Because this is a rather long review, I will offer the conclusion right from the begining: the Samsung Chromebook Pro has been a great buy for me! I will now try to elaborate why.
Purchase background: I was out for a device that can combine the versatility of a svelte basic notebook with the portability of a tablet. I work in academia and travel a lot. I, therefore, have to present often either in the classroom or in conferences abroad. I tried to achieve this with the Samsung Tab S3 (I prefer the Android\Google Ecosystem to Apple, as I personally work more with Google products and also find the Apple ecosystem too locked). I was also not aware of the Chromebook Os\Android fusion, as Chromebooks are not available in Europe, where I live, this is why I first opted for the Tab S3. The Samsung flagship tablet didn't do the trick though, despite its overall great features for a Tablet. So, long story short, I was again in the search for the "do-it-all device" (media consumption and productivity), that is portable and does not break the bank. After an extensive market search and hours of video reviews, I limited my choices to two devices: the Samsung Chromebook Pro and the Asus Chromebook flip c302 (despite its undeniably incredible features, the PIxelbook is way out of my budget). The choice was tough, as both of them are nearly perfect, but I think it all comes down to what one needs. If one needs mainly a laptop, that will occasionally be turned to tablet mode, then the Asus c302 is probably the way to go. I personally wanted more of a tablet, that can, upon request, transform to a laptop for my basic needs on the go (emails, text processing, presentations, pdf annotations). In that sense I did not regret opting for the Chromebook pro.
Hardware: the Samsung Chromebook Pro is a well built and beautiful device. It is all metal with a black finish (instead of the silver on the Samsung Chromebook Plus). In reality, it looks much better than in photos or videos. To me, it is simply gorgeous and if one also pays attention on looks, the Samsung Chromebook Pro will not disappoint. The device is very thin and light, delivering on its promise to double as a tablet. In fact, because it is so thin, I mostly use it on tablet mode and change to laptop only when I shall answer an email, process a text etc..
Input methods: although the keyboard of the Chromebook Pro is not the ultimate highlight of the device, it does not disappoint either. Granted, it is not as good as the one in Pixelbook or Asus flip c302. The keys are, generally, normal in size, apart from two major exceptions: backspace and tab. That takes some time to get used to and one must be ready to compromize at the level of keyboard, if one opts for the Chromebook Pro. All in all, after some hours using it (I am, in fact, writing the review on it) the keyboard will grow on the user and one will have no problems writing on it. It will serve its purpose without causing frustration (but it will also not blow ones mind), so it is far from being a deal breaker (especially if one takes into account that this is a 2-in-1 device, so the expectations on the keyboard shall not be extremely high). Many reviews complain about the lack of backlight on the keyboard, but that shall not discourage someone from buying the device. The screen is very bright, so the keys will receive enough lighting, even in the lowest brightness setting. For premium devices, nonetheless, keyboard backlighting shall be a given, and will I do not notice a huge difference here, due to the extremely bright screen, I would still like the backlighting, without implying that one shall not buy the device for the lack of it. A nice addition is the inclusion of the stylus for free. It might not be long or thick, propably because it has to fit within the device which makes it ultra practical and impossible to loose, but works great for annotations, note taking and filling out documents (no lag whatsoever; palm rejection is also excellent). All major apps work well with the stylus (I personally use mostly xodo, the android version, for annotations and onenote for writing and both work perfectly on the device). The trackpad is also very good. It is big enough and it is also responsive, without attracting much oil on it (occasionally it will, but after many-many hours of usage).
Display: the Samsung Chromebook pro display is a definite, if not the definite, highlight. One can easily fall in love with it. It is vibrant and bright. Everything looks great on it, in fact it might make one find it difficult to go back to another device. I think one shall see the display to get the full picture, but it is really great and not something that one usually gets on this price range.
Connectivity: two usb-c ports and a headphone jack is all one will find here, propably to keep the size of the device small and thin. Practically that means that one is a single dongle away from all kinds of peripherals, so it is pretty convenient. Both usb-c ports work for both power and connectivity. An SD card slot is also available, so the expansion of storage capability will not be a hustle.
