The Samsung Chromebook Pro Is Almost Here. Will It Impress or Disappoint?

Samsung’s Chromebook Pro is almost here, and it’s already making big waves just like the Plus.

The Samsung Chromebook Plus just came out, and it left many with simple awe in their faces. It’s a new, innovative Chromebook with a revolutionary design. It features a powerful spec sheet, a stylus pen, and an all-metal body.

It even sold out from major retailers and the only way you could get a hold of it was on Samsung’s store. As of now, you can pretty much grab it anywhere. But it just goes to show the demand for it. It’s surprising for a Chromebook.

Sure enough, it made a big impact on the Chromebook economy and probably set a standard for many other models to follow. If you want sure enough proof that the Plus is the flagship for 2017’s wave of Chromebooks, Google even featured it on their own landing page.

How’s that for promotion?

Samsung Plus sold out from major retailers because it's a good Chromebook.
The Samsung Plus Chromebook was a huge success being sold out from retailers like amazon and Best Buy.

The Samsung Chromebook Pro

Now, some prospective buyers are waiting for the Samsung Chromebook Pro- which is the upgraded version of the Plus. It mainly differs by having an Intel M3 CPU rather than an ARM-based (Samsung’s proprietary) CPU. It also bears a higher price point with the stronger processor, but it’s not that much more expensive.

Both models were announced at CES 2017 and stole the show. The most notable mention is the integration of Android apps on Chrome OS. In fact, both models are built mainly for that purpose. The convertible body, touchscreen, and stylus input area ll geared for a laptop that can run Android apps from the Google Play Store without a hitch- in theory, at least.

But, have you heard the news recently?

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The Samsung Plus ran the apps, but it wasn’t a perfect experience. Given that the whole integration thing is still in beta, we shouldn’t expect much. As it improves over time, the Plus and Pro should be the go-to Chromebooks if you want to run Android apps on your laptop.

Google has many different operating systems and merging Chrome and Android has already been a subject of discussion. The new OS was going to be dubbed “Andromeda” but was quickly debunked and wasn’t going to happen. Andromeda got canceled and never moved forward, it was all speculation.

As you already know, Chrome OS is built for a desktop environment. Android is for gaming, industrial, and other offline features. Chrome OS and Android don’t really mix since they’re made for different things entirely. They only really overlap in bare areas, but mainly are different platforms with different purposes.

 

Chrome OS and the Google Play Store on Chromebooks

So, Google has announced they’ll somehow make the Android platform work on Chrome OS. The solution? Make a Chromebook that can handle it and works well. Chrome OS would be the environment, and Android would be offered via apps from the Play Store. The Samsung Chromebook Plus was the answer and developed accordingly. This was based on a report by MovieTechGeeks.

 

Again, it has a digital stylus, a laptop and tablet mode, and a touchscreen. All these features make it very easy to adapt an app designed for a smartphone onto a laptop or tablet.

The Samsung Plus is a direct threat to many Microsoft laptops and even their own operating system. With the integration of apps into Chrome OS, it offers a cheaper alternative to many products and services offered by Microsoft that require a purchase and offer a different device to use said services altogether.

With Android apps on Chromebooks, they’ll be even more versatile. Whatever Windows-native program you’re used to, there’s pretty much an alternative on thChromeme Web Store. And now with the Google Play Store offering Android apps on Chrome OS, there are literally millions of apps. You can customize your Chromebook to do whatever you want it to. Built for productivity? Done. Gaming? Easy. Entertainment? No problem.

 

And don’t forget, they’re also cheaper and more affordable than Windows and Mac laptops.

 

Samsung Chromebook Pro and Plus specs and price

The Plus features a 12.3’’ screen with a Quad HD display with Gorilla Glass 3. It has a full 360 degree rotatable body with a 2.0GHz ARM CPU with 6 cores. It has 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. It’ll run you about $500.

The Pro is the same setup, but with an Intel 2.2GHz Core M3 CPU and will be about $50 more expensive, bringing the total to $550.

Both models have 2 USB ports, WiFi 802.11ac connectivity, and an all-metal finish.

(Want more specs? I’ve written about that too.)

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If you’re waiting for the Pro, it’ll be released next month. It may be sold out just like the Plus, so be ready to snag one if you’re a hardcore fan.

Stay tuned for a review.

About Andy Z.

Andy is a casual-hardcore Chrome OS fan and contributes to the site regularly. He likes computers, tech, sports cars, videogames, and of course, Chromebooks. Thinker. Introvert. Geek. You can find him on Twitter (@platytech), or send him an email (check the "Contact Us" page).

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