Google has joined the race for the best laptop — again. In its Pixel 2 event in San Francisco on Oct. 4, the tech giant launched their brand-new laptop called Pixelbook and it's a wallet-buster.
The laptop is Google's first self-made Chrome-powered device after stopping the production of last summer's Chromebook Pixel 2. This is also the first Chromebook to offer users full Google Play Store support for all mobile apps and it works a stylus which is offered as an optional accessory.
Pre-orders for the Pixelbook are ongoing, but the units won't be shipped until Nov. 15. The new Chromebook starts at $999, making it as pricey as the Apple MacBook and Microsoft's Surface Laptop.
Google has declared the Pixelbook as a high-performing Chromebook and its specs are no joke. For the starting price, users will be getting the seventh-generation Intel Core i5 processor along with 128 GB of solid state drive (SSD) storage.
For potential buyers with more money to burn, there's an Intel Core i7 model Pixelbook with 512 GB of SSD storage selling for $1,649.
The optional stylus accessory costs an extra $99.
The Pixelbook's design and aesthetic are heavily inspired by Google's flagship phones, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. The new Chromebook is one of the thinnest in the market at 10.3 mm and weighs just 1.1 kilograms.
The Google Pixelbook's screen features a 3:2 aspect ratio with a smaller than normal screen at 12.3 inches. While the screen might be small, it can rotate a full 360 degrees; transforming the Pixelbook as either a laptop or a tablet.
The Pixelbook will be the first Chromebook with full access to all the Android apps in the Google Play Store. That means users can download any Android app and use it on their Pixelbook. Aside from that, Google Assistant will be a native app for the Pixelbook. Users can call up the virtual assistant by simply saying, "OK Google."
The Google Pixelbook comes out on Oct. 31.