Performance: the Samsung Chromebook pro is a little monster. One can throw countless chrome tabs and a bunch of android apps on it at the same time and this machine will still be working fine. The core m3 processor helps a lot to maintain a good performance and 4gb of ram will be more than enough for the normal browsing, media consumption, text processing etc. activities. This is not a top notch gaming or video editing machine, so as long as one is reasonable on its usage patterns and expectations, the Chromebook Pro will excell. Storage is somewhat limited (32 GB eMMC), but the SD card slot will help bump up the storage room considerably, if one does not trust living in the cloud. I personally use Dropbox a lot, so I did not mind the limited local storage space, which I can in any case expand easily. Some reviews (here and elsewhere) complain that the device gets too hot. In my case, while it occasionally raises temperature when pushed, it never went beyond the normal range. It is noticeable but it does not affect the functionality of the device, so I personally do not worry about it.
Software: this is my first experience on Chrome Os ever (coming from a lifetime on Windows and a few months on Android) and I am delighted. Everything is easy to figure out and works fast and smooth. The addition of android apps out of the box make the Chromebook Pro a very capable machine as well. I was intially sceptic after reading reviews and watching videos against Chrome Os, but I think the harsh critisism is somewhat unfounded. I can understand that Chrome Os is limited for tech savy people or ultra power users that have huge demands from their devices and for them Chrome Os is, indeed, not a good choice. But for the average user that just wants to enjoy media, browse the web, process texts, spreadsheets and presentations Chrome Os is just amazing. I was raised on Windows and have been using it all my life till now, but I find Chrome Os just great. Google Docs, Sheets and Presentations lack nothing in comparison to Word, Excel and Power Point. I am relieved to see how capable, yet simple, the Google productivity tools are. Working offline is also not a problem. Apart from being able to install the Android versions of Word, Excel and Power Point, one can just trivially set the Google Docs, Sheets and Presentations to work offline. Nothing will be missing there, while the availability of the Play Store will close many gaps in the offline setting. Bottom line: The average user will be missing, more or less, nothing here and for my taste and needs Chrome Os looks, works and feels very nice.
Battery Life: the Chromebook Pro is, for my daily usage, a champion in that category. For what this device can perform and the pixels its gorgeous display has to push around, battery life is just great. I personally get 8-9 hours out of it, mostly using it for browsing, text processing, note taking, annotating texts. It makes me not looking for the power cable the whole time and that has been great improvement over my other devices (apart from my Lenovo P2 smartphone, whose battery I just cannot deplete no matter the usage...).
All in all this is a great device, that fullfils a lot of the expectations of an average user like me at a very good price. I also find the concept of the device incredible, as it really combines the basic productivity function of a notebook with the media experience of a tablet.
What I hope is that Google and the major hardware providers will support the concept in the future, as this kind of devices can turn out to be the best work and fun companion. It is just sad that these devices are not popular in Europe, but with the slow death of Android tablets (as shown by the recent silent death of the Pixel C tablet), I am hopeful that they will cross the ocean soon. In that regard, my five stars also go to Amazon for shipping in Europe and doing so in an extremely efficient and speedy way. The device arrived in just three days (ok, I had to pay for Global Priority to get that, but it is still available and that is important), which is a miracle taking into account the distance it covered, and Amazon took also care of the customs, delivering the device right at my doorstep, while providing me detailed updates on the delivery status of the product. Sorry for the lengthy text, but this device offers so much, I just felt that a longer review would do it more justice.
| Standing screen display size | 12.3 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 2400 x 1600 |
| Max Screen Resolution | 2400x1600 Pixels |
| Processor | 2.2 GHz intel_core_m |
| RAM | 4 GB DDR3 |
| Memory Speed | 2.2 GHz |
| Hard Drive | 16 GB SSD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel HD Graphics 515 |
| Chipset Brand | Intel |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11g |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 9 Hours |
