Reviews You Can Rely On

Google Pixelbook Review

High end performance with a correspondingly high price tag
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Google Pixelbook Review
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Price:  $1,100 List
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Manufacturer:   Google
By Max Mutter and Steven Tata  ⋅  Apr 9, 2018
81
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#1 of 7
  • Performance - 25% 9.0
  • Interface and Features - 20% 9.0
  • Display Quality - 20% 9.0
  • Battery Life - 20% 5.0
  • Portability - 15% 8.0

Our Verdict

Few product prefixes create more buzz nowadays than Pixel, and the Google Pixelbook largely lives up to the hype. It is both the most powerful and one of the most portable of all the top-ranked Chromebooks we tested. It backs that up with a near-flawless touchscreen, an optional stylus, and 128GB of internal storage. The only downside is its price: the base model starts at a cool grand. If you're planning to use the Pixelbook as your primary machine it is likely worth the price. However, if you're looking for a secondary computer, or just don't need all the extra RAM and internal storage, the Samsung Chromebook Pro will serve you just as well at about half the price.
REASONS TO BUY
Fast and powerful
Touchscreen and optional stylus
Thin and light
Lots of onboard storage
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive

Compare to Similar Products

 
google pixelbook
This Product
Google Pixelbook
Awards Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Performance
Editors' Choice Award
Best for Most People
 Best Buy Award
Great Value for a Large Screen
Best Buy Award
Excellent Bang for the Buck
Price $1,100 List
$1,000 at Amazon
$680 List$300 List$350 List$230 List
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Star Rating
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Bottom Line The very best performance on the market, but asks a high price for that performanceEverything you could want in a Chrome machine without too exorbitant a costA great portable option for computing on the goPerfect for those that want a large interface, and don't care about having to lug around a few extra poundsGood browsing speeds but a slightly cramped feeling keyboard
Rating Categories Google Pixelbook Samsung Pro ASUS Flip C101PA Acer 15 Samsung 3
Performance (25%)
9.0
8.0
7.0
7.0
6.0
Interface and Features (20%)
9.0
9.0
6.0
9.0
5.0
Display Quality (20%)
9.0
9.0
7.0
8.0
4.0
Battery Life (20%)
5.0
5.0
8.0
9.0
5.0
Portability (15%)
8.0
7.0
10.0
3.0
8.0
Specs Google Pixelbook Samsung Pro ASUS Flip C101PA Acer 15 Samsung 3
Weight 2.4 lb 2.38 lb 2 lb 4.3 lb 2.54 lb
Dimensions 11.4" x 8.7" x 0.4" 11.06" x 8.72" x 0.55" 10.4" x 7.2" x 0.6" 14.88" x 10.08" x 0.75" 11.37" x 8.04" x 0.7"
Touchscreen Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Screen Size 12.3" 12.3" 10.1" 15.6" 11.6"
RAM 8 GB 4 GB 4 GB 4 GB 4 GB
Storage 128 GB 32 GB 16 GB 32 GB 32 GB
Processor Intel Core i5 Intel Core m3 OP1 Intel Pentium N4200 Intel Celeron N3050 1.6 GHz
Screen Resolution 2400 x 1600 2400 x 1600 1280 x 800 1920 x 1080 1366 x 768
Ports 2 x USB C, 3.5 mm Aux Micro SD, 2 x USB C, 3.5 mm Aux 1 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB C, 3.5 mm Aux 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB C, 3.5 mm Aux HDMI, Micro SD, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, 3.5 mm Aux
Reported Battery Life (hours) 10 9 9 14 11
Measured Battery Life (hours) 4.5 4.8 7 7.5 4.5

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Google Pixelbook is the clear frontrunner for those that want a no compromises, high-performance Chromebook no matter the cost. It is also great for those that want to use a Chromebook as their primary computer and want enough internal storage to keep all of their personal documents on the machine itself rather than on the cloud.

google pixelbook
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Performance Comparison


We used five different testing metrics, weighted according to their importance to overall performance, to determine the best Chromebooks. You can read about how the Pixelbook performed in these metrics below.

Performance


Boasting better specs than pretty much any other Chromebook on the market, the Pixelbook sat atop our performance testing scoresheet.


