What are Google's new high-end Chromebook Plus specs like? When will it launch?

In a long-awaited move, Google has finally fully revealed its new Chromebook Plus line, promising productivity-focused devices with higher specs, better productivity, and more options. more choice for users. The Chromebook Plus has been rumored for months and was originally called Chromebook of Elon Musk later?).

However, the new Chromebook Plus specifications will benefit those participating in the Chromebook productivity program, especially given the minimum specifications that Google now requires.

What is Chromebook Plus?

Chromebook Plus is a new generation of Chromebooks designed to bring better performance and reliability to popular mobile productivity laptops. It is pushing the Chromebook Plus brand to create a clear distinction between regular Chromebooks and a new generation of premium Chromebooks with higher minimum specs, better security features, and certain AI features. .

 

On The Key, Google claims that Chromebook Plus models will have "twice the performance" in addition to built-in productivity features and, most importantly, a certain level of performance. Chromebook Plus minimum hardware specifications are:

1. CPU : Intel Core i3 12th generation or higher or AMD Ryzen 3 7000 series or higher
2. RAM : 8GB+
3. Memory : 128GB+
4. Webcam : 1080p+ with Temporal Noise Reduction feature
5. Screen : Full HD IPS or better screen

Upgrading to at least 8GB will increase functionality - beyond that, these are the minimum specs. Expect many Chromebook Plus models to exceed these levels to deliver better overall performance.

3 new Chromebook Plus software improvements

Google is raising the Chromebook Plus's minimum hardware requirements in part for better software support.

For example, Google Photos will now have an AI-powered Magic Eraser feature (rolling out to all Android devices by 2023) to automatically remove image backgrounds and more, along with the option to Choose to automatically create movies as well as other short clips from a series of images.

 

Google has also partnered with Adobe to bring Photoshop, Express, and LumaFusion to Chromebook Plus, bringing new levels of productivity and creativity options, in line with upcoming specifications. Currently, Chromebook Plus users will receive 3 months of Adobe Photoshop and Express for free when they purchase a new Chromebook Plus (along with a 3-month Priority subscription to Nvidia's GeForce Now cloud gaming engine).

Further improvements to the Chromebook Plus camera, again enhancing the productivity profile of the new devices. The Chromebook Plus's built-in webcam must have a resolution of at least 1080p (and include Temporal Noise Reduction for greater clarity). Furthermore, the webcam app will get a handy toolbar with AI-powered tools like lighting enhancement, noise reduction, live captions, and blur options, with many more features to be added. fig.

Chromebook Plus also gets an upgraded Google Drive feature called File Sync, which essentially keeps all your files in sync offline and online. It sounds quite similar to the existing Google Drive settings, so it's worth testing File Sync before concluding whether it's useful or not.

Chromebook Plus will soon have built-in AI tools

 

Now, Google isn't stopping at Chromebook Plus minimum specs and new productivity features. It also revealed that Chromebook Plus will receive new AI features from 2024 onwards, many of which are focused on making your life easier based on Google's AI technology. For example, Google wants to include a Generative AI tool to help you create posts or excerpts when required.

"We're making it easier to author and refine short-form content in the websites you visit on Chromebook Plus. With just a right click, you can get help polishing or Add some intelligence to your words, whether you're writing a restaurant review, a social media post, or a YouTube video description."

From launch, Chromebook Plus laptops will include a dynamic desktop wallpaper engine that changes four times per day. In a future update, Google wants to turn it into a Generative AI tool that will allow any user to enter a prompt and get a unique desktop wallpaper. Google's example is "Van Gogh-style cats," but if it's anything like text-to-image AI engines like Midjourney or DALL-E, the options and prompts is truly limitless.

When is Chromebook Plus coming out? What Chromebook Plus models are available?

Google will officially launch Chromebook Plus on October 8, 2023 - but some Chromebook Plus models are on the market. For example, Acer, Asus, HP and Lenovo have unveiled new Chromebook Plus hardware:

Model	CPU	Integrated graphics	Screen	RAM	Memory	Starting price
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus	Up to Intel Core i5-1334U	Up to Intel Iris Xe	14-inch 1920x1200 touch screen	8GB LPDDR4x	Up to 512GB PCIe SSD	$499
Lenovo Slim 3i Chromebook Plus	Intel Core i3-N305	Intel UHD	Up to 14-inch 1920x1080 touch screen	8GB LPDDR5	Up to 256GB eMMC	$549
Asus Chromebook Plus CM34 Flip	AMD Ryzen 3+	TBD	14-inch IPS	8GB+	128GB+	$499
Asus Chromebook Plus CX34	Up to Intel Core i7-1255U	Up to Intel Iris Xe	14-inch 1920x1080 IPS touch screen	Up to 16GB LPDDR5-4800	Up to 512GB PCIe 3.0 SSD	$399
Acer Chromebook Plus 514	Up to Ryzen 5 7520C	AMD Radeon 610M	14-inch 1920x1200 IPS	Up to 16GB LPDDR5x	Up to 512GB PCIe 3.0 SSD	$399.99
Acer Chromebook Plus 515	Up to Intel Core i7-1355U	Intel UHD	15.6-inch 1920x1080 IPS	Up to 16GB LPDDR5x	Up to 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD	$399.99
HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch	Intel Core i3-N305	Intel UHD	15.6-inch 1920x1080 IPS @ Up to 144Hz	8GB LPDDR5-4800	Up to 256GB UFS	$499
HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch	Up to Intel Core i5-1235U	Up to Intel Iris Xe	14-inch 1920x1200 IPS touch screen	Up to 16GB LPDDR4x-4266	Up to 512GB PCIe SSD	$699

 

Should I buy a Chromebook Plus?

With a commitment to increased minimum hardware specifications, upgraded productivity tools, and AI integration, the Chromebook Plus specs could be a great choice for consumers.

Another issue is that Chromebook Plus doesn't mention a corresponding minimum battery performance. If the new Chromebook Plus spec runs more powerful hardware, expect battery life and capacity to be equally enhanced and could keep the Chromebook going all day. Since productivity has always been at the forefront of Chromebook development, it's possible this was considered. Just strange not to see it mentioned in the official announcement.