Now, let’s discuss what you’ll spend your entire time staring at: the display. Short of the highest-end configuration, the Pixelbook Go utilizes a 1080p touchscreen, which we find to display colors with the vibrancy and accuracy we expect from laptops within the high-end price range. However, we do wish that Chrome OS could render at native resolution without scaling – the most legible scaling produces an effective 1,600 x 900 resolution, cheapening the impact of its 1080p standing somewhat. The Pixelbook Go's audio quality is also excellent, especially given its light weight. The grilles for the stereo speakers flank the keyboard, instead of being located on the bottom of the laptop as is common on other ultraportables. This made for robust, clear sound even at the highest volume setting during my testing. The Pixelbook Go's camera is far better than those of most other ultraportable laptops, owing to its 1080p resolution. (Most laptop webcams are limited to shooting video in 720p.) This means noticeably better videoconferencing quality—the picture was free of graininess during my testing in a brightly lit office, something that even far more expensive laptops can't accomplish. Parents buying their college-bound son or daughter a Pixelbook Go will appreciate this feature.

The Google Pixelbook is the result of years of incredible work on Google’s part in refining a unified design across its hardware offerings. But, the Pixelbook could also be seen as a sort of coming of age for Google’s design philosophy. Results are inconsistent from most of the Android benchmark apps. For example, Ice Storm Physics and Geekbench single-core benchmark scores are 70 percent and 100 percent higher, respectively, than the Exynos-powered Galaxy Note 8. Meanwhile, the very high PCMark Storage score rivals the Huawei Mate 10 Pro while AndroBench favors the Huawei smartphone by over five-fold. Interestingly, graphics-intensive benchmarks show the Pixelbook struggling against current flagship smartphones while most CPU-intensive benchmarks show the Chromebook to be well ahead.We do appreciate the inclusion of Google Assistant via voice or the keyboard, but again, this isn’t unique compared with almost every other modern Chromebook. If there’s anything distinctive about this Chromebook in terms of features, we’d have to point again to its sharp, 1080p webcam. It’s a rarity on Chromebooks much less some of the most expensive laptops out there.

Powered by a 7th Gen Intel® Core TMi5-7Y57 or i7-7Y75 processor for faster browsing, gaming, and seamless 4K output to an external monitor. Compare i5 and i7 processors In addition to the weight-saving glass construction, part of the reason for the Pixelbook Go's light weight is that it doesn't need a lot of room to cool powerful, heat-generating components. My review unit is equipped with an Intel Core i5-8200Y CPU, a dual-core processor that consumes just 7 watts of power, compared to the 15-watt CPUs common in today's thin laptops. The base model is equipped with a Core m3 CPU, while the top configuration boasts an Intel Core i7. Other component options include either 8GB or 16GB of memory, and 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB of solid-state storage. The uncommon 3:2 12.3-inch display carries a native resolution of 2400 x 1600 pixels to be slightly less dense than the display of the Surface Pro tablet. Even so, images are still very sharp with contrast and brightness values comparable to the Microsoft tablet. The overlying glass layer is thin enough that colors appear vibrant and close to the surface. We can notice no graininess issues on the glossy display that can often occur on matte panels.The integrated Intel HD 615 graphics chip in the Pixelbook powered its smooth visuals on the WebGL Aquarium test, where it rendered 2,000 fish at a rate of 60 frames per second. That's better than the 48 fps from the Samsung Chromebook Pro (Intel HD Graphics 615) and the 50 fps from the Asus Chromebook Flip C302CA (Intel HD Graphics 515). The ultraportable-notebook average is a higher 269 fps. Still, we’d feel much more confident editing photos on this laptop screen than most other Chromebooks. As for the 4K Molecular Display option, while we haven’t experienced it in person, we find it to be completely unnecessary for a Chromebook.

One huge benefit of Chromebooks is that they normally all come with squeaky-clean installs of Chrome OS, and naturally the Google Pixelbook Go is the cleanest of them all. However, this also means that this laptop doesn’t really offer anything truly unique in terms of software or features that isn't already offered by other Chromebooks.Screen: 12.3-inch QHD (2,400 x 1,600, 235 ppi) LCD touchscreen (400 nits, 72% NTSC color, 3:2 aspect ratio) My most serious gripe about the Pixelbook Pen is that it requires AAAA batteries. They're the kind that are nearly impossible to find in local stores, forcing you to buy them in advance online. However, they’re both noticeably less powerful as well, only fitted with the same 6th-generation Intel Core m3 processor. On the upside, this processor produces low heat, which lets it take advantage of fanless chassis designs. That said, they’re both beautiful Chromebooks in their own right, even if they offer significantly less memory and local storage.

Overall, with its different design and cheap build quality, the Pixelbook will remain the go-to for high-end Chromebooks, at least for now until the Pixelbook 2 arrives, while the Pixelbook Go seems better value in its cheaper configurations. The Pixelbook is a convertible 2-in-1, meaning you can flip the screen beyond the traditional clamshell design in most laptops. Google followed up with the Pixel Slate which is a detachable 2-in-1, another word for a tablet with an optional keyboard that combines to make a laptop. The Pixelbook Go, then, is just a traditional clamshell laptop. In this sense, Google covers all three laptop styles under the Pixel umbrella. It’s easy to say that this is the most stunning and remarkably designed computing device from Google yet. From the brushed aluminum frame with flush edges to the rubberized palm rest and underside, every design element has achieved style and substance in equal measure. In the benchmarks, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the Pixelbook Go is about the same speed as the Google Pixel Slate we reviewed last year, then. That machine was built around the same processor and had the same amount of RAM installed. It’s a little less speedy than the Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14, however:The Pixelbook earned a score of 145 on the JetStream JavaScript benchmark, which measures the performance of web apps. That's above the 126.6 from the Samsung Chromebook Pro (Core m3-6Y30, 4GB of RAM) and the 127.32 from the Asus Chromebook Flip C302CA (Core m3 6Y30, 4GB of RAM). We saw a higher mark from the Yoga 920 (277.9). The Pixelbook Go not only sports a keyboard with comfortably spaced keys, but also top-firing speakers. Sure, they’re a bit small and, as a result, somewhat tinny in the high-end, but these speakers beat the vast majority of laptops of this size, normally found with bottom-firing speakers. Chromebooks aren't for everyone. As detailed on our list of what Chromebooks can and cannot do, its environment does not cater to the everyday needs of most Windows or MacOS users and is instead made to serve as a SSH client with heavy dependence on Google's cloud services. As a result, Chromebooks are often very inexpensive since Chrome OS is laser-focused on web browsing and remote work. Recent examples include the Acer Chromebook 14, Lenovo Flex 11, and Lenovo ThinkPad 13 each retailing for less than half of Google's latest convertible. The Pixelbook Pen works beautifully as a stylus, offering plenty of pressure response as well as tilt support, which makes drawing on the display a pleasure. The display’s snappy response helps the digital ink follow close enough behind the pen that any delay is indiscernible.