Chromebook Pixel Review: The Perfect Steemit Laptop?
Five years ago, Google decided to release their own version of the Chromebook; called the Chromebook Pixel. With a sleek metallic design, full-sized QWERTY keyboard and a price to match an Apple Macbook, it showed a lot of promise. Unfortunately after two iterations, the Chromebook Pixel went the way of the Dodo and is an obsolete brand. Fortunately for some, there was a plethora of unsold Pixel laptops sitting in stores and warehouses and you can buy one now, brand new for $300 or less. Does the massive price decrease make a five year old laptop a worthwhile purchase? Let's find out.
Under the hood
| Component | Part |
|---|---|
| CPU/Processor | intel core i5 clocked at 1.84GH/z |
| Memory | 4GB of DDR3 Ram |
| Storage | 32GB SSD and 1TB of Google Cloud Storage |
| Battery | Integrated 59Wh battery |
| Extra | Bluetooth, Dual-Band WiFi, SD card reader, 2 USB port, 720p Webcam, 2 built-in microphones for noise cancellation, Mini displayport |
Look and Feel
Designed to compete with the Macbook Pro, the Chromebook Pixel doesn't hide its inspiration. It's made with a unibody metal body and if we were reviewing this on looks alone, it's an absolutely stunning laptop. The full-sized keyboard is backlit, tactile and feels great to type on. The touch pad works wonderfully and gestures are incredibly responsive, intuitive and easy to remember.
Google decided to take a risk and designed the Pixel with an aspect ratio not commonly used in laptops; 3:2. This ratio is great for web browsing, as it provides you with more real estate on webpages before needing to scroll. The display is vibrant and also functions as a touch-screen, which is great for easily scrolling down websites without having to use the trackpad.
Performance
If you've never used Chrome OS, it's essentially a Chrome browser with some added bells and whistles. You won't be able to do any video editing, gaming or run any standard Windows programs on the Pixel. The entire line of Chromebooks are marketed as laptops for browsing the web, writing or watching videos. And the Chromebook Pixel does an excellent job at that. Web pages load quickly, videos run without a hitch and the display is perfect for working on schoolwork or writing articles.
Consuming a lot of video content on the Pixel makes the laptop heat up fairly quickly. This not only drains the battery quicker, but also makes the loud, obtrusive and annoying fans kick in. They cool down the laptop quick, but are extremely noticeable when watching videos without headphones on.
Battery Life
A deciding factor among many people when deciding on a laptop is the battery life. Unfortunately the Chromebook Pixel fails to deliver an acceptable amount of battery life for the average user. Google promised around 5 hours of battery life, but from day-1 I've had nothing more than 3-4 hours of constant use and that's without watching videos. For a laptop meant to be lightweight in terms of bloat, it really can't handle just browsing the web for extended periods of time.
Worth a purchase?
Maybe. At launch, the Chromebook Pixel was sold at a whopping $1200 MSRP, which is an insane price for a Chromebook that basically functions as a glorified web browser. At the current price of $300, I am happy with the purchase. I was in need of a laptop and didn't want to break the bank or need something too groundbreaking and the Pixel fit that niche.
If you're looking for something to game on, make videos with or run programs, it's definitely not worth your time. You can install and run Linux on the Pixel, but it's a hassle and booting up isn't as simple as just pressing a button. If you're looking to buy something to surf the web, write articles on Steemit and watch DTube videos, this might be the laptop for you.
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Great post. I'm considering getting a cheaper Chromebook (not a Pixel series, the new Acer Chromebook 15) for some productivity work on the commute. Really like the Pixels as well, but I don't think I can justify spending the MSRP on a laptop with an OS that's not as feature rich as Windows. I also don't think Google releases their Pixel Chromebooks in some parts of Europe, that's a shame. Google is great at making stuff, but pretty terrible at selling them.
I've had two Chromebooks prior to the Pixel and they're definitely great for lightweight productivity work. The Pixel for $300 was a definite great purchase, but there are a lot of downsides to it that I think would limit a majority of people from buying it. The Acer Chromebook 15 looks like a great purchase though, lightweight and doesn't break the bank. Google definitely has room for improvement on that front.