromebook Pro is finally available for pre-order.  The bigger, more powerful brother of the Chromebook Plus, which is already available, can be ordered on Amazon for $549.99 and it will ship starting May 28th.  The Chromebook Pro is one of just a handful of Chrome OS devices that can run Android apps and with some pretty serious specs for a Chromebook, it will have the horsepower to run the core OS and these apps with no trouble.

In case you don’t remember, the Chromebook Pro is powered by the Intel Core M3 6Y30 processor with integrated Intel graphics.  The processor is clocked at 2.2GHz and is coupled with 4GB of RAM (LPDDR3 for those interested).  It has 32GB of internal storage which is generally more than enough for a Chromebook and has a 12.3″ touchscreen that renders Quad HD resolution.  That display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and there is an digitized stylus that comes with it.