That’s not all although: The Galaxy Chromebook Plus is the primary laptop computer to incorporate Google’s new Fast Insert Key, a bodily key that occupies the area that used to carry the launcher key. Urgent it offers you rapid entry to shortcuts for emoji, GIFs, the clipboard, and up to date hyperlinks and paperwork. It’s additionally built-in with Google Drive to allow you to seek for something, and you may ask Gemini AI that will help you write immediately from the pop-up menu.
It’s a superb addition, although it’s one thing you’ll must consciously keep in mind to make use of for those who’ve used Chromebooks for some time. I largely ended up utilizing it as a GIF or emoji key, but it surely’s additionally an effective way to rapidly entry searching historical past. Given my job, it’s arduous to evaluate the usefulness of getting an AI writing assistant accessible at a keypress, although I may see it being useful for college kids or professionals engaged on displays or emails.
{Photograph}: Daniel Thorp-Lancaster
A giant characteristic Samsung promotes with the Galaxy Chromebook Plus is its battery life, claiming as much as 13 hours on a cost. I did not attain that quantity in regular use, however I incessantly clocked 9 to 11 hours relying on what I used to be doing. Samsung despatched me a evaluation unit with a European charging brick, so I can’t communicate to its fast-charging capabilities. Nonetheless, my Anker charger managed to prime it again up in round 1.5 hours.
The one main weak point of the Galaxy Chromebook Plus? It is one shared by many different Chromebooks: middling audio system. They’re each downward-firing and sound fairly skinny it doesn’t matter what you’re listening to. It’s a sacrifice I’m OK with given the general thickness of the laptop computer, but it surely’s value noting if that’s a deal-breaker in your laptop computer selection. Convey a good pair of wi-fi headphones, earbuds, or laptop audio system for those who care about sound high quality.
The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus is a singular possibility within the Chromebook area proper now. Regardless of its thin-and-light design, Samsung took the time to dial in an expertise with only a few sacrifices. For $700, it is a superb purchase for anybody who needs a premium clamshell Chromebook you possibly can take anyplace with little fuss. Notably, there’s no touchscreen, and the clamshell design received’t be for everybody. In case you want a 2-in-1 design or pen-and-ink capabilities, you may get a equally premium expertise across the identical worth with the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714.
