REASONS TO BUY
Fast and powerful
Touchscreen and stylus
Reasonably priced
REASONS TO AVOID
Less onboard storage than the Pixelbook
Samsung Pro Review
Versatile, high-performance machine that is the best choice for most users
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
RELATED: Best Chromebooks
Our Verdict
Combining a responsive touchscreen, high-quality display, integrated stylus, and supple keyboard, the Samsung Chromebook Pro offers just about everything you could want from a top-tier Chromebook. It backs up those features with enough RAM and processing power to handle just about any multitasking you can throw at it. The Google Pixelbook has a slight edge in terms of performance and a lot more internal storage, but you have to pay a lot for those luxuries. For the vast majority of Chromebooks users, we think the Samsung Pro's combination of performance, versatility, and price is a much better choice than the Pixelbook. However, if you want the absolute best of the best, the Pixelbook is the clear choice.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product Samsung Pro | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best for Most People |  Great Value for a Large Screen | Excellent Bang for the Buck | ||
| Price | $680 List | $300 List | $500 List | $350 List | $230 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | Everything you could want in a Chrome machine without too exorbitant a cost | A great portable option for computing on the go | Good if you can find it on sale or want a little extra internal storage | Perfect for those that want a large interface, and don't care about having to lug around a few extra pounds | Good browsing speeds but a slightly cramped feeling keyboard |
| Rating Categories | Samsung Pro | ASUS Flip C101PA | ASUS Flip C302CA | Acer 15 | Samsung 3 |
| Performance (25%) | |||||
| Interface and Features (20%) | |||||
| Display Quality (20%) | |||||
| Battery Life (20%) | |||||
| Portability (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Samsung Pro | ASUS Flip C101PA | ASUS Flip C302CA | Acer 15 | Samsung 3 |
| Weight | 2.38 lb | 2 lb | 2.65 lb | 4.3 lb | 2.54 lb |
| Dimensions | 11.06" x 8.72" x 0.55" | 10.4" x 7.2" x 0.6" | 11.97" x 8.28" x 0.54" | 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" | 10.1" | 12.5" | 15.6" | 11.6" |
| RAM | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Storage | 32 GB | 16 GB | 64 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| Processor | Intel Core m3 | OP1 | Intel Core m3 | Intel Pentium N4200 | Intel Celeron N3050 1.6 GHz |
| Screen Resolution | 2400 x 1600 | 1280 x 800 | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | 1366 x 768 |
| Ports | Micro SD, 2 x USB C, 3.5 mm Aux | 1 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB C, 3.5 mm Aux | Micro HDMI, Micro SD, 2 x USB 2.0, 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) | 9 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 11 |
| Measured Battery Life (hours) | 4.8 | 7 | 5.5 | 7.5 | 4.5 |
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Samsung Pro offers great performance, a slew of features, and a price that is at least reasonable. If you already do most of your computing in Chrome and don't mind storing most of your files on the cloud the Pro will serve you quite well. If you want to push the Chrome OS to its limits and a machine that can store all your files onboard, you'll have to upgrade to the Pixelbook.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Performance Comparison
After a slew of tests divided into 5 different testing metrics, the Samsung Chromebook Pro proved to be one of the absolute best Chromebooks on the market. For more on how it performed in all of our tests, and how that compares to the competition, read on.
Performance
The Samsung Pro was one of the fastest, most capable models we tested, falling just behind the overpowered Pixelbook.
Functionally, we didn't feel like we could slow the Samsung Pro down. Even while streaming video and editing Google documents with 10+ tabs open we didn't notice any lag. If we really pushed the envelope, adding even more web apps into the mix, we did start to notice a small amount of lag, not a debilitating amount of lag, but a noticeable amount. This is the only area where the Pixelbook was clearly better, as it didn't get bogged down at all even with the highest levels of multitasking. However, unless you regularly want to stream video while running Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Office 365 all at the same time, we don't' think the Pixelbook is worth the extra cost.
The Pro was one of the fastest, highest performing models we tested.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
The Samsung Pro has 32GB of internal storage, which is pretty much standard for a Chromebook. Unless you're looking to store a large media library or a lot of documents for offline access, this is more than enough storage. If you do want the freedom of saving more files on your Chromebook the ASUS Chromebook Flip C302CA has 64GB of internal storage and the Google Pixelbook has 128GB.
Ports
The Samsung Pro has a MicroSD card slot, headphone jack, and 2 USB-C ports. This is plenty for most uses, but may leave you a bit short if you want to plug in a number of accessories at once (i.e., an external monitor, your favorite standalone keyboard, and a charging cable).
The Pro, like many other models, is a bit spartan when it comes to ports. It does have a headphone jack though.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Interface and Features
The Samsung Pro tied for the top score in our interface and features testing.
Like the Pixelbook, the Samsung Pro has just about every bell and whistle you could want: touchscreen, ability to fold into a tablet, full-sized keyboard, large trackpad, and a stylus. Even better than the Pixelbook the Pro's stylus is both included and can be stored in a slot in the machine itself.
The Pro's touchscreen and stylus work flawlessly.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
The trackpad and touchscreen (whether used with finger or stylus) are both quite sensitive and allow for easy navigation. We loved using Android Apps on the Pro. The keyboard likewise has a nice feel and didn't cause us any wrist fatigue during long typing sessions. These attributes are very similar to those of the other high-end models like the Google Pixel and ASUS Flip C302CA.
The Stylus easily and discreetly stores right in the body of the computer.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Display Quality
Whether web surfing or Netflix binging, we loved the display of the Samsung Pro.
With a full HD resolution of 2400 x 1600 the Samsung Pro's screen offers very crisp images, both when watching movies and when staring at text for hours and hours. It also produces very true colors and good contrast. Even Christopher Nolan would probably be happy with how his movies look on this screen. Overall this screen's performance is almost identical to that of the competing Pixelbook, right down to size and aspect ratio. The only screen that might have a slight advantage over that of the Samsung Pro is the screen of the Acer 15. This is mostly because the Acer's screen is larger (15.3" vs. 12.3" on the Samsung) and it has a 16:9 aspect ratio, so widescreen movies fill the entire screen. The 3:2 aspect ratio on the Samsung Pro means there is a small bit of unused screen on the top and bottom when watching widescreen movies.
The display is sharp enough to do some fine photo editing.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Battery Life
The Samsung Pro lasted 4.8 hours in our battery life torture test, which was fairly standard for most of the models. We really put these machines through the wringer in that test, using a streaming video and maximum screen brightness. The Pro would last longer under less taxing circumstances.
Portability
For a 12.3" screen the Samsung Pro offers quite a bit of portability. The super slim Pixelbook is the only computer of the same size that slightly outperforms it in this metric.
Weighing in at just 2.38 pounds, the Samsung Pro certainly isn't going to weigh you down. In fact, it is just slightly lighter than the 2.4 pound Pixelbook. The Pixelbook is a bit thinner, 0.4" to the Samsung Pro's 0.55". This shouldn't be a decision maker for anyone as the difference is minute, but it does make the Pixelbook feel a good bit sleeker. Overall, the Samsung Pro is very portable for a 12.3" computer.
Value
The Samsung Pro certainly isn't a steal, but it also doesn't feel overpriced. For those looking for a high performing, do-it-all Chromebook with both typing and tablet functionality, this is both a great choice and a good overall value.
Conclusion
For the majority of Chromebook users that don't mind storing most of their files on the cloud and want both a good typing interface and a great touchscreen for Android apps, the Samsung Pro is the best choice.
—
Max Mutter and Steven Tata
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