Samsung Chromebook 2 Scheduled for April Arrival

Chromebooks are among the most popular personal computing devices making the rounds these days. Many of the models released by the various manufacturers of these gadgets have managed to sell pretty well, which contrasts starkly with the general downturn that’s been witnessed in the personal computer (PC) market in recent times. The fact that Chromebooks fit so snugly into the lives of highly mobile users is undoubtedly one of the big reasons why so many people have been snapping them up. Samsung, which was one of the first players to venture into this segment of the market, is among the manufacturers who’ve scored big with a Chromebook model. (Amazon sales statistics indicate that the company’s Samsung Series 3 device has consistently been one of the best sellers on the world’s biggest online marketplace.) Now, to the delight of many Chromebook (and Samsung) fans all around the country, news has emerged that the predecessor to the wildly popular Samsung Series 3 laptop will become available in April.

 

How does the Chromebook 2 compare to the Series 3?

 

The wait has been a very long one for those who’ve been clamoring for a follow-up to the Series 3. In fact, by the time Samsung Chromebook 2s hit store shelves, a period of almost one and a half years will have elapsed. However, it’s quite likely that this long wait has only increased the public’s appetite for the device.

 

The Good

 

Here’s a look at a few of the upgraded features that the company is hoping will whet the appetites of potential purchasers even more:

 

• More powerful processors

Samsung is actually planning to release two models of its popular laptop when April rolls around: an 11-inch version (with an 11.6-inch display) and a 13-inch version (with a 13.3-inch display). Both of them are slated to boast more powerful processors than their predecessor, which featured a 1.7 GHz Samsung Exynos 5 dual-core chip. Both models of the Chromebook 2 will come equipped with newer and faster 8-core Exynos 5 processors. The smaller model will feature a 1.9 GHz version of the chip, while its bigger brother (or sister, if you prefer) will come fitted with a 2.1 GHz engine.

 

• More random access memory (RAM)

The increased RAM integrated into the new devices gives them the potential to offer owners better multitasking performance than is possible with the Series 3. Both Chromebook 2 models come stocked with 4GB of random access memory, which is double the capacity of their predecessor. In theory, this should make all the programs that are being run concurrently on the machine operate much more smoothly than was possible before.

 

• Brighter displays

Both models of the new Chromebook 2 will serve up brighter displays to users. This should reduce the strain that your eyes are subjected to when viewing the various elements which are shown on the device’s screen. The original Series 3’s display features 200 nits. However, both models of the latest version of the device will come equipped with 250-nit displays. (A nit is a unit of measurement used to gauge the amount of light that a display produces.)

 

• Longer battery life

Longer battery life is always one of the features close to the top of the priority list for mobile users. When a device’s battery is capable of lasting longer, it gives users the potential to get much more work (or play) in between charges. Based on test results, the Series 3 was shown to provide users with up to 6.5 hours of runtime for each full charge that it received. On the other hand, the 11-inch and 13-inch models of the Chromebook 2 are capable of going for up to 8 and 8.5 hours respectively.

 

The Not So Good

 

There are obviously numerous hardware and software upgrades that will catch the eyes of potential purchasers of the soon to be released Samsung Chromebook 2. However, there are also a few things that might give the average person who’s in the market for one of these devices some cause for pause. Here’s a look at a few of these factors:

 

 

• Heftier price tag

It’s definitely reasonable to expect the price of these upgraded models to be a tad higher than those associated with the less powerful Series 3 device that preceded them. However, while the proposed prices for both the 11-inch and the 13-inch models are not astronomically higher than that of their predecessor, the fact that they’re both projected to jump into the $300+ bracket might pose a problem for some potential buyers.

 

• Same 16GB hard drive

Chromebooks are designed to function in an online environment that provides ready access to the various Cloud-based resources which they need to work best. However, there are times when users won’t be able to access the Internet. In such situations, users invariably have to resort to using the programs which are stored locally (on the device itself). Unfortunately, 16GB of hard drive space doesn’t allow you to save very much.

 

The Final Word

 

The two new models of the popular Chromebook 2 device are scheduled for an April release. They’ll feature significant upgrades over the original Chromebook – the Samsung Series 3.

 

Samsung Chromebook 2 Scheduled for April Arrival