The Pixelbook sports 8GB of RAM, double that of any of the other models we tested, and it showed. In our testing we couldn't slow this machine down, no matter how many videos we streamed, how many web apps we used, and how many tabs we had open. However, that jump in performance was by no means astronomical. For example, the 4GB of RAM in the Samsung Pro still let us stream video and edit Google documents with 10+ tabs open before we saw any signs of lag. For most people this level of performance is most likely more than enough, but if you want the peace of mind of knowing that your Chromebook can handle pretty much anything you throw at it, the Pixelbook is the best bet.

google pixelbook - the pixelbook was always fast and reliable, no matter what we threw...
The Pixelbook was always fast and reliable, no matter what we threw at it.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

One area where the Pixelbook really sets itself apart is with its 128GB of onboard storage. This is double the next closest competitor (the ASUS Flip C302CA) and quadruple that of most models.

google pixelbook - the pixelbook doesn't have many ports, just 2 usb-cs and a headphone...
The Pixelbook doesn't have many ports, just 2 USB-Cs and a headphone jack.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Ports


One place the Pixelbook is somewhat limited is in the ports that it offers. In the interest of staying slim, it has just 2 USB-C inputs (either of which can be used for charging) and a headphone jack. This isn't limiting at all in most scenarios, but if you want the option of charging your computer while using an external monitor and and your favorite external keyboard, you're either out of luck or will need to invest in some Bluetooth accessories. Also, all but the newest accessories will likely need USB-C converters.

Interface and Features


Here again the Pixelbook came out on top, sharing the top score with the Samsung Pro


The Pixelbook offers pretty much anything you could want from a Chromebook: a full-sized keyboard, touch screen, folded tablet mode, and an optional stylus (for another $100). It also sports a large, responsive trackpad and a full-sized keyboard. We had no complaints completing long typing sessions and doing lots of mouse-heavy spreadsheet editing with this machine. Our only very minor complaint is that the computer itself doesn't have anywhere to store the optional stylus. Here the Samsung Pro has a leg up, as it has a slot that the stylus lives in, so there is little to no chance of misplacing it or leaving it behind.

google pixelbook - both the touchscreen and stylus are exceptional.
Both the touchscreen and stylus are exceptional.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Display Quality


With full HD and vibrant colors the Pixelbook has a great screen, earning it a top score in this metric.


Sporting a resolution of 2400 x 1600 the Pixelbook is not lacking in terms of clarity. We also found it able of producing vivid, true colors. The contrast offers fairly true blacks and very bright brights, resulting in a dynamic and engrossing image. We feel this display is more than adequate for visually stunning Hollywood blockbusters. Our only minor complaint is that the 3:2 aspect ratio, while great for web browsing, does leave some unused screen real estate when watching widescreen movies. Overall the display is almost identical to that of the Samsung Pro. The only screen that offers a better experience is the 15.3" display of the Acer 15, though you have to make a big sacrifice in terms of portability to get it.

google pixelbook
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Battery Life


The Pixelbook lasted 4.5 hours in our test. This was the shortest battery life we tested, but most models lasted around 5 hours, so it was by a very small margin. you should also note that our test was done streaming a video with the screen brightness turned up to full, so the Pixelbook would last longer under less taxing circumstances.


Portability


The Pixelbook is surprisingly thin and light for a laptop with a 12.3" screen. This earned it a fairly high score of 8 out of 10 in this metric.


Somehow Google managed to stuff a lot of power into a body that is just 0.4 inches thick and weighs just 2.4 pounds. This weight is comparable to that of the Samsung Pro (2.38 pounds), but the Samsung feels noticeably thicker at 0.55 inches (yes, it's not a huge difference, but it is certainly noticeable). The only way to get a machine that is more portable is to move to a much smaller screen size in the ASUS Chromebook Flip C101PA or sacrifice some performance to get the ruggedized exterior of the ASUS Chromebook C202SA.

google pixelbook
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Value


The Google Pixelbook offers premium performance at a premium price. If you want a Chromebook that has the specs of a traditional laptop and has plenty of onboard storage, it is worth the money. However, we feel most Chromebook users that don't need the absolute best performance a Chromebook can offer and are fine storing most things on the cloud will find a better value in the Samsung Chromebook Pro.

Conclusion


For those looking for the absolute best Chromebook available the Google Pixelbook is the clear choice. However, for most Chromebook users the Pixelbook is likely overpowered and overpriced.

Max Mutter and Steven Tata