Samsung upgrades the Chromebook Plus with a second camera and new processor

Upgraded model doesn’t stray too far from the original

By Naveed Bashir  Jun 14, 2018, 7:19pm IST

One of last year’s most talked about Chromebooks is getting an update this month. Samsung announced the second generation of its Chromebook Plus today, which will include a few upgrades like a second camera and new processor.

The Samsung Chromebook Plus (V2) doesn’t stray too far from the size and style of the original model that came out in early 2017. The device can still switch between laptop and tablet modes, and comes with a built-in pen that doesn’t require any charging for sketching and note taking on the go.

The biggest change you‘ll see is to the processor, which is switching from an ARM-based chip to an Intel one. The original Chromebook Plus used an ARM-based chip to help it run Android apps during the early days of Android support on Chrome OS — it even used a chip specifically picked by Google for this purpose.

The ARM processor was the only real defining feature between the Chromebook Plus and the Chromebook Pro, which were announced alongside each other early last year. The Pro featured the slightly more heavy-duty Intel Core processor, and this new Plus model will feature an Intel processor as well, but from the lower-end Celeron line. The chip should be faster, though it may not run Android apps as well. No announcement has been made on whether an upgraded Pro model is coming; we may not see an upgrade there if this is the only change coming to the Plus, and if we do, the difference would have to be something more significant.

A second rear-facing 13-megapixel f/1.9 camera will be added alongside the 1-megapixel front-facing one for video chatting with family, friends, or clients. There’s a MicroSD card reader for extra storage and two USB-C ports with 4K display output capabilities. The 12.2-inch screen has a full 1080p display, and the computer will be able to run about eight hours on a single charge.

The Chromebook Plus (V2) will be available for purchase at Best Buy starting June 24th for $499.99.