Shortly after Apple announced its 12 inch MacBook, its closest rival in the smartphone industry, Google showcased the successor to the first generation Chromebook Pixel with the second generation model carrying the same name. Google's offering is slightly larger compared to Apple's product; its 12.85 inch screen possesses a touch screen interface, not to mention a very crisp resolution of 2560 by 1700 pixels with an Intel HD Graphics 5500 iGPU.
Side by side, the 12 inch MacBook is radiating the 2304 by 1440 resolution and features Intel's HD 5300 graphics chip. The Chromebook Pixel also features a smaller starting price tag compared to the MacBook; $999 compared to the $1,299 for Apple's thinnest notebook ever engineered by the company. In terms of hardware specifications, the Chromebook Pixel is able to thwart the processing capabilities of the MacBook. Details of each product's specifications have been given below:
MacBook
- Processor: Dual core Core-i5 CPU at 1.1 GHz (choosing a Core-i5 1.3 GHz processor will spike the MacBook's price to $1,599)
- Memory: 8 GB (16 GB for the higher priced model)
- Storage: 256 GB flash storage (512 GB for the higher priced model)
- Battery life: 12 hours (may vary depending on usage)
- Weight: Lighter than 2 lbs
Chromebook Pixel
- Processor: Dual core Core-i5 CPU at 2.2 GHz (choosing an i7 2.4 GHz processor will spike the Chromebook Pixel's price to $1,299)
- Memory: 4 GB (8 GB for the higher priced model)
- Storage: 32 GB flash storage (64 GB for the higher priced model)
- Battery life: 9 hours (may vary depending on usage)
- Weight: 3.3 lbs
What the MacBook loses out in processing power, the product makes up for it in the storage and RAM category. For a Chromebook of its price, Google's offering possesses a modicum amount of storage, even though it offers users a whole terabyte of Google Drive's cloud storage. In terms of connectivity, the MacBook only possesses a one USB Type-C connector and one 3.5 mm headphone jack while the Chromebook Pixel offers two Type-C outputs, along with an SD/multi card reader, mini-DisplayPort and a combination of headphone and microphone jack.
Consumers who are looking for more processing power and do not care much about storage can purchase the Chromebook Pixel while those who require additional portability, higher battery and large amounts of storage can purchase the 12 inch MacBook.
